Ms Low Yen Ling

Low Yen Ling

刘燕玲
Current Role	Senior Minister of State • Ministry of Culture • Community and Youth • Ministry of Trade and Industry Mayor, South West District
Personal details
Party	PAP

Low Yen Ling (Chinese: 刘燕玲; born 17 August 1974) is a Singaporean politician who has served as a Member of Parliament (MP) since 2011. A member of the governing People's Action Party (PAP), she has held various ministerial appointments, including her current roles as Senior Minister of State for Culture, Community and Youth and Senior Minister of State for Trade and Industry since 2024. She has also been the Mayor of South West District since 2014.

For the full list of positions, refer to PARL link.

Early Life and Education

Low Yen Ling was born on 17 August 1974 in Singapore. She received her early education at Canossa Convent Primary School and Dunman High School. She then attended Temasek Junior College. Low pursued her higher education at Nanyang Technological University (NTU), where she graduated with a Bachelor of Business with second upper honours degree in Financial Analysis.

Career

Pre-Political Career

Before entering politics, Low Yen Ling worked in the private sector. Her career began in financial institutions, where she handled commercial lending accounts for Keppel TatLee Bank and United Overseas Bank. She also gained experience at a start-up venture, AutoHub Private Limited. In 2001, she joined the Economic Development Board (EDB) and served for a decade, becoming the director of three divisions and playing a key role in strengthening Singapore's entrepreneurial landscape and professional services sector. In April 2011, she left the EDB and became the Chief Executive Officer of Business China in June 2011, an organization dedicated to nurturing Chinese biculturalism, bilingualism, and collaboration with China.

Political Career

Low Yen Ling made her political debut in the 2011 general election. She was introduced as a PAP candidate on 4 April 2011 and contested as part of a five-member PAP team in Chua Chu Kang GRC. The PAP team won with 61.2% of the vote against the National Solidarity Party, and Low became a Member of Parliament representing the Bukit Gombak ward of Chua Chu Kang GRC.

She was re-elected in the 2015 and 2020 general elections as part of the PAP team for Chua Chu Kang GRC. In the 2015 general election, her team won with 76.91% of the vote against the People's Power Party. In the 2020 general election, the PAP team secured 58.64% of the vote against the Progress Singapore Party.

In the 2025 general election, Low's Bukit Gombak ward was carved out of Chua Chu Kang GRC, and she became the Member of Parliament for Bukit Gombak Single Member Constituency (SMC) since 3 May 2025.

Ministerial and Other Appointments

Low Yen Ling has held several appointments within the Singapore government:

• 1 October 2013 – 30 September 2015: Parliamentary Secretary, Ministry of Social and Family Development
• 1 May 2014 – 30 September 2015: Parliamentary Secretary, Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth (additional appointment)
• 27 May 2014 – Present: Mayor, South West District (also Chairperson of the Mayors' Committee)
• 1 October 2015 – 30 April 2017: Parliamentary Secretary, Ministry of Education and Ministry of Trade and Industry
• 1 May 2017 – 30 April 2018: Senior Parliamentary Secretary, Ministry of Education and Ministry of Trade and Industry
• 1 May 2018 – 26 July 2020: Senior Parliamentary Secretary, Ministry of Education and Ministry of Manpower (relinquished appointment at MTI)
• 27 July 2020 – 2024: Minister of State, Ministry of Trade and Industry and Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth
• 2024 – Present: Senior Minister of State, Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth and Ministry of Trade and Industry

Beyond her ministerial duties, Low has also served in various other capacities, including:

• Chairperson of the Chua Chu Kang Town Council (since 2015).
• Advisor for the Singapore Business Federation's (SBF) SME Committee (SMEC) and Singapore Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry's (SCCCI) Trade Association Committee (TACOM).
• Board member of the Chinese Development Assistance Council (CDAC), where she steers its Student and Parent Education Committee.
• Member of the PAP Community Foundation (PCF) Executive Committee.
• Chairman of the Committee to Promote Chinese Language Learning (CPCLL).
• Vice-Chairperson of the Lee Kuan Yew Fund for Bilingualism.
• Advisor to the Singapore Centre for Chinese Language (SCCL).

Controversies

Allegations of Harassment during Walkabouts (2025)

In January 2025, Low Yen Ling was involved in a public dispute with the Progress Singapore Party (PSP) regarding alleged harassment during political walkabouts in Chua Chu Kang GRC. PSP volunteers claimed that PAP volunteers intimidated them while they were distributing flyers. The PSP subsequently lodged a police report.

