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GE2015 Nomination Day: Candidates react

SINGAPORE — The full list of candidates and the areas they will be contesting in for GE 2015 have been announced. There will be three-cornered fights in Radin Mas, Bukit Batok and MacPherson SMCs.

Candidates from the various parties arriving at various Nomination Centres. Photos: Jason Quah, Koh Mui Fong

Candidates from the various parties arriving at various Nomination Centres. Photos: Jason Quah, Koh Mui Fong

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SINGAPORE — The full list of candidates and the areas they will be contesting in for GE 2015  have been announced. There will be three-cornered fights in Radin Mas, Bukit Batok and MacPherson SMCs.

Here are some of the candidate reactions following the announcements - 

MARINE PARADE GRC:

WP: Speaking to reporters at Kong Hwa School, WP’s Yee Jenn Jong, who is running in Marine Parade GRC against PAP, said the team had a gentlemanly fight in the last elections. “This time round, may the best man win.” Mr Yee said he personally selected the team – which includes He Ting Ru, Dylan Ng, He Ting Ru,  Firuz Khan, Terence Tan. He added that there will be rallies every night and that the team will be “doing house visits all the way”. 

PAP

ANG MO KIO GRC:

PAP: Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said to supporters at the Raffles Institution nomination centre: “This (election) is about your future. Vote seriously, for the PAP, to make sure we can work together with you, for you, for Singapore.” 

EAST COAST GRC:

Photo: Raj Nadarajan/TODAY

WP: Mr Gerald Giam expects the AHPETC issue to be at the forefront, but he wants to engage residents on issues such as transport, and both national and municipal issues. He added that the team will continue house visits today as they “want to reach out to as many people as possible”. 

Speaking in Malay, WP candidate Mohd Fairoz Sharif admitted he’s nervous but said: “I’m doing this for a better future for my kids and for Singapore.”

Video: WP candidate Daniel Goh speaks about his synergy with Mr Giam, his team's chances, and how his team has been reaching out to voters: 

NEE SOON GRC

Photo: Joy Fang/TODAY

PAP: Mr K Shanmugam, who is leading the People’s Action Party’s team in Nee Soon GRC, said that residents should look at three factors when voting: 

1. On the national level, who do you want to be the Government, to carry through your aspirations

2. In Parliament, who do you believe will be able to express your aspirations, fight for you, and get things done for you

3. On the local level, who do you trust to run your town council, take care of you, be honest and act with integrity

Mr Shanmugam, who said the team has been on the ground regularly over the last four and a half years, spoke about his election campaign. He said: “Fundamentally it comes down to serving the residents, and talking to them, and seeing what their interests are, and building that bridge, that bond, and that’s what we have been doing, and what’s what we’ll continue to do.”

Dr Lee Bee Wah said: “All along we have been very attentive in listening to the voices of residents, whether it’s within Parliament or outside of it, we have always been very enthusiastic in trying to solve residents’ problems. Now, it’s time for the residents to make a choice. ... we have always been trying very hard, so we hope we can once again gain their support."

MARSILING-YEW TEE GRC:

PAP: "All set to go" - Mr Lawrence Wong, who is co-anchoring the People's Action Party Marsiling-Yew Tee team, said his team wants to cover every block in the GRC over the next nine days, and reach out to every voter to win over their support and trust. 

HONG KAH NORTH SMC: 

SPP: The Singapore People's Party's Ravi Philemon said his desire is to fulfill Singaporeans' wish for a stronger Opposition. He said that the PAP will campaign around town councils and estate upgrading, but he feels this election is about the future of Singaporeans.

PIONEER SMC:

NSP: The National Solidarity Party's Elvin Ong said that there is a need for alternative voices to be heard in Singapore and that citizens here deserve better.

HOLLAND-BUKIT TIMAH GRC:

SDP: Dr Paul Tambyah said the team is standing in Holland-Bukit-Timah because they feel the party's message resonates with residents there. Dr Chee Soon Juan said they want to campaign on policies and not engage in name-calling and gutter politics. Issues they plan to campaign on include cost of living, housing and healthcare.

