It was a snapshot to commemorate the end of a gruelling nine days of campaigning, but for Tan Chuan-Jin and many Singaporeans, there was more to the picture.
Wearing their masks and observing safe distancing, polling agents and volunteers from both the People’s Action Party (PAP) and Workers’ Party (WP) took a photo together after the counting of votes for the Marine Parade GRC was completed on early Saturday morning (July 11).
“Really proud of them. They all kept to what we all agreed to do at the start of the campaign. Keep it honourable,” Tan wrote as he posted the photo on Facebook the following day.
The PAP team led by Tan won 57.76% of the votes against a WP team fronted by Yee Jenn Jong.
From next month, those under 16 years old can be fined or even jailed for riding an electric scooter without adult supervision.
Cyclists and users of personal mobility devices will also be banned from holding and using their mobile phones while riding.
In addition, a code of conduct will be introduced to advise pedestrians on the safe practices.
The measures, which were proposed by the Active Mobility Advisory Panel (AMAP) late last year, are part of the Government’s changes to the Active Mobility Act passed in February to improve safety on the use of devices such as bicycles and electric scooters.
Other measures that have been implemented include tougher penalties for errant users and requiring retailers to send e-scooters for safety inspections.
The various measures were proposed and introduced in response to a growing number of fires and accidents involving e-scooters last year.
There was also a growing number of active mobility offences, with about 4,900 offences detected last year.
Similar to how 2020 has been thus far, GE2020 was an unpreceded event.
Despite the arrangement for voters to vote at the recommended time band, long queues were seen in some polling stations, leading to polling closing at 10pm, instead of the usual 8pm.
This led to a delay in the results being announced, with sample votes only coming in at around midnight and official results only being announced at 1am onwards. Results were only concluded at 4am.
In the end, the PAP won a total of 83 seats with the WP winning 10 seats.
With the results only being announced late at night, many of us may have already turned in for the night. Besides the actual results, here are 7 other important things that you should also know .
1. Sengkang GRC won by WP; PAP edge out PSP at West Coast GRC; PAP edge out WP at East Coast GRC
Sengkang GRC
The biggest upset of GE2020 was Sengkang GRC going to WP. Lead by Jamus Lim and He Ting Ru, WP won 52.13 per cent of the votes.
Singapore is possibly facing the largest dengue outbreak in the nation’s history. As such, it is more important than ever to protect our loved ones by staying vigilant and practising dengue prevention measures.
According to NEA, the weekly reported dengue cases remain high: 1,452 dengue cases were reported in the week ending July 4, 2020.
This marks the fifth consecutive week that case numbers exceed 1,000 — this means there are about 250 new infections every day.
And as of July 6, 2020, the cumulative number of dengue cases for this year exceeded 15,500.
If not curbed, it could break the unenviable record of 22,170 cases reported in 2013, the largest dengue outbreak in Singapore’s history.
The chart below reflects the steep increase in dengue cases this year as compared to the previous years.
Senior Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam yesterday explained the appearance of Mr Ivan Lim during a Facebook livestream, saying it was a move to acknowledge his work and allow him to thank residents for their support.
The livestream on the Jurong GRC Facebook page premiered on Saturday morning shortly after it was announced that the People’s Action Party (PAP) team led by Mr Tharman had secured 74.62 per cent of the votes against Red Dot United in the general election.
The livestream had featured the other members of the PAP team along with Mr Lim, 42, who withdrew his candidacy before Nomination Day after receiving criticism from various quarters online over his character and conduct.
His appearance therefore raised eyebrows among some people.
Writing in the comments section of a Facebook post he had made on July 8 yesterday, Mr Tharman said that until Mr Lim stepped aside, he had worked “very hard” on the ground as a prospective candidate.
A man had to have part of his right index finger amputated after it was infected by flesh-eating bacteria.
Quoting from a Facebook post by the victim’s friend, Chinese-language newspaper Lianhe Wanbao reported yesterday that the man’s finger was pricked while he was cleaning prawns he had bought from a wet market.
The victim, who was unnamed, said he had been pricked by prawns many times before and thought this time was no different.
But by the next day, his finger had turned black and he had a mild fever.
He went to a 24-hour clinic in Toa Payoh and was told to go to a hospital immediately.
The man underwent surgery that evening and was warded in the hospital for seven days, including two days in the intensive care unit.
He said doctors told him that if he had waited another day, he could have lost his arm or even died as the bacteria had reached his armpit.
