Four years after votes were counted for Aljunied Group Representation Constituency on election night in 2011, I have yet to see the post-apocalyptic nightmare some had said my estate would soon be in.
As the first GRC to have ‘fallen’ to an opposition party, the Workers’ Party-run Aljunied was seen as the first real test of the opposition’s capability to govern, albeit on a smaller scale.
There has been a lot of news about the Aljunied-Hougang-Punggol-East Town Council (AHPETC) recently, but in the Serangoon ward where I have stayed for 22 years, it is very much business as usual.
The garbage is still cleared, the chutes fumigated regularly, the unfortunate cockroaches that fail to escape the fumes are still removed from the side-walks within the day.
Coffee shop prices have risen, perhaps not as drastically as some other areas. My usual plate of chicken chop now costs $5.80 from $4.50 a decade ago but inflation is a fact of life everywhere.
In fact, if one were to ask me what the differences were between living in the Workers’ Party-run Aljunied and when my ward was under the People’s Action Party, I do not think I could give a satisfactory answer. Perhaps there were differences, but as a resident, my life has not been affected.
I have to put up with a new Build-to-order project next to my block, this on the somewhat tiny plot of land where dog owners used to gather on the weekends but it is an experience not uncommon in Singapore.
As a resident and dog-lover, I obviously wished the Housing Development Board could have chosen to build the project somewhere else. As a Singaporean, I realise it is necessary to ensure everyone has a place to call home.
I have emailed my Town Council several times, and each time someone would reply within a day and resolved the issues highlighted, such as the time I noticed a damaged external wall during a neighbour’s renovation works.
An upgrading of a nearby park was finished recently, and it now comes with a resurfaced basketball court and elderly-friendly facilities. And while I do not like the new paint scheme of my estate, it is just my personal preference.
As someone who does the occasional political commentary via Facebook, I do chance across comments regarding my GRC, usually supporting the establishment or the opposition incumbents.
I cannot identify with the ‘regret’ and ‘Aljunied residents have learnt their lesson’ camp, but neither can I attest to being on the Workers’ Party cheer leading squad.
I have seen my Member of Parliament, the WP chairman Sylvia Lim, around on several occasions, but I also have had the good fortune of not needing her assistance in most daily matters, and cannot describe any encounters with her beyond my professional job scope.
I saw my previous PAP MP, Lim Hwee Hwa, once when I was a young teenager and my ward was still part of the Marine Parade GRC.
Her supporters invited me down to shake her hand when I popped my head out of the window one Sunday morning. I declined, rather quickly, as I was in the middle of playing a game – as a 13-year-old then, politics didn’t interest me much. I remember someone gasping loudly when I said no.
I have been asked about the AHPETC saga and the council’s former managing agent, and the recent statement by the Ministry of National Development over the profits made by the said agent. My stand is simple – if there was wrongdoing, there should be a criminal investigation.
As it is, there is none, and the WP’s explanation to the residents suffices for now. Hougang MP Png Eng Huat even announced that AHPETC was back in the black, after compiling their annual report for 2014/2015.
Of course, there is also the matter of how the WP has performed in parliament, which is where most voters will expect their MPs to repay their trust and faith.
The WP’s ‘A team’ has stumbled along the way, such as Pritam Singh saying in parliament that he will only answer to Aljunied residents before checking if there were any present to actually demand an answer, but none at the level of what I would consider as political suicide. But which politician has not made a gaffe now and then?
The WP MPs have also argued against policies I am concerned over, such as the 6.9 million population target set out in the White Paper. Would I like to see more debate? Certainly, but with the party having just seven voting MPs out of 87 in parliament, I have learnt to tone down my expectations on such issues.
A common question I get asked, once people know which GRC I reside in, is whether I regret my GRC voting out former Foreign Minister George Yeo.
My answer is: had Yeo been fielded in a single seat contest, I do not believe he would have lost. The Aljunied residents did not vote for any single individual, but a team. For better or for worse, that is the nature of our unique GRC political system.
Life in Aljunied GRC under the WP has more or less been the same for me as before GE2011. I cannot speak for the capabilities of the other opposition parties, but considering the teething problems that arose from taking over a GRC, I would have to say the WP has done a decent job.
