SINGAPORE: In their constituency political broadcasts, the People’s Action Party (PAP) team in Jurong GRC pointed to how they listen to residents’ views and try to solve their problems, while Red Dot United (RDU) pledged to address concerns over jobs and job security.

As the incumbents, the five-member PAP team went first. 

PAP: LET’S “DEVELOP SOLIDARITY AS SINGAPOREANS”

Speaking in English, Senior Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam highlighted his team’s work on the ground. 

“We try to solve every problem, big or small. Sometimes they take a little time to solve, but we never walk away from a problem,” he said.

During the COVID-19 crisis, the team has worked hard and mobilised volunteers and community networks to help families whose incomes have been hit, ensuring that disadvantaged children get support and offering help to seniors living on their own, he said.

But there is much more to do, he said – for example to achieve a fairer, more inclusive society.

“The PAP is committed to achieving this with Singaporeans. We’re making steady progress, but there’s more to be done together. It involves government policies, but ultimately, an inclusive society is about all of us,” he said.

Singaporeans must support each other through good times and bad, he noted.

“Now, more than ever before, we have to develop solidarity as Singaporeans and deepen our identity as Singaporeans. It doesn’t bloom overnight, but we’re seeing the culture grow, in Jurong and in Singapore. It’s this growing culture of solidarity that gives us confidence in our future.”

READ: GE2020: PAP to face Red Dot United in Jurong GRC

Newcomer Shawn Huang spoke of the importance of second chances, giving the example of a drug offender who narrowly escaped the gallows and turned over a new leaf – one of many stories like it in Jurong, he said.

“Concrete initiatives started with a single idea that ‘I can do more and give second chances’, with a deep belief that ‘I too can pay it forward’,” he said.

Ms Rahayu Mahzam said their Jurong GRC team stands for hard work, passion and listening to people – values they have seen in their residents.

“On many occasions, SM (Tharman) has encouraged us to listen to residents and do our best to help them. This is what we do in Jurong. Every individual resident is precious to us,” she said, giving examples of residents in Bukit Batok East division whose lives have improved.

“It’s heartening and inspiring to see the residents work hard to make their lives and make their families’ lives better,” she said.

Mr Xie Yao Quan, another newcomer, spoke about the difficulties Singaporeans are facing with the COVID-19 crisis. He also touched on the team’s commitment to working “doubly hard” to help those in need, pointing to a plan to expand support programmes such as one that helps lower-income families buy essentials at discounted prices.

“Our promise is to walk with you at each step of this journey,” he said.

Senior Parliamentary Secretary Tan Wu Meng recounted the stories of people in Clementi, from librarians and drivers to teachers and sailors.

“People with humble beginnings who helped build Singapore – their children grown up, contributing in their own ways,” he said. “They’re all our Singapore story: Doing better, helping the next generation, giving back to society.”

In Clementi, which he represented, children who start with less get more help so that this story can continue, he said.

“We have to be in this together; it makes us one Singapore family. And with your help, we can make it happen in Jurong GRC.”

RDU: SINGAPOREANS SHOULD BE CAPTAINS OF THEIR OWN LIVES

RDU chief Ravi Philemon said residents of Jurong are extremely concerned about jobs and job security.

“PAP believes the best form of welfare is for you to work. Does that mean you having to take two jobs to be comfortable? Does it mean you have to constantly fear losing your job so that you don’t get left behind?” he questioned.

RDU’s focus is going to be on creating good jobs and careers, not just job opportunities, he said, adding that Singapore is potentially facing “massive structural unemployment”.

“It shows PAP’s lack of foresight and slow response to economic changes,” he said. His party wants to push the Government to change its “train first, jobs later” approach.

“What happened to PAP’s promise that the value of our homes will never go down?” he added. On this, RDU wants to push for a mandatory upgrading programme.

“PAP says Singapore is a sampan. Even if it’s a sampan 2.0, it’s vulnerable, weak and swings precariously in the tides of the times. At RDU, we believe we need to be a confident ocean liner where Singaporeans can confidently navigate the challenges we face today,” he said. “We’re the captains of our own lives.”

Singapore’s economic growth policies must be “completely re-evaluated”, said RDU chair Michelle Lee. The country has been applying “outdated policies”, like bringing in multinational companies, importing low-cost foreign workers and building “malls after malls”, she said.

“COVID-19 has shone a spotlight on the need for transparency and accountability of government decisions. RDU will call for more information on why certain decisions have been made.”

GE2020: Red Dot United is competing in Jurong to give Singaporeans a choice, says party chairperson Michelle Lee

She described the work that had begun on Changi Airport Terminal 5 as “foolishness”, now that the travel and tourism sector is languishing, and questioned the need to rebuild the Science Centre in Jurong.