He warned other people to be careful when cleaning raw prawns or seafood.
Flesh-eating disease, or necrotizing fasciitis, is caused by bacteria that are resistant to most antibiotics, and can be fatal if not treated quickly.
SINGAPORE: Four new locations have been added to the list of places visited by COVID-19 cases in the community during their infectious period, the Ministry of Health (MOH) said on Sunday (Jul 12).
The locations include shopping malls Causeway Point, Jurong Point and Rivervale Mall, as well as a Western Union outlet at 301 Ubi Avenue 1.
Causeway Point was visited by a community case on three instances, twice at different times on Jul 1 and once on Jul 4 at an outlet of Watsons pharmacy.
Those identified as close contacts of confirmed COVID-19 cases would have been notified by MOH, said the ministry.
It added that people who have been at these locations during the specified timings should monitor their health closely for 14 days from their date of visit.
“They should see a doctor promptly if they develop symptoms of acute respiratory infection (such as cough, sore throat and runny nose), as well as fever and loss of taste or smell, and inform the doctor of their exposure history,” said MOH.
“There is no need to avoid places where confirmed cases of COVID-19 have been.”
The National Environment Agency will also engage the management of affected premises to provide guidance on cleaning and disinfection.
Singapore reported 178 new cases of COVID-19 on Sunday, taking its tally to 45,961.
One of the new case was a community infection, a 67-year-old man went to work as a non-teaching staff at the Singapore Hotel and Tourism Education Centre (SHATEC).
There was also an imported case who had been placed on stay-home notice upon arrival in Singapore.
The remaining cases are work permit holders residing in foreign worker dormitories.
The Workers’ Party (WP) is looking into setting up a second town council for Sengkang GRC, instead of merging it with the existing Aljunied-Hougang Town Council (AHTC), the party said on Sunday (July 12).
“We believe Sengkang has the economies of scale for it to be a standalone town council,” said WP chief Pritam Singh at a virtual press conference.
“That’s our approach and preference going forward, subject to further meetings with the existing managing agents.”
The WP won the new Sengkang GRC at last Friday’s polls, garnering 52.13 per cent of the votes against a 47.87 per cent share for the People’s Action Party (PAP).
In 2011, the town councils for both Aljunied GRC and Hougang SMC were merged following the general election that year, when the WP first wrested Aljunied GRC from the PAP incumbents. When WP subsequently won the Punggol East by-election in 2013, it further expanded the town council to become the Aljunied-Hougang-Punggol East Town Council.
SINGAPORE: The Workers’ Party’s (WP) Sengkang GRC team has reached out to the managing agents of existing town councils to facilitate the handover, team leader He Ting Ru said on Sunday (Jul 12).
WP leaders also said in a virtual press conference that going forward, there will be opportunities to work with other political parties, including the Progress Singapore Party (PSP).
“We’d like to thank the residents from Sengkang for putting their faith in us. We will be working hard over the next four or five years to make sure that they are well-served,” said Ms He, a 37-year-old lawyer.
“Meanwhile, we are also working with the existing town councils – Ang Mo Kio and Pasir Ris-Punggol – to ensure a smooth handover (with) the managing agents. We’ve also reached out to them and asked for a handover meeting to take place as soon as possible.”
It was the first time the team addressed questions on the management of the town after the General Election. Sengkang GRC, a newly formed ward of more than 120,000 voters, is only the second Group Representation Constituency to be won by an opposition party in Singapore’s history.
It is made up of the former Punggol East SMC, part of Sengkang West SMC and the Sengkang Central division of Pasir Ris-Punggol GRC. Sengkang West was managed together with Ang Mo Kio GRC.
The team of Ms He, economist Jamus Lim, 44, equity research analyst Louis Chua, 33, and social activist Raeesah Khan, 26, beat a People’s Action Party (PAP) team that included labour chief Ng Chee Meng, 51, and two other political office holders – Dr Lam Pin Min, 50, and Mr Amrin Amin, 42, as well as first-time candidate Raymond Lye, 54.
When asked about whether the team will be full-time Members of Parliament, Ms He said that they were still discussing the issue within their “personal and professional capacities”, and will release information about it soon.
The Workers’ Party (WP) candidates for Sengkang GRC, He Ting Ru and Jamus Lim, taking photos with residents during a walkabout at Rivervale Plaza on Jul 7, 2020. (Photo: Marcus Mark Ramos)
WP chief Pritam Singh also said that Sengkang GRC was likely to have its own town council, separate from the Aljunied-Hougang Town Council.
