A lot of the conversation this General Election has surrounded the youths, young adults and issues affecting them.
After all, with GE2020, millennials (and a portion of Gen Z) are able to cast their votes. Recognising that this is an important demographic of voters, the Workers’ Party (WP) organised their Next Generation e-rally on July 3.
Moderated by Nicole Seah, the panel consisted of fellow WP candidates Gerald Giam, Fadli Fawzi, Raeesah Khan and Nathaniel Koh. The Facebook Live video saw the panel discussing various issues pertaining to young adults, including HDB prices, the education system and climate change.
Too busy to watch? We’ve got you covered. Here’s what you missed from the discussion:
Singapore Democratic Party (SDP) chief Chee Soon Juan will use a portion of his allowance to fund activities in Bukit Batok SMC if elected as MP, he said during the Constituency Political Broadcast today (July 3).
“I will set aside a portion of my MP allowance to fund activities for the elderly,” Dr Chee said, pledging to take care of residents’ needs.
He also intends to set up a trust fund to assist lower-income households in the constituency and run enrichment programmes for students.
“I will not contract out my responsibility to a managing agent. This will save costs for residents,” said Dr Chee, who intends to be a full-time MP.
Town councils may choose to hire managing agents to carry out day-to-day operations and maintenance of the estate.
Dr Chee expressed his misgivings, saying: “Residents end up paying an extra layer of costs when the MP was elected to do the work in the first place.”
The constituencies participating in Saturday’s broadcast are Chua Chu Kang GRC, East Coast GRC, Holland-Bukit Timah GRC, Hong Kah North SMC and Hougang SMC.
The allocated airtime for political parties is as follows:
As previously announced by the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA), the order of the broadcasts is based on the alphabetical ordering of the constituency.
The broadcast for each constituency will begin with the incumbent, followed by other contesting parties or candidates.
In view of the COVID-19 situation, constituency political broadcasts are one-off arrangements which will give political parties and candidates more airtime to put their messages out to voters.
With Aljunied being the only opposition-held GRC, all eyes are on the People’s Action Party (PAP) team challenging there.
In a constituency political broadcast aired on July 3, the PAP team, consisting of Chua Eng Leong, Victor Lye and Shamsul Kamar, as well as newcomers Chan Hui Yuh and Alex Yeo, made an appeal to voters to bring them “home”.
Lye, Shamsul and Chua were part of the PAP team that contested Aljunied in 2015, narrowly losing with 49 per cent of the vote.
Too busy to watch? We’ve got you covered. Here are three highlights from the broadcast you might have missed:
“Aljunied is yours. Not someone’s political hostage.”
Lye, who has been volunteering in Aljunied since 1999, started off the session with a heartfelt plea to residents.
Aljunied is yours. Not someone’s political hostage. It’s been nine years. It’s time. Bring us home.
SINGAPORE: Fighting the COVID-19 pandemic “has been tough on everyone”, and the crisis is far from over, but help is available for Ang Mo Kio residents — as it is for other Singaporeans — Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said on Friday (Jul 3).
That was a point he made in the People’s Action Party’s (PAP) constituency political broadcast for Ang Mo Kio GRC, on the first evening of these broadcasts.
The Ang Mo Kio Town Council has given rebates to households and merchants to lighten the burden, he noted. Two community job fairs will also be held this month, at Cheng San and Yio Chu Kang community clubs (CCs) respectively.
“Jobs are our top priority … If you’ve lost your job or lost income because of COVID-19, we have schemes to help you,” said Mr Lee, who was accompanied by Mr Darryl David, Mr Gan Thiam Poh and new faces Ms Nadia Ahmad Samdin and Ms Ng Ling Ling.
Their opponents from the Reform Party (RP) were represented by Mr Charles Yeo and Ms Noraini Yunus. Among other things, Mr Yeo highlighted that Ang Mo Kio residents were being served by part-time Members of Parliament (MPs) to deal with issues like ageing public flats and rising cost of living.
The candidates spoke in English, Mandarin and Malay, and the PAP’s address was broadcast first.
PAP: TACKLING EFFECTS OF COVID-19
Speaking after Mr Lee, Ms Nadia recalled her experience during the severe acute respiratory syndrome outbreak in 2003, when she was still a student.
“My father was the sole breadwinner, and he’d worked in the same company for more than 30 years. It was devastating when companies could no longer keep their employees, my dad included,” she said.
