By Kai
Fong | Yahoo!
Newsroom – 9 hours ago
By Elizabeth Soh
and Wenjian Lin
“Baseless attacks” and “character assassinations” were what
characterised the Hougang by-election, said the Worker’s
Party(WP) Secretary General Low
Thia Khiang on Saturday night.
Speaking at the WP’s
post-win press conference at the party’s Syed Alwi road
headquarters, he said that there had been “several calculated
moves” to “discredit” candidate Png
Eng Huat by
thePeople’s
Action Party (PAP), and accused them of using the “carrot
and stick” approach to “coerce voters from... freedom of
choice.”
“PAP said this is an honorable fight, but... they used tactics to
smear our reputation,” Low charged.
He was referring to a war of words that erupted, during campaigning
last week, between the WP and
Deputy Prime Minister (DPM) Teo
Chee Hean over a copy of leaked WP meeting
minutes.
The minutes, which was sent anonymously to the media, showed Png in
the running for his party’s vote for the Non-Constituency MP (NCMP)
seat after the General Election (GE) last year. This, after Png had
said in an interview that he had taken his name out of the
ballot.
Png later explained that he had meant that he declared his stance
against the NCMP scheme to party leaders before and after the GE,
but that his name remained in the eventual ballot slip because of
WP’s selection procedure.
Following that, DPM
Teo accused Png of having integrity issues and repeatedly
suggested that he was not the WP’s best choice or
candidate.
During the press conference, Low took aim at mainstream media
outlets, saying that they had been used as a “political tool” in
the PAP’s campaign.
“Independent media is a cornerstone of a first world Parliament,”
said Low. “Only with an independent media .. can the people make an
informed choice.”
When asked for examples of how major news companies had affected
WP’s campaign, Low referred to a photo run by The Straits
Times that showed Png standing behind Low and WP
Chairman Sylvia
Lim in an unflatteringly subservient position.
Low also said that there would be no formal investigation into the
leaking of the WP’s minutes, saying that the party had neither the
resources nor the inclination to pursue the matter.
In response to Low’s assassination comments, DPM Teo also said that
he welcomed the MP for Aljunied GRC and the WP to take legal action
against him.
“It all came from contradictions within his own party,” added DPM
Teo, who nonetheless congratulated Png on his win.
Despite the bad blood between the two camps, newly mandated Png
said he was “very excited and happy” about his win, and emphasised
that he would work together with PAP candidate Desmond Choo to
serve Hougang residents.
“I met up with Mr Desmond Choo. We are of the same view that
anything that is good for Hougang, we will support and we will do
it,” said Png.
He also said he hoped that Mr Choo, who is the grassroots adviser
in the ward, will support schemes to improve the lives of Hougang
residents, referring to the Neighbourhood Renewal and Home
Improvement Programmes that the WP has put Hougang up for.
He also reached out to PAP’s Hougang supporters, asking them for a
chance to serve them.
Low also thanked Hougang residents for keeping faith with the WP in
what he described as “a difficult political journey” and said the
party will be in the ward on Sunday to thank voters.