“Why this frantic pace of rushing into grand plans, which need an army of foreign labourers to carry out? The answer is probably to follow the money,” she said.

“The Government told us that we have these huge reserves to draw on because our people have always saved more than they spent. Is there such a thing as too much in the reserves? The economists tell us that there is.”

She said that money flows from the people to the Government in many ways, and the money is then spent on huge projects or invested overseas.

“As the paymaster, with money in their hands rather than in yours, the Government wields immense power and influence. Only your vote is the check and balance,” she said.

She stressed that although her team faces Mr Tharman in Jurong, he is but “one voice in the unchangeable machinery of the PAP”.

“He needs to follow the party line, as do all the PAP MPs,” she said, adding that RDU will speak up for the people if they are voted into Parliament.

“RDU champions more information, more choices, more equality of opportunity and help for the disadvantaged and the elderly. We believe in people-centred politics. We want Singaporeans to be the captains of their own lives.”

RDU’s Jurong GRC slate includes first-time candidate Liyana Dhamirah, who spoke in English and Malay, and Mr Alec Tok, who spoke in Mandarin and is contesting his second General Election.

The final member, Mr Nicholas Tang, said in an English speech that RDU stands for giving Singaporeans more options and the flexibility to exercise these options.

“We want to empower Singaporeans to make their own decisions. We believe that you know better than the Government how best to live your life,” he said.

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SINGAPORE: The People’s Action Party (PAP) and Peoples Voice (PV­) delivered their constituency political broadcasts for Jalan Besar GRC on Sunday (Jul 5).

As the incumbent, the PAP spoke first. The theme of the kampung and rejuvenation ran through their four speeches, with Mr Heng Chee How and Ms Denise Phua speaking in English, Manpower Minister Josephine Teo in English and Mandarin, and Dr Wan Rizal Wan Zakariah in English and Malay.

PAP: A TOWN THAT IS CONSTANTLY REJUVENATED

Mrs Teo, who is new to the GRC, said her priority was to get to know the residents of Jalan Besar, which she described as a “thriving city centre” with a “kampung spirit”.

Previously a Member of Parliament (MP) for Bishan-Toa Payoh GRC, she said residents and grassroots leaders there had taught her much about what it means to serve – and that while as a minister she would strive to craft good policies, what they wanted most from her as an MP was “a listening ear and willing heart”.

READ: GE2020: Manpower Minister Josephine Teo to lead PAP team against Peoples Voice in Jalan Besar GRC

She noted that Jalan Besar has many programmes and volunteers supporting residents. And while it is “a place of great history and heritage”, it is also “a place of great rejuvenation”, she said, pointing to the ABC (Active, Beautiful, Clean Waters programme) features along Kallang River and the Marina Bay Area for instance.

Picking up the theme, Mr Heng talked about how new Build-to-Order flats in the area would allow children to live near their parents, so “the entire town is constantly rejuvenated”.

He highlighted the deep relationship and “great trust” between residents and their MPs which “feels almost like family”. 

“And because of this we are able to understand one another, understand the needs, and know what is it that we should and must do for our residents,” he added.

Ms Phua, who described herself as “the kampung girl from Jalan Besar”, spoke of the differences she saw in the district today.

The last five years alone saw the construction of six new MRT stations, the upgrading of nine markets, 55 flat upgrading and home improvement programmes, and “numerous” social service programmes, she noted.

“Every master plan that we say we will deliver, that we have promised, we have delivered,” Ms Phua said.

But the team’s job is “not finished”, she added – they want to provide more support to elderly residents and working adults whose jobs are threatened by COVID-19 and global competition. They also want to educate children for “lifelong learning”.

Dr Wan Rizal spoke of rejuvenation on a “personal level”, sharing how he had progressed from the Normal stream in secondary school to achieving his first degree at 31, and later a PhD.

“As we continue to battle this COVID-19 situation, as we prevail and move forward, we must continue to make Singapore a nation of opportunities. Opportunities for every Singaporean to achieve success,” he said.

READ: GE2020: Singapore’s progressive wage model allows workers to ‘move up the ladder’, says Josephine Teo

PEOPLES VOICE: USE VOTE AS A REFERENDUM ON JOSEPHINE TEO

Peoples Voice chief Lim Tean was the only one of his four-member team to make a speech, which he delivered in English.

Questioning the PAP Government’s handling of the COVID-19 crisis, he called on residents in Jalan Besar to use their votes as a referendum on Mrs Teo’s “competence and leadership”, arguing that she was “singularly responsible” for the “great explosion” of COVID-19 cases in foreign worker dormitories.

