Tag: Elections

Lawrence Wong To Contest In Marsiling-Yew Tee GRC

Minister for Culture, Community and Youth Lawrence Wong on Saturday (Aug 1) announced that he will represent the People’s Action Party (PAP) to contest in the new Marsiling-Yew Tee GRC.

This means Mr Wong will leave his Boon Lay ward in West Coast GRC for the upcoming General Election.

“The past four years have been wonderful for me in Boon Lay and I want to thank all the residents of Boon Lay for their friendship and also for the guidance they have given me over these past four years,” he said to reporters at a grassroots event at the Sports Park at Woodlands Avenue 1.

In the Electoral Boundaries Review Committee’s report released last week, Marsiling-Yew Tee became a newly formed four-member GRC while West Coast GRC was downsized from a five-member GRC to a four-member one.

“What’s important for me now is to spend time here, get to know residents, get to understand all of them, their families, their concerns and their aspirations,” Mr Wong said.

Photo: Kenneth Lim

Following the announcement, Sembawang MP Ong Teng Koon said he would like to contest in Marsiling-Yew Tee GRC as well. “We’ve known the residents for so long, they’ve almost become friends and family … And hopefully I’ll be given a chance to stand here, to work with Minister Lawrence Wong, a very popular minister, and hopefully we can create something even better for Marsiling-Yew Tee.

“I’m the MP for Woodgrove, Mr Hawazi Daipi is the MP for Marsiling, Alex Yam is the MP for Yew Tee, and now Minister Lawrence Wong is here, that’s as much as I know. But as you know, it’s PM’s prerogative, to deploy anyone up to the last moment, so it’s PM’s choice; it’s the party’s choice,” he added.

Source: www.straitstimes.com

August 2, 2015
Goh Meng Seng: Possible For Two Opposition Parties To Join Forces

Members of various Opposition parties gathered at the home of Singaporeans First (SingFirst) secretary-general Tan Jee Say on Saturday evening (Aug 1) for an informal discussion on how they could “work together” in the upcoming General Election.

Veteran Opposition politician Goh Meng Seng, chief of the recently formed People’s Power Party (PPP), told reporters after the gathering that having two Opposition parties join forces to contest constituencies is a “possibility”.

He also alluded to Opposition parties’ interest in constituencies in the West. “Personally, I think the West is a good ground. In the past, it has been very receptive. It has been neglected for about 10 to 20 years,” he said, adding that the western part of Singapore was an Opposition “hotbed” in the 80s and 90s.

Mr Goh said the meet-up had been planned before the Electoral Boundaries Review Committee report had been released. He described the discussion as “just a sharing of ideas” and said no consensus was reached.

Prior to Saturday’s gathering, the head of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Benjamin Pwee told the TODAY newspaper that six Opposition parties would be represented there – SingFirst, Singapore Democratic Alliance (SDA), Singapore People’s Party, NSP, PPP and DPP. However, SDA clarified on Facebook that it was “not aware of the meeting” and would not be attending. NSP also said in a Facebook post that its party president and secretary-general would not be at the gathering.

Mr Goh said some of the Opposition party leaders were not present, but that party activists were, while Mr Tan said “more than half” of the Opposition parties were represented.

DPP adviser Seow Khee Leng who was at the meeting said the parties discussed contesting in Ang Mo Kio, West Coast and Jurong GRCs. He echoed Mr Goh’s comment that Opposition parties could join forces to contest in the coming General Election. When pressed for details, Mr Seow said this would be fleshed out in Monday’s horse-trading meeting.

Source: www.channelnewsasia.com

August 2, 2015
Singaporeans First Party To Contest Tanjong Pagar GRC

Opposition party Singaporeans First (SingFirst) said on Saturday (Aug 1) it has identified a slate of candidates to contest Tanjong Pagar GRC in the next election, but stopped short of naming them.

Party chief Tan Jee Say said that they range from 30 to 60 years of age. He added that some of them were with him and his team of volunteers at Tiong Bahru on Saturday for their walkabouts in the five-member constituency.

“We have a diversified and balanced slate of candidates, of various ages and various backgrounds,” Mr Tan said. He did not name the candidates, citing it as part of his party’s strategy.

The Tanjong Pagar constituency, currently helmed by the People’s Action Party, has been uncontested since it became a multi-seat GRC in 1991.

“For nearly 27 years since 1988, the voters of Tanjong Pagar have not had the opportunity to vote for their members of parliament, to represent their interests. So we’re coming in to give them this opportunity to elect their own Members of Parliament,” said Mr Tan.

Source: www.channelnewsasia.com

August 2, 2015
Shamsul Kamar Takes Over Kahar Hassan In Kaki Bukit

SINGAPORE: The new chairman of the People’s Action Party’s (PAP) Kaki Bukit Branch will be Mr Shamsul Kamar, currently the head of department for student management at Spectra Secondary School. He will take over from Mr Kahar Hassan, who stepped down on Friday (Jul 31).

