“If there is a clash of priorities in terms of doing what I need to do for my residents against what I need to do on my personal or job fronts, I will always prioritise my residents’ interests,” said People’s Action Party’s Murali Pillai to the media on Tuesday (July 7).
The incumbent MP for Bukit Batok’s remarks were made in reference to his opponent, Singapore Democratic Party chief Chee Soon Juan, questioning his ability to serve effectively since he was not a full-time MP.
Elaborating, Murali said that he spent six days a week speaking to residents of Bukit Batok and managing community programmes.
These include a Green Ribbon task force, where volunteers support families who are caring for someone mentally-challenged, and a tuition programme for children living in rental flats.
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.”
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.
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.
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.
“This is what I call gutter politics,” Progress Singapore Party’s secretary-general Tan Cheng Bock said today (July 7) with regards to the controversy surrounding Worker’s Party’s (WP) candidate Raeesah Khan.
The 26-year-old is under police probe over comments she made on social media in the past.
Two police reports were made on July 4 and 5, over her old Facebook posts where she commented on the outcome of the City Harvest Church trial as well as the individuals who were spotted gathering at Robertson Quay during the circuit breaker.
Raeesah has since apologised for making “insensitive” and “improper” remarks, adding that she would “fully co-operate in any police investigations.”
The People’s Action Party’s (PAP) K Shanmugan uploaded to his Facebook page this morning (July 7) a video featuring President Obama praising our new candidate Carrie Tan 陈澮敏Posted by K Shanmugam Sc on Monday, July 6, 2020″>former President of the United States Barack Obama praising PAP’s new candidate Carrie Tan.
Both Shanmugan and Tan are candidates contesting in Nee Soon GRC, along with Derrick Goh, Faishal Ibrahim, and Louis Ng.
Shanmugam’s video included an excerpt from Obama’s state visit to Singapore in August 2016.
SINGAPORE – Facebook has taken down a pro-PAP page for violating its policies, about a week after removing a similar page.
A Facebook spokesman confirmed it has unpublished another “Fabrications About the PAP” page, and said this was part of its efforts to deal with problematic accounts.
“We’ve taken action on accounts in Singapore for violating our policies. This is based on the violating behaviour of these accounts and not based on the content posted from these Pages,” said the spokesman on Monday night (July 6) in response to queries from The Straits Times.
In late June, an earlier version of the “Fabrications About the PAP” (FAP), which had amassed more than 250,000 likes, was unpublished by Facebook.
The page, started by Mr Jason Chua Chin Seng in 2011, is known for publishing posts which slam opposition parties and laud the policies of the People’s Action Party (PAP). Mr Chua has said that he set up the page in response to “anti-government” websites.
In 2017, the page received a warning from the police for breaching election advertising rules on Cooling-Off Day during the Bukit Batok by-election.
There’s no question too dumb, too outrageous, or too insignificant, at least not in our books.
Voting is a big responsibility, after all. And especially if you are doing it for the first time, it’s not surprising to have many questions.
Which is why we’ve done up our own in-depth FAQ we hope would cover all your queries that you may have when casting your vote for Singapore.
In this edition of the FAQ, we delve into what to wear, or rather what not to wear, on polling day.
1. Is there a dress code, and can I wear shorts?
Voters are not restricted to any form of dress code, which means yes, shorts are acceptable. And technically, even pyjamas are permitted, as are flip flops.
But while a dress code is not enforced, voters are not allowed to wear any attire, badge, merchandise, anything that shows a political party or a candidate’s symbol. This is because the law prohibits all form of election activity on Polling Day, with the exception of voting, that is.
A group of bird enthusiasts have allegedly been gathering around a tree in Ang Mo Kio every morning while armed with photography equipment.
Stomp contributor Saleha said that the crowd has been gathering along Ang Mo Kio Avenue 5, next to Anderson Secondary School and in front of Nanyang Polytechnic, “for more than a week”.
