PAP activists in Aljunied trust hard work will pay off

SINGAPORE — Several of those touted to be electoral candidates the People’s Action Party (PAP) would field in opposition-held Aljunied GRC were out and about in the constituency yesterday at a Hari Raya dinner organised for about 1,200 residents.

Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the event held in Kaki Bukit, they were tight-lipped on whether they would be the ones sent in to try to unseat the Workers’ Party.

The attendance of Speaker of Parliament Halimah Yacob at the dinner, who is Member of Parliament (MP) in Jurong GRC, also sparked questions of whether she could be redeployed to Aljunied, but she stressed that the event was pre-planned and she had accepted the invitation months ago.

Given that this potential slate being bandied about would be the first from the PAP to face the challenge of regaining a GRC with no indication hitherto that there would be a minister anchoring the team, their chances of success have been questioned.

But the “new faces”, who hold appointments in PAP branches in the constituency, dismissed the notion that theirs would be a lost cause, citing the work they have put in on the ground and the friendships they have struck with residents.

Mr K Muralidharan Pillai, for instance, said he has been working with his team on providing social and welfare services to residents, including job placements, subsidised tuition and food distribution.

“When it comes to community assistance, that’s above politics. We do it putting residents in the centre of what we do. It’s not really an election gimmick,” he said. The chairman of PAP’s Paya Lebar branch has been involved in the grassroots since 2001.

Mr Kahar Hassan from the PAP’s Kaki Bukit Branch added that he has been visiting residents every day for the past 18 months and residents now recognise him and have even taken to coining a Chinese nickname for him.

Similarly, Mr Chua Eng Leong said residents have warmed up to him since he became PAP Branch chairman in Eunos two years ago, with some becoming his friends.

“We’re very sincere about helping the residents, and I believe the residents can feel it. The residents basically want to have someone who is understanding, who can relate to their problems and is willing to go the extra mile for them,” he added.

Other PAP activists who were at the dinner yesterday were Ms Chan Hui Yuh, chairman of Serangoon PAP Branch, and Mr Lee Hong Chuang, chairman of Hougang PAP Branch. Mr Victor Lye, chairman of Bedok Reservoir-Punggol PAP Branch, was unable to attend.

Asked about the PAP’s strategy for Jurong and Aljunied GRCs and where she might be deployed, Madam Halimah said these will be for the party to decide.

She was also coy on whether her team-mate David Ong would be contesting in the newly-formed Bukit Batok SMC, which has been carved out of Jurong GRC.

But Mdm Halimah said it would not necessarily be unusual for a first-term MP such as Mr Ong to be fielded in an SMC. She added that if called upon by the party to do so, she believes Mr Ong would be ready.

“In my view it’s not necessarily unusual, it depends on the individual and the party’s assessment, and the individual readiness to be able to stand in an SMC. David has been working there for five years ... He has done a lot for Bukit Batok and hopefully he will have the support of residents,” said Mdm Halimah.