There have been no disagreements between the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and Singapore People’s Party (SPP) as they decide on members of a joint team to contest Bishan-Toa Payoh Group Representation Constituency (GRC) together, said DPP chief Benjamin Pwee.
“Everything is hunky-dory. We’re all happy,” Mr Pwee told reporters before the start of a DPP-SPP walkabout at Toa Payoh Lorong 7 on Sunday morning (Aug 23).
SPP’s Bryan Long added that there is a “positive working relationship” between the two parties and that “DPP brings a good bunch of people to the table”.
Both Opposition parties had agreed to jointly contest the five-member GRC under the SPP banner and have been conducting walkabouts together. However a week ago, Mr Pwee had said his party was prepared to fight for Bishan-Toa Payoh on its own if it could not get agreement with SPP on the five joint-team candidates. SPP chairman Lina Chiam had indicated that her party would like to take three slots in the joint team and in turn, Mr Pwee asked that SPP be “open to discussing who will stand on both sides and not insist on a certain number”.
On Sunday, Mr Pwee said both parties’ central executive committees have narrowed down their picks. “We will reveal the best five on Nomination Day. Every person here is a potential candidate,” he said.
Accompanying Mr Pwee and Mr Long were DPP members Ms Juliana Juwahir, Mr Mohamad Hamim Aliyas, Mr Abdul Malik Rahmat, Ms Nadine Yap, and Mr Robin Low, as well as SPP members Mr Abdillah Zamzuri, Mr Law Kim Hwee and Mr Eman Lim.
DPP secretary-general Benjamin Pwee greeting residents at a coffee shop in Toa Payoh during a walkabout on Aug 23. (Photo: Gayathiri Chandramohan)
SPP member Bryan Long and DPP’s Benjamin Pwee and Nadine Yap speaking to patrons at a Toa Payoh coffee shop on Aug 23. (Photo: Gayathiri Chandramohan)
Both parties have said they will put out a joint manifesto for Bishan-Toa Payoh. Mr Pwee, an ex-SPP member, pointed out that the core team in DPP came from the SPP and that they had similar concerns on “larger, national issues”. “When we took over DPP, we basically brought across a lot of the same shared concerns,” he said.
The DPP-SPP team will go up against the People’s Action Party’s team for Bishan Toa-Payoh made up of incumbent MPs Ng Eng Hen and Josephine Teo and new faces Mr Chee Hong Tat, Mr Chong Kee Hiong and Mr Saktiandi Supaat.
Source: www.channelnewsasia.com