The Stomp contributor added: “I went there on Saturday (July 4) and was told by a passer-by that there are tiny birds with colourful legs on the tree, though I didn’t see anything.
“The crowd has been there every day for over a week.
“However, there was only one of them there when I passed by this morning (July 6). Maybe it was too early for the rest of them.”
SINGAPORE: When 29-year-old Singapore Airlines (SIA) pilot Terence Soon told friends and family that he was running as a candidate for an opposition party, he was met with a variety of reactions.
“My colleagues were joking about it, they said: ‘Oh when you are an MP (Member of Parliament), take care of me!’,” quipped Mr Soon, in an interview with CNA on Monday (Jul 6) at the home of Progress Singapore Party (PSP) chief Tan Cheng Bock.
“Different people say different things – either you will lose your job, or you will never get promoted. So there’s this very strong notion that being in an alternative party, you paint a bull’s-eye on your back, on your face and everywhere,” said Mr Soon, who is one of the PSP candidates contesting in Tanjong Pagar GRC.
There remains a perceived “fear factor” in being associated with an opposition party. Even when he was merely sharing PSP posts on Facebook, others would tell him not to be too public in his support for the party, he revealed.
“It’s unfortunately very ingrained in people right now that if you want to be public about support, you can only publicly support the incumbent. I don’t agree with that,” he said. “I really think this is a democracy, we have our own rights, and we can choose to believe who we want to support.”
Mr Soon’s interest in politics was sparked during the 2011 General Election, when he was just 21. One candidate stood out for him – the National Solidarity Party’s Nicole Seah, then 24.
Ms Seah is now a candidate with the Workers’ Party and is contesting in East Coast GRC.
“I think she inspired many young people to take note of politics – I was one of them,” he explained. “Up to that point, I had not seen another young person who could orate well, be able to connect with both the young and old.
“When you watch her campaigning videos, her rallies, she was not only able to get young people to join in, all the old people (as well) were cheering for her. And after she came down from the stage, people were hugging her, shaking her hands and all that.”
As Mr Soon took a deeper interest in local politics, he realised that some policies were leaving Singaporeans behind.
“Over the years, of course, you start learning more about how the different policies are, (and) start learning more about the lack and the people who fall through the cracks,” he said.
“If things are really not working well now, I think that they are only going to get worse in the future, especially for the next generation.”
A new father of a baby girl, Terence Soon would like to see more young faces take part in future electoral contests. (Photo: Jeremy Long)
About a year ago, Mr Soon made the decision to join the PSP, a party helmed by Dr Tan, a former People’s Action Party (PAP) MP. While Mr Soon started out in a “support” role, Dr Tan convinced him that he needed to run as a candidate.
“I would never have joined a political party if not for Dr Tan Cheng Bock,” Mr Soon said, adding that he subscribed to Dr Tan’s “values” and “principles” and that’s why he chose the PSP.
“There are always detractors out there, but I think you can’t fake integrity, you can’t fake sincerity,” he said. “And when you see these kinds of things, and you say that, you know what, I have to support this person – then why would I join another party?”
Dr Tan, who is the secretary-general of the PSP, is leading a team running for election in West Coast GRC. A former general practitioner, the 80-year-old was the MP for Ayer Rajah for 26 years; the ward is now part of West Coast GRC.
“Naturally, I think people would say, he’s so old, what’s going to happen in the future?” said Mr Soon.
“I think him leading the party, the ethos of it, the value system of it – it will remain because people who take the mantle and run with it, they will continue sharing with the next generation of leaders, the next generation of politicians, exactly what they stood for.”
Mr Soon says his wife’s support was crucial to his decision to stand for election. (Photo: Jeremy Long)
ON GETTING FAMILY AND RESIDENTS’ SUPPORT
Being in politics has not been easy for Mr Soon. His job as a first officer for SIA often takes him away from home, and soon after joining the PSP, he found himself stepping off the plane and hurrying home to swap his uniform for PSP colours before hitting the streets with party members.
