PAP Sengkang East Branch Chairperson steps down, replaced by director of F&B company

PAP Sengkang East Branch Chairperson Marcus Loh steps down to focus on keeping well for his family

Close to 15 months after being appointed, the People’s Action Party’s (PAP’s) Branch Chairperson for Sengkang East has stepped down.

In a Facebook post on Thursday (23 Jan), Mr Marcus Loh said he had requested to step down “with a heavy heart”.

Source: People’s Action Party

Serving Sengkang East residents one of the greatest privileges of his life: Loh

Noting that the role “carries immense responsibilities”, Mr Loh made the difficult decision “to focus on keeping well for my family”, he said.

He thanked the PAP and Dr Lam Pin Min, former Sengkang West SMC MP and current PAP Sengkang West Branch Chairperson, for their kind words, adding:

Serving the residents of Sengkang East over the past 1.5 years has been one of the greatest privileges of my life.

His immediate priority is ensuring a smooth handover to his successor Bernadette Giam, whose leadership he has “every confidence” in.

Source: Bernadette Giam on Facebook

Bernadette Giam is PAP Sengkang East Branch Chairperson from 23 Jan

In a statement on its website, the PAP said it had appointed Ms Giam as PAP Sengkang East Branch Chairperson with effect from 23 Jan.

Mr Loh will assist in seeing through the transition, the ruling party added, thanking him for his service to the branch.

He will continue to serve “elsewhere in the party”, it also said.

Giam is director of an F&B company

In a Facebook post on Thursday, Ms Giam, who is a mother of two children, said she was honoured to step into the PAP Sengkang East Branch Chairperson role.

On her recently created profile page, she expressed gratefulness for the “solid groundwork” laid by Mr Loh and added that she was “looking forward to serving our community and working together to make a positive impact”.

According to her LinkedIn profile, she is Director of Corporate Affairs and Human Resources at Creative Eateries, a local food and beverage management and catering company.

Source: Bernadette Giam on LinkedIn

The company operates well-known local restaurants serving a wide range of cuisines, such as Bangkok Jam, Typhoon Cafe, Suki-Ya and Tanglin Cookhouse, according to its website.

Ms Giam has been a community volunteer for more than ten years, her bio on the PAP website said.

She’s “dedicated to uplifting women, youth and seniors” and “advocates for every child to have a good start”.

Second change in leadership at Sengkang East since 2022

The recent change in leadership at Sengkang East is the second since 2022.

Mr Loh had been PAP Sengkang East Chairperson since 1 Nov 2023, when he took over from Mr Ling Weihong, said the PAP in a statement on 26 Oct 2023.

Mr Ling, a lawyer, had himself been in the role for about more than 19 months since being appointed in March 2022 as one of three new faces in Sengkang.

Source: Lam Pin Min on Facebook

With the latest change, Sengkang GRC’s four PAP branch chairpersons going into the upcoming General Election are:

• Dr Lam Pin Min (Sengkang West)
• Associate Professor Elmie Nekmat (Sengkang Central)
• Ms Theodora Lai Xi Yi (Sengkang North)
• Ms Bernadette Giam (Sengkang East)

If there are no further changes, this quartet will likely challenge the incumbent Workers’ Party team that won the GRC at the 2020 General Election.

Also read: Raeesah Khan Resigned, But It Doesn’t Mean Sengkang GRC Will Have A By-Election

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Featured image adapted from Bernadette Giam on Facebook.