“Sengkang, we believe, has the economies of scale that will allow it to stand as a standalone town council. That’s our approach and our preference going forward but like I said, subject to whatever further meetings we have with the existing managing agent,” he said.
Meanwhile, the town had yet to be gazetted by the Ministry of National Development and municipal issues are still managed by existing town councils, he said.
He did not give details on a timeline for the handover but added: “We’ll be in a position to say more after those meetings (with the managing agents) take place and most importantly, after the town has been gazetted and the MP-elects are councillors on the new town council.”
Ms He said that due to the prevailing COVID-19 situation, Meet-the-People sessions were suspended, but she encouraged residents to write to them at sengkang@wp.sg if they had questions or faced problems.
In response to a question on why the team won in Sengkang GRC, Ms He said that there was a “match” between the team and residents of Sengkang, many of whom are young families.
“We also spoke our hearts – we did communicate our message to the ground and we did walk and speak to all the residents. We believe that Singapore needs change, we believe in a better future for Singapore, and it appears that some of these messages resonated with the voters of Sengkang,” she said.
OPEN TO WORKING WITH OTHER PARTIES
WP had made significant gains after winning Sengkang GRC in the General Election, increasing the number of seats it will hold in Parliament from six to 10.
Immediately after the election, Mr Singh was recognised by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong as the official Leader of the Opposition. In response to reporters’ questions on this, Mr Singh said this was a first for Singapore since independence and he is awaiting details from Parliament on what this entails.
When asked if WP will be working with other opposition parties, in particular PSP, which will be offered two Non-Constituency MP (NCMP) seats, Mr Singh said: “We are grateful for anybody who supports us and I thank him (PSP chief Dr Tan Cheng Bock) for some kind comments that he made through the campaign.”
WP chair Sylvia Lim said that with PSP in Parliament, there will opportunity to work together.
“There will be ample opportunity, I believe, in the coming years, for us to work collaboratively as much as possible with any party who should decide to pick up the NCMP seats if it’s not WP, to move the agenda forward and to play our role as constructive opposition.”
Mr Singh also touched on a similar point when responding to a question on how the party would work with the PAP.
Noting that the country was in “turbulent waters” due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, he said: “The whole country has to unite to come out of this situation and that means our focus really has to be on good outcomes for Singapore and Singaporeans.”
“And if it means we work with anyone to get that outcome, we will do so because there are people on the ground who are suffering.”
He added: “So I think we should be very focused on what is at stake here, rather than think about the political position that the party should take or should hedge. I don’t think that would be the right way forward.”
FRESH MP-ELECTS IN ALJUNIED
Mr Singh also announced that MP-elect Gerald Giam, 42, will be taking over former WP chief Low Thia Khiang’s Bedok Reservoir-Punggol division in Aljunied GRC.
Mr Singh will remain in Eunos and Mr Faisal Manap in Kaki Bukit, while Mr Leon Perera will takeover Ms Lim’s former division of Serangoon as she moves over to Paya Lebar – formerly under Mr Chen Show Mao’s charge.
The GE2020 results, which saw a vote swing towards opposition parties, in particular WP, has prompted senior PAP leaders to speak of a need for “soul searching and reflection”.
A “flight to safety” due to the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, which was predicted by some political analysts, did not occur. Instead, the ruling PAP’s share of the popular vote fell by about 9 percentage points to 61.24 per cent – near its record low in 2011, when WP had won Aljunied GRC.
The party not only retained Aljunied GRC and Hougang SMC, it improved its performance in both wards. In the Group Representation Constituencies it lost – East Coast and Marine Parade, it also improved on its 2015 showing.
In total, the vote share in the 21 seats that WP contested edged above 50 per cent.
Mr Singh said the party had run a “tight” and “strong campaign which was not grounded on … shooting from the hip”.
Instead, the WP has consistently put across a message to voters that it was in the self interest of Singaporeans to have more opposition MPs in Parliament, he said.
“I’m glad that voters in Aljunied, Hougang and Sengkang considered that message,” he said.
The Ministry of Health has preliminarily confirmed an additional 178 cases of Covid-19 infection in Singapore today (July 12), the majority of whom are Work Permit holders residing in foreign worker dormitories.
There is one community case, a Singaporean, as well as one imported case who had been placed on Stay-Home Notice upon arrival in Singapore.
More details will be released tonight.
For the latest updates on the coronavirus, visit here.
