A mock-up of an election poster for the joint opposition team standing in Bishan-Toa Payoh Group Representation Constituency (GRC) has prompted talk that the line-up for the ward has finally been confirmed, but Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) chief Benjamin Pwee on Thursday (Aug 27) maintained that a final decision has yet to be made.
The poster circulating features two DPP members — Mr Pwee and party chairman Mohamad Hamim Aliyas — and three Singapore People’s Party (SPP) members, Mr Law Kim Hwee, Mr Abdillah Zamzuri and Mr Bryan Long. The SPP logo was also on the poster along with the tagline, “We hear You. We speak for You”.
The three SPP members are new to politics, while Mr Pwee and Mr Hamim contested in Bishan-Toa Payoh GRC in the 2011 General Election under the SPP umbrella.
Responding to queries from TODAY, Mr Pwee said: “We have many, many different draft posters with different combinations of candidates because SPP hasn’t confirmed their candidates for the five-man team. We will leave it to SPP to officially announce the five-man team under the SPP banner on Nomination Day.”
Asked if the parties agreed on the slate at the Elections Department on Thursday, SPP chairman Lina Chiam said the team has been formed, but declined to elaborate.
“The team will be as strong, if not stronger than the previous one,” she said, referring to the team SPP fielded for the General Election in 2011.
The two parties had agreed to jointly contest the five-member GRC under the SPP banner after each party initially indicated an interest to field their own teams, potentially setting up a three-cornered fight.
Mr Pwee has been introducing potential candidates for the team, while the two parties have put out conflicting messages about the make-up of the combined slate at separate walkabouts they held. Mrs Chiam has expressed preference that the SPP holds three of the five spots on the team, while Mr Pwee has said the best five should fill the positions.
Mr Pwee was part of SPP chief Chiam See Tong’s team in Bishan-Toa Payoh GRC in 2011, but left the party one year later with Mr Hamim. The team took 43.07 per cent of the votes in 2011.
The DPP-SPP team will go up against the People’s Action Party’s team made up of incumbents Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen and Senior Minister of State for Transport and Finance Josephine Teo, and new faces Mr Chee Hong Tat, Mr Chong Kee Hiong and Mr Saktiandi Supaat.
Nomination Day is on Sep 1.
Source: www.channelnewsasia.com
