Vikram Nair, MP for Sembawang GRC, recalled a moving story about an elderly woman who embodies perseverance despite adversity.
Mr Nair told Petir that the woman, in her late sixties, and her family sought help after their home was burnt down. She was a cleaner and the family’s sole breadwinner. Her husband, a double amputee, and her son – both were unable to work.
“They didn’t know how the fire started. Staying on the ground floor, everything inside [their home] was destroyed. While most people have fire insurance, we discovered she had stopped renewing hers after fully paying off her flat.”
Mr Nair explained that standard fire insurance covers only the building structure, not its contents, which require separate coverage. “This family had fallen through the cracks and was facing serious financial difficulties.”
His team utilised local schemes to help the family complete their renovations and repairs.
“It was one tragedy after another,” he continued. “While we were helping her, she lost both her husband and son. Though she now lives alone, we maintain contact with her and have provided various forms of financial help over the years. She has always been grateful [for the support].”
Mr Nair shared that his team encouraged the woman to stay active, and she continued to with part time work.
“It is a story of human perseverance, and I guess we were able to help her at a time when she really was at her wits’ end, when her biggest asset was pretty much up in flames.”
The redeveloped Vista Park is a hub for activities within the community: Vikram Nair
Over the past 15 years, Admiralty has undergone significant transformations, as Mr Nair observed. The area has seen several notable major developments, including Kampung Admiralty, Singapore’s first integrated public development that houses various public facilities and services under one roof. The expansion of the Thomson-East Coast Line brought the Woodlands South MRT station to Admiralty, enhancing connectivity. Additionally, the once-dated Admiralty Place HDB shopping mall has been revitalised into a modern complex featuring new retail and educational facilities.
While these government projects are generally welcomed by residents once completed, there are generally many issues to manage while the construction is taking place, he said. “During the construction of the Woodlands South station for example, we had to liaise with LTA and SMRT to deal with the various disamenities residents living nearby were facing, including dust, noise and reduced parking spaces.”
When Admiralty Place was closing for renovations, it meant the temporary closure of one of the wet markets in the area, he noted. The MPs for Sembawang GRC came together to provide an alternative place for the market just behind Galaxy Community Club so residents could continue to shop there and vendors could continue to earn a living, he added.
Mr Nair added that he has always promoted a green living environment within Admiralty. “We have built excellent parks, including Vista Park, which has undergone complete redevelopment. It is a [central] hub for activities within the neighbouring community.”
He noted that Vista Park now features distinct areas for children, adults, and seniors to exercise. The park includes a covered basketball court, open badminton courts, and one of the few pétanque courts in Singapore.
Beyond infrastructure improvements, Mr Nair has leveraged existing grassroots platforms to organise community programmes, supported by his strong grassroots teams.
The Admiralty Community Sports Network (CSN) plays a particularly active role, he said. It offers diverse youth sports programmes including football, silat, netball, and basketball.
“Our football programme accommodates various age groups. We are the only CSN with a team in the National Football League,” Mr Nair said. “Additionally, our youth network regularly brings young people together for activities.”
On the harmony circle front, Mr Nair said that his team has brought together the major religious groups in the Admiralty area. There are Yusof Ishak mosque, BW Monastery, and Covenant Evangelical Free Church in Admiralty.
In fostering religious harmony, Mr Nair’s team has united major religious institutions in Admiralty: Yusof Ishak mosque, BW Monastery, and Covenant Evangelical Free Church.
These religious organisations collaborate frequently. They engage in joint welfare initiatives and activities that promote mutual understanding among different faiths, said Mr Nair.
Vikram Nair’s team partners community organisations to enhance services for residents
Mr Nair said that his team partners with community organisations to enhance services for residents. One successful collaboration is with the Realm of Tranquility charity. It initially provided a mobile traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) clinic in Admiralty.
The charity later established a permanent TCM clinic in a void deck community centre. Recently, with the demand for legal services amongst residents, it also partnered with Pro Bono SG to offer free legal services at the same location.
Prior to the opening of Woodlands Health Campus, his grassroots team also worked with the healthcare organisation to improve healthcare access.
They arranged for a community nurse to be stationed at Ace the Place Community Club weekly to help residents with medical appointment follow-ups. Additionally, they ensured an ambulance was on standby to reduce emergency response times.
