With less than a week left to Polling Day, the various political parties will continue to deliver their campaign messages across various Mediacorp platforms this evening (July 5).
In today’s broadcasts, the five constituencies involved are Jalan Besar GRC, Jurong GRC, Marine Parade GRC, Kebun Baru SMC and MacPherson SMC.
GRCs with four members will get 12 minutes on air, while those with five members will have 15 minutes to speak. Candidates contesting in single-member constituencies will get three minutes each.
The political parties and speakers involved are as follows:
With four days left in a nine-day campaign period, Singapore’s July 10 election may boil down to a stark choice between the “reliability and security” offered by the incumbent People’s Action Party (PAP) and the diversity represented by the opposition, according to a prominent pollster.
David Black, founder of the Singapore-based Blackbox Research, said that although bread-and-butter issues will guide voters’ decisions in the extraordinary pandemic-plagued polls, the simple binary question looms largest.
This continues a similar trend from past elections in Singapore, which has been governed by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong’s PAP since 1959, Black told a local radio station on Saturday.
Ultimately the campaign has been framed by “this idea of … vote for what you know, the kind of idea of reliability and security, versus this other issue of voting for a kind of wider representation,” he told Money FM.
“So I think you’re seeing that play out on top of the issues as well … sometimes I think observers tend to go, ‘voters are going to be voting about this issue or that’ when often in campaigns it boils down to kind of simple choices.”
With Singapore’s constraints as a “little red dot”, overcoming its challenges is much harder than it appears to be.
In fact, “any other government” wouldn’t necessarily do better, the People’s Action Party’s (PAP’s) Josephine Teo said in an e-rally for Marymount SMC earlier tonight (July 5).
Teo, who is also Minister for Manpower, appeared on the e-rally to urge voters to support Gan Siow Huang, PAP’s candidate for the SMC.
During her speech, Teo also touched on some of Singapore’s future challenges and addressed the opposition’s criticism of the ruling party.
Singapore faces “intense international competition” and has an economy that is “both strong and vulnerable”, Teo said.
“Even before Covid-19, you already knew that whatever lead we have built up can easily be eroded. Your jobs are at stake, your incomes may stagnate.”
She continued: “The opposition would like you to believe that all these difficulties are a result of poor policies and an incompetent PAP government. But I think in your heart, most of you understand our constraints as a little red dot.
The alternate authority for the Minister for Manpower (MOM) instructed the Protection from Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Act (Pofma) office to issue five correctional directions to the National University Of Singapore Society (NUSS), CNA, The Online Citizen Asia (TOC) and New Naratif.
The Pofma office said on July 5 that the correctional directions were issued because these platforms carried false statements made by Singapore Democratic Party’s (SDP) chairman Paul Tambyah.
The statements appeared in NUSS’ YouTube video, CNA’s online article, TOC’s Facebook post and videos, and New Naratif’s audio recording.
While sharing his views at the NUSS Pre-General Election Forum 2020 on July 3, Dr Tambyah said that the MOM’s email advisory to employers on the testing of migrant workers was made without the advice of public health medical professionals.
He also claimed that MOM‘s advisory stated that employers would lose their work pass privileges if they sent their workers for Covid-19 testing and that MOM actively discouraged the testing of workers.
Reform Party’s Charles Yeo might have become an overnight meme after the constituency political broadcast on July 3, but he is taking the spotlight in his stride.
Yeo, who shared his thoughts in a live Lianhe Zaobao interview today (July 5), said in Mandarin: “As someone who advocates for freedom of speech, I acknowledge that I have no control over what others want to say about me.
“Netizens can say what they want.
“Some said that the Reform Party was unprepared, some commended my bravery, while others said the content of the speech was too harsh.
“Ultimately, what I said was aligned with the Reform Party’s beliefs.”
Yeo was only joined by running mate Noraini Yunus at the Ang Mo Kio GRC broadcast. The team, also comprising secretary-general Kenneth Jeyaretnam, chairman Andy Zhu and Darren Soh, is contesting against the People’s Action Party (PAP).
SINGAPORE: The People’s Action Party (PAP) team contesting in Workers’ Party (WP)-held Aljunied GRC has refuted suggestions that the party does not care about winning in the constituency.
