“””WP’s Terence Tan Steps Down to Focus on Family: ‘My Wife’s Contribution is Sufficient’”” “

SINGAPORE — Terence Tan, a two-time election candidate for the Workers’ Party (WP) in Marine Parade GRC in 2015 and East Coast GRC in 2020, has stepped away from the party to focus on his career and family commitments. Tan, 53, is married to Sengkang GRC MP He Ting Ru and announced he had left the WP in January, noting that the party’s leaders were supportive of his decision.

“From the perspective of our family, my wife’s contribution is enough,” said Tan, father to three young sons under the age of seven. “I feel my time is better spent supporting my wife, spending time with my children, and developing my career.”

Tan began volunteering with WP shortly after the 2011 General Election and officially joined in 2012. He served as deputy organizing secretary on the central executive committee from 2018 to 2020. In his 2015 debut, he was part of WP’s Marine Parade GRC team, which won 35.9% of the vote against the PAP team led by former Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong. In 2020, Tan ran in East Coast GRC, where WP received 46.6% of the vote, and later he served as part of the Sengkang GRC team that won 52.1%.

“Party activities take considerable time,” Tan explained, adding that He Ting Ru’s role as MP requires a major commitment to her constituency and parliamentary duties, leaving little time for family if both parents are politically engaged.

Tan emphasized that he prefers a fully active role over staying on as a backseat member. Although stepping away, he remains close friends with WP leaders, including Pritam Singh and Sylvia Lim, who were “very understanding” of his decision. Tan assured he would continue to volunteer with the WP if needed, saying, “When GE comes, I will volunteer as a volunteer.”