He said that she should have known, when the first case of a foreign worker infection surfaced, about the dangers of a spread in “densely crowded dormitories”. 

“But she either did not care, or she was careless,” he said.

He also said that Singapore has been described “as one of the greatest failures as far as COVID-19 is concerned”.

When COVID-19 first burst upon the scene, Mr Lim said, had it proved to be “a bioweapon”, Singapore “would have needed to act with speed and decisiveness”.

But the Government did not do so, “despite the fact that they told us they had been prepared for 17 years after SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome)”, said Mr Lim, citing the shortage of masks and how the authorities had “allowed” mass events like the Chingay Parade and the Singapore Airshow, as well as Merdeka Generation events involving the elderly, to go ahead.

READ: GE2020: Peoples Voice introduces 9 candidates, including blogger Leong Sze Hian and activist Gilbert Goh

Turning to the issue of immigration policies, Mr Lim said the Peoples Voice wanted to “make Singapore our home again”.

“Today, many Singaporeans feel abandoned by the Government,” he said, citing jobs that had gone to foreigners under “insane immigration policies” pursued over the last two decades.

Likening the Government to “a bad father” which allowed an “alien child” into the family, he said Singapore was “hurtling towards a 10 million population although it now denies it”.

If not for “strong voices” like the Peoples Voice and the Singapore Democratic Party, would the Government have “buckled and made that U-turn”? Mr Lim asked. “And that shows you the importance of a strong opposition in Parliament,” he added.

He said the Peoples Voice had “direct democracy” at its heart, with a view to more national discussions, referendums and blockchain local voting. 

Introducing his three teammates – Mr Leong Sze Hian, whom he described as “one of the foremost human rights campaigners in Singapore”; Mr Azlan Sulaiman, “one of the most recognised and renowned halal consultants in the world”; and Dr Michael Fang, a medical administrator – he called them a “formidable team” which would be able to take care of residents’ needs and run the town council.

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SINGAPORE: The Workers’ Party (WP) should make clear whether it will take up seats under the Non-Constituency Member of Parliament (NCMP) scheme if offered, said Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat on Sunday (Jul 5), calling on the opposition party to be “transparent and accountable to voters”.

“Voters are entitled to know what Workers’ Party’s stand is. They should not be made to think that the Workers’ Party will refuse NCMP seats, the opposition risks extinction, and so vote for them,” said Mr Heng, who is the People’s Action Party’s (PAP) first assistant secretary-general.

“Then after the elections, the WP takes up NCMP seats that they are offered. And in this way, they can have their cake and eat it.”

The NCMP scheme guarantees the opposition a minimum number of seats in Parliament, by allowing the “best-performing losers” to enter Parliament after a General Election.

Members of the WP have in the past and during this election campaign spoken up against the scheme, which has been in place for 36 years.

WP candidate Dennis Tan last week called it a “poisoned chalice”, saying that the ultimate aim of the scheme was to make sure that “no other party can lay roots into each constituency”.

READ: GE2020: NCMP scheme is a ‘poisoned chalice’, says Workers’ Party’s Dennis Tan

On Sunday, Mr Heng pointed out that the WP “has been taking full advantage of the NCMP scheme from the start”, having had eight NCMPs in Parliament over the years.

They are Dr Lee Siew Choh, Mr J B Jeyaretnam, Ms Sylvia Lim, Mr Yee Jenn Jong, Mr Gerald Giam, Mr Dennis Tan, Mr Leon Perera and Assocociate Professor Daniel Goh.

“In fact, the Workers’ Party chairman Ms Sylvia Lim was first an NCMP from 2006, before becoming an MP in 2011,” said Mr Heng.

“I urge voters to ask yourselves – if it is really a matter of principle that the Workers’ Party is opposing the NCMP system, why have they taken up the NCMP positions all these years?” he added.

“Is it really extinction that the Workers’ Party fears? Or is the real motive of the Workers’ Party to expand, to win more seats in Parliament?”

He noted that the WP has refused to confirm if it will accept NCMP seats in the next Parliament, saying “they are playing games with voters”.

READ: NCMP scheme a ‘stabiliser’ for sampan-sized Singapore, says Goh Chok Tong

“At least Dr Tan Cheng Bock of PSP has been upfront. He has declared that he will not accept an NCMP seat if offered one,” added Mr Heng. “But he may have forgotten that in 1984, when the scheme was debated in Parliament, he supported having NCMPs.”

Mr Heng called on the WP to answer two questions – whether it will accept NCMP seats if offered, and whether it agrees that there can be no opposition “wipe out” with the NCMP scheme.

