Bukit Batok residents taken aback by David Ong’s resignation

SINGAPORE – The abrupt resignation of Member of Parliament (MP) David Ong on Saturday afternoon (Mar 12) took Bukit Batok residents by surprise, with most paying tribute to the work he has done for the town.

Making his foray into politics in 2011, Mr Ong was elected MP for Jurong GRC. His ward of Bukit Batok was carved out as a Single Member Constituency at the 2015 General Election, where he won 73.02 per cent of the votes.

Citing a "personal indiscretion", Mr Ong announced that he was stepping down from the post this afternoon.

Taken aback by the news of his resignation, most residents whom TODAY interviewed praised Mr Ong as a helpful parliamentarian who cared for his residents.

Engineer Balakrishnan Sukumar, 39, had sought Mr Ong's assistance on three occasions. In 2014, the MP had arranged a job interview for his wife who was unemployed at the time.

"(Mr Ong was a) very helpful MP... (The facilities he) implemented in the Bukit Batok area are very good," he said.

Calling his resignation a "pity", retired food stall helper Chan May Lin, 67, said Mr Ong was a "very caring" MP who had introduced facilities for the disabled, including wheelchair ramps. She added that he kept the estate well-maintained.

Madam Wong Lee Yin had approached Mr Ong last year about insurance matters for a surgery on her leg next month. "I don't know who to go to, now that he has resigned," the 59-year-old cleaner told TODAY.

While most interviewed hailed Mr Ong's work as an MP, some residents shrugged off the news of his resignation.

"I don't see (many) things being done to the area I live," said sales professional Yeo Siew Teck, 49, who pointed out that Mr Ong's resignation was of no significance to him.

Echoing this, logistics manager Felicia Low, 53, said that when the late Dr Ong Chit Chung had been the MP for the area, more had been done in the estate to create a vibrant festive atmosphere during Chinese New Year.

But there had been less of this under Mr Ong's watch, she noted.

While most of the People's Action Party (PAP) MPs whom TODAY approached declined to comment on Mr Ong's resignation, Dr Lim Wee Kiak (Sembawang GRC) said it was "something that nobody expected".

"I can only say that it is really shocking and quite sad," he added.