GE2025 reserve candidate Firdaus Daud deployed to Faishal Ibrahim’s former Kembangan ward

SINGAPORE – Lawyer Ahmad Firdaus Daud will take over former acting minister-in-charge of Muslim affairs Faishal Ibrahim’s grassroots responsibilities in Kembangan, The Straits Times has learnt.

From Sept 1, the GE2025 PAP reserve candidate will be second grassroots adviser in the ward formerly overseen by Faishal, Speaker of Parliament Seah Kian Peng said on Aug 28 in response to queries from The Straits Times.

Seah, who is also MP for Marine Parade-Braddell Heights GRC, said Firdaus is not new to grassroots work and his addition will “certainly strengthen the team”.

Firdaus has already met the GRC’s other MPs and key grassroots leaders, he added.

Seah said Firdaus will also have a key role in matters concerning the Malay/Muslim community in Kembangan.

Party volunteers were told at an outreach event on Aug 23 that Firdaus will take over Faishal’s grassroots responsibilities in September, said a volunteer who asked to remain anonymous.

In a Facebook post on Aug 27, Seah posted a photo of Firdaus along with the constituency’s other four remaining MPs at that event – a National Day voucher distribution in Kembangan.

Seah said in the post that it was “good to be out together as a GRC team and also with our volunteers last weekend, distributing National Day vouchers to our Kembangan residents”.

He added that it was a good opportunity to come together, get to know one another better and work as a team to look after residents in Kembangan.

Firdaus, 42, was a reserve candidate for the PAP during the 2025 general election. After the election, he was made second grassroots adviser in Punggol under Deputy Prime Minister Gan Kim Yong and has been involved in grassroots work there.

Seah told ST that Firdaus will continue as second grassroots adviser in Punggol for the time being, but will relinquish that role to focus on Kembangan “sooner rather than later”. Seah added that he has worked out the arrangement with Gan.

The GRC’s four MPs – Seah, Goh Pei Ming, Tin Pei Ling and Diana Pang – will continue to support work in Kembangan, and are looking forward to Firdaus’ appointment, he said.

This comes about a month after Faishal’s resignation from political office, Parliament and the PAP on July 20 over inappropriate interactions with a female member of the public. Faishal also left his position as grassroots adviser in Kembangan, a role usually held by the sitting PAP MP.

Since Faishal’s resignation, the four remaining Marine Parade-Braddell Heights GRC MPs have split responsibilities for his Kembangan ward within the GRC, while awaiting a new grassroots adviser.

Seah told the media earlier in August that not having a Malay/Muslim grassroots adviser was “not desired” and he hoped to have the role filled.