SingFirst to campaign on immigration issues

SINGAPORE — Singaporeans First (SingFirst), the newest opposition party on the block, kicked off its preparations for the General Election yesterday (Aug 28) with the launch of its slogan Restore Our Nation, singling out immigration as the main issue its candidates will address. SingFirst secretary-general Tan Jee Say, who is set to stand in parliamentary elections for the second time, said the party is advocating for policies that place Singaporeans at the forefront.

“This country has been divided by Government policy on immigration, which has pitted citizens against employers and foreigners. They have taken away our jobs, and places in schools and businesses,” Mr Tan said at a media conference held at the party’s office on Tras Street, where he also introduced five of the 10 candidates the party plans to field in next month’s polls. “We want to take back our country, take back our pride and take back our place in society,” he added.

Commenting on recent Government policies to strengthen the Singaporean core in workplaces, such as the Fair Consideration Framework, Mr Tan said requiring companies to post job advertisements in the specified jobs bank is not enough.

Saying that there are loopholes companies can exploit and that many companies may still opt to hire foreigners, he added: “At the end of the day, it is still the HR department that decides.”

SingFirst was formed last year. All five candidates introduced yesterday, including Mr Tan, are Master’s degree holders who studied overseas and have worked at multinational companies here.

Apart from Mr Tan, 61, the four are election rookies, including SingFirst co-founder and communications consultant Fahmi Rais, 48.

Questioned on his party’s seemingly anti-immigration stand when he and his candidates have appeared not to be held back by the existing policies, Mr Tan said that SingFirst is not against competition from foreigners, but wants Singaporeans to be given fair opportunities.

SingFirst plans to field two teams in the five-member Tanjong Pagar and Jurong Group Representation Constituencies (GRC). Mr Tan did not specify where the five candidates introduced will be standing, adding that the final line-up will be revealed only on Nomination Day.

The other three candidates introduced yesterday are market risk manager Chirag Desai, 38; IT consultant Wong Chee Wai, 44; and sales executive Melvyn Chiu, 36. In 2011, Mr Tan contested in Holland-Bukit Timah GRC when he was a member of the Singapore Democratic Party (SDP) team, making a splash with his credentials as a former high-flying civil servant — he was Principal Private Secretary to then-Deputy Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong for five years. His team lost to the People’s Action Party (PAP) team with 39.92 per cent of the votes. That same year, he ran for president, winning 25.04 per cent of the votes.

Asked what he thinks of the party’s chances in Tanjong Pagar GRC,

Mr Tan noted that as the constituency — a PAP stronghold long anchored by the late Mr Lee Kuan Yew — has not been contested for more than 20 years, it is difficult to gauge the level of support for the ruling party.

When asked about his party’s ability to manage a town council, he dismissed it as a “non-issue”, adding that the party will ensure a proper handover from the incumbents and scrutiny of accounts, if they are elected.

SingFirst chairman Ang Yong Guan will introduce the other five candidates today.