One to watch: WP’s Kenneth Tiong may take Leon Perera’s place at Aljunied

SINGAPORE: Kenneth Tiong, who has been a volunteer with The Workers’ Party (WP) for some time now, is one to watch as the next General Election (GE) draws near. Last month, he was among those featured in the news as a possible candidate to be fielded by the WP. Significantly, he may be tapped to take the place at Aljunied GRC vacated when former Member of Parliament (MP) Leon Perera stepped down in 2023.

On Monday (Mar 31), party chair Sylvia Lim posted a photo of herself with Mr Tiong having a meal at Serangoon, a ward Ms Lim had overseen from 2011 to 2020. After the WP won at Aljunied again in the last GE, Mr Perera represented the ward.

Last year, Mr Tiong was seen at various events with Aljunied MPs Pritam Singh, Ms Lim, Faisal Manap, and Gerald Giam, making it even more likely that he is being eyed to fill the party’s WP slate.

Who is Kenneth Tiong?

According to Mr Tiong’s LinkedIn bio, he works in tech. More can be gleaned, however, from his social media pages, especially his most recent Facebook post, where he wrote about where he believes Singapore is heading.

“As we approach the upcoming General Election, I feel compelled to step up and play a more active role in shaping the conversation about where our nation is headed,” he wrote, underlining that he believes Singapore is at an important juncture today in the light of the fast pace of technology.

He wrote that the technological revolution poses many risks in the immediate future, particularly when it comes to job and wage security. Risks like these are why the WP has “tirelessly advocated for pro-labour policies,” including  “unemployment support (which the government has now adopted), a minimum wage, independent unions, the right to request flexible work arrangements, workplace fairness laws. When workers feel secure, they’ll embrace new technology instead of fearing them.”

Mr Tiong then made the case for Singapore to seize the opportunities that the technological revolution brings, such as artificial intelligence (AI) in the workforce, robotics, and medical breakthroughs, which are innovations he said are bringing changes at an unprecedented speed.

“I believe all Singaporeans must play a leading role not just in the applications of these technologies but in the creation of them,” he added. However, he has heard some people in Singapore express “fatalistic sentiments” to the contrary.

While he understands where the sentiments are coming from, Mr Tiong believes more in Singaporeans’ “ingenuity, capacity for hard work, and the vision to be drivers” as opposed to just passengers of this present age.

“What we need are leaders who share this belief and are committed to supporting Singaporeans in turning these dreams into reality,” he added, citing the example of Norway, a small nation that hasn’t allowed itself to be hampered by limitations.

In the WP, Mr Tiong wrote that he has found like-minded people who share the belief “that only by uniting technological ambition with worker protection can we build a Singapore in which every citizen shares in the prosperity they help create. A Singapore where we achieve happiness, prosperity and progress for our people, leaving no one behind.” /TISG

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