SINGAPORE: Minister for Social and Family Development Masagos Zulkifli on Saturday evening (Apr 12) introduced former Chief of Army David Neo as a potential candidate for Tampines GRC, but did not confirm the line-up for the constituency for the upcoming general election.
Speaking on the sidelines of a Hari Raya concert at Our Tampines Hub, Mr Masagos was flanked by the current Tampines MPs and new faces Charlene Chen and Mr Neo.
The current MPs, other than Mr Masagos, are Senior Minister of State Dr Koh Poh Koon, Mayor of North East District Desmond Choo and Senior Parliamentary Secretary Baey Yam Keng.
Former Tampines MP Cheng Li Hui stepped down in 2023 over an extra-marital affair with fellow MP and former Speaker of Parliament Tan Chuan-Jin.
Mr Masagos had earlier introduced Ms Chen as a grassroots leader who would serve the residents of Ms Cheng’s Tampines East ward, and she has been walking the ground with the minister.
On Saturday, Mr Masagos said that he is happy that Mr Neo will be “joining our team”.
“We hope that the final confirmation of the team will be made soon. For now, David has been following us. We’ve been introducing him to various parts of Tampines, following us on house visits and joining us in many events around Tampines,” he said.
“We’re happy that he’s making his rounds and getting himself familiar with the residents.”
Mr Neo, 47, stepped down as Chief of Army in March, sparking speculation that he will contest in the 2025 General Election. He has been spotted in Tampines on walkabouts with Mr Baey.
PAP new face David Neo speaking to the media at Our Tampines Hub on Apr 2, 2025. (Photo: CNA/Lan Yu)
Speaking to the media on Saturday, Mr Neo said that he has fond memories of Tampines and its residents from his time in the Silver Generation Office.
“Tampines is a place that holds many fond memories for me, particularly during my time in the silver generation office, almost 10 years ago,” said Mr Neo.
He said that almost 10 years ago, the Pioneer Generation office piloted door-to-door outreach, community networks and other programmes to help seniors understand and access the Pioneer Generation package.
“More importantly, what's really great for me is to come back here and to meet all the different friends, volunteers and residents, and it's a really great and warm feeling,” said Mr Neo.
“It's really great to be back here again, and I hope to have the chance to work together with everybody and to serve our residents well.”
Mr Neo served as Chief of Army between 2022 and 2025 and was the first commando to hold the post.
Before becoming army chief, Mr Neo oversaw the Singapore Armed Forces’ contributions to the national fight against COVID-19.
His other appointments before that include programme director of the Pioneer Generation Office, the founding group chief of the Silver Generation Office under the Agency for Integrated Care and Deputy Secretary (Technology) and Future Systems and Technology Architect at the Ministry of Defence.
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Speaking on the sidelines of a Hari Raya concert at Our Tampines Hub, Mr Masagos was flanked by the current Tampines MPs and new faces Charlene Chen and Mr Neo.
The current MPs, other than Mr Masagos, are Senior Minister of State Dr Koh Poh Koon, Mayor of North East District Desmond Choo and Senior Parliamentary Secretary Baey Yam Keng.
Former Tampines MP Cheng Li Hui stepped down in 2023 over an extra-marital affair with fellow MP and former Speaker of Parliament Tan Chuan-Jin.
Mr Masagos had earlier introduced Ms Chen as a grassroots leader who would serve the residents of Ms Cheng’s Tampines East ward, and she has been walking the ground with the minister.
On Saturday, Mr Masagos said that he is happy that Mr Neo will be “joining our team”.
“We hope that the final confirmation of the team will be made soon. For now, David has been following us. We’ve been introducing him to various parts of Tampines, following us on house visits and joining us in many events around Tampines,” he said.
“We’re happy that he’s making his rounds and getting himself familiar with the residents.”
Mr Neo, 47, stepped down as Chief of Army in March, sparking speculation that he will contest in the 2025 General Election. He has been spotted in Tampines on walkabouts with Mr Baey.
PAP new face David Neo speaking to the media at Our Tampines Hub on Apr 2, 2025. (Photo: CNA/Lan Yu)
Speaking to the media on Saturday, Mr Neo said that he has fond memories of Tampines and its residents from his time in the Silver Generation Office.
“Tampines is a place that holds many fond memories for me, particularly during my time in the silver generation office, almost 10 years ago,” said Mr Neo.
He said that almost 10 years ago, the Pioneer Generation office piloted door-to-door outreach, community networks and other programmes to help seniors understand and access the Pioneer Generation package.
“More importantly, what's really great for me is to come back here and to meet all the different friends, volunteers and residents, and it's a really great and warm feeling,” said Mr Neo.
“It's really great to be back here again, and I hope to have the chance to work together with everybody and to serve our residents well.”
Mr Neo served as Chief of Army between 2022 and 2025 and was the first commando to hold the post.
Before becoming army chief, Mr Neo oversaw the Singapore Armed Forces’ contributions to the national fight against COVID-19.
His other appointments before that include programme director of the Pioneer Generation Office, the founding group chief of the Silver Generation Office under the Agency for Integrated Care and Deputy Secretary (Technology) and Future Systems and Technology Architect at the Ministry of Defence.
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