Former PAP Member of Parliament and Cabinet Minister Lim Boon Heng announced this after a meeting with grassroots leaders at the Thye Hua Kwan Family Service Centre at Bedok North on Saturday afternoon.

Mr Lim told reporters after the meeting that the decision to move Mr Kahar was “not because he’s done anything criminal or there’s a scandal”.

“There’s nothing of the sort. In fact, he has worked very hard in the past 16 months in Kaki Bukit and given the assurance to the residents here that even though it is in Opposition hands, the PAP still looks after the residents in Kaki Bukit.”

The area is in Aljunied Group Representation Constituency (GRC), which is under The Workers’ Party.

The Thye Hua Kwan Family Service Centre at Bedok North where a closed-door meeting between the PAP’s Kaki Bukit Branch members and grassroots leaders was held (Photo: Loke Kok Fai)

Mr Lim explained that for the upcoming General Election, the PAP will deploy who it believes would be able to deliver the “best possible performance” on the ground, and that Mr Kahar could be “placed in a better role somewhere else”.

The party has been “introducing people to work on the ground to test how they relate to the residents and how they relate with the activists”, Mr Lim said. “This is the basic, fundamental reason PAP has made the change.”

He added that the decision as to who the party will be fielding in Aljunied GRC is not set in stone, and that it might be changed closer to the election date.

Mr Kahar, an SMRT deputy director, was present at Saturday’s meeting to hand over the reins.

As for Mr Shamsul, he has tendered his resignation with the Ministry of Education and is serving out his notice period, which expires on Aug 21. He was spotted at the closed-door meeting wearing a white polo t-shirt, but left shortly after it ended and did not take questions from the media.

Source: www.channelnewsasia.com

August 2, 2015
Election On 12 Sep? Last Day Of Hungry Ghost Month

FENGSHUI MASTERS: BAD LUCK?

The chatter on everyone’s lips seems to be: Will the General Election be held on Sept 12?

While nothing has been announced so far, “The Date” has been widely suggested and discussed in text messages and social media.

Even veteran MP Inderjit Singh agreed that Sept 12 looks likely in a Straits Times report earlier this month.

The date is the last Saturday of the week-long school holidays, which frees schools to be used as polling stations and teachers to be tapped to man these stations.

It is also the last day of the Hungry Ghost month.

For those who are superstitious or who believe in fengshui, the date may not be a good day to hold an election.

Master David Tong, 40, told The New Paper: “Sept 12, according to the Tong Shu (the Chinese almanac), is a bad day. It’s a Month Breaker day. Hence, it is a bad day to carry out any important activities.”

A Month Breaker day is a day where the energies of that day are in conflict with the energies of the month.

DIFFICULT TIME

Master Kevin Foong held a similar view.

He said: “If election is truly in the September period, the energy suggested by the planetary movement (based on astrology) or Chinese metaphysics based on the lunar calendar both suggest it is going to be a difficult time for the Government to fully convince the voters in their favour.

“The Government has a high chance of retaining control, but may have certain districts having unexpected results.”

Understandably, those who are superstitious may not want to plan important activities during the Hungry Ghost month and risk upsetting the souls of the dead, who are said to roam the earth during this time.

But one fengshui master told TNP that there is nothing to worry about.

Master Goh Guan Leong said: “The rumoured date of Sept 12 is very interesting. It is basically a day of Metal and Wood elements, with the strength of Metal being overwhelmingly strong and in favour of the incumbent party.”

In past general elections which coincided with the Hungry Ghost month – 1972, 1988, 1991 – the People’s Action Party (PAP) performed fairly well.

In 1972, PAP won all 65 seats. In 1988, it gained 80 out of 81 seats while in 1991, PAP won 77 of the 81 seats.

Sept 12, according to the Tong Shu (the Chinese almanac), is a bad day. It’s a Month Breaker day. Hence, it is a bad day to carry out any important activities.

– Fengshui master David Tong, 40,

POLITICAL OBSERVERS: Good mood?

Judging ground sentiment is more important when calling for a general election, said political observers.

Dr Gillian Koh, senior research fellow at the Institute of Policy Studies, said it was natural for the ruling party to want to learn the extent to which government policy has made the “ground sweet”.

She said: “In a way, the public may not care what the policy is called. They care that their lives are better.

“The politicians will also want to see if the social mood is a positive one.”

Associate law professor Eugene Tan of the Singapore Management University agreed.

Aside from judging ground sentiment, being able “to show a good report card” to the electorate is also important, he said.

Other considerations include whether the party calling the date has its people, talent and manpower ready.

Said Dr Koh: “So it won’t just be about the mood of the voters. It’s also about the mood of the rank and file of the party. The candidates themselves have to be ready as well.”

Nevertheless, despite the hype about Sept 12, Prof Tan does not think that the General Election will fall in September.

He said there may be “competition for the use of open fields” if campaigning clashes with getai events.

Candidates would also be busy at getai events as special guests.

The former nominated MP suggested November or December as better months.

“This would then give the longest lead-up time. So any accusations of unfairness and lack of time would be severely diluted,” he said.

Source: www.tnp.sg

August 1, 2015