Vikram Nair: Transportation accessibility was a key challenge in Woodlands South
When discussing challenges during his tenure, Mr Nair highlighted the lack of direct connectivity to a MRT station in the Woodlands South area before the Thomson-East Coast Line was built. While a shuttle bus service connected the area to Woodlands MRT, residents had no direct route to Admiralty MRT station.
Mr Nair then advocated for a new bus service linking Admiralty MRT to Woodlands South, which after close work with LTA and the studying of customer demand and usage patterns, LTA acceded to. “That reduced travel times and commutes for many of my residents, especially when they want to go to Admiralty, rather than Woodlands,” he explained.
Another significant challenge emerged with the new Build-to-Order (BTO) flats. They brought various initial problems that required immediate attention.
“I had to do a lot of firefighting on the ground, following up with HDB. I even raised a question in Parliament,” he recalled. “I remember residents had issues with windows and doors breaking. Following which, HDB managed to change a lot of defective items.”
With new BTO developments coming up, Mr Nair acknowledged that these will bring new teething problems and challenges. However, he remains confident in addressing these issues: “The benefit of having experience is you know how to work with HDB and get all these things resolved. So, I would say, you have different issues, and different things you can resolve to different degrees.”
New mega childcare centre planned to serve young families: Vikram Nair
Mr Nair outlined two major upcoming developments. First, a mega childcare centre will be constructed next to Vista Point, a 2-storey neighbourhood centre with a wet market.
“That area has new BTOs coming up and many young families moving into the older flats there. With high demand for childcare places, the centre will likely be able to accommodate more than 200 children,” he said.
One of these new BTOs will be a development called Woodland South Plains, which will be built in the open area near Woodlands Health Campus.
The Johor Bahru-Singapore Rapid Transit System (RTS) Link, which will open at Woodlands North just two stops away from Woodlands South MRT, represents another major development that will significantly impact residents in the area.
“Our residents will enjoy better connectivity to Johor, Malaysia, though this means we’ll also see increased traffic from across the border,” he said.
He noted, however, that Admiralty merchants are concerned about the impact on their businesses as more people shop across the causeway. To address this issue, he is arranging a session for these merchants to meet with Ministry of Trade and Industry to better understand what government assistance is available to them.
As an MP for the past 15 years, Mr Nair is motivated by the opportunity to make a meaningful difference through his work.
“Being part of national policy discussions is invaluable,” he explained. “We have the chance to talk directly with policymakers, provide input, and see our suggestions reflected in policies. Many of these suggestions happen during informal discussions.”
When discussing his vision for Admiralty, Mr Nair acknowledged his strong team of leaders and volunteers while emphasising the importance of nurturing future leadership. “We need to develop the next generation [of leaders] to carry on things going forward,” he noted.
“My hope is for Admiralty to remain a vibrant community for families to grow and bring up their children,” he said. “The North region, including Sembawang, will have a lot of growth taking place. I want to ensure families can fully benefit from these developments while we address any disamenities and challenges that may arise during this transformation.”
| Vikram’s team launches SG60 wet market vouchers to encourage residents to shop at wet markets In March, as part of the SG60 celebrations, Mr Nair’s team launched a ‘$1 deals’ initiative enabling Admiralty residents to purchase $10 vouchers for just $1. These vouchers could be used at the constituency’s two wet markets and selected HDB shops. Households were eligible for up to $60 worth of vouchers across three rounds, with opportunities available for those who missed earlier application periods. The initiative aimed to support local merchants while encouraging residents to patronise wet markets and HDB shops. “Running a wet market isn’t easy. The stall holders are mainly small business owners. They compete against larger supermarket chains like Sheng Shiong and NTUC, which have greater purchasing and bargaining power,” Mr Nair explained. “If we don’t encourage people to visit wet markets, they might not survive into the next generation.” The initiative was supported by the Northwest Community Development Council, Mr Nair highlighted that wet markets are an important part of Singapore’s heritage, noting that Admiralty is fortunate to have two within easy reach — especially since many new towns lack wet markets entirely. However, he observed that young families typically do not shop at these venues. ” This initiative encourages people to return to wet markets. Once they do, they’ll hopefully discover the good deals available and make it a regular habit,” he said. Addressing cost-of-living concerns, Mr Nair added, “While $60 won’t solve all cost-of-living issues, it serves as a gentle nudge. When people visit wet markets, they will find that products there are often more affordable.” |
