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.
Source: https://sg.news.yahoo.com
