SINGAPORE: In their political broadcast speeches on Saturday (Jul 4), the People’s Action Party (PAP) team pointed to its five-year plan for the “family” of Chua Chu Kang GRC; while the Progress Singapore Party (PSP) said that a strong mandate for the governing party has not helped to solve the COVID-19 crisis, highlighting the need for alternative ideas and solutions.

As the incumbents, the PAP four-member team went first, with each candidate speaking in two or more languages.

PAP: ENSURING “NO ONE IS LEFT BEHIND”

Speaking in a mix of English and Mandarin, Health Minister Gan Yim Kong, 61, called for residents to give his team a strong endorsement “so that we can journey with you together as a family”.

During this war on COVID-19, he noted and lauded the “selfless (acts) of volunteerism” by many residents who stepped forward to volunteer and care for those affected by the pandemic.

“Chua Chu Kang is special because we are not just a town, we are family,” said Mr Gan.

READ: Focus of GE2020 should be about how Singapore can get through COVID-19 crisis – Chan Chun Sing

He pointed to the five-year master plan for the constituency, which includes a new SAFRA clubhouse, the Jurong Regional Line, a new transport hub and hawker centres. The team would also continue to roll out programmes to connect people “and to ensure that no one is left behind”, he added.

This was echoed by Mr Zhulkarnain Abdul Rahim, 39, a lawyer, who said that beyond the “upcoming exciting projects” for the town, there have also been programmes “to connect those most vulnerable amongst us”. He spoke in Malay, English and a bit of Mandarin.

Speaking in Mandarin and English, Mr Don Wee Boon Hong said the team needed “everyone to be united” in this “critical time in Singapore’s history”.

The 43-year-old senior vice-president at UOB spoke of how he had continued to upgrade his skills after earning a degree while serving National Service and working, saying he believed that continuous learning opens doors to many opportunities.

“I’m convinced that so long as we work hard and never give up, we will be given fair opportunities to a better future,” he said. “I hope to serve and open more doors for many Chua Chu Kang students to secure better opportunities for themselves.”

Senior Parliamentary Secretary for Education and Manpower Low Yen Ling, 45, rounded off the PAP’s speeches by praising the “spirit of solidarity that makes Chua Chu Kang so special”.

She said many residents stepped forward to help each other when COVID-19 struck, with some contributing time and efforts while others donated resources.

She pointed to the new plans that would make the Group Representation Constituency (GRC) “a food and play wonderland”, promising residents: “This is where you and your children can continue to build your dreams and hopes.”

GE2020: Chua Chu Kang GRC’s PAP team to face challenge from PSP

PSP: STRONG ALTERNATIVE VOICE NEEDED TO FACE CHALLENGES

PSP’s Francis Yuen, a former Republic of Singapore Air Force colonel, rejected what he said was PAP’s argument that they need a strong mandate to fight the COVID-19 crisis.

“In effect, they want a strong mandate to stifle dissent,” said the 70-year-old.

“The last election has clearly shown that a strong mandate does not make your life better. They won a landslide victory. But what happened after that? 

“Cost of living continues to rise, income inequality widens, more locals are replaced by foreign PMETs (professionals, managers, executives and technicians), and our citizens do not have enough funds for retirement. Housing and healthcare costs remain high. Promises made were simply forgotten.”

GE2020: Progress Singapore Party launches manifesto, says ‘economy must serve Singaporeans, rather than the other way around’

He said that having a strong mandate does not guarantee strong performance, pointing to the PAP’s handling of the pandemic. Instead, “it is a strong alternative voice that is more important in today’s environment”, said Mr Yuen.

He stressed that no one party has all the answers or talents to fight the crisis and urged for alternative ideas and solutions, saying that his party is a responsible one “with a well-trusted leader whose heart is with the people”.

“We are here not to block or to fix the ruling party. Neither are we here to rock the boat,” he said. 

“The country will not come to a grinding halt just because there are more alternative voices in Parliament,” he added, urging residents to “vote with no fear”.

Dr Tan Meng Wah, a former Institute of Policy Studies research fellow, spoke in Mandarin, while fire safety engineer Abdul Rahman Mohamad made his speech in Malay.

Law undergraduate Choo Shaun Ming, the youngest candidate in this election, pointed to the late Mr Lee Kuan Yew’s famous quote urging people to “follow that rainbow”.

The 23-year-old said that this rainbow “doesn’t exist” for young people like himself looking out into the horizon. 

