Poised at what the ruling People’s Action Party (PAP) deems a critical juncture in its history, the Republic yesterday entered what will be its most intensely fought elections ever, with a record 181 candidates vying for 89 seats in Parliament.
After nominations were closed at the stroke of noon, the record books had a new entry: All 16 Group Representation Constituencies (GRCs) and 13 Single-Member Constituencies (SMCs) were contested, the first time since Singapore’s independence that an election will see a battle in every ward.
Yet, few surprises were sprung on a day that has traditionally thrown up its fair share. Almost everything went according to script, save for an independent candidate who appeared out of the blue to throw his hat into the ring, and in the process help the 2015 GE to notch another entry into the books: It will see the most multi-cornered fights in almost a quarter of a century, with the MacPherson, Radin Mas and Bukit Batok single-seat wards all seeing three-way contests.
Despite the tumult caused within the National Solidarity Party by its decision to go head-to-head with the Workers’ Party and the PAP in MacPherson — which led to the resignation of its head, Ms Hazel Poa, and a subsequent reversal by central executive committee member Steve Chia, who entered the ring, only to withdraw his candidacy later — the NSP stuck to its guns and entered the fray.
At Radin Mas SMC, the fight will be between the PAP, the Reform Party and independent candidate Han Hui Hui, an activist who had previously made headlines for her protests against the Central Provident Fund.
While private-car driver Shirwin Eu had his hopes of standing in the GE dashed after he failed to garner the required signatures, Mr Samir Salim Neji, 45 — who was previously virtually unheard of — turned up at Keming Primary School and successfully filed his papers to contest in Bukit Batok SMC.
Mr Samir, the managing director of business planning software company Anaplan Asia Pacific, will go up against PAP’s David Ong and Singapore Democratic Party candidate Sadasivam Veriyah. Adding that he stands for “more happiness and less stress”, Mr Samir told reporters that he wants to turn Bukit Batok into a “start-up village”.
At the eight other Nomination Centres across the island, there was little drama, with party supporters — who gathered as early as 8am before making their way to the centres with the candidates — in good voice and spirits despite the hot sun, notwithstanding the jeering at some of the candidates from sections of the crowd.
While the support was fiercely partisan, the mood was mostly benign and friendly — and this extended to the halls, where candidates were busy making sure their papers were in order.
Two PAP candidates, Mr S Iswaran and Ms Grace Fu, alerted their opponents to mistakes in their forms, helping them avoid disqualification. In return, Reform Party chief Kenneth Jeyaretnam and SDP candidate Jaslyn Go showed appreciation for the gesture, even as they downplayed the significance of the errors.
With the battle joined, rallies will begin tonight, with the PAP and WP getting off the blocks in Radin Mas and Hougang, respectively.
Over the next eight days, rallies could be held at 46 rally sites — comprising one for each SMC, two for each GRC and a lunchtime rally venue in the Central Business District — across the island, before Cooling-Off Day puts the brakes on campaigning and voting takes place on Sept 11.
The WP has indicated that it plans to hold a rally every night over the campaigning period.
Yesterday, hours after the morning frenzy at the Nomination Centres ended, political parties began sending their representatives to apply for permits for the sites. These included supporters of Singapore People’s Party Mountbatten candidate Jeannette Chong-Aruldoss, PAP grassroots volunteers for Marine Parade GRC and Potong Pasir SMC, and a group of WP supporters representing teams from various constituencies.
In an advisory issued yesterday, the police strongly encouraged people to take public transport to the rally sites, given the large crowds expected. It added that motorists travelling near the rallies should be prepared for traffic diversions or lane closures. Real-time updates on the traffic situation will be broadcast on radio.
The police also sought the cooperation of supporters and members of the public to assemble at, and disperse from, the rally sites in an orderly manner. It issued a reminder that the operation of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles or drones is prohibited for public safety reasons, and added that police officers will be deployed at the rally sites to maintain law and order.
Source: www.todayonline.com