“But my parents did everything they could to ensure that we continued our education.”
Noting that she has met Cheng San-Seletar residents since earlier this year alongside former MP Ang Hin Kee, Ms Nadia added that she launched home-based learning kits with her team to support students from similar backgrounds.
“Empowering every student to reach their potential — that’s a cause close to my heart. I’ve worked in youth development initiatives for the last 15 years.”
(Clockwise from left) Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, Nadia Ahmad Samdin, Gan Thiam Poh, Darryl David and Ng Ling Ling from the People’s Action Party team contesting Ang Mo Kio GRC speaking at the constituency political broadcast on Jul 3, 2020.
Speaking last, Ms Ng said she empathises with residents whose jobs and businesses have been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Co-leading the development of social and financial resilience efforts in Jalan Kayu with outgoing MP Intan Azura Mokhtar, she recalled meeting a couple working in the tourism industry who both contracted COVID-19.
“As they have a young child, they were very worried. When they recovered, we helped them find contract jobs to tide themselves over,” she said.
“This is how families can be affected and how I’ll continue to help them with the volunteers in Jalan Kayu.”
Mr David said his family were “amongst the first residents” to move into Ang Mo Kio in the 1970s and that he still lives in the area today.
It has since become a mature estate, he noted, and as flats and facilities age, the PAP team has launched programmes to enhance homes and the surroundings.
For example, the Home Improvement Programme has been rolled out over the last five years, said Mr David. More than 180 blocks of flats will have benefited from this by next year, he added.
He also noted that Teck Ghee CC reopened with upgrades last year, and Cheng San CC is “due for an upgrade soon”.
The “brand new” Fernvale CC – which was initially slated to be completed by this year – will also open next year with a childcare centre, hawker centre and wet market, said Mr David.
The number of bus services has also increased and bus networks have been extended to private estates, he added. Cycling and walking networks are also being extended, and Lentor and Mayflower stations on the Thomson-East Coast MRT line will open soon.
Ms Ng said the Group Representation Constituency (GRC) also has “many good social and healthcare programmes today”, including charities like Ang Mo Kio Family Service Centre, Thye Hua Kuan Moral Society and Sunlove Home.
“As Ang Mo Kio matures and its population ages, we’ll need more social and healthcare programmes,” added the former public servant at the Ministry of Health Office for Healthcare Transformation.
“On the GRC team, I’ll use my social service and healthcare transformation experience to develop new initiatives for healthy living and strong social support for our senior residents.”
In his speech, Mr Lee also said the PAP plans to form one town council covering the GRC and the Single Member Constituencies (SMCs) of Yio Chu Kang and Kebun Baru. He called on voters there to support their PAP candidates too.
“Let’s all work together to make Ang Mo Kio an ideal town in which to live, work and play.”
RP: PART-TIME MP AND HDB CONCERNS
Speaking after the PAP team, the Reform Party’s Mr Yeo said: “You deserve full-time MPs devoted to your interests. All of us in the Reform Party team, led by Kenneth Jeyaretnam, are well aware that our first and foremost duty is to you, our constituents, and that public service is an honour, not a right.”
Citing what residents have told him on his walkabouts — that they have not seen their MP or only “very sporadically” — Mr Yeo said this was “unsurprising”.
“The PAP parachutes in many backbenchers with heavy professional work commitments. Claims of dedication ring hollow unless one’s prepared to be a full-time MP,” he added.
“It’s a matter of common sense. If one’s to be engaged in the day with his work, he’ll have no energy after the end of the work day to fulfill his MP duties.”
Charles Yeo and Noraini Yunus of the Reform Party team contesting Ang Mo Kio GRC speak at the constituency political broadcast on Jul 3, 2020.
He promised to organise more frequent Meet-the-People Sessions if his team is elected to represent Ang Mo Kio GRC.
“We will, all of us, make ourselves available to our constituents and respond to you with a sense of urgency and diligence. All legitimate questions that you direct us to ask in Parliament will in fact be asked.”
He also cited complaints from constituents about high service and conservancy charges.
“We’ll change this. I’m a practising lawyer, and I’ll carefully examine the wastefulness of projects proposed by the PAP which seem designed not to improve the lives of the residents but purely to provide contracts for its own sake,” he added.
