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S'pore now in election season, says Ng Eng Hen

SINGAPORE — Singapore has entered “election season”, said the ruling People’s Action Party’s organising secretary Ng Eng Hen today (Aug 10), sending perhaps the clearest sign that the Republic could go to the polls just weeks after celebrating her Golden Jubilee.

Defence Minister and MP for Bishan-Toa Payoh Ng Eng Hen prepares for house visits with Mr Chee Hong Tat at Blk 106, Jalan Dusun on 10 Aug 2015. Photo: Ooi Boon Keong

Defence Minister and MP for Bishan-Toa Payoh Ng Eng Hen prepares for house visits with Mr Chee Hong Tat at Blk 106, Jalan Dusun on 10 Aug 2015. Photo: Ooi Boon Keong

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SINGAPORE — Singapore has entered “election season”, said the ruling People’s Action Party’s organising secretary Ng Eng Hen today (Aug 10), sending perhaps the clearest sign that the Republic could go to the polls just weeks after celebrating her Golden Jubilee.

Over the next two weeks, leading up to around the National Day Rally on Aug 23, the PAP will make announcements on its retiring MPs, new candidates as well as the slate for all 89 seats to be contested, said Dr Ng, who was speaking to the media after making house visits at Jalan Dusun in Balestier.

In what he described as a “radical change”, Dr Ng reiterated that the PAP will make known who it is fielding for the General Election in all the 16 Group Representation Constituencies (GRCs) and 13 Single Member Constituencies (SMCs) before Nomination Day.

“We believe that this is better politics. It’s better to tell residents up front who is standing in your constituencies so they can examine on record what the candidates have done, can do, and they can make intelligent choices after examining whomever the political parties are standing, who can better serve them,” said Dr Ng, who is also Defence Minister.

“This is a radical change — in other words, whereas previously we only announced the whole slate of candidates on Nomination Day, we’re telling you who’s going to stand well before Nomination Day, whatever day that comes,” he said, adding that the change was made based on feedback from residents.

“We feel that for the PAP, this is a better way of doing it and I think the residents will prefer that approach.”

Dr Ng said the ruling party has tried to keep the tempo of election announcements down in the last week to allow Singaporeans to enjoy the Jubilee weekend. “But now that’s over, we are in election season,” he said. 

For the new candidates to be fielded by PAP, it will indicate what they have done in the constituency in which they are standing.  The party is also departing from its past practice of introducing new candidates at the PAP headquarters by doing so in the various constituencies, he added.

“We will announce it in an orderly manner so that the residents, when we announce it, can digest it.”

One or two GRC and Single Member Constituency will make such introductions in a day, he said, adding that he is aware that by doing so, the party runs the risk of allowing the opposition parties to game the system.

“Because the PAP has to put up more candidates to ensure succession — not only to take care of the wards but to run the government, to run Singapore — opposition parties can say well, this particular constituency is having two or even three new candidates, I should try to put up a good fight there,” he said.

“But this is the promise, whoever we put up, the bottom line is that we have assessed them, they are able to run a town, they are able to take care of the town, they will make sure that the finances of the Town Council will be well run,” he added.

Noting that the party tends to be “a little bit too efficient” at times, Dr Ng said the PAP has changed its campaigning style to “be closer to the residents”, taking more time to plan the announcements of retiring MPs for instance.

He said he is “very happy” with how some of these retirement announcements have come through in the last week, as they were more deliberate and dignified.

The party is expected to field slightly more than 22 new candidates in the coming election, he added.

During today’s house visit in Jalan Dusun, Dr Ng was accommpanied by current Bishan-Toa Payoh GRC MPs Zainudin Nordin, Josephine Teo and Hri Kumar Nair.  Mr Wong Kan Seng was not present.

Potential PAP candidates Saktiandi Supaat, Chong Kee Hiong and Chee Hong Tat were also seen accompanying the MPs on the house visits.

Jalan Dusun was formerly part of the Moulmein-Kallang GRC, which was dissolved by the Electoral Boundaries Review Committee, and has since been absorbed into Bishan-Toa Payoh GRC.

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