Tag: Singaporeans

Marine Parade Likely The First GRC To Go To Opposition

The redrawing of electoral boundaries makes Marine Parade a ward with the most changes, with a cut and a paste. Presumably the changes are meant to favour the PAP in Marine Parade. The weakest link in the team, Tin Pei Ling, has been hived out to front a single seat in MacPherson. Many political observers see her as a liability and her absence in a way should strengthen Marine Parade some what. But this is off set by the inclusion of Joo Chiat. The marginal win at Joo Chiat must be scary for the PAP and it must be hoping to retain Joo Chiat by making it part of the firmer Marine Parade GRC. How would this work out is yet to be seen as the voters in Joo Chiat seem to be swinging towards the WP camp.

The incumbents in Marine Parade are no guarantees for a win. Chok Tong, the strongest candidate due to his Premiership status is likely to be retired. Tan Chuan Jin has not much to show during his term in MOM and would not be the persuasive factor to carry Marine Parade. The rest of the team are just so so.

Now comes the checkmate move by Low Thai Khiang. He has announced that WP would contest Marine Parade. Low Thia Khiang has a very good track record in winning elections. He broke ground by winning Hougang. Again he broke the records by winning a GRC, once seen as near impossibility. For Low Thia Khiang to make his move in Marine Parade and East Coast, he must have read his cards well. He must have sense the moment has come.

PAP’s performance against NSP in the last election was nothing to crow about. NSP was a very weak team and the Nicole Seah effect was enough to rattle the PAP team and nearly knocked them over. The WP is no NSP, and has a more respectable track record and seen as a real challenger to the PAP in times to come. A so so team in Marine Parade is going to be a tough call and the chances of it falling to the WP is quite expectable. Would the PAP boost up the team with more ministers and take a big gamble to lose big?

Just a few days after the electoral boundaries have been changed and confirmed, and with some comments and indications of intent from the opposition parties, Marine Parade is now hanging by a very thin thread. And the bonus that could come along would be MacPherson. If top notch candidates like Dr Koh Poh Soon can lose to Ah Lian, Tin Pei Ling would need to a miraculous act to stand a chance against an opposition candidate on her own. Very likely she would be retired on medical ground from this GE.

It is looking like 1 GRC and 1 SMC down before the GE even started. My God, if this is the case, Tan Chuan Jin would be no more a minister.

Source: http://mysingaporenews.blogspot.com.au

July 27, 2015
Singapore Refutes Claims That It Blocked Cloud-Seeding Operations In Johor

The Consulate-General of Singapore in Johor Baru has refuted claims that the Republic had refused to allow cloud seeding over two dams in the southern Malaysia state which are experiencing critical water levels.

Malaysian media reports on Thursday cited Johor state public works, rural and regional development chairman Hasni Mohammad as saying that Singapore had refused to allow cloud-seeding operations at Sungai Lebam dam in Kota Tinggi and the Layang dam in Pasir Gudang as the activities would purportedly encroach into Singapore’s territory.

He added that Johor would have to find other alternatives to top up the dams’ water levels following Singapore’s alleged refusal. Both dams supply water to some 760,000 people.

In a statement issued on Friday evening (July 24), the Consulate-General said that Singapore has not been approached recently on cloud-seeding operations.

“Singapore fully supports cloud-seeding efforts in Johor, especially during this dry spell.

“We are surprised by Johor State Exco member Datuk Ir. Haji Hasni bin Haji Mohammad’s claims,” said the Consulate-General in its statement.

“Such claims, including his assertion that this is because such activities are deemed to encroach into Singapore’s territory, are baseless.”

The Consulate-General added that the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore has always coordinated closely with Malaysia’s Department of Civil Aviation (DCA) to facilitate various flight activities.

“Both sides have also been working together on projects such as the Johor River Barrage to increase water resources in Johor.

“Singapore has not been approached recently on cloud-seeding operations, whether by DCA or any other Malaysian agencies. If Datuk Hasni has information indicating otherwise, he should share it with Singapore so that we can look into the matter.”

