SINGAPORE: In one moment during the People’s Action Party’s (PAP) manifesto launch on Thursday (Apr 17), Prime Minister Lawrence Wong addressed party activists in front of a large screen displaying 116 candidates standing side to side.
He was introducing PAP’s pledge offering a fresh team with a new resolve amid a changed world. “We deliver this promise as Team PAP,” said Mr Wong, as the screen revealed the party’s full slate, comprising familiar party members and political newcomers.
But keen-eyed observers may have spotted three faces in the matrix of portraits who were not among the 32 new candidates individually introduced by Mr Wong in his speech.
They could be part of a backup slate of candidates, political experts told CNA.
There are only 97 seats up for grabs in the coming elections. Some of the 116 individuals pictured are unlikely to or will not contest, including Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen who on Friday announced his retirement from politics.
Two of them, Mr Ahmad Firdaus Daud, 42, and Mr Mustaffa Kamal, 40, have yet to be identified in the media.
Mr Ahmad Firdaus Daud speaking at the Professional Networks for Legal Engagement Session at MENDAKI. (Photo: Linkedin/Ahmad Firdaus Daud)
The third person is Ms Natasha Choy, the director of youth development at NTUC.
Unlike the duo, Ms Choy, who is in her 30s, had been in the media’s spotlight after appearing at West Coast community events, though she was not a part of the recently announced PAP team for West Coast-Jurong West GRC, helmed by Minister for National Development Desmond Lee.
CNA has reached out to Ms Choy for comment.
PAP’s Natasha Choy with National Development Minister Desmond Lee meeting residents at the launch of Our Residents’ Hub @ West Coast Peak RN held at Jalan Mas Kuning playground on Apr 2, 2025. (Photo: CNA/Ili Nadhirah Mansor)
Speaking to CNA on Friday, Mr Firdaus and Mr Mustaffa, confirmed that they were party members who are ready to stand as candidates for the PAP on Nomination Day.
Mr Firdaus, a lawyer and member of the PAP since 2016, said: “I'm ready to get to work if PM decides to field me on Nomination Day. But right now, I'm in full support of my colleagues who are deployed and running.”
As of Apr 17, Ms Choy and Mr Firdaus are named on a list of prospective candidates for the General Election on the Elections Department website, which is published daily up until Nomination Day.
The list is a relatively new addition for the 2025 General Election.
Individuals in this list are to be considered prospective candidates under the law, and it is a criminal offence to publish digitally generated or manipulated online election advertising that realistically misrepresents a prospective candidate's speech or actions.
Mr Firdaus is currently the senior counsel and head of legal for Southeast Asia, Korea and China at IT services firm Avaya.
He has also been involved with various community causes, including as a council member for the National Council Against Drug Abuse since 2017, and as an education trust fund committee member and the lead of the legal professional networks for MENDAKI.
Mr Firdaus added that he hoped for the focus to be on his PAP team members who are running and did not want to “distract from that”.
As for Mr Mustaffa, he has been a member of the PAP since late 2024 and has helped out with Meet-the-People Sessions in “several areas” around Singapore, though he would not specify which constituencies he has volunteered in.
Mr Mustaffa Kamal (right) pictured with Prime Minister Lawrence Wong. (Photo: Linkedin/Shaffiq Olia)
The co-founder and former chief executive officer of the Black Hole Group, which runs various restaurants and a catering company, has been involved in community work including with government feedback organisation REACH.
He has also served as a council member of the Muslimin Trust Fund Association.
He co-founded Respect SG, a non-profit organisation meant to raise the public perception of the food and beverage industry in Singapore.
Mr Mustaffa said that while he could not confirm if he would be a candidate until Nomination Day, he believes that the final team the party fields will “not only be capable, but more importantly have the heart to serve”.
“At the end of the day, it’s about putting forward the best team possible at the right place, at the right time. If you follow team sports, it’s not about any individual player, it’s just curating a team that can take Singapore forward and that will be the best for Singaporeans,” said Mr Mustaffa.
“That’s my motivation, and if I can serve in any way, shape or form, in a supporting role or as a candidate for this or in the future elections, I will be honoured to step up for my country, as I believe many others would as well.”
Political observers noted that it is common for parties to keep potential backup candidates on standby, as changes can still happen in the lead-up to Nomination Day.