With ageing HDB flats in a mature estate, Mr Yeo said he has spotted staircase cracks and that “no doubt spalling concrete is an issue as well”. He said the Reform Party plans to address this, adding that HDB flats should be “affordable”.
“As the price of HDB flats increase, the PAP promise of being able to afford your own home rings hollow. The reality is that many elderly (people) may be evicted from their flat by the time their lease expires. And other residents will find themselves with virtually nothing at all to pass to their children after a lifetime of hard work,” he said.
“This is how the PAP creates austerity for the common man, but a good life for those who are its bootlickers. It makes a mockery of the PAP’s claim that your HDB flat will be an appreciating asset forever. We now know that at the end of the lease, its value returns to zero.”
RP: COST OF LIVING AND EMPLOYMENT
Cost of living is another issue constituents face, Mr Yeo said, adding that shopkeepers have shared that rental is high and that they find it difficult to do business “due to bureaucratic red tape”.
“This is wrong. Business has been hit hard by the pandemic, and that creates job losses and real hardship.”
Pledging to facilitate the development of small- to medium-sized enterprises, “which is the lifeblood of citizen welfare”, he said he will actively meet with resident stallholders to look into their commercial concerns.
Lastly, he addressed concerns among parents whose children are about to enter the workforce and who have expressed “discontent” that their children have had to take up ad hoc jobs instead of permanent employment.
“Many of you here have children of school-going age or about to enter the workforce, and you’ve voiced your concern that the propagandistic education system, which is designed to be a tool of social control, doesn’t allow for critical thinking skills to be developed or for the skills required for employment,” he said.
“These aren’t issues unique to Ang Mo Kio. Thus all I’ll say is that we’ll actively campaign against educational elitism and the lie that every school is a good school — and for the legitimate duty of the Government to protect its citizens first and foremost in the area of employment.”
In closing in his English speech, Mr Yeo said he hoped his words do not sound “overly harsh”. “We can love Singapore and be diligent citizens, and at the same time, voice out our complaints.”
Inviting voters to visit the Reform Party website to see its policy proposals in detail, he added: “If you want a change for the better, please make sure to go out and vote on Polling Day.”
Editor’s note: Mr Darryl David said during the broadcast that 180 flats would have benefited from the Home Improvement Programme by next year. He has since clarified that it should be 180 blocks of flats. This story has been corrected accordingly.
SINGAPORE: The People’s Action Party (PAP) and the Singapore Peoples’ Party (SPP) delivered their Constituency Political Broadcasts for Bishan-Toa Payoh Group Representation Constituency (GRC) on Friday (Jul 3).
All four PAP candidates – Minister for Defence Ng Eng Hen, Mr Chee Hong Tat, Mr Saktiandi Supaat and Mr Chong Kee Hiong – delivered their speeches in English, Mandarin and Malay.
The SPP team was represented by party chief Steve Chia, vice-chair Williiamson Lee and Mr Melvyn Chiu. Mr Chia and Mr Chiu spoke in English, while Mr Lee spoke in Mandarin.
In his speech, Dr Ng, who spoke in English and Mandarin, noted that the COVID-19 outbreak has affected the economy badly.
He said the Government has promised to do all it can to reduce retrenchments, including extraordinary measures to draw down more than S$50 billion from reserves to help companies keep their workers through wage support.
(Clockwise from top left) Ng Eng Hen, Chee Hong Tat, Saktiandi Bin Supaat and Chong Kee Hiong from the People’s Action Party team contesting Bishan-Toa Payoh speak during the constituency political broadcast on Jul 3, 2020.
Self-employed people are also included in the schemes, he said.
Despite this, he said some businesses and companies may not survive. Vulnerable residents may lose their jobs and their families will be under “great stress”, he said.
“Together, we must help residents through this difficult period,” Dr Ng said. “Especially for those with financial difficulties, we promise our assistance. If they have children, we want to help them through the community scholarship, ComCare and welfare funds.”
He added: “As we have done so before, we will get through this crisis together.”
Mr Chee, who spoke in English and Mandarin, added that the Government’s top priority is jobs for Singaporeans.
He said the Government has set up the National Jobs Council to ensure that Singaporeans remain employable. “This is my focus at MTI (Ministry of Trade and Industry) and MOE (Ministry of Education), working with colleagues there to create jobs, including in growth sectors like healthcare, early childhood education and training and adult education,” he said.
He added that SGUnited Jobs and Skills Centres will be set up in both Bishan and Toa Payoh to organise job fairs and provide job-related services.