That alone, however, will not be enough to win my vote. What will swing it for me is what the candidates from WP or the ruling party standing this time around can bring to parliament, and focus on issues that have an impact on not just my estate or my GRC, but for Singapore and its citizens as well.
Both parties have unveiled their candidates for Aljunied, but it still feels premature to make a decision before Nomination Day and the rallies that follow. But my vote – and yours – counts so I will exercise that right as a resident in the GRC and a citizen wisely.
I was looking at the line up for the AMK GRC and I cannot help but feel sad & angry for the people of AMK!! By putting Dr Koh there, the PM is effectively saying,
Pok Koon, 我罩住你，我看还有谁能阻止你进入国会！
Loosely translated, it means “Pok Koon, I protect you, this time no one can stop you getting into Parliament!!”
If this type of action is not gangster-like, what is?! There are many problems shown by this peculiar PAP action.
1. AMK residents are “karang guni” men?
Remember, the people have already chosen during the Punggol East by-election and Dr Koh was REJECTED. Dr Koh’s credentials were TEN times better than WP’s Lee Li Lian, but she still won!! Why then does the PM think that a candidate that was rejected by the people of Punggol East will be accepted by the people of AMK? Does PM think that the people of AMK are “karang guni” men and they like to recycle REJECTS?!
I guess what the Ah Loong has failed to realise is SURGEONS are meant to save lives, not politicians. In many countries, if politicians do not wreck lives, that is already a blessing. Just look at our neighbour, and we will be thanking God for there is NO NAJIB in our government!! Do you know what is the biggest problem with these big-time surgeons or lawyers? They simply don’t have the time to serve the residents!! Please, they can’t even find the time to attend parliamentary sessions for God sake!! Thank you, but WE do not need any more part-time MPs in Parliament!!
2. PAP candidates are GUTLESS!!
I know a lot of you will be saying, “Please tell me something that we don’t know!!” YES, all along we know the GRC is a political tool use to CONSOLIDATE their political power. Because of GRC, so many of us lost our “VIRGINITY” at the age of 40 or more!! WHY?? Because of so many walkovers all over Singapore, our fundamental right to vote was not exercised and we became “virgin” voters at age 40!! Statistics do not lie!! More than 40% of SINGAPOREANS said NO to PAP, yet it only translated to SEVEN pathetic seats in Parliament!!
Once again, I digress, let’s come back to Dr Koh. I personally do not know this man. Whether is he a nice guy or not, I do not know. However, the ‘SON OF PUNGGOL’ abandoning his roots to hide inside the PM’s GRC speaks volumes about the character of this person. A true hero or at least a righteous person would have returned to take on Li Lian again. YES, he lost to a girl. There is absolutely no shame in that. BUT, to run away from challenging the girl again… that is a COWARD!!
3. The PM does not understand “NO MEANS NO”
Sorry, Ah Loong. You may have over-estimated your own appeal to voters! This has always been PAP’s underlying problem. They have always liked to “play GOD”. Previously, they said “TWO is ENOUGH” and in view of falling birthrates, they now say, “the more the merrier!!” You are trying to dictate people’s life!! If this is not playing God, what is?!
Let me tell you this, Ah Loong, you are NO GOD. Man proposes, but God disposes. Your GRC is not without a burden. Dr Intan is your biggest liability!! Remember it was this clown who has supported Yang Yin all this while!! Yang Yin the infamous SOB who tried to steal $40 million from an old widow!! Absolutely despicable!! In fact, we have even seen a photo circulating around that shows PM taking a photo with Yang Yin!!
All these reflect very badly on the state of recruitment of PAP candidates. Why is the PAP so “hard-up” on some candidates? If people tell me NO, I will go and find other candidates that may be more suitable. WHY? Because I want to RESPECT the decision of my voters! I do not try to force it down anyone’s throat!! This may be harsh but by putting Dr Koh in AMK GRC, I feel that it is almost like a RAPE!! Why? Because PM is guarding Dr Koh and Dr Intan to make sure that these possible rejects go into the Parliament. That’s why I have always felt that GRC should be made ILLEGAL in Singapore!!
You think the situation is as not as bad as I think it is? No, of course not… it is WORSE!! We are not only talking about Dr Koh here. What about Desmond Choo? He too lost the SMC contest and now have to be hidden in a GRC. Same goes for Ong Ye Kung, the supposed “dai sai” (hokkien for bringing shitty luck) as he had the honour of losing PAP’s first GRC in his maiden election.