The PAP team comprises 2015 Aljunied candidates Shamsul Kamar, Victor Lye and Chua Eng Leong. Serangoon branch chairperson Chan Hui Yuh and new candidate Alex Yeo complete the lineup. It is the only PAP team without an anchor minister.
“It’s natural, but it’s not true,” Mr Lye said in response to the suggestions on the sidelines of a walkabout at the Kaki Bukit 511 market and food centre in Bedok North on Sunday (Jul 5).
“Deep down in our heart, actually elections are won by the people. We can stand; the results do not reflect us per se but the decisions of the people.
“What we do is we work very hard to look after them, not at election time, but from day one continuously. So I think people know that and they will decide.”
Mr Shamsul said he has served Aljunied residents as a grassroots leader from 2007 to 2011 and is thus familiar with the ground. In the 2011 election, WP captured Aljunied GRC from the PAP.
PAP candidate for Aljunied GRC Shamsul Kamar speaking to residents on Wednesday (Jul 1). (Photo: Try Sutrisno Foo)
“The social programmes that we have for our residents have been established,” he added.
“That is the added value that I thought I bring to residents here. And I hope they’ll support us in this endeavour to bring them to the national stage.”
Mr Lye added that what matters for voters are candidates who have a “heart” for serving people and not their “weight”, referring to political stature.
He noted that the PAP team had forced a recount in 2015. At that time, the WP team featuring heavyweights like Mr Pritam Singh, Ms Sylvia Lim and Mr Low Thia Khiang retained Aljunied with 50.95 per cent of the vote.
“If you look at GE2015, we have stood our ground, not for ourselves, but for the people of Aljunied,” Mr Lye said.
“We forced a recount against the so-called A team of the opposition. I won’t have to say any more.”
The WP has recently distributed a newsletter to Aljunied and Hougang residents detailing the financial position of their town council.
The High Court last October found Ms Lim, Mr Low and Mr Singh liable in a landmark case investigating the misuse of Aljunied-Hougang Town Council funds. Lawyers for the three have filed a notice to appeal.
“I think it’s good that we have a town council that is financially responsible,” Mr Lye said on Sunday. “But it came about after much scrutiny.”
When asked for their plans if they fail to win Aljunied again this year, Mr Lye replied: “We will continue serving the day after the results”.
Mr Shamsul said that he was back walking the ground at 9am the day after polling day in 2015, despite only getting home at 5.45am because of the vote recount.
“Our residents know that we are on the ground and serving them,” he added. “The people are the centre of what we do. And to me, that’s what counts.”
In an unscheduled doorstop interview held by the Workers’ Party (WP) tonight (July 5), Sengkang GRC candidate Raeesah Khan addressed for the first time the ongoing police investigation into the alleged Facebook posts she made in the past.
The 30-year-old WP candidate is being probed for the offence promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion or race.
Two police reports were made on July 4 and 5, following Facebook posts that dredged up alleged screenshots of her comments 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.
“My intention was never to cause any social division but to raise awareness to minority concerns. I apologise to any racial group or community that have been hurt by my comments and I have to be accountable for them. I will fully cooperate in any police investigations,” she told the media.
SINGAPORE: Residents are most concerned about jobs and the development of Sengkang town, and the People’s Action Party (PAP) team has the “experience” and “track record” to serve them, said Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office Ng Chee Meng on Sunday evening (Jul 5).
Speaking to reporters after his walkabout in Rivervale Plaza, Mr Ng said: “Many residents give me their feedback about their anxieties.
“Many here are middle class families, with parents to upkeep and children to look after. So the pressures and the anxiety of job loss and even income drop are significant.”
Mr Ng was accompanied by Senior Minister Teo Chee Hean and new face Raymond Lye at Rivervale Plaza. Mr Ng was formerly a Member of Parliament (MP) in Pasir-Ris Punggol GRC and moved to lead the PAP team contesting in the new Sengkang GRC, alongside Senior Minister of State Lam Pin Min, Senior Parliamentary Secretary Amrin Amin and Mr Lye.
Adding that he is in “a good position” to help residents as secretary-general of the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC), Mr Ng said: “It is important for them to know that there is help, from the Government, from NTUC.