Source: www.todayonline.com

July 26, 2015
WP’s Lee Li Lian To Continue To Serve In Punggol East SMC

Member of Parliament (MP) for Punggol East Lee Li Lian has said she will continue to serve her residents in the Punggol East Single Member Constituency, in response to queries from Channel NewsAsia following the release of the Electoral Boundaries Review Committee report yesterday (July 24).

She also said that addressing the residents’ concerns is her top priority. Ms Lee was speaking after a tea session with her residents, saying that she was not really shocked at the boundary changes.

According to the report, the opposition wards including Punggol East were left untouched. Ms Lee also said the Workers’ Party is currently studying the report carefully before making any statements.

Ms Lee won the Punggol East by-election in 2013 with 54.5 per cent of the vote against People’s Action Party candidate, Dr Koh Poh Koon.

Source: www.channelnewsasia.com

July 26, 2015
Mother Slaps Boy Who Knocked Into Her Son At School

A pupil accidently knocked into his classmate on Tuesday (July 21).

It should have been a small incident quickly sorted out between kids turned into something big when a parent decided to take matters into her own hands.

The incident is believed to have happened at a primary school in the Bishan area.

The friend of the pupil’s mother, Madam Huang, described to Lianhe Wanbao the series of events she says took place after the initial knock..

According to her, the mother of the classmate found out about the incident while dropping her son off at school the next day.

The angry parent then slapped a boy – whom she thought was responsible – in front of his classmates, said Madam Huang.

When she found out she had hit the wrong boy, she continued to look for the real “perpetrator”, and slapped that boy as well.

Madam Huang claimed the woman told the boy: “This is how it feels like to be slapped.”

Shocked, upset

The two boys who were slapped were shocked and upset, said Madam Huang.

Lianhe Wanbao understands that the school arranged for the parents of all three boys to meet on Friday (July 24) and that the woman apologised for her actions.

But the parents of the two boys who were slapped made a police report later that day as they felt the apology was insincere and that the woman’s story did not match-up with other details of the incident.

Police confirmed that a police report had been made.

Source: www.tnp.sg

July 26, 2015
NSP Disappointed With Electoral Boundaries Report

The National Solidarity Party (NSP) today (July 25) said it was disappointed with the Electoral Boundaries Review Committee’s (ERBC) report released yesterday, arguing for clearer guidelines to any change in electoral boundaries.

In a media statement, Acting Secretary-General Hazel Poa said that the ERBC report gave no explanation to why it was necessary for Moulmein-Kallang GRC, helmed by Transport Minister Lui Tuck Yew, to be divided up, nor for the dissolution of Joo Chiat SMC and Whampoa SMC, as well as the range of electors per MP used by the ERBC to determine the boundaries.

She also took issue with EBRC taking instructions from Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, saying that it is a “clear conflict of interest, no different from the conflicts of interest found in the management of AHPETC and the Auditor-General’s report on the various Ministries and Statutory Boards”.

“It is not difficult to set clear, fair and defensible guidelines on the issues mentioned above, and have boundaries that could only be changed if those guidelines are breached,” Ms Poa argued.

The five-member ERBC submitted its report to Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong on Tuesday, eight days after he announced in Parliament that it had been formed two months ago. Political analysts have labelled the report to be more evolutionary than radical.

The committee was chaired by Mr Tan Kee Yong, Secretary to the Prime Minister. Its members are Housing and Development Board chief executive Cheong Koon Hean, Singapore Land Authority CEO Tan Boon Khai, Elections Department head Lee Seng Lup, and Ms Wong Wee Kim, who is the Chief Statistician at the Department of Statistics.

PM Lee had asked the committee to reduce the average size of the GRCS to fewer than five members. It was also to consider the population shifts and housing developments since the last boundary delineation exercise, and maintain the minimum number of Single Member Constituencies (SMCs) at 12.

Source: www.todayonline.com

July 26, 2015