Over the years, support for Ah Gong’s son has been waning. The fact that so many PAP MPs are stepping down right after Ah Gong’s death is no mere coincidence. Even someone as good as Inderjit Singh is also stepping down!! I was quite afraid of Mdm Halimah stepping down too, luckily she is sticking around. With all the good men gone and Ah Loong surrounding himself with more YES-men, the support for his regime will continue to fall.
If this was any other country, the government would have pulled out all stops to try to win the support of the people back. NOT this PAP government!! Instead, they have chosen a more radical approach – get in as many new citizens as possible so that the votes of these disgruntled “native” Singaporeans will be diluted!! Tell me which other economy in the world create jobs for foreigners?! US? UK? Australia? China? First world countries’ first priority is always jobs for their own citizens!! This is the reason why PAP is so keen to push our population to 6.9 million!! Only new citizens will vote for them, not us!! This is the real reason why so many KTV hostesses, masseurs, etc who are Singapore PR are waiting to become Singapore citizens!!
Bottom line is PAP’s underlying assumption is VOTERS ARE STUPID. If they allow us to anyhow vote, Singapore will no longer be ruled by the PAP. So, in order to prevent any freak election, they suka suka change electoral boundaries, suka suka implement Cooling-off Day, etc. I want to tell Ah Loong, “WE NOT STUPID”, well at least not anymore. Who is good, who Is bad, we can absolutely tell!!
When I was in kindergarten, I was already exposed to the “lightning” logo. The propaganda is so successful that I actually loved the “lightning” party all this while. Only after finishing my studies in the NUS did I realise that “LIGHTNING KILLS”!! So, please vote in the opposition members so that we will no longer be “strike by lightning”. Let the PAP keep the SIX seats in Pasir Ris-Punggol. Let them taste what it is like to be on the opposition side of the government!! Maybe then, they will finally wake up their idea!!
The Workers’ Party (WP) introduced its final crop of potential General Election candidates on Monday (Aug 31).
The party has declared that it will contest 28 seats – five more than the 23 candidates it fielded in 2011 – but has said they will only announce the constituencies the candidates will contest on Nomination Day on Sep 1.
As the incumbent, the Workers’ Party is expected to defend its seat in Aljunied GRC, Hougang SMC and Punggol East SMC. Ms Sylvia Lim earlier said that all the same teams will defend their constituencies.
Mr Leon Perera, 44, is the chief executive of Spire Research and Consulting. The former assistant head of the Economic Development Board’s Enterprise Development Division, Mr Perera graduated from Oxford University with double first-class honours. He is also an adviser for The Independent news website.
Married with two children, he started volunteering with WP for two years before joining as a member one-and-a-half years ago.
“Only with strong opposition can people be involved in asking big questions for our country,” he said. “Ultimately, economic development should mean each citizen’s ability to realise his or her full potential in the way he or she wants to.”
Ms Frieda Chan, 39, contested the 2011 General Election under the WP banner in Moulmein-Kallang GRC. The social worker is married and gave birth to a son about six months ago.
At the press conference, Ms Chan spoke about various stresses on young parents and adults. “(There are still) many barriers that discourage couples from starting a family. As a young mother, I feel the stresses,” she said.
She also called for more support for caregivers. “There are a lot of gaps in the system. I hope that through policymaking, I can be an effective and productive member.”
Mr Bernard Chen joined the WP in 2006 and is a project executive at Ang Chin Moh Foundation. A graduate of the National University of Singapore and the University of Oxford, Mr Chen said that he comes from a humble background – his father was a coffee-shop runner and his mother a cleaner.
At 29, he is the youngest candidate that WP has introduced this election. “I hope my participation in the WP will serve as an encouragement for Singaporeans to have a say in their future,” he said.
Mr Chen hopes to speak up for residents. “I believe residents’ small issues are our big issues,” he said, adding that his “ideal Singapore” is not just an advanced country and economy, but also a “warm-hearted home”.
OTHER POTENTIAL CANDIDATES
On Wednesday, four potential candidates were unveiled: Sociology professor Daniel Goh, engineer Redzwan Hafidz Abdul Razak, banker Dylan Ng and software engineer Koh Choong Yong.