“Even in Sengkang town, I can give them the assurance that if there is job loss, the NTUC Job Security Council can be the matching agent for them.”
Mr Ng said the strengths of his role in NTUC “can make a difference” to Sengkang residents.
Those who are anxious about job security have a “key question” this General Election, he added. “Who will be best able to represent them? Will it be my team in Sengkang or will it be somebody else?”
Ng Chee Meng and Raymond Lye of the People’s Action Party during a walkabout in Rivervale Plaza on Jul 5, 2020. (Photo: Hanidah Amin)
Residents have also given him feedback about municipal issues about Sengkang new town, said Mr Ng.
“Because we’re a new GRC with new boundaries, (there is) a need for a new town council that will be (created) after the elections,” he added.
Residents are concerned about their daily needs and are looking forward to the development of Sengkang town, Mr Ng said. “My team has the experience, the track record, and a presented plan to Sengkang residents of what we will do.”
Mr Teo noted the issues discussed this General Election – jobs amid the COVID-19 pandemic, who will look after the town council, and who can speak up for residents.
Noting Mr Ng’s position in the NTUC, Mr Teo added: “If (there is) a resident who says ‘Who can help me with my job, who can help me find a job?’, Chee Meng and NTUC will be able to answer that question and do all they can to help that resident.”
He also said the PAP team contesting in Sengkang GRC has a “very good track record” in running a town council and will be able to manage the town and its finances well.
“Check the track record on both sides, to see who can run the town council and its finances well,” added Mr Teo.
If any party “claims” to represent all citizens, he added, then “it must be able to listen, to speak, in all our four official languages” and debate key issues in Parliament in all four languages.
“We can also check which parties are able to do that,” Mr Teo said.
SINGAPORE: The People’s Action Party (PAP) and the Workers’ Party (WP) delivered their constituency political broadcasts for the Marine Parade GRC on Sunday (Jul 5).
As the incumbents, the five-member PAP team spoke first. Mr Tan Chuan-Jin, Mr Seah Kian Peng and Mr Edwin Tong spoke in English, Dr Tan See Leng spoke in English and Mandarin, and Mr Fahmi Aliman in English and Malay.
For the WP candidates, Mr Yee Jenn Jong, Mr Nathaniel Koh and Mr Fadli Fawzi spoke in English, while Mr Ron Tan spoke in Mandarin and Mr Azhar Abdul Latip in Malay.
PAP: FOCUS ON RESIDENTS AND IMPROVING THE CONSTITUENCY
PAP’s Mr Tan, the former Speaker of Parliament, began his speech by emphasising his team’s commitment to residents.
He recounted the story of a resident he met when he had just started as an MP. The woman had drug issues and complex problems, but the volunteers and agencies involved in her case did not give up trying to help her.
They did not see her for a few years, but she recently went back to them for help, looking “better”, he said. She needed help because while she was holding supervisory responsibility in a cleaning job, she could not get access to some facilities due to her past record.
“I can tell you for my team and I, we were incredibly touched to see her in this state. We were more than happy to help, and we were glad that we were able to do so,” he said.
“We’re fully committed to making sure that in everything that we do our people, you our residents, remain at the centre,” he said.
Mr Tong and Mr Seah, in their speeches, focused on the improvements that have already been made to the constituency, and that would be made in the wards that they were in charge of.
Mr Tong, who has been serving Joo Chiat since 2015, said that over the last term, “much has been done, and I look forward to doing even more”.
He noted that that residents in the area will have access to the MRT for the first time, with two stations along the Thomson-East Coast Line in Joo Chiat. It will improve connectivity and ease of travel, he said.
Mr Tong, who is the Senior Minister of State for Health, added that there will be a new polyclinic in the area by the end of the year, which he said will provide a “broad range of medical services to cater to our people, especially an ageing population”.
Edwin Tong of the People’s Action Party team contesting Marine Parade GRC speaking at the constituency political broadcast on Jul 5, 2020.
He said that the team is also upgrading the Siglap and Frankel estates within the Group Representation Constituency (GRC), something that he is “particularly proud of”.
“I raised it in Parliament, lobbied the Government a few times over the last couple of years, and I’m very happy to say that we will now be proceeding with the upgrading,” he said.