“The WP talks a lot about transparency and accountability. This is what they need to do, to be transparent and accountable to voters,” he said.

GE2020: Tan Cheng Bock will not take up NCMP seat, calls scheme a ‘ploy’ to entice voters from opposition

MORE NCMPs, WITH FULL VOTING RIGHTS

Mr Heng said that with the number of NCMPs increased to from nine to 12 for the next Parliament, “the minimum number of opposition voices in Parliament is not only guaranteed, but increased”.

NCMPs also have full voting rights, the same as elected MPs. 

Addressing a comment made by WP chief Pritam Singh that the PAP will still have a strong mandate even if the opposition has one-third of the seats in Parliament, Mr Heng said: “Mr Singh is effectively saying – don’t worry, the PAP will still have a strong mandate, even if the Workers’ Party wins four GRCs and two SMCs.

“What would Singaporeans think, if they wake up next Saturday, to find that the PAP has lost four GRCs and two SMCs? What would investors and other countries think?

“Do you seriously believe they would say – good. The PAP has won a strong mandate again? Or would they see a government severely weakened, a people divided, and a nation whose confidence has been shaken?”

GE2020: WP chief Pritam Singh questions PAP’s ‘magnanimity’ over NCMP scheme

Urging Singaporeans to consider their choice carefully, Mr Heng said: “When you vote, you are choosing the next government for the country. Not just who is your local MP, who is going to speak up in Parliament, or look after your town council.”

He added that voters will be choosing the team who will work to steer Singapore through its worst economic crisis in decades, invest in the country’s long-term future and take care of housing, education, healthcare and infrastructural needs. 

“By voting the PAP, Singaporeans will give us a strong and clear mandate to form the next Government to take Singapore through this crisis and emerge stronger,” said Mr Heng.

“At the same time, you are assured that opposition and alternative voices will continue to be heard in Parliament. Opposition voices will not be wiped out.”

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SINGAPORE: Infectious diseases expert Professor Paul Tambyah said on Sunday (Jul 5) that he has the “greatest respect” for healthcare workers who have helped keep Singapore safe during the COVID-19 pandemic, and looks forward to Singapore’s report on the outbreak after the General Election.

The Singapore Democratic Party (SDP) chairman was responding to comments from Mr Lawrence Wong, co-chair of a multi-ministry task force set up to handle the pandemic.

Mr Wong, at a press conference earlier in the day, had rebutted criticism from Prof Tambyah on the handling of the outbreak, saying that he was “politicking and undermining the work of everyone on the frontline”.

READ: GE2020: SDP made ‘false and baseless allegations’ on Government’s handling of COVID-19, says Lawrence Wong

“I have the greatest respect for the doctors, nurses and allied health professionals who have helped keep Singapore safe and our age-standardised mortality rate from COVID disease comparable to some of the most medically advanced countries in the world,” Prof Tambyah said in response to queries from CNA.

“The saddest thing about this epidemic in Singapore is how some of the most vulnerable individuals – migrant workers living in crowded dormitories who were among the major victims of the measles outbreak of 2019 – were again most affected by this novel coronavirus,” he said.

READ: GE2020: Focus on public health could have been lost in March amid talk of early election, suggests SDP’s Paul Tambyah

Prof Tambyah said that he has “no doubt” Singapore will put together a comprehensive review of the country’s public health response to COVID-19 after the General Election.

After the last General Election in 2015, the Ministry of Health commissioned an independent review committee report into the Hepatitis C outbreak at Singapore General Hospital, said Prof Tambyah.

The report is “still a textbook of how to do an outbreak investigation,” said Prof Tambyah, adding that he has used it to teach about outbreak investigation all over the world.

“I look forward to the report concerning COVID-19 in Singapore after the elections. I am sure it will be equally educational if not more so,” he said.

During the press conference, Mr Wong – who is a People’s Action Party (PAP) candidate for Marsiling-Yew Tee GRC in the General Election – had said in response to a question that the work of the task force continues during the campaigning period.

“Whatever spare time on top of that work, that’s where I come in to the ground to meet my residents,” he said at the press conference.

Prof Tambyah in his response to CNA said he would like to thank Mr Wong “for his reassurance that he is not going to campaign in Marsiling-Yew Tee but rather concentrate on the rising number of unlinked and local community cases of COVID-19 outside the dormitories as well as the potential environmental cluster in Tampines”.

Prof Tambyah said that his fellow SDP candidates who are contesting Mr Wong’s team would be “even more pleased to hear this”.

“But all Singaporeans should be reassured by this promise,” he said.

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