East Coast GRC MP Cheryl Chan retires from politics, will not contest GE2025 (2025)

SINGAPORE – PAP MP Cheryl Chan will be retiring from politics after two terms.

She announced this in a Facebook post on the morning of April 21.

“This decision was difficult for me and was made after careful consideration. It had been challenging since my father was ill in 2022. After his passing a year ago, I decided to give time to my family,” she wrote.

Ms Chan, who is one of the incumbents in the five-member East Coast GRC, did not specify who would be replacing her.

She is the seventh PAP MP to have announced retirement ahead of the polls on May 3.

The 48-year-old is currently group chief strategy and sustainability officer at ST Engineering.

She first entered the political scene in 2015 and was deployed to the newly formed single-member constituency of Fengshan.

The move was surprising then, as it is rare for the PAP to field a new face in an SMC where it is the incumbent.

Ms Chan won the seat with 57.5 per cent of the vote against the WP’s Mr Dennis Tan, who in 2020 contested and won in Hougang SMC.

In 2020, Ms Chan’s Fengshan SMC was merged with East Coast GRC. The PAP team, led by Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat, won 53.39 per cent of the vote against the WP.

In her Facebook post, Ms Chan recalled moving to Fengshan 26 years ago with her family.

“I liked it so much that a few years later, I decided to help out in the community,” she said.

One evening after house visits, Mr Raymond Lim, who was then looking after Fengshan ward, asked her to contest the coming general election.

“I was stunned. I had never thought about entering politics. It was a huge honour for me that I would even be considered. My mum and dad have brought me up to always, when we can, pay it forward, so I eventually took the leap of faith,” she said.

“It had been a meaningful journey, one that not only allowed me to give to others, but also taught me life lessons that have made me an even better person today.”

Ms Chan thanked residents for the opportunity to serve them, and others who had helped her in her journey.

“Fengshan will always be home to me and have that special place in my heart,” she said.

East Coast GRC is set for another close battle in this election, with the WP expected to return for a rematch.

The slates on both sides have been unclear, even with two days left until Nomination Day on April 23.

On the PAP front, the only confirmation so far is that Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office Maliki Osman’s spot on the slate – he looks after the Siglap ward – will be taken by new face Hazlina Abdul Halim.

It also appears certain that Minister for Culture, Community and Youth Edwin Tong will move from Marine Parade GRC to East Coast GRC. Questions remain over whether DPM Heng will stay on or retire.

New face and former brigadier-general Goh Pei Ming has also been seen with PAP MPs.

The WP’s line-up for the constituency is also unconfirmed.

On April 18, Mr Kenneth Foo, deputy director of the Singapore Cancer Society, who was part of the WP’s team for East Coast in the 2020 General Election, was spotted with lawyer Ang Boon Yaw.

They visited the food centre at Block 16 Bedok South and a nearby coffee shop, where they took their time speaking with residents and exchanging views.

Another GE2020 candidate, Mr Abdul Shariff Aboo Kassim, has also been active on the ground.

The PAP is expected to see about 20 of its MPs retire ahead of the general election.

The biggest name so far to announce his retirement is Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen.

Senior Minister of State for Transport and Sustainability and the Environment Amy Khor and backbenchers Chong Kee Hiong and Gan Thiam Poh have also done the same.

Two first-time MPs – Ms Ng Ling Ling and Mr Don Wee – will also not be seeking re-election.

• Goh Yan Han is political correspondent at The Straits Times. She writesUnpacked, a weekly newsletteron Singapore politics and policy.

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