Giam pledges to address issues in East Coast GRC

SINGAPORE — The Workers’ Party yesterday (Sept 3) pledged to address issues faced by residents in the East Coast Group Representation Constituency — with cleanliness and faulty lifts topping the list of concerns — that have surfaced from the party’s outreach efforts on the ground over the past two years.

WP East Coast GRC team leader Gerald Giam said the party has a “whole database” comprising “thousands of entries” on the residents’ concerns.

On the WP’s work on the ground, Mr Giam said: “I don’t just mean walking in the markets, but actually going house to house to residents to talk to them.”

Apart from Mr Giam, who is an IT consultant, the WP team consists of sociologist Daniel Goh, consultancy and research firm executive Leon Perera, and former associate librarian Mohamed Fairoz Shariff.

Stressing the importance of sound financial management at a town council, Mr Giam said his team will ensure proper handover from the People’s Action Party-run town council if it is elected.

The WP’s running of the Aljunied-Hougang-Punggol East Town Council (AHPETC) has been under scrutiny after lapses in financial management.

According to Mr Giam, few of the East Coast GRC residents have brought up the AHPETC issue with his team.

“We have explained to (residents who brought it up) that we have issued many statements and had a long debate in Parliament to discuss this issue. So we do provide information on the ground when residents ask,” he said.

In the 2011 General Election, the PAP won the East Coast GRC with 54.8 per cent of the vote against the WP. Nevertheless, the result saw Mr Giam earn a ticket to Parliament as a Non-Constituency Member of Parliament, as his team was among the “best losers”.