In response, Low Yen Ling posted on Facebook, alleging that PSP volunteers had initiated the incident. She claimed that a PSP volunteer had intimidated and slapped a PAP volunteer twice, and also taunted another PAP volunteer, among other acts. She stated that while her team had considered filing a police report, they chose not to, hoping the PSP would not repeat such conduct. However, she later stated that since the PSP had filed a police report, her volunteers would hand over all evidence to the police.

This led to a back-and-forth public exchange, with PSP Chairman Tan Cheng Bock calling on the PAP to provide clear evidence for such serious allegations. He also stated that PSP volunteers only began video-recording PAP volunteers after the PAP volunteers had done so to them. Hazel Poa, a Non-Constituency Member of Parliament from the PSP, also shared her experience of alleged intimidation by PAP volunteers in an earlier incident in November 2024, providing further context to the dispute. The incident highlighted concerns about appropriate conduct during political outreach activities.

Doctored Photo and Investment Scam (2025)

In May 2025, Low Yen Ling, along with Temasek, issued a public warning about an investment scam that used a doctored photo of her to promote bogus wealth management products in China. The fabricated photo showed Ms Low at a supposed ceremony for signing a memorandum of understanding between two fictitious organizations. This image was then misused on a scam app and a WeChat group. Low urged the public to be vigilant and verify social media posts, noting that multiple individuals had reportedly lost significant sums of money through the scam.

15th Parliament

MP  : Hazlina Abdul Halim   ●   Syed Harun Alhabsyi   ●   Ang Wei Neng   ●   Baey Yam Keng   ●   Cai Yinzhou   ●   Chan Chun Sing   ●   Chee Hong Tat   ●   Charlene Chen   ●   Elysa Chen   ●   Edward Chia Bing Hui   ●   Desmond Choo   ●   Choo Pei Ling   ●   Chua Kheng Wee Louis   ●   Eric Chua   ●   Dinesh Vasu Dash   ●   Darryl David   ●   Christopher de Souza   ●   Fadli Fawzi   ●   Foo Cexiang   ●   Grace Fu Hai Yien   ●   Gan Kim Yong   ●   Gan Siow Huang   ●   Gho Sze Kee   ●   Gerald Giam Yean Song   ●   Goh Hanyan   ●   Goh Pei Ming   ●   He Ting Ru   ●   David Hoe   ●   Shawn Huang Wei Zhong   ●   Indranee Rajah   ●   Janil Puthucheary   ●   Koh Poh Koon   ●   Kwek Hian Chuan Henry   ●   Gabriel Lam   ●   Jackson Lam   ●   Jasmin Lau   ●   Cassandra Lee   ●   Desmond Lee   ●   Lee Hong Chuang BBM   ●   Lee Hsien Loong   ●   Lee Hui Ying   ●   Valerie Lee   ●   Liang Eng Hwa   ●   Jamus Jerome Lim   ●   Sylvia Lim   ●   Shawn Loh   ●   Low Wu Yang Andre   ●   Low Yen Ling   ●   Victor Lye   ●   Muhaimin Malik   ●   Mariam Jaafar   ●   Masagos Zulkifli Bin Masagos Mohamad   ●   Muhammad Faishal Ibrahim   ●   Murali Pillai   ●   Nadia Ahmad Samdin   ●   David Neo   ●   Ng Chee Meng   ●   Ng Shi Xuan   ●   Rachel Ong   ●   Ong Ye Kung   ●   Diana Pang   ●   Joan Pereira   ●   Denise Phua Lay Peng   ●   Poh Li San   ●   Pritam Singh   ●   Rahayu Mahzam   ●   Hamid Razak   ●   Saktiandi Supaat   ●   Seah Kian Peng   ●   K Shanmugam   ●   Sharael Taha   ●   Sim Ann   ●   Jeffrey Siow   ●   Hany Soh   ●   Sun Xueling   ●   Alvin Tan   ●   Dennis Tan Lip Fong   ●   Desmond Tan   ●   Jessica Tan Soon Neo   ●   Tan Kiat How   ●   Tan See Leng   ●   Patrick Tay Teck Guan   ●   Josephine Teo   ●   Tin Pei Ling   ●   Kenneth Tiong   ●   Edwin Tong Chun Fai   ●   Vikram Nair   ●   Vivian Balakrishnan   ●   Wan Rizal   ●   Lawrence Wong   ●   Xie Yao Quan   ●   Alex Yam Ziming   ●   Alex Yeo   ●   Yeo Wan Ling   ●   Yip Hon Weng   ●   Zaqy Mohamad   ●   Zhulkarnain Abdul Rahim   ●   Melvin Yong Yik Chye NCMP  : Low Wu Yang Andre   ●   Eileen Chong Pei Shan