The team also touched on municipal issues, with Dr Ng outlining the improvements made over the past five years. These include renovated markets, new covered walkways and drop-off points, as well as a new community club built in Bishan.
Mr Chong, who spoke in English and Mandarin and is also the chairman of the Bishan-Toa Payoh Town Council, added that within the community, many programmes have been implemented to ensure equal opportunities are available to all.
He highlighted how they have worked together with community partners on mentorship programmes for children with vulnerable families. “These programmes will continue,” he said.
Mr Saktiandi, who spoke in English and Malay, added that close to 4,000 people in the GRC have received community bursaries and bond-free community scholarships from community sourced funds in the last five years.
“Building a strong neighbourhood and strong community spirit is the community’s first line of defence to the deep crisis we face today”, he said.
SPP: CRUCIAL TO DENY PAP THE “POWER TO RUBBER-STAMP POLICIES”
Mr Chia, who is the SPP’s secretary-general, stated that the party is fielding a “small but strong team” that has voters’ best interests at heart.
“Candidates who seek to listen, take action and serve,” he said. “Candidates who are willing to receive your calls and messages personally and come down to meet you in person to help with your problems.”
(From left) Melvyn Chiu, Steve Chia and Williiamson Lee of the Singapore People’s Party team contesting Bishan-Toa Payoh speak during the constituency political broadcast on Jul 3, 2020.
“This is the kind of service standards we expect to deliver.”
In this regard, Mr Chia pledged to serve as a full-time MP if elected.
He also stressed that it is crucial to deny the PAP the “power to rubber-stamp policies” and “change the constitution to suit their advantage”.
Citing the last presidential election as an example, Mr Chia alleged that the Government had “pushed through their reasoning” in having a reserved election for Malay candidates.
“But are you convinced? Or do you feel deprived of your rights to elect your president?” he asked.
“Together with other non-governing parties, we seek to deny the PAP a two-thirds majority in Parliament.”
Mr Chia also pointed out that there is a need for more conversations and debates on policies and issues in Parliament before they are made into law.
“We want to hold public officers to greater accountability, and we don’t want the PAP to ‘ownself check ownself’.”
He added: “Do you really want to give the PAP another 70 per cent of the vote? Do you want the whole of Parliament to have 93 PAP-elected MPs to speak PAP policies?”
“No. I believe you will want diversity of views. I believe you will want alternative parties with alternative ideas to propose alternative solutions,” he said. “You will also want to have a balanced Parliament to protect against power abuse.”
Mr Chia also said the Government has failed to solve many areas of growing concern, such as rising cost of living, stagnating wages, and income inequality.
“There is no job security unless you are in Government service, and there is no minimum wage to fall back on,” he said. “Why? SPP proposed that there should be a minimum wage law to protect you.”
On his part, Mr Chiu also cited specific issues that the party wants answers for, such as the necessity of raising the goods and services tax to 9 per cent, and building the airport’s Terminal 5, among others.
“We want transparency, we want accountability, and most importantly we want answers to our questions,” he said.
“Remember, you are voting for a Member of Parliament, you are voting for someone who best understands you, you are voting for someone who dares to speak up for you,” he added. “You are not voting for a minister.”
Bishan-Toa Payoh, with 101,366 voters, is the smallest GRC in terms of electors.
At least there is some finality to the population debate.
“Let me be clear. The government has never proposed or targeted for Singapore to increase the population to 10 million,” said DPM Heng Swee Keat.
That was not all. “And if we look at today’s situation, our population is likely to be significantly below 6.9 million by 2030,” he continued in a Facebook post.
The 6.9 million figure was a key controversial point in a White Paper that generated a lot of hand wringing in 2013.
As many of us know, this flew smack into a torrent of anger against Singapore’s immigration policy.
The population issue was reignited when Singapore Democratic Party secretary-general Chee Soon Juan went eyeball to eyeball with People’s Action Party’s (PAP) Vivian Balakrishnan in a GE2020 live TV debate where the former raised the 10 million figure.
Alas, only if the DPM was as crystal clear in his dialogue as he was at a televised debate with NTU students last year.
At that time Heng could have put the matter to rest. Instead, he was not very precise.
SINGAPORE: The Workers’ Party (WP) and the People’s Action Party (PAP) delivered their constituency political broadcasts for the Aljunied Group Representation Constituency (GRC) on Friday (Jul 3), in the first of a series this General Election.
