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GE2020: Shanmugam calls Bradley Bowyer’s answer on Nee Soon GRC 'dishonest'; PSP says it didn’t offer place to RP

SINGAPORE — Mr K Shanmugam, the People’s Action Party (PAP) treasurer leading its team contesting Nee Soon Group Representation Constituency (GRC), on Thursday (July 2) described the response of Progress Singapore Party’s (PSP) Bradley Bowyer on whether the party has offered to let another party to contest there as “dishonest” and an “avoidance” tactic.

The People’s Action Party’s K Shanmugam (left) and the Progress Singapore Party’s Bradley Bowyer (right).

The People’s Action Party’s K Shanmugam (left) and the Progress Singapore Party’s Bradley Bowyer (right).

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  • Mr Shanmugam said Mr Bowyer using “avoidance” tactic in his response about PSP offering Nee Soon to RP
  • Called for PSP chief  Tan Cheng Bock to answer why candidate said something “obviously untrue” 
  • Mr Bowyer said he has “double checked” and “tripled checked” and PSP has never offered Nee Soon GRC to RP
  • Dr Tan and PSP assistant secretary-general Leong Mun Wai made same point on Nee Soon offer
  • Dr Tan said that Mr Shanmugam is “trying to throw a spanner into our work”

 

SINGAPORE — Mr K Shanmugam, the People’s Action Party (PAP) treasurer leading its team contesting Nee Soon Group Representation Constituency (GRC), on Thursday (July 2) described the response of Progress Singapore Party’s (PSP) Bradley Bowyer on whether the party has offered to let another party to contest there as “dishonest” and an “avoidance” tactic.

In response, Mr Bowyer said Mr Shanmugam “can have his opinion” about discussions between different opposition parties, but “at no point have we wanted to trade”, a point also made by PSP leaders Tan Cheng Bock and Leong Mun Wai on Thursday morning in response to the PAP candidate.

“There is no horse-trading agreement or negotiation between RP and ourselves with regards to Nee Soon or any other constituencies,” Mr Leong, the PSP assistant secretary-general involved in the discussions with other parties, wrote on Facebook.

“As there are many opposition parties vying for the limited number of seats, various ideas were tossed up in the course of discussion but that does not mean they were accepted even as a basis for negotiation.”

This drew another response from Mr Shanmugam on Thursday evening, who said that Mr Leong “is not being truthful”.

The back and forth between both sides began on Wednesday after Mr Shanmugam said during a virtual press conference on Wednesday morning that the PSP team contesting Nee Soon GRC seems “half hearted”, as it wanted to cede the GRC to RP.

These was what followed on Wednesday:

  • Mr Bowyer took issue with Mr Shanmugam’s comments, adding that “rumours (are) being spread online” that the GRC had been “horse traded”
  • In response, Mr Shanmugam noted that RP chief Kenneth Jeyaretnam had spoken of the PSP’s offer in a Facebook post and was also quoted in a report from The Straits Times on June 25, which PSP did not dispute
  • Mr Shanmugam called for Mr Bowyer to give a straight answer and not “play with words”
  • Mr Bowyer told TODAY that as far as knew, the PSP never offered GRC to RP, but he will have to “double check” with the party leadership. He added that his team is committed to contest in Nee Soon GRC.

In a Facebook post on Thursday morning, Mr Shanmugam called for Mr Bowyer to “please be honest”.

“Mr Bowyer, your answer is dishonest,” said Mr Shanmugam, reiterating that Mr Jeyaretnam had publicly said on June 23 that PSP offered to trade the GRC and this was reported by the media with no denial from PSP.

“And you now say: You don’t know what happened at party leadership. And go into a long explanation about how hard you have been working. This is known as avoidance, when found out,” said Mr Shanmugam, adding that Mr Bowyer should “give a bit more credit to people’s intelligence”.

Asked by TODAY for his response to this, Mr Bowyer reiterated that PSP is committed to its campaign in Nee Soon GRC.

