NSP to hold four rallies beginning Friday

SINGAPORE — The National Solidarity Party (NSP) plans to hold their first rally for Sembawang on Friday (Sept 4), should they manage to secure a rally location tomorrow, and the party plans to hold four rallies in total, said NSP candidate for Sembawang GRC Spencer Ng.

Speaking to the media before a walkabout at Yishun Avenue 11 this morning, Mr Ng also spoke of the party’s manifesto, which was released today. A key issue it will address is the population policy, or the Population White Paper.

“We’re not particularly against this policy, but rather, is Singapore ready for this population growth? We have encountered many issues regarding our country’s infrastructure and growth, so we are very worried we are not ready for growth at this rate. This is the main issue we feel is troubling Singaporeans at this moment,” he said.

When asked how the NSP Sembawang team felt about going up against the People’s Action Party (PAP) team, which is led by National Development Minister Khaw Boon Wan, Mr Ng said they did not feel daunted, adding: “As long as we are serving Singapore and her citizens, we are pretty confident.”

On issues that Sembawang residents have raised to NSP, Mr Ng pointed out the general cleanliness of their area and the responsiveness of the town council to their calls. “They are not particularly concerned about having additional swimming pools or other fancy facilities that don’t address the root of the problem,” he said, in reference to plans for the constituency announced by Mr Khaw when he introduced the PAP’s Sembawang slate last month.

Meanwhile, NSP chief Sebastian Teo, who is leading the party’s team in the contest at Tampines GRC, reiterated that there still unhappiness on the ground, despite the PAP’s assertion that it has introduced measures to improve Singaporeans’ lives.

He also criticised the PAP’s slate of candidates, which include high-fliers plucked from the Civil Service and the military. “The army should go to battle. The surgeons should go to hospitals. Why should they go to the ministries?” he said. “(An) MP should come from the ground... from all walks, not the army, the police, the government servants, things like this. They should stay in the government service (to serve the public).”

Clarification: The NSP has clarified that the party will hold a total of four rallies, not five.