The plans to “refresh and rejuvenate” the estates would be done in collaboration with residents, and be designed around the way they live and play, he said.
He added, however, that it is “not just about the hardware”.
“It’s about the people. It’s about the people we live with. We should all not just live in a community, but as a community, so that people of diverse races, cultures, backgrounds, can all come together, live as one, and be proud to call Joo Chiat our home,” he said.
Mr Seah similarly brought up improvements that have been made to Braddell Heights, citing the opening of the Circle Line.
Mr Seah, who served as the chairman of the Government Parliamentary Committee for Social and Family Development, also spoke of how he raised the issue of paternity leave in Parliament for six consecutive years.
“I’m glad there has been much progress since. And now, fathers get to enjoy 14 days of paternity leave,” he said.
Seah Kian Peng of the People’s Action Party team contesting Marine Parade GRC speaking at the constituency political broadcast on Jul 5, 2020.
Mr Seah said that the team is building “a special kind of community in our GRC” – one that looks out for and takes care of its people.
“(This) is why in our GRC, we have a range of ‘We Care’ programmes to help the vulnerable in our midst, be it providing free meals, food rations, befriending services, tuition, or rehab sessions,” he said.
Newcomer Dr Tan said that he “deeply” empathises with the needs of lower-income families.
“I will endeavour to do my utmost to reach out to the middle- and the lower-income groups to help them upgrade themselves and fulfil their hopes and ambitions,” he said.
He spoke of an initiative that he said he spent one year planning, a caregiver support network.
“With a rapidly ageing population comes the need for more caregivers to care for our elderly and our loved ones. I will ensure that there’s adequate support for our caregivers to better care for them,” he said.
Tan See Leng of the People’s Action Party team contesting Marine Parade GRC speaking at the constituency political broadcast on Jul 5, 2020.
The initiative, which will provide help in areas such as respite care and training programmes, will be rolled out “in the next couple of weeks”, he said.
“I will reach out continually to all of you, young to old, by listening, actively engaging you and to understand your concerns, your expectations, and help you better navigate to access the different governmental schemes to better your lives, to make sure that your needs are taken care of,” he said.
Mr Fahmi, on his part, spoke about the importance of lifelong learning and enhancing support for vulnerable families, and improving accessibility for the “disabled and elderly”.
“I hope to be the conduit for the residents and workers to understand the opportunities that are available for them to take advantage of, at the national level and an agency level, so that they can continually upgrade their skills and learn new things through job fairs, career fairs,” he said.
Mohd Fahmi Aliman of the People’s Action Party team contesting Marine Parade GRC speaking at the constituency political broadcast on Jul 5, 2020.
Wrapping up his team’s broadcast, Mr Tan said that his team would work hard for residents in the GRC.
“We’ll work hard to engage you and seek your feedback. We’ll explore new ways to bring people together as a community. We’ll outreach to those who are vulnerable and to help them,” he said.
The team would also ask residents to join them in helping others, he said.
“As we help others, we change. As more of us change, society changes along with us, and we can build a fundamentally different and better society here in Marine Parade GRC and in Singapore,” he said.
“Our commitment is to care for all, our lives, our jobs, and our future. Do give us your support. Please vote for us. Please vote PAP.”
WP: WP ESTATES ARE WELL-MAINTAINED, PARTY IS BETTER PREPARED TO TAKE OVER AND RUN TOWN COUNCIL EFFECTIVELY
Mr Fadli’s speech focused on assuring residents who may want to give the WP a chance, but are anxious about the future of the estate under them.
Fadli Fawzi of the Workers’ Party team contesting Marine Parade GRC speaking at the constituency political broadcast on Jul 5, 2020.
Voting for the WP means having representatives in Parliament who would “listen to you, care for you, and fight for you”, said Mr Fadli.
He spoke of his experience as a town councillor in Aljunied-Hougang for the past six years, acknowledging the challenges.
“Managing a town council, especially as the opposition, is indeed challenging. For one, we had to work harder with far fewer resources,” he said.
“We have learned a lot and grown from our experience. We are now better prepared to take over and run a town council effectively. We have also created a new accounting software system to help us manage town council matters.”
