The ruling People’s Action Party (PAP) in Singapore has unveiled its candidate strategy for the general elections this year (GE2025), and of the eight new faces introduced so far by party leader and Prime Minister Lawrence Wong, what stands out for the Indian diaspora is the name of Dr Hamid Rahmatullah Razak, an Indian-origin consultant orthopaedic surgeon and winner of the Singapore Youth Award 2018 for his community work.
Lawrence Wong, who represents Marsiling-Yew Tee GRC in Parliament, said yesterday that his party would field some 30 new faces for GE2025. He was quoted by CNA as saying, “The team in Marsiling-Yew Tee has not changed, but there will be more significant changes elsewhere. In fact, this is the largest slate of new faces we have introduced in recent history.”
CNA said that in the last three general elections, PAP had fielded 27 and 24 (in two elections each) new candidates.
In a related report, The Straits Times revealed — on the basis of a video published by PM Wong — the first look at eight new PAP candidates. The new candidates, besides Dr Hamid Razak, are Goh Hanyan, Shawn Loh, Cassandra Lee, Diana Pang, Goh Pei Ming, Jasmin Lau, and Ng Shi Xuan. “They are a mix of individuals from the public and private sectors,” said ST.
Third-generation Singaporean devoted to community work
PIO candidate Dr Hamid Razak, though a political newbie, is no stranger to connecting with people and using his skills to help the community. A third-generation Singaporean with Indian roots, Razak said in a 2018 profile published on the website of Sengkang General Hospital that he came from humble beginnings.
“My grandparents were from Kadayanallur, a small village in south India who had come to Singapore seeking greener pastures. My grandfather worked as a storekeeper, while my grandmother sold spices in the market,” he said in an interview with The Straits Times that was shared on the hospital’s website.
Hamid’s father had a job in Singapore as a Customs officer and his mother was a clerical assistant. He and his sisters were brought up mostly by the grandparents and the extended family of uncles and aunts.
It was his grandfather’s dream to have a doctor in the family, and the young Hamid, despite financial barriers and other factors, qualified for medical school. He went to the National University of Singapore to study medicine, and funded his higher education with a loan.
His desire to do something for the community resulted in a commitment to voluntary work right from his medical student days; that has not changed despite the international recognition he received later in his busy career.
Among fellowships that Dr Razak has won for his work in orthopaedic surgery are: College Travelling Fellowship by the Royal College of Physicians & Surgeons of Glasgow; and International Cartilage Regeneration & Joint Preservation Society (ICRS) Clinical Travelling Fellowship. He also has more than 100 publications in peer-reviewed journals.
In the space of voluntary work, he is the 2nd adviser to Jurong GRC Grassroots Organizations (Jurong Spring).
Some 10 years ago, in September 2015, while working as a trainee orthopaedic surgeon, Dr Razak set up an organisation named “Indian Muslim Professionals (IM.PROF)” with his friends. The goal was to connect with the Singapore-based youth from his community.
A doctor by profession, Hamid Razak has not made his organisation focus on medical support. IM.PROF caters to the youth’s need for guidance on career, entrepreneurship, personal development, spirituality, and now even cryptocurrency and social media.
“The value of resilience” taught by his late grandfather is a lesson that Dr Razak instils in others, too, through his voluntary work.
For his rich contributions to the community, Dr Razak won the Singapore Youth Award (SYA) in 2018. This is Singapore’s highest award for the youth, “conferred on inspirational individuals who have displayed courage, resilience, leadership and a spirit of service, making a positive difference in the community around them”, said The Straits Times.
PAP looks to “bring in new blood, new ideas and new energy”
PM Wong, who announced there would be 30 new PAP candidates for GE2025, and revealed eight names yesterday, said, “We have an excellent team of MPs today, but to serve Singaporeans better, I need to renew and refresh the PAP team, to bring in new blood, new ideas and new energy.”
Introducing the eight new faces, PM Wong, who is also the PAP secretary general, said in his Facebook video: “Let’s build a better Singapore, a Singapore we can all be proud of.” The new candidates were seen engaged in various activities in the 2-minute introduction video.
Speaking of “storm clouds” on the horizon — a reference to the economic turmoil of the tariff war and the continuing military conflicts — the prime minister said that “amidst these shifts, new opportunities will emerge” for Singapore.
