Before the dust even settles on the Ivan Lim incident, more online allegations have surfaced against the People’s Action Party’s (PAP) candidates in quick succession.
Newcomer Shawn Huang has had to speak up to dispel rumours about a name change and other misunderstandings and now, the latest PAP candidate to undergo scrutiny is Ng Ling Ling.
And Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong himself directly addressed the online allegations against her at a virtual press conference today (June 29).
Ng, 48, who was introduced as a candidate for PAP’s Ang Mo Kio GRC team at the event had been accused by an ex-colleague of making “a false claim” that she had started the Social Service Training Institute (SSTI).
Would we see two brothers standing on opposing sides in the general election?
With Lee Hsien Yang recently joining Dr Tan Cheng Bock’s Progress Singapore Party (PSP), Prime Minister Lee Hsien Long commented: “I don’t have any specific comment, he is within his rights as a citizen.
“This GE is not about me or any family disputes which may involve my brother and me,” he told reporters in a press conference on Facebook Live on Monday (June 29).
Instead of such matters, PM Lee said that the focus should be placed on Singapore’s future as the country is facing the most serious crisis since its independence.
“Health, jobs, and the future. And I think we should focus our attention on those big issues.”
Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong has spoken publicly on the saga involving Ivan Lim, this time at a virtual press conference to unveil the candidates for Ang Mo Kio GRC, which PM Lee is leading.
In a reply to a question on candidate selection and Ivan Lim’s withdrawal following allegations made against him, Lee said: “I think if we look for the perfect candidate, we will lose many good men and women. And if we encourage a culture of trial by Internet, then we will not find anybody willing to stand and put themselves and their families through this ordeal, even if at the end of it, they’re able to clear themselves.”
“I think Ivan did the right thing to decide to withdraw, and not to have this election distracted by his case.
SINGAPORE: The Health Sciences Authority (HSA) on Monday (Jun 29) issued an alert about two weight loss products found to contain a banned substance which can pose serious health risks.
The authority said it was alerted to the sale of Serifa Beauty Solidmolid and LKS Coffee, both marketed as “slimming products”, by consumers who had experienced “adverse effects”.
One consumer experienced “rapid heartbeat” after taking Serifa Beauty Solidmolid, while other consumers who took LKS Coffee experienced sudden weight loss and loss of appetite, HSA said.
The agency’s tests revealed that the products contained the banned substance sibutramine.
‘SERIFA BEAUTY SOLIDMOLID’ was marketed to “burn fats up to 10X”. (Image: Health Sciences Authority)
The drug used to be a prescription medicine for weight loss, but has been banned in Singapore since 2010 due to an increased risk of heart attacks and strokes.
HSA said other serious adverse effects reported by consumers who took products adulterated with sibutramine include insomnia, hallucinations and hearing voices.
“Both products were sold on e-commerce platforms such as Shopee, Carousell and social media platforms such as Facebook and Instagram,” the authority added.
“Warnings have been issued to the sellers and the respective website administrators have been directed to take down the affected listings.”
Both Serifa Beauty Solidmolid and LKS Coffee were marketed as slimming products containing natural ingredients.
Serifa Beauty Solidmolid was marketed to “burn fats up to 10X” while LKS Coffee was marketed to be able to “accelerate fat burning”, “promote metabolism” and “achieve the perfect slimming effect”.
HSA has advised consumers to stop taking these two products immediately and see a doctor if they feel unwell or are concerned about their health.
‘LKS Coffee’ claims to be able to “accelerate fat burning”, “promote metabolism” and “achieve the perfect slimming effect”. (Image: Health Sciences Authority)
They are also advised to be wary of products that make exaggerated claims such as “burn fats up to 10X” and “accelerate fat burning” or that deliver unexpectedly quick results, HSA added.
“They could contain potent ingredients that can seriously harm your health.”
The agency has also demanded that all vendors stop selling these products immediately, as it is illegal to sell and supply products containing banned substances.
“Sellers and suppliers are liable to prosecution and if convicted, may be imprisoned for up to 2 years and/or fined up to S$10,000,” HSA warned.
The agency has also urged members of the public who have any information on the sale and supply of these illegal products to contact HSA.
The People’s Action Party (PAP) unveiled its slate of election candidates for Ang Mo Kio GRC in a virtual press conference on Monday (June 29).
Headed by Lee Hsien Loong, the others in the team will be Gan Thiam Poh, Darry David, Ng Ling Ling and Nadia Ahmad Samdin.
PAP’s new candidates Nadia and Ng will be taking over two MPs, with the former replacing Ang Hin Kee in the Cheng San-Seletar district and the latter replacing Intan Mokhtar in the Jalan Kayu district.