“It was really very tiring, so if they wanted to continue a second session in the afternoon, I would go home and sleep. But you know, at the very least, I must be able to contribute something,” he said.
And this is why his wife’s support has been key – while she prefers to stay out of the spotlight herself, “she really understands the reason why I do what I do,” he said.
“I told myself, I told certain people in the party, if I have my wife’s support, I can do it. If my wife doesn’t support, I will never run,” he said.
Caring for their baby “from day to night” now falls to her, while their parents “can only help here and there”. “But I told her during Cooling-Off Day, this Thursday (I will help). Whenever I’m around, I’m going to do everything,” he added.
Dr Tan has told him how, back when he was an MP, he would make sure to have dinner with his family every night, regardless of how busy he was. “So it’s all a matter of time management. If you can set aside enough time for your own family, they will usually be okay with that,” Mr Soon said.
Mr Soon hopes to see more “robust debates” in Parliament. (Photo: Jeremy Long)
Aside from Mr Soon, the PSP team contesting Tanjong Pagar GRC includes party organising secretary Michael Chua, IT executive Harish Pillay, lawyer Wendy Low, and workplace safety senior trainer Abas Kasmani.
They will be up against the PAP’s team of Minister for Trade and Industry Chan Chun Sing, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office Indranee Rajah, Joan Pereira, as well new candidates Alvin Tan, a LinkedIn senior executive, and former public servant Eric Chua.
Tanjong Pagar GRC is considered a PAP stronghold, having been represented by former Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew in every election from 1955 to 2011.
But the challengers are not afraid. “Do we have the fear? I don’t think we fear. That’s not the right word to use.
“But I would say it is more of a healthy respect between both parties,” said Mr Soon, adding that the team just wants to do its best and hopes that residents “understand what we stand for”.
And he thinks that residents are responding to the PSP candidates who have been walking the ground.
“I’m quite happy to say that throughout this campaign, where (residents) really got to see me almost every other day… you can see the whole attitude, everything changing, slowly changing.
“At the start, they don’t know you and these past few days when I come back, there’s a lot more of a warm welcome,” he said.
‘THE CITIZENS MUST ALWAYS WIN’
The PSP’s hope, he said, is to deny the PAP a two-thirds majority in Parliament; he also wants more “robust debate” in the House.
“It’s very well known that if they have a two-thirds majority … they’re able to change the Constitution at will, and that is something that we can’t have happening anymore. It’s been happening time and time and time again,” he said.
He also pointed to former Nee Soon GRC MP Lee Bee Wah – who on Sunday refuted the claim that only opposition MPs would speak up for residents – as one of just a “small handful” of PAP MPs who would raise the concerns of the ground in Parliament.
Without alternative parties, Mr Soon said, “the most needy voices” would not be reflected in Parliament “because you have to toe a certain line”.
“What we want to do in PSP – and I’m very certain in most of the other alternative parties – is we want to ensure not just to check the Government, but to ensure that the citizens are served well, and that Singapore must always win at the end of the day,” he said.
“The citizens must always win.”
And he believes his generation can have a real impact.
“This generation of people really can make a significant difference, and what is required is for good people to stand up in order to be seen as credible,” he said.
The presence of younger candidates contesting in this General Election – such as himself, Singapore Democratic Party’s Min Cheong, 34, and Workers’ Party’s Ms Seah and He Ting Ru – will not be lost on younger Singaporeans, he feels.
“When you see people like that, and you see they have established careers, they have a lot to lose, and yet they’re willing to stand up for what is right – I think people slowly, but surely, will have a mindset shift,” he said.
“I hope that in time to come, over the next few elections, we will get to see more young voices because it’s very important. Without youth representation, I think a country cannot succeed in the future.”
SINGAPORE: Members of Parliament (MPs) looking to build a solid relationship with residents must ensure that they are available when the latter need them, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said on Monday (Jul 6).
Mr Lee was speaking during a live chat with fellow People’s Action Party (PAP) Ang Mo Kio candidates Darryl David, Gan Thiam Poh, Nadia Samdin and Ng Ling Ling.
