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GE2020 constituency broadcasts: What Yio Chu Kang SMC candidates have to say

SINGAPORE — The two candidates from the People’s Action Party (PAP) and the Progress Singapore Party (PSP) vying for a seat in the newly drawn Yio Chu Kang Single Member Constituency (SMC) presented their plans to their voters on Wednesday (July 8).

Mr Yip Hon Weng (left) from the People's Action Party and Ms Kayla Low (right) from the Progress Singapore Party are contesting in Yio Chu Kang Single Member Constituency.

Mr Yip Hon Weng (left) from the People's Action Party and Ms Kayla Low (right) from the Progress Singapore Party are contesting in Yio Chu Kang Single Member Constituency.

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SINGAPORE — The two candidates from the People’s Action Party (PAP) and the Progress Singapore Party (PSP) vying for a seat in the newly drawn Yio Chu Kang Single Member Constituency (SMC) presented their plans to their voters on Wednesday (July 8).

They were speaking in a constituency political broadcast aired on the last day of the election campaign before the country heads to the polls on Friday.

PAP is fielding new candidate Yip Hon Weng to contest the SMC, which has been carved out of Ang Mo Kio Group Representation Constituency (GRC). 

The Yio Chu Kang division was an SMC in the 2006 General Election (GE), but was returned to Ang Mo Kio GRC during the 2011 GE. The ward was most recently represented by Dr Koh Poh Koon when it was part of Ang Mo Kio GRC. Dr Koh is now contesting Tampines GRC. 

Mr Yip, 43, is a former civil servant who was a long-serving group chief of the Silver Generation Office, a government agency that provides seniors with information relating to government schemes, active ageing and healthcare services. 

Delivering his speech in English and Mandarin, Mr Yip talked about how his late grandmother had inspired him to contribute to solving issues faced by the ageing population.

“I want to contribute to ageing issues to care for seniors in our community, just as how I would have loved to care for her,” he said. 

His opponent is PSP candidate Kayla Low, 43, a chartered accountant who runs a group of 11 Singapore and four overseas companies that deal with retail, manufacturing, transportation and travel. 

Delivering her speech in both English and Mandarin, Ms Low said that she hopes to raise issues in Parliament that "concern our future". 

Some of these include job security and appropriate allocation of resources. 

"How about our welfare in times of crisis such as now? Has the Government allocated a fair share to build a better infrastructure for us?" Ms Low questioned. 

Yio Chu Kang SMC has more than 26,000 voters.

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 Yip spoke of his hopes to improve care for seniors, highlighting the importance of accessibility and affordability of care. 

  • He said that the Silver Generation Office manages 3,000 volunteers and has reached out to more than 600,000 elders across the island in the past five years. 

  • He added that the Silver Generation Office has “first-hand experience understanding the concerns and aspirations of the Pioneer and Merdeka Generations” by visiting and engaging with seniors on the ground. 

  • Mr Yip said that while many seniors can access the aid they need, “there are still some who require some help in the community”. He cited an example of a senior he visited, who was suffering in silence after she had lost her ability to walk after a fall. 

He said: “There will be more (seniors who need help) as our population ages, seniors who are socially isolated and silently in need. We need to reach out to them to make care accessible and affordable for them, and build local communities of care.”

PSP’S PROPOSALS

  • Ms Low stressed the importance of prioritising Singaporeans when it comes to hiring people for jobs.

  • She also said that there needs to be a reduction in the number of foreigners and expatriates who are hired in Singapore, and said that current initiatives in place to prioritise Singaporeans over foreigners are inadequate. 

  • On the issue of resource allocation, she cited the Jewel retail and lifestyle complex at Changi Airport as an example. She questioned how the Government used its budget and resources, and hopes that it will reallocate funds to other projects such as retirement homes for elders. 

  • Ms Low also said that taxpayer money should be used to benefit disadvantaged Singaporeans such as elders who have to work as cleaners or those who collect cardboard for a living.

She said: "This is our home, our future, and our children's future. We need a compassionate Government to protect our interests."

Related topics

political broadcast Singapore General Election SGVotes2020 Yio Chu Kang SMC PAP PSP

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