Of the 10 Labour Movement representatives who stepped up for the elections this year, eight have been elected to represent the workers in Parliament as of 11 Jul 2020.
They include seasoned labour members of parliament NTUC Deputy Secretaries-General Heng Chee How and Koh Poh Koon; NTUC Assistant Secretaries-General Melvin Yong, Desmond Choo, and Patrick Tay; and NTUC Enterprise Group CEO Seah Kian Peng.
They will be joined by political newcomers NTUC’s e2i (Employment and Employability Institute) Deputy CEO Gan Siow Huang; and NTUC Operations and Mobilisation Division Secretariat Director Mohd Fahmi Aliman.
In total, the eight winning representatives won by an aggregate of 63.43 per cent.
NTUC Secretary-General Ng Chee Meng, who contested in Sengkang GRC, narrowly lost by 4,922 votes or 2.16 per cent.
Mr Ng will remain the labour chief. However, losing his parliamentary seat means that he will have to relinquish his position as Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office.*
Centre for Domestic Employees Executive Director Shamsul Kamar, who contested in Aljunied GRC, lost by 28,359 votes or 9.93 per cent. It was his second time contesting in the GRC.
Contesting in Radin Mas SMC, Mr Melvin Yong secured the highest margin for a single member constituency at 74.03 per cent.
Mr Heng Chee How, as part of the Jalan Besar GRC team, won with 64,522 votes or 65.37 per cent.
Mr Koh Poh Koon and Mr Desmond Choo, who contested in Tampines GRC, won with 94,561 votes or 66.41 per cent.
Mr Patrick Tay won Pioneer SMC with 14,571 votes or 61.98 per cent.
Mr Seah Kian Peng won the Marine Parade GRC seat with 74,993 votes or 57.76 per cent. His team included Labour Movement newcomer Mr Mohd Fahmi Aliman
Meanwhile, Ms Gan Siow Huang, contesting in Marymount SMC, won 12,143 of the votes or 55.04 per cent.
The newly elected eight labour representatives will be sworn-in as members of parliament when the House convenes its first sitting.
*Editor's Note: The position of the NTUC secretary-general is decided once every four years at the national level. This happens at the NTUC National Delegates’ Conference, where union delegates elect a 21-member NTUC Central Committee to oversee the work of the Labour Movement. The Central Committee members then nominate among themselves the president, secretary-general, the secretary for financial affairs (treasurer) and vice-presidents among other principal office bearers.
