GE2020 constituency broadcasts: What East Coast GRC candidates have to say

SINGAPORE — Candidates contesting East Coast Group Representation Constituency (GRC) from the People’s Action Party (PAP) and Workers’ Party (WP) outlined their respective plans for the key battleground ahead of the July 10 polls.

In the constituency political broadcast on Saturday (July 4), PAP assistant secretary-general Heng Swee Keat said that residents can look forward to future developments such as the Thomson-East Coast Line MRT network, the Bayshore housing precinct and the Coastal Adventure Corridor — the first section of a continuous park connector which will stretch from Rower’s Bay at Lower Seletar Reservoir Park through to Gardens by the Bay.

Mr Heng, 59, who left Tampines GRC to lead the incumbent PAP team for East Coast GRC, are joined by other four candidates: Mr Maliki Osman, 54; Jessica Tan, 54; Ms Cheryl Chan, 44, former Fengshan Single Member Constituency (SMC); and new candidate Tan Kiat How, 43, the former chief executive of the Infocomm Media Development Authority.

In the 2015 General Election (GE), when the PAP won 69.9 per cent of the vote nationwide, its East Coast team got 60.7 per cent of the vote.

The opposition party candidates from WP are Ms Nicole Seah, 33, who was a candidate in Marine Parade GRC under the National Solidarity Party in the 2011 GE; Mr Dylan Ng, 45; Mr Kenneth Foo, 42; Mr Terence Tan, 48; and new candidate Mr Abdul Shariff Aboo Kassim, 54, who quit his last job as a researcher to run in the upcoming elections due to his company’s policy on non-partisanship.

During the team’s speech, the WP candidates reassured voters that they will not only be able to look after the constituency, but will speak up for their interests of Singaporeans in Parliament. 

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.

PAP’S PROPOSALS

• Mr Heng reassured residents who are anxious about their jobs that the PAP Government will continue to work hard and help them see through this crisis.

• At the national level, it has committed almost S$100 billion to safeguard the lives and livelihood of Singaporeans. “We will do our best to keep you in jobs, help you find new ones, and support you to bounce back stronger.”

• On the ground, the team will continue to care for residents’ needs in this difficult time, he said.

• Ms Chan said that together with schools in the area, she has partnered the youth to set up digital clinics to seniors and befriend vulnerable members of the community to look after their well-being. 

• Mr Tan said that if elected, existing programmes for elders such as befriending seniors and the functional screening and exercises for them at Heartbeat@Bedok will be enhanced. “In short, your golden years will be rewarding.”

• Ms Tan, who has been serving the residents of Changi, Simei and East Coast for 14 years, said that the team has worked with small- and medium-sized enterprises in the community and is encouraging them to tap available schemes to stay relevant and upskill their workers.  

• On housing and amenities, she said that the team is looking at the Home Improvement Programme for flats in Simei, the Neighbourhood Renewal Programme at Bedok and estate upgrading in areas such as Upper Changi Road. 

• Dr Maliki said that the Covid-19 pandemic has affected many individuals economically, socially and psychologically, and caring for residents’ well-being and addressing their concerns have been the cornerstone of its service in East Coast GRC.

• As mayor of the south-east district that oversees East Coast GRC, he has initiated many social support programmes to help low-income families, including voucher schemes.

• He said: “I entered politics as I firmly believe that we have a system that works, one that promises to keep delivering the best for every successive generation of Singaporeans.”

Mr Heng said: “Our East Coast GRC manifesto is built on your feedback and contributions. We will continue with our East Coast Conversations to partner with you, and connect residents together. My team and I will do our best for you — to protect our lives, our jobs, our future.”

WP’S PROPOSALS

• Ms Seah said WP proposes that universities need to widen access to Singaporean students from underprivileged backgrounds. “We need our schools to provide mentorship and work placement opportunities that will be critical for us to be globally competitive.”

• Ms Seah urged voters to see the benefits they will get as a voter, with both a WP MP and a People’s Association grassroots adviser being equally present in their constituency by voting for WP.

• Mr Tan said that the party believes a stronger opposition presence in Parliament, “one that constructively and robustly engages”, will prevent bills and policies from being “rubber-stamped” and lead to better outcomes for Singaporeans.

• Mr Foo said in Mandarin that WP wants to help the seniors and the “sandwich generation” by calling for free transportation for seniors above 65; lowering the cost for patients with a monthly household per capita income of below S$3,200, who need long-term care at nursing homes; and opposing the Government's plan to increase the Goods and Services Tax (GST) from 7 per cent to 9 per cent by 2025.

• Speaking in Mandarin, Mr Ng assured voters that if WP takes over the management of the town council, it will prioritise solving problems for residents. 

• Mr Shariff said in Malay that if elected, WP will push for redundancy insurance for workers who have been retrenched. He also said that the party will propose anti-discrimination laws to protect Singaporeans from being left out of a job due to their race or gender, among others.

• Mr Tan said that the Government should consider extra employment allowances for every worker that a company keeps employed, beyond what it has already promised, in order to encourage employers to retain workers. The Government should also consider cash grants to Singaporeans who have lost their jobs and struggle to find re-employment. "The Government has previously accumulated healthy surpluses and should be able to grant these life-lines readily."

Ms Seah said she knows that many residents of East Coast GRC are facing a difficult choice when casting their vote but added: “We also hope that you wouldn’t want a super-majority in Parliament that goes unchecked — that is not the consequence we want for Singapore.”