“We feel a sense of hopelessness regarding our future and tend to look abroad for better work life balance, and job prospects,” he said.

Noting that Singapore could not afford to “lose our young people and the talent they offer”, he said new ideas were needed to create exciting job opportunities. This could be achieved through “robust policy debate” and engaging industry experts for instance.

“By working together, we can see that rainbow return once more to our Singapore skies,” said Mr Choo. 

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SINGAPORE: The People’s Power Party’s (PPP) sole candidate for the General Election Goh Meng Seng said the Government should state a specific number for Singapore’s projected population.  

He made the comments during a walkabout at MacPherson Market and Food Centre on Saturday morning (Jul 4), in response to the 10 million population figure raised by the Singapore Democratic Party (SDP) as part of its election campaign.

The SDP said the Government wants to increase Singapore’s population to 10 million people. The ruling People’s Action Party (PAP), however, called the claim a falsehood. 

Speaking to reporters during his walkabout, Mr Goh said that the Government should specify a projected figure if it was not 10 million.

“The transport policies, the housing policies, healthcare policies are all related to population projection. If you do not have the parameters right from the start, nothing works. You either over build or under build. We suffer or we waste money,” he said.

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

The Government “has to have a plan” and “be open about it”, Mr Goh said, adding that he believes they are “afraid to tell us because most people do not want more (people in the country)”.

Mr Goh urged Singaporeans to “touch (their) heart” and ask themselves if they “want more population in Singapore”.

“I think if you ask people, 80 per cent of Singaporeans will say ‘no, enough’. We have at least 40 per cent of the population who are foreigners. Do you still want more?” he added.

“They do not have the moral courage as leaders to state what they believe (in) and work towards that. You have to sell your policies, (such as) why we need 6 million or 6.9 million.”

READ: GE2020: Day 5 on the campaign trail

Mr Goh is contesting in MacPherson SMC against the PAP’s Tin Pei Ling, who represented the constituency after winning the single seat in the 2015 General Election.

Together with a handful of PPP volunteers, Mr Goh spent about two hours distributing leaflets detailing his stance on issues ranging from healthcare costs to Housing Development Board (HDB) flats that will “depreciate drastically after it reaches 40 years old”.

Mr Goh said he is not a fresh face to residents of MacPherson.

READ: GE2020: PAP’s Tin Pei Ling faces PPP’s sole representative Goh Meng Seng in MacPherson SMC

“Whether I’m well known in the estate, I will say that this is not the first time I came here,” he said.

“In 2011, when I was the National Solidarity Party’s secretary general, we sent a team here with Nicole Seah and we have walked the ground. So I’m not totally unknown.”

Despite MacPherson’s generally older demographic, Mr Goh said he also had his eye on the constituency’s younger residents.

The 50-year-old added that he has reached out to young voters through email and Facebook, where he said they asked him “some very tough questions about jobs”.

“If you look at my policies, I’ve talked about jobs. I’ve talked about HDB and CPF, which also affect the young. It’s just that the focus of my messaging may be more towards the elderly in the ageing estate, because it’s targeted unfortunately,” he said.

“But rest assured when I’m in Parliament, it will be a national level. Maybe with a slight tweak towards more compassion and empathy towards the elderly estates.”

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SINGAPORE: Political parties contesting in the General Election must produce “concrete plans” to deal with issues faced by Singaporeans, not just make “broad statements”, said Law and Home Affairs Minister K Shanmugam on Saturday (Jul 4). 

The world is possibly going to face “the most serious recession it has faced in a very long time” as it battles COVID-19, Mr Shanmugam said, warning that it could be the “greatest crisis since the Second World War”. With the coronavirus not cleared, it is a “health crisis and an economic crisis”, he added.

“I think it’s important that every party sets out not just, you know, some broad statements, but what are your plans to deal with that? What are you putting forward? It’s not just a question of some soundbites,” the minister said. 

Mr Shanmugam is leading a five-member People’s Action Party (PAP) team contesting in Nee Soon GRC this General Election. The team includes Senior Parliamentary Secretary Faishal Ibrahim, former Member of Parliament (MP) Louis Ng as well as new faces Mr Derrick Goh and Ms Carrie Tan. 

They are coming up against a team from the Progress Singapore Party (PSP), made up of Mr Damien Tay, Mr Taufik Supan, Ms Kala Manickam, Mr S Nallakaruppan and Mr Brad Bowyer.

“Even if you’re there to check (on the ruling party), what are your alternative policies?” Mr Shanmugam asked of the opposition party.