As the incumbents, the five-member WP team spoke first – party chief Pritam Singh, Mr Gerald Giam and Mr Leon Perera delivered their speeches in English, while Mr Faisal Manap and Ms Sylvia Lim spoke in Malay and Mandarin respectively.
For the PAP challengers, Mr Victor Lye and Mr Chua Eng Leong spoke in English, while Ms Chan Hui Yuh and Mr Alex Yeo spoke in both Mandarin and English, and Mr Shamsul Kamar in Malay and English.
The WP team’s speeches focused on two broad points of appeal to Aljunied voters: To vote in MPs who would hold the PAP Government accountable, and its track record on the ground of running the town council.
Noting that all five members of the team have parliamentary experience – including Mr Giam and Mr Perera as former Non-Constituency Members of Parliament (NCMPs) – Mr Singh pointed out that they had “asked tough questions” of the Government.
The WP’s MPs have been “rational and responsible”, he said, supporting the Government’s agenda when it is “on the right track” and opposing it only when we find the direction is not in the national interest.
“Being from the Workers’ Party, we take our party’s position on issues and do not need to agree on what the Government says.
“If you vote for a PAP team into Aljunied GRC, your new MPs will have to support the agenda of their party, and they may even need to watch what they say in order not to fall out of favour with their party leadership,” he said.
This will not strengthen Parliament as a check on the Government, he added.
(Clockwise from left) Pritam Singh, Sylvia Lim, Leon Perera, Muhd Faisal and Gerald Giam from the Workers’ Party contesting Aljunied GRC speak during the constituency political broadcast on Jul 3, 2020.
At the town council level, Mr Singh said services in the wards that the WP manages under the Aljunied-Hougang Town Council (AHTC) are functioning, while renewal and improvement works have been ongoing.
He noted that the AHTC’s financial position is “healthy”, with the town council steadily building up its operating fund position since the current term started in late 2015.
“The latest audited figure recorded an accumulated surplus of S$7.9 million – more than double the accumulated surplus when we took over from the previous Aljunied Town Council in 2011.”
AHTC’s financial statements were also given a clean and unqualified opinion last year, while the Ministry of National Development graded AHTC’s corporate governance with a “green” banding, Mr Singh added.
Recalling the 2015 polls as “a close call” with the WP edging out the PAP team by just 2,626 votes, he said: “We have worked hard to earn your trust, sometimes under difficult circumstances. For those who feel that we have not met your expectations, we seek your understanding and promise to do better.
“Now, more than ever, your vote is essential to chart the kind of political system Singapore should have.”
In his speech, Mr Giam took aim at the NCMP scheme by noting that the scheme, which was designed to ensure a minimum number of opposition parliamentarians even if they are not elected, has its limitations.
“Without constituents to serve and a town to manage, it’s hard to establish a base,” he said, citing his experience as a NCMP between 2011 and 2015.
He said he has been covering the duties of former Aljunied GRC MP Low Thia Khiang for the past few months. “This has allowed me to walk the ground, familiarise myself with the constituency, and get to know many residents, in ways I could not as an NCMP,” he added.
“PAP keeps saying there’s no need to vote for the opposition as the NCMP scheme ensures your voice in Parliament. Don’t be swayed by this argument,” he urged voters.
Mr Perera, who was an NCMP in the 13th Parliament, added that “the voices of NCMPs can be ignored as they don’t carry the full mandate of the people”. However, the voices of fully elected opposition MPs cannot be ignored by the PAP.
He cited how WP MPs had spoken up to hold the Government to account on issues like spending on foreign student scholarships, and proposed alternative policies on big issues like public transport, NS safety, and Redundancy Insurance.
He spoke about how the PAP won 70 per cent of the votes or more in 2001 and 2015 – results that nearly wiped out alternative parties from all fully elected seats. Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, “this could happen again” in GE2020, he added.
“But by voting for the Workers’ Party you will get constructive, responsible MPs who work hard in Parliament, while on the ground you’ll benefit from our experience in running the town council as well as the support of the (People’s Association), with the losing PAP candidate as grassroots advisor.
“The PA will continue to run activities, events and services, as has happened in Aljunied and Hougang since 2011,” he said.
In contrast, the PAP team’s speeches centred mainly on what they had done on the ground in Aljunied, and their plans to help residents through the difficulties in a COVID-19 world.