“He (Mr Shanmugam) can have his opinion,” said Mr Bowyer, adding that he has since “double checked and tripled checked” with the party leadership on the issue of whether the GRC was offered to RP. 

“No one ever offered Nee soon to RP. At no point have we wanted to trade. Just because something is being widely reported, it doesn’t mean it’s factually correct,” he said, adding that he was not involved in any of these talks.

Mr Bowyer also said that he would like to “move on” as the issue has become a distraction from the “bigger picture” of helping Nee Soon residents. 

He later shared the Facebook post by Mr Leong and said he hoped “this finally puts the matter to rest”.

On Mr Leong’s point that PSP did not negotiate with RP on contesting in Nee Soon GRC, Mr Shanmugam noted on Thursday evening that the PSP politician himself had said on June 26 that he had been in “very fruitful and frank discussions” and in “direct contact” with Mr Jeyaretnam over which constituencies to contest in.

“That is not ‘negotiating’? What were they doing?” wrote Mr Shanmugam, who also attached numerous screenshots of tweets by Mr Jeyaretnam on RP’s talks with PSP.

Mr Shanmugam added that while there is nothing peculiar about such negotiations, “what is unusual is the way Mr Bowyer and Mr Leong are prepared to dig a deeper hole for themselves, each time they speak”.

“Mr Leong is making a public statement about what happened. The least he can do is to be honest about it.”

Besides Mr Shanmugam, the PAP team contesting Nee Soon GRC comprise incumbent Members of Parliament Muhammad Faishal Ibrahim and Mr Louis Ng as well as new faces Derrick Goh, 51, and Carrie Tan, 38.  

They face a PSP slate comprising Mr Bowyer, a media professional, customer service manager Damien Tay, 51, adult educator Kala Manickam, 52, chartered accountant and party treasurer Sri Nallakaruppan, 56, and information technology professional Muhammad Taufik Supan, 40.

In his post on Thursday morning, Mr Shanmugam also posed a question to PSP chief Dr Tan, asking him: “Why (would) this candidate (Mr Bowyer), whom you hand picked, say something which was obviously untrue?”

He added that if no answer is given, it will “speak volumes” and “tell Singapore whether Dr Tan values the honesty in his candidates”.

Asked about this during a doorstop interview on Thursday morning after a walkout at Block 628 Ang Mo Kio Market and Food Centre, Dr Tan said: “This is politics.

“They will poke at you but I tell my men, we always stay high. There shall be no gutter politics because we have to show PSP is a party that represents compassion and also we want to make sure we follow the rule of law,” he said.

On Mr Shanmugam’s point that he did not dispute Mr Jeyaretnam’s point that PSP had offered Nee Soon GRC to RP, Dr Tan said: “No… I never go and say I am going to give up Nee Soon.

“When my assistant secretary-general (Mr Leong) went (for the talks), I said this is a straight (one) — no compromise. This is what we believe in.”    

When asked if this matter will affect PSP’s chances, Dr Tan replied in the negative, saying that “Singaporeans understand”.

He added that Mr Shanmugam is “trying to throw a spanner into our work” by “telling all these things about my men”.

“Let him. Never mind. I told my men the important thing is to go out there and prove yourself… They have been selected by us and we will back them up,” said Dr Tan. 

TODAY reached out to Mr Jeyaretnam to seek his comment on the negotiations with PSP and whether the PSP offered Nee Soon to RP.

He did not address this in his email reply but said among other things that he was “glad Shanmugam is telling Singapore that he reads my Facebook page”.

“It is extremely pleasing to me that Shanmugam has publicly upheld me and my Facebook posts as truths to be relied on but I am also confident in court that this would be thrown out as ‘hearsay’,” added Mr Jeyaretnam.

He also posted his response to TODAY on his Facebook page.

ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY WONG PEI TING

Related topics

Nee Soon GRC PSP Reform Party Bradley Bowyer Singapore General Election SGVotes2020

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