Former Chief of Staff – Joint Staff of the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) Goh Pei Ming will be contesting his first general election as a People’s Action Party (PAP) candidate in GE2025, stepping onto the political stage with a blend of battlefield experience and community empathy.
The 43-year-old father of three is no stranger to service. A decorated SAF officer who rose to the rank of brigadier-general, Mr Goh was deployed to Kandahar, Afghanistan in 2010, where he worked alongside US forces in a high-risk environment managing intelligence and deployment operations. “Every day, we took rocket fire,” he recalled. “You really question what you’ve done with your life. It shaped my view of service and of what matters.”
That clarity carried through to his 17 years of grassroots work in Kampong Chai Chee, where Mr Goh began volunteering at 24. He has since served in leadership roles across the area’s community organisations, including as chairman of the Community Club Management Committee and vice-chair of the Citizens’ Consultative Committee. His initiatives include a crisis operations centre and youth engagement programmes with Temasek Polytechnic.
Now entering politics, Mr Goh said the PAP was the natural choice for someone who believes in continuity, competence, and integrity. “There’s only one party I trust to take Singapore forward,” he said.
Although he has been seen in both East Coast and Punggol GRCs, his final placement remains unconfirmed. He noted that serving East Coast, where he grew up and volunteered for nearly two decades, would be especially meaningful. “The familiarity would allow me to hit the ground running,” he said.
Professionally trained in civil engineering at Cornell University under the SAF Scholarship, Mr Goh said he hopes to contribute in Parliament on issues ranging from defence and security to youth development, caregiving, and family support. His personal experience juggling work, three young children and elderly parents, he added, gives him a strong sense of what caregivers and young families are going through.
“I’m not just bringing my military skills,” said Mr Goh. “I’m bringing two decades of community insight – and a heart that wants to serve.”