(Clockwise from left) Victor Lye, Alex Yeo, Chan Hui Yuh, Shamsul Kamar and Chua Eng Leong from The People’s Action Party team contesting in Aljunied GRC speak during the constituency political broadcast on Jul 3, 2020.
“Aljunied is yours, not somebody’s political hostage. It should be about your lives, your jobs and our future,” said Mr Lye, as he repeated the team’s rallying call of: “It’s time. Bring us home.”
Mr Lye – who was part of the PAP’s Aljunied team during the 2015 General Election – acknowledged that it is “not easy to serve in Aljunied” but that his team had chosen to do so, and that they had been “tested by adversity”.
Now, the COVID-19 pandemic has brought about tumultuous times, with jobs and livelihoods at stake, he said.
“Though (we are) not your MPs, many of you reached out to us for help,” he said, citing an example of how he had received an email from a student whose father was out of work, and she needed pocket money.
Mr Lye said his team will start a pocket money fund for disadvantaged children in Aljunied, as well as set up Jobs and Livelihoods Centres across the constituency.
“We need the whole of Singapore in this tumultuous time to come together as a national effort, led by the PAP to steer us through the troubled waters,” he said. “Aljunied, please join this effort.”
In her speech, first-time candidate Ms Chan also outlined initiatives that the PAP team has in mind to help residents in Aljunied.
Noting that costs for essential services like caregivers and tuition can be high, Ms Chan said her team can get help from its supporters and Merchants Associations to support the community.
“We can harness the power of negotiation as a GRC to get the best prices for our essential goods and services. So we can get the best tutors for the best price so you pay less.”
The PAP team will also start a local fund for residents to tap, she said. This will be available even for residents living in private estates, as long as their income levels meet the lower threshold set.
“Our help schemes will be based on trust and not on rules that make it difficult for you to get help when you need it,” she said.
Mr Chua focused on what the PAP team in Aljunied has done for residents, with many new facilities added in the last 5 years.
“Our infrastructure has improved, as we continue to engage the Government on your behalf and provide necessary ground feedback,” he said, adding that the team had fought “hard” for major projects such as a new polyclinic, a community hospital and four MRT stations on the upcoming Cross-Island Line.
Mr Chua, who was also part of the PAP’s 2015 team in Aljunied, said the upgrading of neighbourhoods and parks will be completed in the next five years.
“These projects require a substantial amount of funds, but we will work hard to find a way, even in this difficult COVID-19 period to raise the funds for you,” he said.
“With my 20 years of proven track record in finance, we will be fair and conduct our operations with integrity, and better manage public funds.
“Our vision is for a caring community and a vote for us, is a vote for change.”
New candidate Alex Yeo, who was last to speak, also recounted how the team continued to work the ground in Aljunied despite losing the elections.
He recounted how in 2017, he had worked with the team to revamp and relaunch a grocery distribution programme after observing some of the beneficiaries giving away groceries they had collected.
“I asked an elderly beneficiary why she did so. She said that it was too heavy and there were some items that her family would not consume. We thought we could do more, and we did,” he said, noting that the GEMS Programme was launched as a result.
“We raised funds so that we can purchase items based on feedback, giving beneficiaries what they need. We galvanise our volunteers and we now deliver by hand to each beneficiary household to their doorstep,” he added.
Mr Yeo said these experiences have taught the team to “always listen” and “go the extra mile”.
“At this election, our message is a very simple one. We want to do more. More importantly, we want to do more with you, for you.”
WP made history in 2011 by wresting the five-member GRC from the ruling PAP. The opposition party held on to the constituency at the 2015 polls, but with a narrower vote margin of 50.96 per cent.
For this election, analysts are expecting a close tussle again, especially as WP stalwarts – former party chief Low Thia Khiang and Mr Chen Show Mao – have made way for younger representatives from the party.
This election, about 151,000 voters are eligible to vote in Aljunied GRC.
SINGAPORE: Dr Tan Cheng Bock has travelled across Singapore to lend support to all candidates from his Progress Singapore Party (PSP), but he said he is not taking anything for granted in West Coast Group Representation Constituency (GRC).
Speaking to reporters after a walkabout session on Friday (Jul 3) at ABC Brickworks market in Bukit Merah, Dr Tan said his party would have to earn its votes.