In the 2015 election, the other members that contested in the six-member GRC were Darryl David, Ang Hin Kee, Intan Azura Mokhtar, Gan Thiam Poh and Koh Poh Koon.
The team will be going up against the Reform Party, which has been busy conducting walkabouts and house visits in the constituency since last Thursday (June 25). RP secretary-general Kenneth Jeyaretnam is currently serving a 14-day stay-home notice after returning from the UK on the same day.
The woman who accused People’s Action Party (PAP) new face Shawn Huang of behaving badly in the past has retracted the allegations, saying her assessment may have been overly harsh and she might have overreacted.
The woman, who calls herself Lin Leo on Facebook, accused Mr Huang of “(throwing) food back” at officers during rehearsals for the National Day Parade in 2018. Mr Huang was the parade commander that year.
Mr Huang, 37, in the first of two detailed Facebook posts yesterday, rebutted the accusations and gave a detailed account of what had happened in 2018.
Referring to the incident, Mr Huang, who on Friday was unveiled as a PAP candidate, said he was able to deduce that the person making the allegations was a warrant officer (WO) in charge of the NDP logistics control group in 2018.
Mr Huang said he had approached the group to ask for lunch during a rehearsal after he realised his group did not have any lunch catered.
The group would usually have rations to spare, he thought, which might otherwise get wasted.
However, the WO in charge refused to give him any food, Mr Huang said.
Political parties and candidates taking part in the July 10 general election can carry out online campaigning activities, including rallies, without having to submit their scripts to the authorities beforehand.
But scripts for the party political broadcasts for parties fielding at least six candidates have to be submitted, to ensure they are suitable for airing on national TV, the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) said on Sunday (June 28) on the Government’s fact-checking website Factually.
This has been a requirement since the 1980s, it added.
Similarly, candidates have to send in the scripts beforehand for the constituency-specific broadcasts, which will also be aired on national TV.
The constituency-specific broadcast is a new feature in this general election that will give each candidate three minutes to reach out to voters in the constituency they are contesting.
The Factually clarification on Sunday comes a day after the Progress Singapore Party (PSP) had expressed its concerns over having to hand in the scripts of its party political broadcast speeches at least two days in advance.
SINGAPORE – A 15-year-old student at East Spring Secondary School was among 11 new Covid-19 cases detected in the community as of noon on Sunday (June 28).
The student was tested as part of proactive screening of school students who are diagnosed with acute respiratory infection when they first see a doctor.
Since the onset of symptoms on June 25, the student had not gone to school.
She was among the 213 new Covid-19 cases announced on Sunday (June 28), of which 11 were detected in the community. This brings the total number of cases in Singapore to 43,459.
Of Sunday’s cases, 202 were linked to dormitories, as the Ministry of Health (MOH) has been monitoring existing clusters for any further transmission.
And of the 11 community cases, six were Singaporeans, including the secondary school student and a close contact of an existing case.
The locations that the community cases visited on June 25 were the McDonald’s outlet at Tampines Mart (at 5 Tampines Street 32) and Al-Iman Restaurant at 136 Marsiling Road.
A day after Emeritus Senior Minister (ESM) Goh Chok Tong announced his retirement from politics, former Workers’ Party (WP) chief Low Thia Khiang said that he will not be contesting in the coming election.
Earlier on Sunday (June 28), Goh penned a tribute to Low on Facebook, stating that they both have a few things in common. “One, we believe in political succession. Two, we know when to retire. Three, we had compatible goals”.
In regard to the third point, Goh added that he was for a “‘kinder and gentler'” Singapore while Low was for a “constructive and moderate” opposition.
Goh shared that Low’s retirement did not come as a surprise to him as they both had previously discussed in Parliament the prospect of retiring as Member of Parliaments (MPs) at this general election. While they had yet to make their final decision then, they “shook hands on it”.
Murali Pillai has addressed claims by a netizen who said he was less than empathetic to her pressing housing issues.
In a post made on Saturday (June 27) which has since been removed, Carissa Chua recounted two occasions in which she had felt let down by Pillai, who was her MP in Bukit Batok.
She described how she had met him at a Meet-the-People Session (MPS) to make an appeal to purchase a flat that would house herself, an elderly aunt and her ageing parents, who are not married.
She explained that she is in her early 20s and her parents “do not have sufficient income/CPF and are too old”. They had also lost their flats before due to retrenchments and scams, Chua added. Facebook/Temasek Review DailyShe wrote that the response she received from Pillai, however, shifted the blame to her parents instead, “for not planning properly” and for putting her in such a situation.
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