SINGAPORE: Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong is offering voters a “false choice” by asking them to choose between a strong government that can lead Singapore through the COVID-19 crisis and more opposition representation in Parliament, Workers’ Party (WP) chair Sylvia Lim said on Tuesday (Jul 7).
Ms Lim was responding to Mr Lee’s lunchtime online Fullerton rally on Monday, where the Prime Minister called on voters to give the People’s Action Party (PAP) their full support to get through the pandemic and the economic challenges facing Singapore.
Speaking to reporters at a market near Rivervale Plaza in Sengkang, Ms Lim said: “Yesterday, PM Lee gave an e-rally at Fullerton … he’s asking for all voters nationwide to give him and his party a very strong mandate so that they can handle COVID-19 effectively. Now, I think this is a false choice being presented to voters.”
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Ms Lim said that there are “robust democracies” around the world, including Taiwan and New Zealand, that have managed the COVID-19 outbreak well.
“In New Zealand, in fact, the prime minister’s own party doesn’t even have a majority of the MPs in Parliament,” Ms Lim said.
She added that Singaporeans will come together when they know there is a need to: “They will support the Government in handling the COVID-19 crisis, regardless of who they vote in to Parliament.
“So I would like to emphasise again, our view is that the PM is giving voters a false choice – that there is no reason why the Government will not be effective in tackling COVID-19, and at the same time, with a Parliament which does not consist of only elected PAP MPs.”
The Workers’ Party (WP) chairman, Sylvia Lim, secretary-general Pritam Singh and the candidates for Sengkang GRC, during a walkabout at Rivervale Plaza on Jul 7, 2020. (Photo: Marcus Mark Ramos)
WP chief Pritam Singh also responded to Mr Lee’s comments about how the opposition parties have not come up with plans to get Singapore out of the COVID-19 crisis.
“I think it’s a very convenient thing for the Prime Minister just to brush everybody with the same paintbrush, but it’s chapter one of our manifesto and that should tell you how significant COVID-19 is as an issue for the Workers’ Party,” he said.
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He added that the party has posted responses to points made in Mr Lee’s Fullerton e-rally on its Facebook page, mainly with points from the party’s manifesto.
WORKERS’ PARTY “PHILOSOPHY” FOR TOWN COUNCIL MANAGEMENT
The Workers’ Party is contesting a total of 21 seats this election in four Group Representation Constituencies (GRCs), including the new Sengkang GRC, as well as two single-seat wards.
Ms Lim and Mr Singh were in Rivervale to lend support to the WP Sengkang GRC team, comprising lawyer He Ting Ru, 37, equities analyst Louis Chua, 33, economics professor Jamus Lim, 44, and Ms Raeesah Khan, 26, who is the founder of NGO Reyna Movement. Three of the four in the team are contesting in their first General Election.
READ: GE2020: PAP and WP to face off in new four-member Sengkang GRC
They are up against a PAP team of Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office Ng Chee Meng, 51, Senior Minister of State Lam Pin Min, 50, Senior Parliamentary Secretary Amrin Amin, 42, and newcomer Raymond Lye, 54.
The Workers’ Party (WP) candidate for Sengkang GRC, Jamus Lim, speaking to the media during a walkabout at Rivervale Plaza on Jul 7, 2020. (Photo: Marcus Mark Ramos)
The PAP team has emphasised that they have a track record in running town councils, and said that they will be setting up a new town council for the GRC to develop more facilities for the more than 120,000 residents there.
Addressing reporters’ questions on what the WP team has to offer Sengkang voters at the municipal level, Mr Singh said that if the team wins in the election, they will first get the feedback from residents about potential areas of improvement.
“I think what’s more important at this point is for the Sengkang voters to understand what is the philosophy of town council management that the Workers’ Party brings,” he said.
“We know town councils are political but in our operational work at the town council … all the MPs have drummed into our staff to remember that they don’t represent only WP supporters in a constituency, they represent everybody – and so that philosophy must continue … I will make sure it does.”
The Workers’ Party (WP) candidate for Sengkang GRC, He Ting Ru, speaking to the media during a walkabout at Rivervale Plaza on Jul 7, 2020. (Photo: Marcus Mark Ramos)
Ms He, who leads the WP Sengkang team and is contesting in her second election, said that there are many young families as well as multi-generational families in Sengkang, and that residents are “very concerned” about the cost of living and their livelihoods given the COVID-19 situation.
“We’ve talked to quite a few residents who either lost their jobs or been temporarily laid off … they’ve expressed concern that some of the (support) schemes – either there’s a lack of awareness of these schemes or they feel they’re not really getting the sort of support that they need,” she told reporters.
Some residents have also voiced worries about an opposition party taking over the town council duties in the area, she said.
“We can assure residents that Workers’ Party MPs have had experience taking over town councils in the past, and taking over the role of MPs in a previously PAP-held ward,” Ms He said.
“We will work very closely and even sit on various national level agencies to make sure that all these facilities do get built and get completed in accordance to plan … we will always act in the best interests of Sengkang residents.”
YOUTH “SHOULD NOT COUNT AGAINST US”: HE TING RU
When asked about the relative youth of the WP team in Sengkang, Ms He said it is a “natural fit” for the GRC because as young parents themselves, they understand the concerns of young families in Singapore.
“I don’t think that’s something that should really count against us … If you look at the team individually and collectively, we do have a lot of experience both internationally and locally, in all sorts of diverse fields, so I think we do bring quite a lot to the table,” she said.
The Workers’ Party (WP) candidate for Sengkang GRC, Raeesah Khan, during a walkabout at Rivervale Plaza on Jul 7, 2020. (Photo: Marcus Mark Ramos)
When asked for updates about police reports which had been made over Ms Khan’s social media posts in the past, Mr Singh said that neither he nor Ms Khan will make further comments at the moment so as not to prejudice police investigations.
Ms Khan had apologised on Sunday for her “insensitive” remarks made online regarding race and minority issues, but the PAP on Monday asked the WP to clarify its stand on her candidacy.
“Certainly, I think there will be a review of this as I mentioned previously,” Mr Singh said.
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