New WP candidate He Ting Ru dubbed the next Nicole Seah

She has already been dubbed the Workers' Party's (WP) Nicole Seah.

A favourite with the online crowd, netizens said Miss He Ting Ru had turned heads at party walkabouts and outreach events for her sincerity and compassion even before her formal introduction as a candidate for this election.

She stood out among the four candidates WP introduced at its party headquarters yesterday.

Some called for WP to "send her to Fengshan SMC" on online forums, while others compared her with Ms Seah.

Ms Seah praised Miss He "as a very smart and nice person" online on Tuesday.

"What I appreciate about WP is that they have very clear processes for candidacy and membership. There is no fast track or parachuting. So Ting Ru has really gotten to this point because of her hard work helping at the legal and grassroots level.

"I fully support," Ms Seah said.

Miss He started volunteering for WP's Paya Lebar division after her return from the UK in 2011. She joined the party in 2013.

She is now the secretary of WP's youth wing and oversees its outreach efforts.

The 32-year-old corporate lawyer, who heads her firm's legal department, spoke about reasons for joining the opposition party.

Said Miss He: "I believe that Singaporeans are not numbers on a spreadsheet. Singaporeans want to participate more actively in determining the future of our country.

"I do not think we should rely solely on our country's few natural aristocrats to do so."

PET TOPICS

Her pet topics include youth-related issues and their lack of involvement in policy-making.

She said young people of her generation are worried about "the pressures of setting out in life, the cost of housing, the cost of having children and the cost of care for parents and grandparents."

Said Miss He: "They are also concerned about the dilution of the Singapore core and the impact that large scale immigration has on the fabric of our society.

"Unlike earlier generations, some young Singaporeans no longer think to dream of a better life and a future for themselves and their children."

The party also introduced managing director of a tech company Mr Adrian Sim, real estate agent Ron Tan Jun Yen and WP deputy treasurer L. Somasundaram, a polytechnic lecturer.

WP has not announced where any of the new candidates will be fielded.

    Miss He Ting Ru. Mr Adrian Sim. Mr L. Somasundaram. Mr Ron Tan. -- TNP PHOTOS: PHYLLICIA WANG