As many as 20 PAP MPs will not be contesting in the 2025 General Election, including Senior Minister and Coordinating Minister for National Security Teo Chee Hean and Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat.
DPM Heng took to social media to share the development. In a lengthy post on Facebook, he stated the reasons behind the decision.
Here’s the full text of DPM Heng’s announcement:
“Dear Fellow Singaporeans,
On 3 May, we go to the polls.
It has been a great honour for me to serve you as a Member of Parliament and Cabinet Minister for almost 15 years. Let me first extend my deep appreciation for your trust and confidence in me and my team, and in the People’s Action Party.
I would like to let you know that I will not be standing in this election. Let me share with you why.
I have served in the public sector since I was called up for National Service, 45 years ago. I spent over a decade in the Singapore Police Force, and another 15 years in the Administrative Service. The work in SPF was meaningful. When I moved to the Administrative Service, I found it fulfilling to work with a political leadership that was highly capable and dedicated – in MOE, MTI and MAS.
One of the most impactful experiences of my time as a civil servant was the privilege to serve as Principal Private Secretary to Mr Lee Kuan Yew, where I witnessed first-hand his unwavering dedication to Singapore. He spent his every waking moment thinking of how to secure the survival and success of Singapore, to improve the lives of Singaporeans. It has been deeply inspiring to me.
I was asked to stand for elections on a few occasions – the first time in my 30s. I declined. I felt that I could make meaningful contributions as a civil servant. Around the late 2000s, after the Global Financial Crisis, both then-SM Goh Chok Tong (MParader) and then-MM Lee Kuan Yew had long sessions with me, and spurred my entry into politics in 2011.
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They convinced me that there were changes I could effect as a politician that I could not as a civil servant, and winning public support for doing the right things for Singapore was critical. This is why I agreed to enter politics, and why I continued to serve after my stroke 9 years ago, in 2016. Not many get the opportunity to have a second chance at life, much less the chance to spend it so meaningfully, to serve my fellow Singaporeans. I am profoundly grateful to my doctors, nurses and therapists at Tan Tock Seng Hospital and the National Neuroscience Institute, for giving me this second chance at life.
Through my stints as Education Minister, Finance Minister, and as Chairman of the National Research Foundation, working under Lee Hsien Loong, I have been privileged to have the opportunity to play a role in improving the lives of Singaporeans. From implementing policies that strive to bring out the best in every child to delivering an unprecedented 5 budgets through the pandemic, as well as overseeing the restructuring of the economy through the Future Economy Council and Emerging Stronger Taskforce, guiding research direction at the National Research Foundation, and building strong ties with countries around the world, I hope that I have made a difference for Singapore and Singaporeans.
I am also fortunate to have had the opportunity to work closely with a wide range of public and private sector leaders as well as volunteers and members of the public. I deeply appreciate each and every one who has volunteered and contributed, as well as Singaporeans from all walks of life who have shared their ideas and thoughts with me in various movements, such as Our Singapore Conversation, Singapore Together and many budget consultation meetings.
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My special thanks to my activists and volunteers in East Coast and Tampines. You have dedicated your time and effort to forging a more cohesive and caring Singapore. My interactions with all of you have strengthened my conviction that Singapore has come so far because of the collective efforts of all Singaporeans – this sense of unity and commitment to doing what’s best for the country is what makes us special.
It was in this spirit that I decided to step aside as leader of the PAP’s 4G team four years ago, so that a younger person with a longer runway could lead the country. I am glad that PM Lawrence Wong has taken up the mantle.
This year, I’ve decided not to run in the upcoming election as I believe now is the right time to make way for a new team of capable individuals who are well-placed to serve Singapore. I wish the East Coast team – Edwin Tong, Tan Kiat How, Jessica Tan Soon Neo, Hazlina Abdul Halim, Dinesh Vasu Dash தினேஷ் வாசு தாஸ் 迪內希 all the best. I am confident that they will serve with heart and strength. I urge our East Coast residents to give your strong support to them.
Amid these turbulent times, we will need a strong leader to navigate the choppy waters ahead. I believe Lawrence Wong will continue to lead with conviction, and I hope Singaporeans will give him a strong mandate to lead Singapore through this turbulent time. PM Wong and I entered politics together in 2011 and have been working closely together since. He has won Singaporeans’ trust and grown in confidence and stature. I am confident that he will give his best to take Singapore forward.
It has been my honour and privilege to serve Singapore and Singaporeans. Thank you for all your support and partnership in this journey. Let us continue to work together as one people to bring Singapore forward and to greater heights.
PM Lawrence Wong, in a post on Twitter, paid tributes to the two seasoned lawmakers.
“DPM Heng Swee Keat and SM Teo Chee Hean have announced their retirement from politics. Both are giants in public service – remarkable individuals who have dedicated their entire careers to serving their fellow citizens, and advancing our nation’s interests,” the Prime Minister wrote on Facebook.
“Swee Keat and I entered politics at the same time. He has been a steadfast friend, comrade and senior – always generous with his advice and encouragement. I saw firsthand how he embraced the ethos of service above self when I worked under him in MOE and MOF. He masters every policy detail, and holds a deep belief that our country is stronger when Singaporeans are more actively involved in shaping our shared future. He exemplified this through his wide-ranging engagements and willingness to listen to diverse perspectives, especially when he led the Our Singapore Conversation. That effort provided the foundation for the government to deepen our partnerships with stakeholders, and to provide many more platforms for citizen participation – a legacy that continued in our Forward Singapore exercise,” he said.
“When I joined politics, Chee Hean was already a seasoned and respected veteran. He had left a lasting mark across all the ministries he served in – the then-Ministry of the Environment, MOE, MINDEF and MHA. He was a mentor to me and many others in Cabinet, always offering wise counsel and support. A strategist at heart, he brought an incisive mind to bear on complex issues, with a laser focus on effective policies that make a difference. He was a statesman who represented Singapore with distinction on the global stage. He created space and opportunities for our country internationally. His contributions over the years allowed us to resolve complex and long-standing bilateral issues – including the agreements on extradition, airspace and defence cooperation between Singapore and Indonesia. His leadership has enabled our little red dot to stand tall and proud in the world.
“Both men served Singapore with dedication and distinction. Government is a team effort. But the individuals in the team make a difference. Without Swee Keat and Chee Hean, Singapore would not have been able to achieve all that it has over these years. If I am able to take Singapore forward from here, it is because of leaders like them – who worked tirelessly to lay such strong and enduring foundations. Both could have continued, but they chose to step aside to make way for leadership renewal. I am deeply grateful to them, and I thank them for their many contributions,” PM Wong said.
Others among the 20 who will not be contesting are: Senior Minister of State for Transport and Sustainability and the Environment Amy Khor and Senior Minister of State for Defence Heng Chee How — who fought his first election in 1997 in Hougang SMC — four-term MPs Lim Wee Kiak and Lim Biow Chuan; three-term MPs Sitoh Yih Pin and Foo Mee Har; two-terms MPS Cheryl Chan, Chong Kee Hiong, Louis Ng and Tan Wu Meng; and one term MPs Mohd Fahmi Aliman, Derrick Goh, Ng Ling Ling, Carrie Tan and Don Wee.
Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen, and Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office and Second Minister for Education and Foreign Affairs Maliki Osman, will also not contest.