Dr Teo Kay Key, a research fellow at the Institute of Policy Studies Social Lab, said that as party members, Mr Firdaus and Mr Mustaffa are eligible to contest for the PAP if deployed.
“Given the size of the party, it is not surprising to hear that they have an excess of potential candidates to field for elections. There are a lot of moving parts to consider in confirming the line-ups for 97 parliamentary seats,” said Dr Teo.
Former PAP MP Inderjit Singh said the PAP typically has a number of backup candidates and may reconfigure the teams at the last minute, though he said that it may not be strategic to reveal who the backup candidates are at this stage before Nomination Day.
“You never know what can happen up to Nomination Day, and PAP will want to field 100 per cent of seats, so it is not unusual to have backup candidates,” said Mr Singh.
Mr Singh pointed to the case of former PAP candidate Ivan Lim from the party’s Jurong GRC slate, who withdrew from the 2020 election race days before Nomination Day after his conduct during his time in National Service and other accusations went viral online.
He was replaced at the eleventh hour by Mr Xie Yao Quan, who was eventually elected to represent the Jurong Central division in Jurong GRC.
Dr Mustafa Izzuddin, a senior analyst at business consultancy Solaris Strategies, noted that while Mr Firdaus and Mr Mustaffa can potentially still be fielded, this appears “rather unlikely” as most GRC teams that require a Malay candidate have been “more or less filled up”.
Still, he said it is prudent for the PAP to prepare backup candidates in case there is a need to swap candidates at the last minute. This could be due to ground sentiments towards a particular candidate, or if a candidate changes his mind about standing for the election.
Those seen walking the ground may not be fielded by the party at the polls, Dr Mustafa added. He did not refer to anyone specifically.
On Wednesday, PAP new face Kawal Pal Singh, a lawyer and long-time PAP activist who was seen during a walkabout in Toa Payoh, announced that he would not be contesting in the upcoming elections.
Said the analyst: “(Mr Firdaus and Mr Mustaffa) may have been earmarked, but whether or not they’ll be fielded is a different question. The fact that they are there (in the background) suggests that they may be on the minds of the ruling party to be fielded, whether right now or perhaps as a backup slate.”
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He was introducing PAP’s pledge offering a fresh team with a new resolve amid a changed world. “We deliver this promise as Team PAP,” said Mr Wong, as the screen revealed the party’s full slate, comprising familiar party members and political newcomers.
But keen-eyed observers may have spotted three faces in the matrix of portraits who were not among the 32 new candidates individually introduced by Mr Wong in his speech.
They could be part of a backup slate of candidates, political experts told CNA.
There are only 97 seats up for grabs in the coming elections. Some of the 116 individuals pictured are unlikely to or will not contest, including Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen who on Friday announced his retirement from politics.
Two of them, Mr Ahmad Firdaus Daud, 42, and Mr Mustaffa Kamal, 40, have yet to be identified in the media.
Mr Ahmad Firdaus Daud speaking at the Professional Networks for Legal Engagement Session at MENDAKI. (Photo: Linkedin/Ahmad Firdaus Daud)
The third person is Ms Natasha Choy, the director of youth development at NTUC.
Unlike the duo, Ms Choy, who is in her 30s, had been in the media’s spotlight after appearing at West Coast community events, though she was not a part of the recently announced PAP team for West Coast-Jurong West GRC, helmed by Minister for National Development Desmond Lee.
CNA has reached out to Ms Choy for comment.
PAP’s Natasha Choy with National Development Minister Desmond Lee meeting residents at the launch of Our Residents’ Hub @ West Coast Peak RN held at Jalan Mas Kuning playground on Apr 2, 2025. (Photo: CNA/Ili Nadhirah Mansor)
YET TO BE FIELDED
Speaking to CNA on Friday, Mr Firdaus and Mr Mustaffa, confirmed that they were party members who are ready to stand as candidates for the PAP on Nomination Day.
Mr Firdaus, a lawyer and member of the PAP since 2016, said: “I'm ready to get to work if PM decides to field me on Nomination Day. But right now, I'm in full support of my colleagues who are deployed and running.”
As of Apr 17, Ms Choy and Mr Firdaus are named on a list of prospective candidates for the General Election on the Elections Department website, which is published daily up until Nomination Day.