The following day, private investment firm managing director Luke Koh, sales consultant Cheryl Loh, chocolate manufacturing firm manager Firuz Khan and lawyer Terence Tan were presented to the media at Workers’ Party headquarters.
On Friday, corporate lawyer He Ting Ru, property agent Ron Tan, businessman Adrian Sim and polytechnic lecturer L Somasundaram were introduced as potential candidates for the coming General Election.
On Sunday, the party unveiled four potential candidates: Voluntary welfare organisation worker Kenneth Foo, shipping lawyer Dennis Tan, head of the legal department in a real estate company Gurmit Singh and former associate librarian at National Library Board Mohamed Fairoz Shariff.
First and foremost, my name is Nadya Binte Md Sidek. The reason I decided to create this blog is to address the issue of “Can I deflect?” that has been going around. For some reason, people are very worked up about this.
I am his daughter and no one else knows him better than I do, apart from my immediate family members. I will now address the issue and whether you can accept what I say or not, that is up to you because no one can force you to agree with me. Only you can read what I say, and think for yourself. While reading this post, forget all the negativity you’ve heard from others. Only focus on what you feel.
My dad had not planned on running for the General Elections (GE). As such, he is not seasoned like most other politicians. His decision to run for the GE was very sudden and rushed. It isn’t because he was forced into the matter but because he felt like he could do it. The party believed in him as well.
Many of you are saying how he is a Malay, but he can’t even converse in that language. How sure are you that he cannot converse in the Malay language? You’re judging and assuming because he had a mental block during his press conference? Have you ever had a mental block? You know how you prepare yourself for 4 years to take your GCE N/O Level Oral Examinations and once you sit in front of the examiners, you have a sudden mental block and only recover after you have walked away from them? Think of it that way.
In a short period of time, my dad tried to prepare himself as much as possible. My parents return home late – as late as 1am sometimes. He could have avoided all of these. He could have just turned his back on those who needs help and continued living a comfortable life, without involving himself with the issues of people he doesn’t even know. Instead, he stepped up. Why? Because he wants to help. He’s trying to reach out to those who needs help. But why do you kick him to the ground and spit on his face?
What makes you think that just because he couldn’t answer the question to your liking, he isn’t meant for the job? What makes you think that he cannot get the job done? What’s the point of being well versed in Bahasa Melayu, but not being able to aid the ones in need? You have someone – someone not perfect, but willing to speak up for the minorities.
All of you, especially the Malays, what have you done to help the Malay community? Instead of making fun of him, using foul words on him, giving him the negativity, why don’t you try to find out who he really is? Isn’t it ironic how you hate to be judged, hate how people say nasty things about you and yet you’re doing this to someone else? I can’t seem to fathom your thoughts.
If he thought he couldn’t do it and if the party thought he couldn’t do it, do you think he would have purposely gone for a press conference just to humiliate himself in front of the whole nation? Who in their right mind would do that?
It is very saddening to see the amount of Malays with so much negativity towards someone who wants to help the community. Does it matter what race or religion or what language the person speaks when he wants to help? Do you turn to a certain kind of person when in need of help? Is this what the majority of the Malay community made of? Spitting on those who want to help you but expecting help?
Trust me, in time to come my dad will be able to speak good Malay. Get to know the man before assuming he isn’t the man for the job. If you feel like you or as some of you would say your grandmothers can do better, then go for it. If you feel like you could have done better, but you aren’t actually doing anything but condemning those who are trying, then shame on you.
I rest my case here, but if any of you have anything to say, this is my e-mail address: [email protected]
In other words, the Business Development Director with an engineering company was a prospective PAP candidate for its “suicide squad” in Aljunied until last month. His stepping down certainly raised some eyebrows among politicians and political observers because Kahar had been working on the ground for 16 months.
Former PAP Minister Lim Boon Heng, who announced current PAP candidate Shamsul Kamar’s “take-over” of Kaki Bukit to the grassroots leaders, told the media on Aug 1 that the decision to replace Kahar was “not because he’s done anything criminal or there’s a scandal”. (Thanks for putting this negative thought in our minds, Minister!)
After the sharing of Kahar’s Facebook post on July 31, it has been difficult to connect with him. We suspect it is probably an effort by Kahar to remain low profile for the time being. In fact, he told me that he preferred not to accept any media interviews during the GE campaigning period.
