Workers' Party's Gerald Giam on how he sees politics | The Usual Place Podcast

The Aljunied GRC MP chats about his first term as an elected MP and being from an opposition party. Synopsis: The Usual Place host Natasha Ann Zachariah hunts for new perspectives on issues that matter to young people. Also, in the lead-up to the expected general election that must be held by November 2025, Natasha looks at how MPs, and others involved, are preparing themselves. In this episode, Mr Giam, who is an Aljunied GRC MP looking after the Bedok Reservoir-Punggol division, chats with Natasha about his journey to becoming a WP member, the challenges of being in an opposition party, and how his first term as an elected MP has been. The episode was filmed on Feb 14. Highlights (click/tap above): 0:00 Intro 1:18 What is one thing about Mr Giam’s personality that would surprise people? 2:10 “Sports is very much like politics in many ways.” 3:53 What would he say to his younger self if they met now 5:49 The difference between being an NCMP and elected MP 7:50 The most difficult speech Mr Giam made in Parliament 10:58 Why he eventually joined politics 12:35 Why the Workers’ Party? 14:57 Is there a myth of opposition parties that he would like to debunk? 17:06 Navigating the challenges of being an opposition MP 18:51 How has the WP dealt with the party’s troubles in the last couple of years? 22:00 Will screening candidates deter people from stepping forward 24:45 Is being young a pro or con when candidates stand for election? 28:06 His read of young people’s concerns 29:43 What Mr Giam thinks will be different this GE Host: Natasha Zachariah (natashaz@sph.com.sg) Read Natasha's articles: https://str.sg/iSXm Follow Natasha on her IG account and DM her your thoughts on this topic: https://str.sg/8Wav Follow Natasha on LinkedIn: https://str.sg/v6DN Filmed by: Studio+65 Edited by ST Podcast producers: Teo Tong Kai and Eden Soh Executive producers: Ernest Luis & Lynda Hong Follow The Straits Times Podcasts on YouTube: https://str.sg/GFLv Turn on notifications 🔔 to stay updated. -------------------- Discover more ST podcast channels: All-in-one ST Podcasts channel ➤ https://str.sg/wvz7 Get The Straits Times' app, which has a dedicated podcast player section: The App Store ➤ https://str.sg/icyB Google Play ➤ https://str.sg/icyX