Plans to disrupt a Progress Singapore Party (PSP) walkabout in Taman Jurong during the 2025 General Election were discussed in a WhatsApp group linked to grassroots volunteers supporting PAP candidate Shawn Huang Wei Zhong, according to screenshots obtained by The Online Citizen (TOC).
The group was later deleted, and the disruption did not proceed.
The messages surfaced after the
writ of election was issued on 15 April 2025, formally commencing the general election period.
Campaigning had already intensified after the Electoral Boundaries Review Committee (EBRC)
announced revised constituencies in March, including the absorption of Taman Jurong into the newly formed West Coast – Jurong West GRC.
Huang is a PAP candidate in the GRC, where he is facing a contest from the PSP team headed by Dr Tan Cheng Bock, Leong Mun Wai and Hazel Poa.
On 19 April,
a post on Reddit alleged that PAP supporters, dressed in plain clothes, intended to pose as residents at a hawker centre to “waste PSP time” in its walkabout scheduled for 20 April.
The Reddit post claimed the information came from a defector within the PAP’s online networks.
Following this claim, TOC received a series of screenshots from a WhatsApp group titled “TJ PAP,” which appeared to corroborate the Reddit post.
In the group chat, members were seen coordinating efforts to disrupt the PSP’s engagement on the ground.
Suggested tactics included occupying as many tables as possible, instructing others to ignore or dismiss PSP members, and filming their outreach if flyers were distributed.
One message reads: “Appreciate members come in with full force, wearing plain cloth… tell the PSP people we only support PAP or just ignore them.”
Another message urged caution: “Cameras are everywhere. We want to show power… but nothing more than that.”
The chat included individuals listed as administrators of the group, including George Huang, who has publicly stated that he has worked with Shawn Huang in Taman Jurong for the past 15 years.
Participants described the approach as a “perfect strategy” and referred to the situation as a political “battle,” using military-like language to characterise their actions.
However, as the messages of the discussion began circulating online, several posts were deleted, and group members were removed.
Eventually, the WhatsApp community, including all related outreach and volunteer sub-groups, was dismantled.
Based on TOC’s understanding, the disruption did not take place.
The exposure of the chats likely led to the plan being abandoned. The complete deletion of the community followed shortly after the screenshots were made public.
On 28 April 2025, TOC sent an email to Shawn Huang seeking his response on the matter. The email included the following queries:
- Whether he or his team were aware of the plans described in the chat
- Whether any internal investigations had been initiated
- Whether he had any comment on the deletion of the community
The PAP media team was also copied on the correspondence. As of publication, Shawn Huang has not responded.
TOC will continue to monitor this development and publish any response received from Shawn Huang or the PAP in due course.
https://www.theonlinecitizen.com/20...d-community-chat-deactivated-following-leaks/
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