The list is a relatively new addition for the 2025 General Election.
Individuals in this list are to be considered prospective candidates under the law, and it is a criminal offence to publish digitally generated or manipulated online election advertising that realistically misrepresents a prospective candidate's speech or actions.
Mr Firdaus is currently the senior counsel and head of legal for Southeast Asia, Korea and China at IT services firm Avaya.
He has also been involved with various community causes, including as a council member for the National Council Against Drug Abuse since 2017, and as an education trust fund committee member and the lead of the legal professional networks for MENDAKI.
Mr Firdaus added that he hoped for the focus to be on his PAP team members who are running and did not want to “distract from that”.
As for Mr Mustaffa, he has been a member of the PAP since late 2024 and has helped out with Meet-the-People Sessions in “several areas” around Singapore, though he would not specify which constituencies he has volunteered in.
Mr Mustaffa Kamal (right) pictured with Prime Minister Lawrence Wong. (Photo: Linkedin/Shaffiq Olia)
The co-founder and former chief executive officer of the Black Hole Group, which runs various restaurants and a catering company, has been involved in community work including with government feedback organisation REACH.
He has also served as a council member of the Muslimin Trust Fund Association.
He co-founded Respect SG, a non-profit organisation meant to raise the public perception of the food and beverage industry in Singapore.
Mr Mustaffa said that while he could not confirm if he would be a candidate until Nomination Day, he believes that the final team the party fields will “not only be capable, but more importantly have the heart to serve”.
“At the end of the day, it’s about putting forward the best team possible at the right place, at the right time. If you follow team sports, it’s not about any individual player, it’s just curating a team that can take Singapore forward and that will be the best for Singaporeans,” said Mr Mustaffa.
“That’s my motivation, and if I can serve in any way, shape or form, in a supporting role or as a candidate for this or in the future elections, I will be honoured to step up for my country, as I believe many others would as well.”
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WHY THE PAP NEEDS EXTRA CANDIDATES
Political observers noted that it is common for parties to keep potential backup candidates on standby, as changes can still happen in the lead-up to Nomination Day.
Dr Teo Kay Key, a research fellow at the Institute of Policy Studies Social Lab, said that as party members, Mr Firdaus and Mr Mustaffa are eligible to contest for the PAP if deployed.
“Given the size of the party, it is not surprising to hear that they have an excess of potential candidates to field for elections. There are a lot of moving parts to consider in confirming the line-ups for 97 parliamentary seats,” said Dr Teo.
Former PAP MP Inderjit Singh said the PAP typically has a number of backup candidates and may reconfigure the teams at the last minute, though he said that it may not be strategic to reveal who the backup candidates are at this stage before Nomination Day.
“You never know what can happen up to Nomination Day, and PAP will want to field 100 per cent of seats, so it is not unusual to have backup candidates,” said Mr Singh.
Mr Singh pointed to the case of former PAP candidate Ivan Lim from the party’s Jurong GRC slate, who withdrew from the 2020 election race days before Nomination Day after his conduct during his time in National Service and other accusations went viral online.
He was replaced at the eleventh hour by Mr Xie Yao Quan, who was eventually elected to represent the Jurong Central division in Jurong GRC.
Dr Mustafa Izzuddin, a senior analyst at business consultancy Solaris Strategies, noted that while Mr Firdaus and Mr Mustaffa can potentially still be fielded, this appears “rather unlikely” as most GRC teams that require a Malay candidate have been “more or less filled up”.
Still, he said it is prudent for the PAP to prepare backup candidates in case there is a need to swap candidates at the last minute. This could be due to ground sentiments towards a particular candidate, or if a candidate changes his mind about standing for the election.
Those seen walking the ground may not be fielded by the party at the polls, Dr Mustafa added. He did not refer to anyone specifically.
On Wednesday, PAP new face Kawal Pal Singh, a lawyer and long-time PAP activist who was seen during a walkabout in Toa Payoh, announced that he would not be contesting in the upcoming elections.
Said the analyst: “(Mr Firdaus and Mr Mustaffa) may have been earmarked, but whether or not they’ll be fielded is a different question. The fact that they are there (in the background) suggests that they may be on the minds of the ruling party to be fielded, whether right now or perhaps as a backup slate.”
Related:
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