SINGAPORE — The second day of constituency political broadcasts kicked off with candidates for Chua Chu Kang Group Representation Constituency (GRC) from both the incumbent People’s Action Party (PAP) and the opposing Progress Singapore Party (PSP). The teams set out their proposals for the constituency ahead of the July 10 General Election (GE).

The incumbent PAP team in the four-member constituency comprises Mr Gan Kim Yong, 61; Ms Low Yen Ling, 45; and two new candidates — lawyer Zhulkarnain Abdul Rahim, 39, and United Overseas Bank senior vice-president Don Wee Boon Hong, 43.

Mr Gan, who is the party’s chairman and co-chairs the governmental task force leading Singapore’s response to Covid-19, talked about how the pandemic has been on many of the residents’ minds. 

He lauded the efforts of Chua Chu Kang residents who stepped forward as volunteers for the national effort, to distribute masks as well as food and care packs to the needy and healthcare workers in the GRC.

“This selfless act of volunteerism is really what makes us different. Chua Chu Kang is special because we are not just a community, we are family,” he said.

Calling for continued support from voters, Ms Low said that despite challenges ahead, the PAP team is "committed to improve lives, sustain jobs and secure a better future for you and your family”.

PSP, which is contesting the GRC for the first time, is fielding Mr Francis Yuen, 70, former Hong Leong Asia chief executive officer and a former Republic of Singapore Air Force colonel; academic Tan Meng Wah, 57; fire safety engineer Abdul Rahman Mohamad, 67; and law school undergraduate Choo Shaun Ming, 23.

Mr Choo is the youngest candidate running in this GE.

Most of them spoke about how an alternative voice and power in Parliament is important to prevent groupthink from emerging. Mr Abdul Rahman, a co-founder of PSP, said in Malay that PAP has “long been arrogant and careless”.

If an opposition party is voted in, PSP assured resdients that services such as the police, the Singapore Civil Defence Force and utilities will remain fully functional.

Mr Yuen said: “Our diverse team comes with different backgrounds and life experiences. We will make a difference in Parliament and will serve you better at the Chua Chu Kang constituency.”

In these 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.

PAP’S PROPOSALS

• New developments in Chua Chu Kang include the new Safra Club, a new transport hub, the new Jurong Regional Line that is part of the MRT network, as well as new hawker centres.

• Imploring residents to look through PAP’s five-year master plan that was launched recently for the GRC, Mr Gan asked voters for their continued support.

• He also pledged to work with government agencies to create new jobs, protect lives and secure a better future for the next generation if elected. 

• Ms Low said that Chua Chu Kang will be “the eco-town of the future”, with upcoming additions such as the National Service Hub and the Bukit Gombak Park, as well as hawker centres, making the GRC a “food and play wonderland”. “This is where you and your children can continue to build your dreams and hopes,” she said.

• Beyond the infrastructure, there are already programmes and initiatives in place to support the most vulnerable in the GRC. They include M3@Choa Chu Kang, which has helped more than 5,000 Malay-Muslim residents living in Chua Chu Kang, Bukit Gombak and Keat Hong, Mr Zhulkarnain said.

• Mr Wee, a community volunteer of 16 years and a new candidate, said that the team pledges to serve residents and are committed to their well-being. “Since 2015, Chua Chu Kang has grown from strength to strength. This is something that will continue, more than ever, in the next five years. As we are facing a critical time in Singapore's history, we need everyone to be united,” he said.

Mr Gan said: “But beyond infrastructure and hardware, what is more important is the people. We will continue to roll out programmes to connect people together to take care of one another and to ensure that no one is left behind. Why? Because we are family.”

PSP’S PROPOSALS

• Mr Yuen, who serves in the party’s central executive committee, said that PSP will serve constituents better than PAP has. It will “work to improve the amenities, bring back the kampung spirit, speed up the plan for building the new hawker centre and better manage the town council”.

• Mr Yuen said that PAP wants a “strong mandate to stifle dissent and continue to bulldoze policies that suit its agenda”, but this does not make Singaporeans’ lives better. After winning the last GE by a landslide, the cost of living has continued rising and income inequality has widened, he said.

• PSP will work with constituents to promote the neighbourhood renovation plan and let the “kampung mutual assistance spirit” take root in Chua Chu Kang again, he added.

• Mr Abdul Rahman said in Malay that the team will take care of maintenance costs, cleanliness and developments in Chua Chu Kang.

• Mr Choo said that Singapore cannot afford to lose young Singaporeans to other countries. The country needs new ideas to create exciting job opportunities and fulfilling careers, which can be achieved through “robust policy debate”, among other things.

Mr Choo said: “In 1996, Lee Kuan Yew said: ‘There’s a glorious rainbow that beckons those with the spirit of adventure. To the young and to the not-so-old, I say, 'Look at that horizon, follow that rainbow, go ride it.’ When young people like myself look out into the horizon today, we see that the rainbow he spoke of doesn’t exist. We feel a sense of hopelessness regarding our future and tend to look abroad for better work-life balance and job prospects.”