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Minister Josephine Teo

As a student backpacker, Josephine Teo liked going off the beaten path. She saw first-hand how communities could be impoverished even if their countries were well-endowed with natural resources. This cemented her belief in the importance of good governance and public service.

Jo entered politics in 2006 and has held political office in several ministries before taking on her current role as Minister for Smart Nation, where she champions inclusive digitalisation that benefits seniors and vulnerable groups. Uplifting Singapore’s seniors has always been a priority during her time in Government – be it in spearheading the Pioneer Generation Office’s innovative outreach to bring peace of mind to seniors concerned about healthcare, or in pushing for an expansion of the Silver Support Scheme to provide regular payouts to vulnerable seniors.

In her constituency work, Jo fondly remembers residents she served in Bishan-Toa Payoh GRC, where she had persisted in building the now-iconic Marymount Community Club, and saw through the transformation of Sin Ming Garden through new amenities. Now, as MP for Jalan Besar GRC, she sees much potential for rejuvenation too.

Jo looks up to her late Popo (Grandmother) who was widowed young, as well as her mother, a former policewoman. Both women raised children while holding demanding jobs and found ways to help their communities. Committed to ensuring that women in Singapore are empowered to succeed in every aspect of their lives, Jo launched the PAP Women’s Wing #ActionForHer campaign, and moved a motion in Parliament to debate the first-ever White Paper on women’s development. As Chair of the PAP Community Foundation, she also hopes to be an enabler for Singapore families by ensuring quality and affordable care for children and elders islandwide.

In her personal time, Jo enjoys good films, brisk walking and creating memories with her loved ones.

Senior Minister of State Chee Hong Tat

Chee Hong Tat spent 17 years in the Public Service before joining politics in 2015. Since 2015, he has served at multiple Ministries and in the Labour Movement. He is currently Senior Minister of State at the Ministry of Finance and Ministry of Transport.

Hong Tat believes strongly in building a fair and just society, uplifting the lives of Singaporeans and workers by growing our economy, developing our infrastructure, strengthening our social capital and upskilling our people through lifelong learning. He has been a consistent advocate for Singapore to remain open and connected with the world, so that we can enlarge the pie for all Singaporeans by growing a competitive economy which is pro-business and pro-worker, with more resources to support vulnerable groups in our society.

As Member for Parliament for Bishan-Toa Payoh GRC, he has worked with government agencies and partners to enhance the facilities and services for residents, to enable seniors to age well in the community and develop Bishan-Toa Payoh as a family-friendly town for all ages.

He has partnered volunteer groups and sponsors to support lower-income families in Toa Payoh.  He believes in the collective responsibility for those who have done well to give back and help others through volunteerism and philanthropy, so that we can build a caring and inclusive society and soften the rough edges of our meritocratic system.

Hong Tat enjoys reading and spending time with his family, and learning new songs to sing at community events. He used to play badminton, tennis and volleyball, but has now switched to less time-consuming exercises like jogging and free weights.

Senior Minister of State Zaqy Mohamad

Zaqy Mohamad is the elected Member of Parliament for Marsiling-Yew Tee GRC. He also serves as Senior Minister of State for Manpower and Defence, and concurrently the Deputy Leader of the House. He also actively seeks to build a caring and connected society, through his contributions as Deputy Chairman of MENDAKI and as a Board Member of People’s Association.

Since being elected in 2006, Zaqy balances his political life alongside his family commitments as a father to three children. His journey as a parent not only motivates him of the importance of ensuring Singapore’s shared future remains strong, but also allows him to deeply understand the challenges and aspirations of young families in his constituency at Marsiling.

Under his current government portfolios, Zaqy gets to champion the needs of the different groups in our workforce – a cause he has always been passionate about, particularly to help uplift our lower-wage workers and workplace safety and health. He is also passionate about Total Defence and the roles our National Servicemen and the industry play to secure Singapore’s progress and prosperity.

His experience working in various multi-national settings in the private sector has help him appreciate the importance of a synergistic tripartite ecosystem in order for businesses, workers and the economy to thrive. He actively champions the tripartite community to strengthen worker safety, enhance migrant workers’ welfare, and help lower-income workers attain dignity, respect and higher incomes in their jobs. Zaqy also works closely with MENDAKI to develop programmes and support schemes in the community to enable everyone in the Malay/Muslim community, from pre-schoolers to adult learners, to be future-ready and adapt to an evolving education and employment landscape.

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