Tag: Singapore

New Face Sun Xueling Spotted In Pasir-Ris-Punggol GRC

A new face, and potential election candidate for the People’s Action Party, was spotted at a tree planting event in Pasir Ris-Punggol GRC on Saturday.

Ms Sun Xueling, 36, an investment director at Temasek Holdings, was with Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean, National Development Minister Khaw Boon Wan and MP Janil Puthucheary, at Punggol Promenade greeting residents and helping out with tree planting.

Ms Sun has been helping out at the grassroots since 2001 at Buona Vista and Punggol West.

According to grassroots leaders at Punggol West, Ms Sun has been spotted at closed-door PAP sessions “recently” and speculation is rife as to whether she is a new candidate.

She told reporters: “This is my first formal event. I’ve started working more with Dr Janil and participating at grassroots events on-and-off.”

As to whether she would be fielded, she added: “I’ll leave the decision to the party whether or not I will be contesting.”

“I started helping out in grassroots in Buona Vista, and through other grassroots members, I’ve come to know more of these events which I find meaningful,” she said.

DPM Teo, the anchor minister for Pasir Ris-Punggol GRC, told reporters that candidates will be revealed “in good time”.

PAP organising secretary Ng Eng Hen said this week that the party has been deploying its potential candidates to the constituencies early so people have time to know them, as much as possible.

More potential candidates are expected to be introduced this weekend.

Source: www.straitstimes.com

August 2, 2015
Former NSP Sec-Gen Tan Lam Siong To Run As Independent Candidate In Potong Pasir SMC

Former National Solidarity Party (NSP) secretary-general and lawyer Tan Lam Siong has declared that he will be running in Potong Pasir SMC as an independent candidate in the coming elections.

Speaking to reporters on Saturday (01/08) at the sidelines of a Singapore Democratic Alliance (SDA) walkabout in Sengkang that he was there to show support for, Mr Tan said he made the decision after regular visits to Potong Pasir in recent weeks to speak with residents.

“I’ve been going down to Potong Pasir and Toa Payoh frequently in the last few weeks, especially after Whampoa was absorbed, and residents tell me they want a choice,” he said. “I will be running there, and I won’t be donning any colours this time around.”

Mr Tan had previously expressed interest in running in Whampoa, where he had been working the ground and where he said he had become familiar with the residents there. But the SMC was merged with the reconstituted Jalan Besar GRC in the electoral boundaries report that was released last week.

Potong Pasir, which the People’s Action Party’s (PAP) Sitoh Yih Pin won over from the Singapore People’s Party (SPP) in 2011 with a wafer-thin 114 votes, had already looked set to be a battleground, with the SPP and the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) both having declared their interest to contest the ward.

But Mr Tan said he was unfazed by the thought of jumping into a four-cornered contest as he wanted to give voters there “real choice” and that he would “relish the fight”.

“As an independent, I’m also not involved in the horsetrading talks between the different opposition parties,” he said. “Let the people have all the choices, rather than preselect for them.”

Opposition parties will hold their traditional pow wow session this Monday (03/08), where they are expected to divvy up the different constituencies with minimal overlap so that the opposition vote will not be split.

Source: www.straitstimes.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
Proud To Be Among Rare Breed Of Malay Commandos In Singapore

Dear Sir,

What you may not understand is the history of Malays serving in the army especially in the Commandos. I served my NS in 1st Commando Bn and during that time (mid90s), I was the only Malay in my batch.

I had to overcome many challenges then, e.g. no Muslim cookhouse in Hendon camp then, restrictions placed on me, etc. But I managed to survive my NS days with the help of all my Commando buddies, regardless of race. We were a band of brothers.

Even now, Malays in Commandos are few and far in between. So you can understand my pride when I see a fellow Malay Commando who have managed to become an officer, doing the unit proud.

Thank you.

Zullkarnain Aziz

Source: Ng Eng Hen

August 1, 2015