Mr David had sought Mr Lee’s advice, after a participant asked how the newer candidates plan to maintain the “solid relationship” that some of the older MPs had built up with residents over the years.
“Well, you have to start off hitting the ground running, but you have to keep it up over a long time,” Mr Lee said.
“And the residents must know that when they need you, you are there. And I think once you have that bond, it’s a very personal one. And it’s a very valuable one.”
Mr David also asked the Prime Minister what kept him going as a politician through the years. Mr Lee first entered politics as Teck Ghee MP in 1984. The Teck Ghee ward is now part of Ang Mo Kio GRC.
Mr Lee, who is also the PAP’s secretary-general, said he looks after himself by eating moderately, exercising and getting enough rest, including being able to “decompress”.
“But also you must have a purpose in life,” he said.
“You get up in the morning for what? There’s something to be done, problem to be solved, something you’d like to try out, new area to develop, another speech to be delivered and you put that message across and convince people to move.
“I think you must have a feel that this is something which you really want to do, then you can put heart and soul into it. And for a long time.”
MPs have to come to the conclusion that their work is “meaningful, satisfying, it’s doing good and it’s making a difference to other people”, he said.
Mr Lee recounted that when he first served as an MP, the Internet was not prevalent in Singapore.
“So things moved much more slowly. You met people, you talked to them, and then the word spread in a coffee shop. Slowly, it would then get out. And that was one kind of politics; very personal face-to-face politics,” he said.
“It’s still there, but it moves much faster because now when you meet the chap in the coffee shop, he will take the picture and show you and say: ‘See, I see this! What does this mean?’ And you have to respond like that.”
Mr Lee also recalled what he had said during his first Fullerton rally, which the PAP has held at the mid-point of almost every General Election campaign since independence.
Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong speaking at a People’s Action Party rally on Jul 6, 2020. (Photo: PAP)
He has spoken at seven Fullerton rallies, including the one held online earlier on Monday, when he asked Singaporeans for support to get through the COVID-19 crisis.
“One of the things I was talking about was to talk to the young people and say that you must have fun, you mustn’t be afraid to let your hair down, enjoy yourself,” he said of his first Fullerton rally.
“But at the same time do something for your community, and we hope that this would be a society where you know your neighbours, you help your friends, you help the community and you participate back.
“And I think we’ve been able to achieve both of that in Teck Ghee and in Ang Mo Kio.”
Mr Lee said while his team has laid out plans for Ang Mo Kio GRC, these plans would only make sense with residents’ participation.
“Your interests, your cooperation, your working together, your enthusiasm, your volunteering,” he said.
“That’s what makes this a special community and a place where we call it a home. And we look forward to you coming forward to help us to realise it and to make it come true.”
Mr Lee said Ang Mo Kio is not the oldest or newest town in Singapore, but is “in the middle at a point where we have established roots and kept it moving with the times”.
“If you look at other towns, they are pretty but come back to Ang Mo Kio, this is our home here,” he added.
“And I hope we can keep it something special like that for a long time to come.”
SINGAPORE – A 34-year-old maid from Myanmar has been arrested after she was accused of killing a 95-year-old woman in a landed home in Upper Serangoon.
The police said that they were alerted to a stabbing case in a residential unit in Recreation Road on Monday (July 6) at about 1.50pm.
The elderly woman was found lying motionless at the scene and later pronounced dead by a paramedic.
The police have classified the case as murder.
Preliminary investigations revealed that the victim and the accused knew each other.
The suspect is expected to be charged in court on Wednesday.
When The Straits Times visited the crime scene, a two-storey semi-detached house, at about 6.30pm, police officers were seen going in and out of the home with bags of evidence.
The police had also cordoned off the front of the house as well as the kitchen at the back of the unit. They left the crime scene at about 8pm.
A neighbour who declined to be named said he did not realise a murder had taken place until a family member who saw it on the news alerted him.