“We never take (support in West Coast) for granted,” said Dr Tan, PSP’s secretary general. “I always tell them that wherever you go the most important thing is to earn your votes. Never expect the votes to come.”
The PSP team led by Dr Tan is contesting West Coast GRC against the People’s Action Party (PAP).
Dr Tan is part of a five-member PSP slate together with Mr Jeffrey Khoo, Ms Hazel Poa, Mr Leong Mun Wai and Mr Nadarajah Loganathan.
The Progress Singapore Party’s secretary-general Dr Tan Cheng Bock speaking to the media with the team from Tanjong Pagar GRC during a walkabout at ABC Brickworks Market & Food Centre at Jalan Bukit Merah on Jul 3, 2020. (Photo: Hanidah Amin)
They will be up against a PAP team led by incumbents S Iswaran, Foo Mee Har, along with Desmond Lee, Ang Wei Neng and new face Ms Rachel Ong.
Dr Tan was the MP for Ayer Rajah for 26 years, when he was with the PAP. The ward is now part of West Coast GRC
“I’m the leader so I must support all my candidates,” said Dr Tan. “I’m trying to evade you guys so you all cannot catch me. So I’m all over the place – that’s where I should be. I want to make sure my candidates have my support. We are a family, we always go together.”
The Progress Singapore Party’s secretary-general Dr Tan Cheng Bock greeting a resident during a walkabout at ABC Brickworks Market and Food Centre at Jalan Bukit Merah on Jul 3, 2020. (Photo: Hanidah Amin)
Dr Tan added that he and his team at West Coast had also been “going around” at night for outreach efforts.
“We’ve been going around, you all don’t see us,” he quipped.
During his visit to ABC Brickworks Market on Friday afternoon, Dr Tan was accompanied by party member Lee Hsien Yang, the brother of Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, as well as the PSP’s candidates for Tanjong Pagar GRC. They are organising secretary Michael Chua, IT executive Harish Pillay, lawyer Wendy Low, pilot Terence Soon and workplace safety senior trainer Abas Kasmani.
Also present was PSP’s candidate for Kebun Baru SMC Kumaran Pillai.
The Progress Singapore Party’s secretary-general Dr Tan Cheng Bock greeting a resident during a walkabout at ABC Brickworks Market and Food Centre at Jalan Bukit Merah on Jul 3, 2020. (Photo: Hanidah Amin)
Dr Tan said he does not believe that his presence, along with that of Mr Lee’s, would eclipse his candidates.
“We just want to add our presence. If it’s of help to my candidates, I would like to go anywhere to give my candidates a boost … If I can add value to all my candidates here, I’ll be very happy,” Dr Tan said.
“Even if I don’t come here, I think they can stand on their own … it’s not necessarily (the case) that we are coming here so our candidates are weak.”
Dr Tan noted that if voted into Parliament, his party would question policies and search for “proper answers”.
“Any of us who wants to go to Parliament must have that responsibility to represent the people who voted us in,” he said. “That responsibility involves the questioning of policies and looking for proper answers.
“And also to bring into the House views that may not have been considered by the Government, but we can bring all these inputs into the House.”
PSP TOUTS DIVERSITY OF CANDIDATES
Members of the PSP team were also keen to stress their diversity, something which they felt their PAP opponents do not possess.
Progress Singapore Party candidates for Tanjong Pagar GRC greeting residents during a walkabout alongside secretary-general Dr Tan Cheng Bock at ABC Brickworks Market and Food Centre at Jalan Bukit Merah on Jul 3, 2020. (Photo: Hanidah Amin)
Describing the PSP’s candidates as “3D politicians”, Mr Chua said the party’s candidates had “bared their soul” so that votes would get to know them intimately.
“Among all of us here, we have bared our soul to reveal another side of us so that voters are not voting for a 2D cutout,” he said.
Tanjong Pagar candidate Wendy Low added that it was a particular “script and mould” that has resulted in the same quality of PAP candidates over the years.
“You can have very impressive CVs no doubt but it’s a particular script and mould that’s resulting in the same type of quality time and again for every election. Is that a repeat of what every Singaporean wants?”
Ms Low also noted that there was a difference between the diversity of candidates’ CVs and the diversity of their thinking.