He said this would ensure that the handover process would “be smooth and that services to residents will not be disrupted”.
“The estate will be kept clean, the lifts will work, and you will still get to enjoy the amenities in the neighbourhood,” he said.
But beyond efficient municipal services, the WP wants to build in Marine Parade “a sense of community and belonging”, he added.
“We want to build a neighbourhood that is inclusive, cohesive, and accountable,” he said, expanding on these attributes, which he called their “guiding lights”.
Inclusivity is about ensuring that each resident of Marine Parade is able to live with dignity; cohesion means strengthening the community ethos between the residents and neighbours of Marine Parade; and accountability reflects the party’s pledge to be transparent and resident-centric on matters of estate governance, he said.
“We will seek your civic participation in monthly town halls where we will listen to your thoughts about how to improve Marine Parade. These town halls will also create social capital in the community, making us more resilient in times of crisis,” he said.
In his speech, former Non-Constituency MP Yee Jenn Jong spoke of how the PAP has told residents that “Singapore only has enough talent for a Team A, that only the PAP can run this place”.
Yee Jenn Jong of the Workers’ Party team contesting Marine Parade GRC speaking at the constituency political broadcast on Jul 5, 2020.
“My years of participation in the alternative camp tell me otherwise. Hougang and Aljunied are well-maintained, just like any town in Singapore,” he said.
He added that the WP has raised many issues in Parliament “in a responsible manner”. The party’s proposals are made after “serious thoughts”, he added.
Mr Yee also said that he is concerned by the PAP’s economic leadership over the past two decades. It has been “simply injecting more capital and labour, especially low-wage migrant workers without meaningful growth in productivity”, he said.
“This has led to an overcrowded Singapore, depressed wages for many of us, and vast inequality,” he added.
Another concern is that Singapore has not adapted fast enough to industry disruptions, he said.
“We have many retrenched PMETs (professionals, managers, executives and technicians). Many of us struggle with the high cost of living. Two out of three working Singaporeans do not have enough savings for beyond six months. It is as if we are two different countries in one small island,” he said.
Mr Yee also spoke about how the WP has never left the constituency, despite the “difficulties of not having been elected”. The team has initiated various community projects in the GRC, and continues to visit residents, he said.
He spoke of a ground-up food distribution initiative implemented during the “circuit breaker” period.
“The distribution is run by volunteers, some of them living in rental flats with a big heart to help their neighbours. We can build a better Marine Parade, not just with infrastructure, but to invest in people so that the initiatives can be ground-up, by Marine Parade residents, for Marine Parade residents,” he said.
Mr Koh, an IT professional, said that he and his team would speak up for residents in Parliament.
Nathaniel Koh of the Workers’ Party team contesting Marine Parade GRC speaking at the constituency political broadcast on Jul 5, 2020.
“We will speak up on national issues and help you on your local ones. Collectively, we have the experience, expertise, and commitment to serve you. Like you, we are ordinary Singaporeans. We have been through hard times. We know what it’s like to fall and get back up,” he said.
He spoke about his team’s theme: “Marine Parade, Together”, in a GRC he said is diverse in many ways, including geography, distance and type of houses.
“There is strength in diversity and we want to harness that strength,” he said.
Wrapping up his team’s speeches, Mr Yee said that the PAP “does not have a monopoly of power”.
“Our team members are passionate, hardworking and resilient,” he said pointing to the individual attributes of his team members.
Mr Tan has “many years of experience serving in the grassroots in Aljunied”, while Mr Koh has been with the party for 11 years.
Mr Azhar had to take a year’s break from university to earn money for his school fees, and lost a leg in an accident, he said. Mr Fadli became a lawyer to be “better-equipped” to champion for “ordinary Singaporeans”, he said.
“Singapore needs MPs who can connect with the people, who care deeply for them. We have the right team to be your voice in parliament and to manage this town,” he said.
The PAP wants “100 per cent dominance of Parliament”, he said.
“They tell you that you can have 12 NCMPs because they want to win it all. They want to win all 93 seats,” he said.
“As a former NCMP, I tell you that this is not an effective check against the Government. The PAP only fears when it starts to have low vote share. Do not give the PAP a blank cheque. Make your vote count. Vote the Workers’ Party.”
