SINGAPORE: On the last day of campaigning for the General Election, Progress Singapore Party’s secretary-general Tan Cheng Bock urged voters to pick Members of Parliament (MPs) who will ask the “right questions” to ensure that the Government is more transparent and less sterile.

Speaking to reporters before visiting Clementi West residents on Wednesday afternoon (Jul 8), Dr Tan said voters should understand that any Government must be examined based on the fundamental principle of transparency. This will lead to clarity and trust in the Government, he said.

He added that if PSP candidates are voted into Parliament, they would ask questions that will reflect concerns from the ground. The country will benefit from this, he also said.

However, if the Parliament is made up of a huge majority of People’s Action Party MPs, the environment would be “sterile” as there would only be “one voice”.

“So what I’m hoping is that when we get a chance to go into Parliament, I would expect the (PSP) MPs who got in to ask the right questions,” Dr Tan said.

“Not just ask questions for the sake of asking questions, but to actually ask questions to delve further into the subject, so that you can have a full understanding. And then this will be reflected to the ground by the media.”

He added: “So I think the country will be better. There will be more trust. And when you do things, I think (it will be) easier”.

GE2020: Live updates from the campaign trail

READ: GE2020 – ‘Proper opposition MPs’ able to represent voters better than NCMPs, says PSP’s Tan Cheng Bock

Dr Tan was also asked to comment on what some observers have claimed to be “negative campaigning” by certain quarters.

He replied that he had asked PSP candidates to take the moral high ground.

“We want to stay high because we want Singaporeans to understand that we can conduct an election in a very proper and gentlemen way. Because if you are looking to us as examples, can we set that example for you?

“So I told my men, stay high. You don’t have to go and criticise your opponents, how bad they are and so on. It is a contest of ideas. I got my ideas, you got your ideas right. We will let Singaporeans decide,” he added.

The PSP leader was also asked about his thoughts on campaigning in an election during the COVID-19 pandemic, with measures imposed meaning that there are no physical rallies and the number of candidates had to be limited during walkabouts.

Dr Tan, who has contested in six general elections and one Presidential Election, told reporters that campaigning this time was “really quite fun”.

He noted that the COVID-19 restrictions meant that the campaigining experience was very different this year.

“I was campaigning in the good old era where we had no such restrictions. So the restrictions did curtail some of our own movements. But generally, I think we are quite adaptable. We managed to do what is very essential for any election,” said Dr Tan.

He added that he had to turn to online recordings as a tool to spread his message to voters.

READ: GE2020: PSP manifesto articulates vision clearly, PM Lee should consider party’s ideas, says candidate Michael Chua

“Yeah, I had to do a lot of recordings … I must say one of the most number of recordings in my life,” said Dr Tan.

“But I am beginning to accept it. At my age, I’m beginning to learn new things like this,” said the 80-year-old.

Dr Tan is leading a PSP team to contest in West Coast GRC against an incumbent PAP team led by Minister for Communications and Information S Iswaran.

BOOKMARK THIS: Our comprehensive coverage of GE2020 and its developments

Download our app or subscribe to our Telegram channel for the latest updates: https://cna.asia/telegram

SINGAPORE: Voters should take public transport or walk to their polling stations on Friday (Jul 10), the police said on Wednesday.

Parking will not be allowed within the premises of polling stations located in schools and community centres, the police said in a security advisory.

Parking will also not be allowed along the roads near polling stations, and vehicles found parking indiscriminately or causing obstruction will be towed away.

“There will be special drop-off points at polling stations for vehicles conveying elderly or physically disabled persons. Drivers can approach the duty election officials for assistance and directions,” the police said.

READ: What are the COVID-19 safety measures for Polling Day? Here’s what voters need to know

Bags and other belongings brought into the polling stations will be subjected to security checks, the police said, adding that sharp objects, flammable liquids, bulky items or large bags should not be brought along.

Voters should also leave the polling station after casting their votes and not loiter around the vicinity.

In light of the COVID-19 situation, the Elections Department will be implementing measures to ensure the safe and smooth conduct of polling, the police said.

This includes temperature screening of all voters at the start of the queue, wearing of masks by voters, ensuring safe distancing at all times and enforcing stringent hygiene practices at polling stations.

