Tag: Tin Pei Ling

NSP: Workers’ Party Left Us With No Choice, We Had To Enter Into 3-Cornered Fight In MacPherson

In the wake of a frantic few hours on Nomination Day, which saw three multi-cornered fights emerge in the General Election, the leaders of the National Solidarity Party came forward to say they were “the most active party promoting Opposition unity”.

NSP candidate Cheo Chai Chen will face a three-cornered fight in MacPherson SMC, where he will come up against the People’s Action Party’s Tin Pei Ling, 31 – the incumbent after the ward was carved out of Marine Parade GRC – and the Workers’ Party’s Bernard Chen, 29.

Said party Acting Secretary-General Lim Tean, at a press conference where the party’s Tampines GRC team was introduced: “I believe to a very large extent we have avoided multi-cornered fights but for MacPherson we had to do it. MacPherson used to be part of Marine Parade. We did very well in the last GE and we have already made a huge concession to WP there.”

An NSP team featuring Ms Nicole Seah took 43.36 per cent of the vote against the PAP in 2011.

“If WP wanted to avoid a three-cornered fight they should have allowed us to fight with PAP in MacPherson,” said Mr Lim.

“That decision to contest in MacPherson was made a few weeks ago, and we’ve never departed from that decision. NSP has been the most active party promoting Opposition unity. We initiated talks to avoid three-cornered fights.”

The decision to contest in the SMC led to fissures within the party, including the departure of then-Acting Secretary-General Hazel Poa. Mr Lim said that the lessons learnt over the past few weeks will make the party “stronger for the battle ahead”.

“We are a democratic party and in a democratic party run on democratic principles you’re going to have a difference in opinions. I think that’s healthy,” said Mr Lim.

“As for party members who have left, we cannot stop people from leaving – it’s their right to join any party they wish. And as for why we have been so quiet in the last couple of weeks, I think the media made a lot of the disunity and turmoil, so we decided that it’s best not to add to the frenzy, and instead regroup to prepare for the coming GE.”

NSP President Sebastian Teo – part of the party’s Tampines GRC team that includes Mr Lim, Ms Nor Lella Mardiiah Mohamed, 41, Mr Fong Chin Leong, 46, and Mr Choong Hon Heng, 45 – said that if elected, the party did not think think it would face any problems running a Town Council in Tampines.

Said Mr Teo: “It’s not that difficult to run a Town Council. I’m sure we have all that we need to put in place and to run a Town Council. It’s not difficult like the PAP say. You need capital, you need manpower. So I don’t understand – what’s so difficult about running a Town Council?”

The NSP will face a People’s Action Party team led by Education Minister Heng Swee Keat at the polls on Sep 11.

Source: www.channelnewsasia.com

September 2, 2015
MacPherson, Radin Mas And Bukit Batok SMCs To See 3-Cornered Fights

The single-seat wards of MacPherson, Radin Mas and Bukit Batok will face three-cornered fights at the Sept 11 polls, two more than in the 2011 General Election.

The Workers’ Party’s (WP) rookie candidate Bernard Chen, 29, a funeral services company executive, will go up against the PAP’s Ms Tin Pei Ling and the National Solidarity Party’s Mr Cheo Chai Chen in MacPherson, which was carved out of the Marine Parade GRC.

In Radin Mas, PAP incumbent Sam Tan will face off against Mr Kumar Appavoo of the Reform Party and an independent candidate, blogger Han Hui Hui.

Another independent, businessman Samir Salim Neji, 45, is contesting Bukit Batok against the Singapore Democratic Party’s Sadasivam Veriyah and the PAP’s David Ong.

The other 10 single-seat wards and 16 group representation constituencies (GRCs) are seeing straight fights.

At the 2011 polls, there was only one three-cornered fight – in Punggol East between the PAP’s Michael Palmer, the WP’s Ms Lee Li Lian and Mr Desmond Lim Bak Chuan of the Singapore Democratic Alliance.

