GE2020 constituency broadcasts: What Aljunied GRC candidates have to say

SINGAPORE — Candidates contesting Aljunied Group Representation Constituency (GRC) from the Workers’ Party (WP) and the People’s Action Party (PAP) outlined their respective plans for the key battleground ahead of the July 10 polls. On Friday (July 3), they kicked off a series of constituency political broadcasts that will be aired over the next six days.

The incumbent WP team for the GRC is led by secretary-general Pritam Singh, 43, together with party chairperson Sylvia Lim, 55, Mr Muhamad Faisal Abdul Manap, 45, Mr Gerald Giam, 42, and Mr Leon Perera, 49.

During the broadcast, Mr Singh noted that his team comprises seasoned parliamentarians and that the party is not one that argues in Parliament for the sake of it.

He said that if the PAP team were to be voted into Aljunied GRC, the new Members of Parliament (MPs) would have to “support the agenda” of their party leaders. This means that they will need to watch what they say in order not to fall out of favour with their leadership, Mr Singh added. 

“This will not strengthen Parliament as a check on the Government,” he said. “If you believe that Parliament is an important institution to scrutinise the Government and make it more transparent, elected non-PAP MPs must be there.”

The opposing PAP candidates for Aljunied GRC are Mr Victor Lye, 57; Mr Chua Eng Leong, 49; Mr Shamsul Kamar, 48; Ms Chan Hui Yuh, 44; and Mr Alex Yeo, 41. 

Arguing that Aljunied residents should not see themselves as the “check-and-balance mechanism of the country”, the PAP team pledged to bring more programmes and schemes for residents during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Mr Chua said: “We have been listening to you, we know the issues, we know how you feel. Aljunied has not been left behind.”

In these constituency political broadcasts, candidates vying for single-seat wards have three minutes each to speak. Those contesting in four- and five-member GRCs have 12 and 15 minutes respectively in total.

The broadcasts are being aired on Channel 5, CNA938, cna.asia, 8world.com, CNA YouTube, CNA Facebook and TODAY at 7pm from July 3 to 8.

WP’S PROPOSALS

• Mr Singh described his party as a “rational and responsible” party that supports the Government’s agenda when it thinks that the Government is on the right track, and oppose only when it finds that the direction is “not in the national interest”.

• If constituents vote to have a PAP team, the new MPs will have to “support the agenda” of their party leaders, and may even need to watch what they say in order not to fall out of favour with the leadership, he added.

• At the town council level, Mr Singh noted that services in the estates under the party’s management are functioning.

• Improvement works such as covered linkways have been completed and cyclical works to renew the estate are also ongoing. More improvements will be carried out after Covid-19 restrictions are lifted, he added. 

• Mr Singh said that the financial position of the Aljunied-Hougang Town Council is healthy and the town council has steadily built up its operating funds since it started operating in 2015.

• The latest audited figures showed an accumulated surplus of S$7.9 million — double the accumulated surplus recorded when the party took over from the previous Aljunied Town Council in 2011.

• Mr Leon Perera and Mr Gerald Giam, both former Non-Constituency MPs (NCMPs) spoke about the limitations of the NCMP scheme. They said that the voices of NCMPs can be ignored as they do not carry the full mandate of the people, whereas the voices of fully elected opposition MPs “cannot be ignored by the PAP at the risk of losing more fully elected seats”. 

Mr Perera said: “By voting for the Workers’ Party, you will get constructive, responsible MPs who work hard in Parliament, while on the ground, you’ll benefit from our experience in running the town council as well as the support of the PA (People's Association), with the losing PAP candidate as a grassroots adviser.”

PAP’S PROPOSALS

• Mr Lye said that Aljunied GRC needs the whole of Singapore to come together, led by the PAP, to steer them through troubled waters.

• Mr Shamsul asked Aljunied residents if they felt that they were the “check-and-balance mechanism of the country, or a catalyst to take Singapore forward to greater heights”.

• In terms of programmes and schemes for Aljunied residents, the candidates spoke of a pocket money fund for disadvantaged children, constituency-wide group buys on essential goods and services, and affordable tuition for school-going children.

• They also pledged to complete the upgrading of neighbourhoods and parks and make the estates barrier-free for those with mobility challenges.

• These will be backed by a local fund for residents, which those living in private estates may tap as well, as long as their income falls under a set threshold. Ms Chan said: “Our help schemes will be based on trust, and not on rules that will make it difficult for you to get help when you need it.”

• Mr Chua said that the team was not disheartened when they lost in previous elections, adding: “We know your concerns about our aging population, medical and estate improvement.”

• Mr Yeo recounted how the Aljunied PAP team had remained in the constituency in the past nine years, serving residents. “We do so because we believe that the community stands above politics. It matters not where we are… We want to do more.”

Mr Lye said: “Aljunied is yours, not somebody’s political hostage. It should be about your lives, your jobs and our future. You have given them nine years. It’s time. Bring us home.”