Progress Singapore Party candidates for Tanjong Pagar GRC greeting residents during a walkabout with secretary-general Dr Tan Cheng Bock at ABC Brickworks Market and Food Centre at Jalan Bukit Merah on Jul 3, 2020. (Photo: Hanidah Amin)
“Diversity as reflected on the CV and diversity of thought and criticism of policies,” said Ms Low.
Two mechanisms actually “limit” this for the incumbent, she added – pointing to the PAP’s pre-selection process and the presence of the party whip in Parliament.
Ms Low noted that the selection process could lead to “collective group-think” regardless of a party candidate’s background.
“There is a collective group-think and the kind of policies that will result from this group-think is the same, regardless of what candidate they put forward as a group,” said Ms Low.
“You can be the most innovative technologist and you have all these astounding ideas, (but) there may limitations set within the party mechanism which may limit how you can actually bring that forward. I think It’s important to draw that distinction.”
SINGAPORE: Consumers who shop online will get to enjoy greater delivery convenience and a wider range of parcel pick-up options much earlier than expected, the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) said on Friday (Jul 3).
The deployment of 1,000 parcel locker stations across Singapore under the Nationwide Parcel Locker Network is expected to be completed by end 2021 – one year ahead of schedule.
The first batch of about 200 locker stations will be rolled out from the first quarter of 2021. Locker stations will be located in key public locations, such as Housing Board (HDB) estates, MRT stations and bus interchanges, as well as community centres.
An example of parcel delivery being done. (Photo: Infocomm Media Development Authority)
Residents will have at least one parcel locker station located about five minutes’ walk or 250m of their HDB blocks by end-2021, IMDA said. Each station will contain between 30 and 50 lockers.
IMDA will be incorporating Pick Network to deploy, own and operate the locker network. The wholly-owned subsidiary company will oversee three key areas: infrastructure, service availability and engagement.
In terms of infrastructure, Pick will identify suitable sites for the locker stations by working with stakeholders including consumers, industry players and Government agencies.
On the service front, Pick will grant logistic service providers (LSPs), such as SingPost, DHL, EasyParcel, FedEx, J&T Express, Ninja Van, Qxpress, ST Logistics, UPS and WMG, fair and open access to the locker network. This allows LSPs to adopt the locker network easily and provide consumers with seamless pick-up at affordable rates, IMDA said.
(Photo: Infocomm Media Development Authority)
Pick will also engage e-commerce industry stakeholders to facilitate greater industry involvement and educate consumers on the benefits of the locker network.
Pick has signed a Memoranda of Intent with e-commerce marketplaces such as Lazada, Qoo10 and Shopee, and LSPs such as SingPost. Once the lockers are ready, customers purchasing items from these platforms will be able to retrieve their parcels from Pick locker stations.
Existing locker operators will also have the option to connect their lockers to the Nationwide Parcel Locker Network through Pick’s platform.
CHANGING LANDSCAPE OF E-COMMERCE
Even though Singapore has a “shopping culture”, where residents hang out at malls, COVID-19 has “changed mindsets”, said Minister for Communications and Information S Iswaran over a Zoom session with reporters and industry partners on Friday.
“E-commerce has been given an extra boost, especially because of the greater reliance on all kinds of delivery solutions. That has heightened people’s awareness and the propensity to use the service.”
With the locker network, there will be a “common” and “ubiquitous” platform to enhance productivity and efficiency.
“More deliveries done within a shorter amount of time (will) basically mean better returns for the company, but also better jobs for the folks who are involved in the delivery sector,” said Senior Minister of State for Communications and Information Sim Ann.
Ms Sim added that the delivery sector is “a very resilient sector”, which has seen a boost due to several businesses moving online during the “circuit breaker” period.
“We want a parcel delivery network that works not just for consumers, but for the workers and companies. We hope that it helps make day-to-day life for Singaporeans more pleasant, more convenient, and more pandemic proof,” she said.
Customers also stand to benefit from the increase in productivity, specifically by being able to save money on delivery.
“Our partners have indicated to us that they are prepared to introduce differentiated pricing between delivery to the doorstep and delivery to lockers. SingPost has shared that there is productivity gain, and because of that, they are prepared to differentiate the pricing,” said Mr New Soon Tee, chief executive officer of Pick.
The locker network will also provide customers a greater range of options should they opt for delivery to their doorstep, delivery to a network point, or independent pick up of their parcels in their own time.
“That means choice, flexibility, and price variation, which will make a difference for customers,” added Mr Iswaran.