Mr Palmer won with 54.54 per cent of the vote, with Ms Lee garnering 41.01 per cent and Mr Lim losing his electoral deposit after scoring just 4.45 per cent.

Mr Palmer later resigned after publicly admitting to an extramarital affair. Ms Lee won the subsequent by-election in 2013.

Source: www.straitstimes.com

September 1, 2015
Three-Cornered Fight Shaping Up In Macpherson SMC Between PAP, WP And NSP

In a surprise twist, the single-seat ward of MacPherson might be set for a three-cornered fight after all, after the National Solidarity Party (NSP)’s Cheo Chai Chen said he will throw his hat into the ring on Nomination Day morning.

Mr Cheo, 65, announced that he will stand in MacPherson when he arrived at Kong Hwa School to file his nomination papers.

This means that MacPherson will likely see a three-cornered fight between Mr Cheo, the People’s Action Party’s (PAP) Tin Pei Ling, 31, and the Workers’ Party’s Bernard Chen, 29.

Mr Cheo was an MP for Nee Soon Central from 1991 to 1997 under the Singapore Democratic Party.

Ms Tin, the incumbent MP, came in for fierce criticism at the last election but appears to have turned the tide of public opinion in her favour.

Addressing her supporters before filing her nomination papers, Ms Tin said: “Today is the day. We will put up a tough fight. We will put up our best and 101 per cent. Thank you for fighting this with me. Every vote counts we are the best party to do this.”

The WP and the NSP have crossed swords over MacPherson in recent weeks, after both sides disagreed over who should contest in the single-member constituency.

The NSP made several U-turns in the lead-up to Nomination Day over whether or not it would contest MacPherson.

After initially agreeing to not contest the seat, the NSP then voted last month to field a council member there. The decision prompted acting secretary-general Hazel Poa to resign from the party.

The party then flip-flopped on that controversial decision again, when Mr Steve Chia announced on social media that he would not contest MacPherson SMC or any other constituency in the general election, threatening to throw the party – already seemingly troubled by factional splits – into disarray.

MacPherson was part of the Marine Parade GRC in the last election in 2011 and reportedly garnered the second-highest PAP vote share among the wards in that GRC.

Candidates will file their nomination papers between 11am and noon on Tuesday (Sept 1).

Source: www.straitstimes.com

September 1, 2015
Tin Pei Ling Confirms Candidacy For Macpherson SMC

Fresh from giving birth earlier this month, Member of Parliament (MP) for Marine Parade Group Representation Constituency Tin Pei Ling confirmed today (Aug 21) that she is the People’s Action Party (PAP) candidate for the newly created MacPherson SMC.

Holding a press conference today at PAP MacPherson Branch just two weeks after she had a baby boy, the first-term MP chose to surround herself with grassroots volunteers as a show of appreciation and said she and her team have been here “from day one, dedicating our time and energy” to serve residents.

She said that they have rolled out various programmes to help vulnerable families and the elderly, upgrading projects and social initiatives over the past four years. “My team and I have delivered more than what we have promised,” she said, adding that they hope to do more.

She also thanked residents for their support, adding that she has developed emotional attachments to them and hopes to continue helping them and being their voice in Parliament.

Ms Tin’s MacPherson ward was carved out of Marine Parade GRC during recent electoral boundary changes.

In the 2011 election, Ms Tin, who was the PAP’s youngest candidate at age 27, was the subject of harsh criticism, with many questioning her maturity and capabilities.

After the GRC won 56.6 per cent of votes, the party’s second-lowest winning percentage in a group representation constituency, Ms Tin quit her job at Ernst & Young to become a full-time MP. She currently sits on the Government Parliamentary Committee for Home Affairs and Law.

Asked about MacPherson SMC heading for a three-cornered fight after the National Solidarity Party made a U-turn over its decision not to contest the single seat to make way for the Workers’ Party, Ms Tin said her main motivation is to serve the residents. Her team is observing the happenings and will “prepare accordingly”, no matter which opposition party comes forward to contest the constituency, she said.

