MS Polls: 44% of respondents think Michael Thng is the ‘best choice’ for NCMP
This past General Election (GE2025), the Workers’ Party (WP) captured 48.5% and 47.4% of the votes in Jalan Kayu Single Member Constituency (SMC) and Tampines Group Representation Constituency (GRC) respectively.
As such, it is now bestowed with two Non Constituency Member of Parliament (NCMP) positions. This is in addition to the 10 Member of Parliament (MP) positions that the candidates of Aljunied GRC, Sengkang GRC, and Hougang SMC will hold for the next five years.
Andre Low, who drew the closest margin of 48.5% against the PAP, is expected to become one of the NCMPs.
However, all eyes are now on the Tampines slate as only one of the five members will be elected as the other NCMP. The members are: Michael Thng, Faisal Manap, Ong Lue Ping, Jimmy Tan, and Eileen Chong.
The question is, who will it be?
In a poll on Answers.sg, 43.7% of 5,878 respondents think that Michael Thng, the chief operating officer and co-founder of tech start-up Showdrop, would be the ideal candidate for the role.
Former MP for Aljunied GRC Faisal Manap and Eileen Chong garnered 26.9% and 25.8% of the votes respectively.
The remaining 2.8% went to Ong Lue Ping, and 0.9% to Jimmy Tan.
Source: The Workers’ Party on Facebook
Michael Thng’s charisma sets him apart from the rest
37-year-old Michael Thng first caught the public’s attention after delivering his maiden rally speech at Temasek Junior College (JC) on 26 April.
A particular quote of his went viral on social media: “We don’t want to be told that the sky is white when we see it is blue.”Â
With a fiery passion, he highlighted issues like the GST hike and increasing food prices.
Thng was since seen as a strong voice for the everyday Singaporean, who boldly speaks out against policies that do not reflect ground sentiments.
Just a day after he delivered his speech, Thng appeared as the representative for the WP at The Roundtable hosted by Mediacorp.
“The fact that WP profiled him as the debater during the Roundtable, shows that the party thinks he’s a good, credible and competent candidate to be put forward,” said 24-year-old W. Liang to MS News.
Ms Liang mentioned that she attended the rally at Temasek JC. She described Thng as a “really great orator” — a quality that makes him a “good choice for NCMP”.
Source: The Workers’ Party on Facebook
Eileen Chong’s value should not be discounted
When asked about why most respondents chose Thng over his fellow teammate Eileen Chong, A. Lee told MS News that people are more attracted to Michael due to his “charisma and speaking ability.”
While the 35-year-old thinks that Thng “is the future of WP”, he believes Chong provides more value to the current slate of WP MPs — such as her proficiency in Mandarin.
“Michael Thng is a very good speaker,” Mr Lee added. “But so is Pritam, Ting Ru and Jamus, who are going to be in Parliament anyway.”
Ms Liang also raised an alternative take on respondents choosing Thng over Chong, by referencing WP Chairperson Sylvia Lim’s rally speech on 28 April.
She noted how being a woman in politics is a “really difficult journey”. This is also the case for most other industries where males tend to be more dominant and credible in their respective roles compared to females.
Although she believes Chong will make a “very good NCMP”, this gender stereotype is unfortunately “ingrained in us naturally”.
‘Longer political runway’ for Michael Thng, unlike former MP Faisal Manap
Faisal Manap is also seen as a possible candidate for the NCMP seat by 26.9% of the respondents. This is perhaps due to his experience as an MP for the last 14 years.
Like most respondents who did not vote for Faisal Manap, Ms Liang believes that Thng would be a better choice as he is younger.
He has a “longer political runway to actually show the electorate that he is a competent and capable person who can represent people in Parliament,” she said.
At 50 years old, Manap’s political runway is “closing up” — especially since he has already served as MP for three election cycles.
Ms Liang sees this NCMP seat as an opportunity for someone “much younger and greener” to gain their standing and showcase their contributions in Parliament.
Mr Lee expressed similar sentiments, pointing out that younger Singaporeans would be able to “connect better with Thng”. He said:
“[Thng] also has a longer pathway to learn and contribute as a member of the opposition, as compared to Faisal, who’s likely near the end of his political career.”
Source: The Workers’ Party on Facebook
Michael Thng as a voice for younger Singaporeans if elected as NCMP
If elected as NCMP, Ms Liang hopes that Thng will focus on the issues that concern younger people like herself.
She highlighted key issues such as housing costs and the inequality that continues to grow in Singapore, which she believes Thng can address in Parliament.
Mr Lee also hopes to see Thng speak up for the youths.
Michael Thng’s “fiery energy” and eloquence portrayed during his speeches and public appearances are the likely reasons why most respondents are rooting for him to take on the NCMP role.
Speaking to MS News, P. Lim concludes that the poll shows an obvious inclination towards younger candidates.
To “potentially give up their career prematurely” and voluntarily step into the limelight, purely out of care for the progress and people of Singapore, she believes is commendable.
“I think with younger leaders, they would be able to better understand and communicate the developing issues of Singapore and especially those that the younger generation face,” said Ms Lim.
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Featured image adapted from The Workers’ Party on Facebook and Facebook.