With a sighting of him at a Workers’ Party (WP) event and murmurs that Kahar was “hardworking” but perhaps did not build up rapport with his Kaki Bukit residents, Kahar finally relented and decided to share his side of the story and life after stepping down as a PAP chairman.
Mothership.sg met Kahar last weekend to talk about his previous role as the Chairman of PAP Kaki Bukit Branch, his strategy to reach out to the residents in the Opposition ward and why he is a “Teochew porridge”.
1. Tell us about your previous role as Chairman of PAP Kaki Bukit Branch.
Photo courtesy of Kahar Hassan
As a PAP Branch Chairman in an opposition ward, I do not have the luxury of learning the ropes from an incumbent PAP MP. I was immediately thrown into the deep end of the pool having to make decisions for the Branch and the activists. I have to also raise funds for both my Branch and the PCF to ensure its sustenance.
My priority when I first came to Kaki Bukit, was to increase residents’ awareness of PAP’s presence in an opposition ward. I found out that a good way for me to embark on this, is through organising exercise groups, overseas tours, local outings and events to engage our residents and make PAP’s presence felt.
I also conducted house-to-house visits in my capacity as a PAP Branch Chairman and helped explain government policies and programs such as the PGP, Silver Support Scheme, Medishield Life etc to our residents.
Being a deep advocate of Design Thinking (an innovation process), the key step to innovation is empathy. With empathy, one will naturally be sincere, be willing to listen and be able to come up with the right solutions to solve a problem, or in this case, help the residents.
I restarted the weekly Meet-the-People Session (MPS) on 5 May 2014 at Blk 519 PCF Kaki Bukit to help residents, and was attending to 5 to 7 cases every Monday. In less than 4 months, our MPS cases increased. During my tenure as Branch Chairman, I attended to approximately 30 to 35 MPS cases every week.
I have also launched the “Milk & Diapers Program” to help needy families. From my daily house-to-house visits, I met needy families with elderly or bedridden members, many of whom could not afford consumables such as powdered milk and diapers. Similarly, these consumables are also a huge financial burden on underprivileged families with toddlers and newborns. The program thus helped reduced these families financial burdens and ensured that no one is deprived of such necessities.
Nonetheless, in the midst of showcasing PAP’s presence, I have not forgotten that Kaki Bukit is an opposition ward. Therefore, I also made sure that I gave due respect to the elected MP, Mr Faisal Manap, who has been given the mandate to run the ward by the residents.
17 months ago, when I was told to go to Kaki Bukit, I thought about how I could appeal to the hearts and minds of the residents. I believe “it’s not about doing different things but doing things differently”. I know I would not be able to expect a different result if I were to replicate the same modus-operandi as when Kaki Bukit was still a PAP incumbent ward.
I asked myself 2 questions, “How did WP win Aljunied GRC in GE2011?” and “What is Mdm Halimah Yacob’s winning formula which makes her a household name among many Singaporeans?”.
With that in mind, I approached Mdm Halimah (Speaker of Parliament) to be my mentor which she graciously agreed. I followed Mdm Halimah on her block visits and learnt how she manages her ward in Bukit Batok East. I am not shy to say that I emulated what Mdm Halimah has done as her methods have proven to be successful. Occasionally, I would seek her advice and opinions on certain issues.
Photo courtesy of Kahar Hassan.
Back in Kaki Bukit, I told myself, my aim is to get to know every single resident. As such, after finishing my day job at 5pm, I conducted house-to-house visits 2 times a day (5.30pm-7pm & 8pm-9.30pm) every Monday to Friday. On weekends or public holidays, I would have market or coffeeshop visits in the morning, followed by 1 session of house-to-house visit in the afternoon or evening. These visits are not hi-and-bye sessions. I took time to listen to each resident’s concerns and offered them advice on-the-spot. For issues which cannot be resolved immediately, I would invite them to our Meet-the-People Session (MPS) so that we could explore other ways to assist them.
I have since completed 2 rounds of house-to-house visits within Kaki Bukit and was about to commence on my 3rd round prior to being asked to step down.
I intentionally conduct these house and market visits in my capacity as PAP Branch Chairman with only 2 or 3 Branch activists so that I could have deeper interaction with the residents at their doors and also to encourage the residents to approach me freely at the market to share any issues or concerns which they might have. I do not fancy having a big entourage with me at the coffeeshop or market, as that only creates unnecessary congestion and inconvenienced the business owners and diners.
