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Tampines GRC MP Baey Yam Keng (left picture; seated, centre) went on a trip with his residents to Legoland in Malaysia in December 2025. WP’s Hougang MP Dennis Tan (right picture; far right) went on a shopping trip to Johor Bahru with his residents on Jan 30.

PHOTOS: BAEY YAM KENG/FACEBOOK, WORKERS' PARTY

SummaryMPs like Baey Yam Keng organise popular overseas trips, fostering direct and sustained engagement with residents despite past complaints of tickets going too quickly.WP MPs, such as Jamus Lim, also organise trips, even longer ones, aiming for deeper connections with residents, while providing funding for constituency events.While these trips build community, concerns exist about an "arms race" of increasingly ambitious trips and affordability, with some MPs focusing on local activities instead.AI generated

Published Feb 09, 2026, 05:00 AM

Updated Feb 09, 2026, 09:21 AM

SINGAPORE – For over a decade, Tampines GRC MP Baey Yam Keng and his grassroots teams have been organising trips to the region, including destinations such as Bintan, Desaru, Kluang and Malacca.

So popular are these trips that in 2024, Mr Baey put up a Facebook post to clear the air after some residents who missed out on a two-day tour to Malacca and Muar in Malaysia “kicked up a big fuss… and even scolded my volunteers”.

No, volunteers and activists did not reserve 50 out of the 240 seats, he clarified. While his then PAP Tampines North branch organised the trip, tour companies are appointed to run them professionally, he said. Yes, everyone pays, including the MP, and the branch does not subsidise costs or make money from the sales, he added.

“Interestingly, we also overheard someone encouraging people to join the WP trip instead,” said Mr Baey in his post then, which noted that the Workers’ Party was organising a five-day trip to Malaysia around the same period.

Since then, MPs have continued to lead sold-out getaways, such as to Johor Bahru to feast on durian or for pre-Chinese New Year shopping.

Political observers said Singaporeans’ interest in travelling with their MPs is natural, as politicians evolve their outreach strategies to emphasise relatability and direct engagement.

“As ‘retail politics’ in Singapore becomes more personality-based, MPs are sometimes seen by residents as people they can hang out with for an extended time,” said Singapore Management University (SMU) law don and former Nominated MP Eugene Tan.

“These overseas trips are very much like organised tour groups headlined by a popular artiste.”

WP MPs have led longer trips in recent years. Associate Professor Jamus Lim (Sengkang GRC) took his residents on a hiking adventure to Jeju Island, South Korea, in 2022 and on a week-long trip to Hokkaido, Japan, in 2025.

Mr Dennis Tan (Hougang) took his residents to Fujian and Chaoshan in China in 2025, and to Hat Yai, Thailand, in 2024. Mr Kenneth Tiong (Aljunied GRC), meanwhile, has an eight-day visit to Chengdu and Chongqing in China lined up in April. Non-residents and other supporters are welcome, he said.

While a one-day durian tour can come in at under $100 for each person, Prof Lim’s trip to Hokkaido cost each resident between $2,640 and $2,830, depending on when they signed up.

Hougang MP Tan said constituency trips are a good complement to the spectrum of his outreach activities in Singapore, as they offer extended interaction with residents in a different environment.

Prof Lim said the time spent with constituents on such trips brings about deeper connection. He also gets ideas on where to travel to next from his residents.

“What I find is that for trips, people are less likely to raise municipal matters – which is often what comes to mind when we do our house visits and our coffee shop talks – and more likely to raise national policy concerns,” he said.

He also took his wife and six-year-old daughter along on the Hokkaido trip to squeeze in some family time.

“My daughter is quite a socialite and is able to build rapport with the residents as well,” he said. “She’s like my little ambassador.”

The WP’s overseas trips are priced so that there will be a small profit, which is then used to fund grassroots activities. The party did not say what the profits from each trip typically are.

Prof Lim said the WP does this because, as an opposition party, it does not have access to People’s Association (PA) funding. “We’re transparent with the residents. We tell them that if you join us, we thank them for helping to keep our grassroots activities free,” he added.

In response to queries, PA pointed to an earlier parliamentary reply that said its spaces and activities are open to every resident, regardless of which constituency they reside in, their background and political affiliation.

The statutory board does not conduct any political activity with any political party. It also does not allow its events or venues to be used for partisan purposes by any political party, nor does it allow them to be used for religious, unlawful purposes, said the minister in charge of the PA, Mr Edwin Tong, in a September 2025 parliamentary reply.

Mr Baey said the time spent together on these trips allows him to explain policy constraints at greater length and, more importantly, builds familiarity and trust with his residents.

His latest outing was a day trip to Legoland in Johor Bahru in end-2025, where they shared “many happy moments over meals, shopping and a mass birthday celebration”.

With trips – particularly by WP MPs – venturing farther, does he feel any pressure to do likewise?

No, said Mr Baey, who added that his trips usually last one to two days, which is convenient for weekend participation.

Checks by The Straits Times showed that PAP MPs typically do not organise trips beyond Malaysia and Indonesia. Mr Ng Chee Meng (Jalan Kayu), Ms Grace Fu (Jurong East-Bukit Batok GRC) and Mr Xie Yao Quan (Jurong Central) have gone on durian excursions with their residents across the Causeway in recent months.

“A longer trip will cost more and not as many residents may have the time to come along,” said Mr Baey. “I will continue to focus on itineraries and activities that can serve the interest of more residents, and evolve with changing demographics.”

Institute of Policy Studies’ Social Lab adjunct principal research fellow and academic adviser Tan Ern Ser cautioned, however, against an “arms race” in organising more – or longer – overseas trips. He said this would be a bad outcome, given that organising such trips is labour-intensive, and only a small number of residents benefit.

He also raised affordability concerns. “How many constituents can afford to pay for a trip to Hokkaido, maybe not even Batam?” he asked.

SMU’s Prof Tan said each MP will ultimately have to determine if it is worth the while to organise and embark on trips – short or long – and that these tours are about community-building.

“Such bond-building can pay electoral dividends, although it is also likely the residents going on such trips are very much allied with the MP’s political party,” he said.

Even within the same GRC team, there are different schools of thought.

Madam Jean Chong, 79, said the durian excursion to Johor Bahru that she joined about a year ago left her with a lasting impression of Tanjong Pagar GRC MP Chan Chun Sing.

“He was already waiting at the destination when we arrived, and he welcomed each of us with greetings and handshakes as we alighted from the coach,” she said.

She is drawn to such trips as the arrangements are all taken care of.

“All the logistics and planning are taken care of, including two-way transport with pick-up and drop-off near our home,” she noted. “The MP’s presence is a bonus as it means we get the best service.”

However, Ms Joan Pereira, who is Mr Chan’s fellow Tanjong Pagar GRC MP, does not organise any overseas getaways. “I concentrate on local activities so that more residents can join in,” she said. “Also, when I organise activities, I give support to my local shopkeepers, stallholders and hawkers.”

Chin Soo Fang is senior correspondent at The Straits Times, covering a wide range of topics including community, politics, social issues, consumer, culture and heritage.

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