Elections Dept clears the air on PM’s photos on campaign posters

SINGAPORE — The Elections Department (ELD) has said political parties are free to put up posters with their leaders’ photos in whichever constituencies they are contesting, although these count towards the quota allowed for the particular area.

The clarification comes after two Opposition candidates asked over the past few days if electioneering rules allow the pictures of Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, who is secretary-general of the ruling People’s Action Party (PAP), to be used in all constituencies that the party is fielding candidates in.

Singapore People’s Party chair Lina Chiam was the first to cry foul over Mr Lee’s posters being tacked in the Potong Pasir Single Member Constituency (SMC) she is running in. On Tuesday, she posted a picture on her Facebook page showing a poster with Mr Lee’s face under her campaign poster, accompanied by a caption, “Is the Prime Minister standing in Potong Pasir SMC?”.

Mrs Chiam is facing off against the PAP’s Sitoh Yih Pin, who defeated her in the last election in 2011 with 114 votes.

Mrs Jeannette Chong-Aruldoss, a candidate from Mrs Chiam’s party, went further in challenging if the move was fair. She said on her Facebook page on Thursday that she had written to the ELD to ask if the practice follows “the spirit of the legislation”.

The candidate in Mountbatten SMC added: “This issue is a matter of principle (that) I feel strongly needs to be accounted for. It potentially impacts other constituencies across the country, although I only have standing to write in as the candidate for Mountbatten.”

Responding to queries, the ELD said yesterday: “Under the law, the face of the political party’s leader can be used in the posters for the candidates standing for that political party, since voters would be able to identify the political party leader with that political party. This has been the practice in past elections.”

It added that the specific quota for each constituency applies to all the posters and banners put up by the party, regardless of whose picture they carry.

Mrs Chong-Aruldoss, who is fighting against the PAP’s Lim Biow Chuan in a rematch of the 2011 election battle, also asked why SG50 billboards featuring the PAP’s candidates are not taken down during the hustings, given that National Day was three weeks ago and these billboards are being paid for with taxpayers’ monies.

In response, the ELD said: “The SG50 billboards do not fall under election advertising. The rules governing the display of election posters and banners under the Parliamentary Elections Act would, therefore, not apply.”