As for the negative publicity she had attracted previously, Ms Tin acknowledged her “rocky and painful start” but said she pressed on because of the desire to help others and make a difference. When she hears her residents’ issues, what she has endured back then “pales in comparison”.

If she is able to help someone and make an impact, it would have been worth it, she added.

Source: www.todayonline.com

August 22, 2015
Why The ‘Very Hot-Blooded Fight For Macpherson SMC?

The recent news of National Solidarity Party’s (NSP) secretary general Hazel Poa resignation, together with her downcast facial expression, came to my sight as I flipped through my newspapers. It was a smart move by the mainstream media to use the situation to the People’s Action Party’s advantage.

Moving the focus past that, I was more curious about what initially made NSP gave up both areas when they could have fought for at least one, even if it meant a three-cornered fight.

And if NSP had taken up the initial offer by Workers’ Party (WP), it would not have even led to the sudden resignation by Ms Poa. However, I can empathize that it was most likely because NSP did not want to give up Marine Parade GRC which they had fought for in 2011 (with a close margin of 43%). WP could also have chosen to not contest in Marine Parade since they know it was NSP’s “territory”.

The outcome of this entangled mess was 1) Ms Poa’s resignation as she “strongly disagreed” with NSP’s decision to contest in MacPherson SMC and 2) NSP’s return to MacPherson SMC due to what they claim was support and appeal by the residents from the constituency. This would mean a three-party fight, which could result in the increase of PAP’s chance of winning.

To give a fair picture, WP did contest in Joo Chiat SMC in 2011 which they nearly won (49%), and the area has now been absorbed into Marine Parade. This was their stated reason for wanting to contest in Marine Parade GRC this year. Still, since NSP contested in Marine Parade in 2011 and WP is already contesting in so many other wards, why not give way to other parties who gave way to you before?

If WP had not stepped into Marine Parade, might NSP even do better this year than the 43% they received in Marine Parade GRC during GE2011?

What does all this show? WP may feel they can easily win Marine Parade GRC this year since NSP was on the verge of winning in 2011. “Since we are the most established opposition party and have prominent supporters, the smaller parties will most likely give way to us.” To give some insight, NSP had also similarly given up Moulmein-Kallang GRC to WP in 2011.

In a sense, WP was very smart when it stuck to their plans and played the waiting game, letting the action and drama play out in NSP, which affects only NSP’s image. Lesson 1: The one who strategise in the long-term, instead of making quick decisions rashly, only stands to win. Lesson 2: More power = more control over the playing field = less prominent parties will give way to us. Does this mean more parties will have to give way to WP in the future?

Another reason for the three-cornered fight in MacPherson SMC could also be the opposition parties thinking they can win MacPherson because of Ms Tin Pei Ling’s presence. Yes, Ms Tin Pei Ling may have faced negative backlash 4 years back, but it seems her image has matured, and she has become more level-headed.

Furthermore, she had just given birth during the pre-election period – which could be an X-factor to draw in more voters, since she is a new mother; and is active even during this post-partum period, usually set aside as a resting period for a mother’s recovery.

Tin Pei Ling, husband and ESM Goh Chok Tong (image – ESM’s Facebook page)

“We have five years. If after five years, Tin Pei Ling remains what she is, then of course, she would still be a factor at the next election. But at this stage, looking at her action, in three years time, she would be a different Tin Pei Ling.” It seems like what Mr Goh Chok Tong said in 2011 did come true, and Ms Tin Pei Ling did persevere to stay on in the political scene. Let’s see if her effort will pay off and if she can prove her worth in September.

And lastly, the burning question: Is thereopposition unity in Singapore? No doubt, we saw separate parties contesting when they could have a higher chance of winning by combining forces. However, the opposition parties’ meeting and the fact that most parties gave way to each other to prevent three-cornered fights do show the mutual respect and amity they have for each other.

Source: www.theonlinecitizen.com

August 22, 2015