I also make it a point to attend all wakes in Kaki Bukit to extend my condolences and assistance to the bereaved families. It is very sad to learn that some of these residents who have passed on, are residents whom I have met and spoken to during my earlier house visits.
Besides house-to-house visits, I attend community events and functions to interact and mingle with residents. The residents have grown so accustomed to my presence at these events that they have started asking my former activists why they no longer see me around in Kaki Bukit now.
I must say these outreach and establishment of relationship and rapport with residents cannot be achieved overnight. Most importantly, it requires long-term commitment and it is not something that you can try to outsource.
3. In your Facebook posting message on Jul 31, you mentioned that “the Party leaders have made the decision last Saturday, for me to step down as Chairman of PAP Kaki Bukit Branch”. Did they explain to you the reasons behind their decision?
No reasons given. I was told to step down to make way for Shamsul Kamar (PAP candidate for Kaki Bukit in Aljunied GRC).
4. How was the ground sentiment when residents found out about your departure from Kaki Bukit?
I was told several elderly residents at Blk 509B cried and many residents were very upset that I could no longer be around for them. Residents have posted messages on my Facebook page (both private and public), encouraging me, thanking me for my contributions and telling me that they missed me. Some mentioned that they have written to the Prime Minister.
Many residents who are not internet-savvy have also approached my former Kaki Bukit activists, asking them to help convey to me how much they missed me, with some asking if I could still go on organised tours with them?
I must say I am really blessed to have been posted to Kaki Bukit and get to know such warm and loving residents.
5. Former Minister Lim Boon Heng told the press on Aug 1 about replacing you with Shamsul. He explained that the PAP will deploy who it believes would be able to deliver the “best possible performance” on the ground, and that you could be “placed in a better role somewhere else”. Did he contact you about the role?
No.
6. Have you been tasked to remain and help the current team in this upcoming election?
No.
7. At the press conference of the unveiling of the PAP Aljunied slate, Lim said that PAP “felt that it needed a change, even though Mr Kahar had been a “very hardworking person”. He thanked you for your work at Kaki Bukit and for letting residents know that the party has “not forgotten about them”. We were at the press conference and we didn’t see you. Did the party forget to invite you to the PAP Aljunied press conference or did you forget to attend?
I was not informed about this Press Conference.
8. Did PAP forget to invite you for the launch of the PAP’s manifesto last Saturday?
I was not informed about the launch of PAP’s manifesto.
9. PAP’s campaign slogan is “”With you, for you, for Singapore”. Are you still with PAP, for PAP, for Singapore?
Yes, I have been a PAP member for almost 20 years, and I am proud to be a Singaporean.
10. Anway, it seems like you haven’t been invited to PAP-related events since Aug 1! When was the last time you were invited to a WP event?
I was invited to WP’s Hari Raya event which was held in Kaki Bukit on Aug 2 2015.
11. This event took place 2 days after you announced your stepping down as PAP Branch Chairman, why did you still turn up for the event?
This invitation was extended to me by the MP of Kaki Bukit ward, Mr Faisal Manap, and I had accepted his invitation a few weeks before I was told to step down.
Because this event was held in Kaki Bukit, and also as a form of respect to the MP elected by the residents of Kaki Bukit, I thought it would be rude not to turn up merely because I had stepped down.
There is a Malay saying, “Rezeki jangan ditolak, Musuh jangan dicari” (loosely translated to mean, don’t push away goodwill and create animosity).
As Muslims, we are discouraged from rejecting invitations extended to us. In any case, I sat amongst our Kaki Bukit residents at the event for only 20 minutes, as I had to rush to another event.
12. We ask this question to every person we’re interviewing for this GE — if you were a Singapore hawker food dish, which would you be and why?
Teochew Porridge. I eat this at home all the time as it is one of my favourite foods.
It is a comfort food; plain and simple, and goes so well with any dishes, be it steamed fish, tofu, salted egg, braised meats or fried vegetables. (I have yet to find a halal version of this at hawker centres).
Teochew Porridge reflects my simple personality and people feel comfortable talking to me, as I can relate to just about anyone; whether they are young children, old folks or young adults who have just embarked on their careers.