READ: COVID-19: Recommended time-bands for voters to cast ballots among new safety measures for elections

“Members of the public are advised to be socially responsible and to comply with these measures and the advice of election officials, to ensure a safe and smooth election process for everyone,” the police said.

Action will be taken against those who are unruly, disobey the direction of election officials or commit any offence, the police added.

BOOKMARK THIS: Our comprehensive coverage of the coronavirus outbreak and its developments

Download our app or subscribe to our Telegram channel for the latest updates on the coronavirus outbreak: https://cna.asia/telegram

SINGAPORE: The Singapore Democratic Party’s (SDP) secretary-general Chee Soon Juan asked voters to pay no attention to “mudslinging”, as the party headed into the final day of campaigning on Wednesday (Jul 8).

He was speaking to the media outside Fajar Shopping Centre, one of the stops in the SDP’s tour of the five constituencies it is contesting in.

“If you pay attention to mudslinging, how does it help you? You’re not going to address any of the issues. On the last day, tune out anything on the People’s Action Party’s (PAP) personal attacks, just focus on the issues,” Dr Chee said.

He is contesting in Bukit Batok SMC against the PAP’s Murali Pillai.

READ: GE2020: PAP, PSP, WP and SDP candidates take part in ‘live’ General Election debate

Reflecting on the nine days of campaigning, SDP chairman Paul Tambyah said that the party ran “a really outstanding campaign”, with online rallies and question and answer sessions.

“We have been forced to operate under very very unusual circumstances – we’ve had no rallies, we’ve had no large walkabouts,” he added.

“We had to talk to people through a mask and talking to elderly they don’t understand what we’re saying because they’re used to lip reading.”

Dr Tambyah said his biggest regret this election is the “inability of the PAP” to engage SDP on issues.

“The first thing we wanted to do is talk about 4Y1N and then they went into a weird thing about … the Straits Times article,” he said.

He was referring to the exchanges between the PAP and SDP during a live political debate last week when Dr Chee claimed that Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat had been “toying with the idea” of increasing Singapore’s population to 10 million. The National Population and Talent Division (NPTD) had refuted that claim earlier in the day.

The subject of population is one of the pillars of the SDP’s 4Y1N (4 Yes 1 No) election campaign, with the “1 No” referring to a population size of 10 million in Singapore.

READ: GE2020: DPM Heng denies saying Singapore should plan to increase population to 10m

After the debate, Dr Chee repeated the claim in a Facebook post linking to a Straits Times report of a dialogue that Mr Heng had with Nanyang Technological University students in March last year.

“When they (the PAP) talked about COVID-19, Dr Tan Cheng Bock and I offered to debate with Minister Chan Chun Sing, and then he wanted to know what we were going to say,” added Dr Tambyah, who is contesting in Bukit Panjang SMC.

“It’s so typical of PAP – they can’t go into a fight without knowing the opponent’s strategy and what they’re going to do.”

READ: POFMA Office instructed to issue correction directions to Sin Rak Sin Party Facebook page, three users

In response to the request for a debate, Mr Chan had said in a Facebook post on Sunday: “Why not present their plans to the voters now on how they intend to help Singapore and Singaporeans get through this most serious health and economic crisis in decades?”

Dr Tambyah, an infectious diseases expert, told reporters on Wednesday: “The Prime Minister has asked for what the opposition parties are doing about COVID and if he was not so disconnected, he would have known that for the past few months, we have been giving comments, suggestions, we’ve also said explicitly that holding an election during a pandemic is really reckless and dangerous.”

Also present at the interview was SDP’s Holland-Bukit Timah team, which comprises political scientist James Gomez, marketing communications professional Min Cheong, businessman Alfred Tan and former presidential candidate Tan Jee Say.

They are up against Foreign Affairs Minister Vivian Balakrishnan, lawyer Christopher De Souza, Senior Minister of State Sim Ann and first-time candidate Edward Chia.

“Let me tell the residents, let us be your voice in Parliament. I think it is too long a time when we hear one’s party voice,” said Mr Alfred Tan.

His teammate Ms Cheong also urged voters to “think critically” and examine what the SDP has presented.

“Delve deep, trust your intuition, look at the candidates and what they bring to the table,” she said.

BOOKMARK THIS: Our comprehensive coverage of GE2020 and its developments

Download our app or subscribe to our Telegram channel for the latest updates: https://cna.asia/telegram