“I think that people need to ask and I think many people have asked. I have looked at the manifesto of the candidates who are competing here and I don’t find any answers on these questions.”

Mr Shanmugam was speaking reporters during a walkabout with Mr Goh on Saturday.

READ: GE2020: PAP team led by Shanmugam faces contest with PSP newcomers in Nee Soon GRC

“So the question is, what are you (the opposition) running for Parliament for? You’ve got to have a plan and a policy for people,” said Mr Shanmugam. 

He added the PAP has set out what it has achieved at a local level in Nee Soon over the last five years and before that, as well as what it seeks to do over the next five years, in “concrete terms”.  

Mr Shanmugam also said the PSP did not know the ground in Nee Soon GRC.

He pointed at how the incumbent MPs has worked with the community, including Mr Ng’s work with Project HOPE, which provides low-income families with donated food items, appliances and children’s toys and books. 

READ: GE2020: Progress Singapore Party launches manifesto, says ‘economy must serve Singaporeans, rather than the other way around’

It is “very clear” that the PSP has “no plans” for Nee Soon GRC, Mr Shanmugam said. 

“And when asked, Mr Bowyer said, ‘oh, we’ll give more jobs as cleaners to Singaporeans in the town council’. So those are his plans for Nee Soon. Well and good,” the minister added. 

“But I personally think that Nee Soon residents deserve better. And then, making your focal point ‘I will make more Singaporeans cleaners’, if that’s your only plan, let the residents judge.”

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SINGAPORE: While she has been campaigning at a ward with many elderly people, age has not been an issue, said Nadia Samdin, the youngest of the People’s Action Party’s candidates in this General Election.

The 30-year-old is one of the new faces running alongside Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong in the Ang Mo Kio GRC. If elected, she will oversee the Cheng San-Seletar ward, which is home to many elderly residents. 

“Ultimately residents look for experience and what kind of attributes you bring to the table,” she said. 

“Regardless of how old you are, it’s about how you connect with the residents.” 

Ms Nadia was speaking in a doorstop interview after an hour-long walkabout with PM Lee and Madam Ho Ching at the Cheng San Market and Cooked Food Centre. 

The trio distributed party flyers and mingled with patrons at the food centre, and at shops and coffeehouses in the neighbouring blocks.

When some elderly residents stood up from their seats to greet the candidates, Ms Nadia was heard saying “you don’t need to stand up” in Mandarin. 

As she went from table to table, she greeted residents in their mother tongue, something she said has helped her “to connect with the residents, especially elderly ones”. 

“I think it’s always nice to be able to hear someone connect with you in your mother tongue, in a way that’s familiar. They’ve also been very patient with my hanyu pinyin.” 

“I will improve slowly,” she said in Mandarin. 

On being fielded in Ang Mo Kio GRC, Ms Nadia said it has been a “privilege”. Having PM Lee as a fellow candidate, she said, means there is “added responsibility somewhat to do right (by the) residents”. 

READ: GE2020: Day 5 on the campaign trail

But she does not worry about being overshadowed by the Prime Minister. “The PM is very well loved. I, of course, as a new candidate try to bring my own value and contributions to the table.”

“It’s been really nice to be welcomed by our residents here, especially some of the elderly ones who have treated me in a very endearing way,” she added.

The lawyer and associate director at TSMP Law Corporation has been pounding the ground daily from 8am since Nomination Day, visiting both private estates and HDB flats in the ward. 

One of the issues brought to her attention was job security. “In the middle of this month, we’re going to be holding a job fair, as well as hopefully set up a small career centre so as to be able to help upskill people and improve their CV,” she said. 

After the hour-long walkabout, PM Lee stopped to record a video thanking unionists who have been campaigning for the People’s Action Party on the ground. 

“Between the PAP and the NTUC, we have a very close relationship. It’s a symbiotic one,” Mr Lee said. “The PAP is fighting to win this election so that we can look after workers and look after your families and make sure that everybody is safe as well. Thank you for your support.”

Mr Lee leads a team comprising Mr Darryl David, Mr Gan Thiam Poh as well as new faces Ms Nadia and Ms Ng Ling Ling. They are up against a Reform Party team led by secretary-general Kenneth Jeyaretnam.

Editor’s note: Following publication of this article, Ms Nadia told CNA she meant to say “value” instead of “values” in the following line:  “The PM is very well loved. I, of course, as a new candidate try to bring my own values and contributions to the table.” The article has been amended accordingly.

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