PAP: Dr Vivian Balakrishnan and his PAP team pledged to continue serving and caring for residents and called on supporters to give them a strong mandate. Mr Liang Eng Hwa added: "This election is all about you and nothing else". Dr Balakrishnan later fired a salvo at the rival SDP team, saying he said his team would go into details over the next nine days, how the SDP’s alternative policies “ultimately leads to bankruptcy or perhaps even worse, passing the bill to the next generation”.

PUNGGOL EAST SMC:

Photo: Raj Nadarajan/TODAY

PAP: Mr Charles Chong says he won't speculate on his chances, and will work hard to let residents know they have a choice.

ALJUNIED GRC:

WP: WP chief Low Thia Khiang told reporters outside of the Raffles Institution nomination centre that the party is happy that “all the WP teams and candidates have been successfully nominated". "We hope that this election will make people aware of their future and what they should decide for themselves,” Mr Low added. Asked about the three cornered fight in MacPherson SMC between WP, NSP and PAP,  Mr Low said this is a fact and "(WP) has to contest".

BUKIT BATOK SMC:

​INDEPENDENT: Mr Samir Sarim Neji, who moved to Singapore from India 19 years ago and became a citizen 15 years ago, described himself "as one of LKY’s foreign talents who came here over the years". He said: "Singapore has gone to madness levels right now in terms of employment. I want to reduce the stress so that there is more time with family, give the time back to the people, so that there is more time for families. I have a plan for doing that. I will try to explain that to the electorate and I think they will understand that."

Photo: Jason Quah/TODAY

JALAN BESAR GRC:

PAP: Speaking to reporters at Bendeemer Primary School, Dr Yaacob Ibrahim said his team has a wealth of experience, and they would not take voters for granted. “We'll go house to house, we'll reach out to every voter," he said. When asked whether the WP team in Jalan Besar GRC would put up a formidable challenge, Dr Yaacob said that the PAP team will demonstrate that they “mean business” and “can deliver what (they) promise”.

WP: Mr L Somasundaram said WP is "quite confident" this GE and will try to reach out to ask many workers as they can in the short nine days. When asked about a lack of experience with some of the party members, Mr Adrian Sim said that regardless of how experienced they are, the most important thing is to serve residents "with a good heart".

RADIN MAS SMC:

PAP: On the three-cornered fight in Radin Mas, Mr Sam Tan said it's good for the residents because there are more choices for residents. They can also make a more informed decision after listening to the various agendas offered by the different candidates.

TAMPINES GRC:

NSP: At a press conference, Mr Lim Tean introduced himself as the party's new acting secretary-general saying: “I really don’t think what we have experienced in the last few weeks is going to affect us in this election. It has made us stronger and I think going forward we will be focused on the battle ahead.”

TANJONG PAGAR GRC:

PAP: When asked about contest posed by SingFirst in Tanjong Pagar GRC, Mr Chan Chun Sing said that the PAP's focus has always been on serving the residents and that they will continue to do so. "We're determined to build on the legacy that Mr Lee Kuan Yew has left us, and make Tanjong Pagar an even better home for all the residents."

SINGFIRST: Today is a "historic day" for Tanjong Pagar residents, said SingFirst chief Tan Jee Say. For the first time in 24 years, Tanjong Pagar voters can decide their MPs, he said.

Mr Tan also said that the candidates in his team were heavyweights in their own right,when asked about if he was concerned that they were relatively new candidates. He cited the example of Mr Fahmi Rais being a broadcast veteran who is well-known in the Malay community.

SEMBAWANG GRC:

NSP: Candidates Eugene Yeo and Spencer Ng spoke to the media after the nomination forms were submitted. Mr Yeo noted that any opposition party could build facilities for their residents, while Mr Ng spoke on the recent departures from the party.

REPORTING BY NEO CHAI CHIN, SIAU MING EN, CELINE TAN, TAN WEIZHEN, KELLY NG, LEE YEN NEE, VALERIE KOH, AMANDA LEE, HON JING YI, LAURA PHILOMIN, NG JING YNG, TOH EE MING, JOY FANG, TANG CHEE SENG

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