By Jamie Ee Wen Wei
The hot-button issue on Saturday at the Speakers' Corner in Hong
Lim Park was the public transport fare hike announced last
Friday.
Some 150 people turned up to hear six people - including former
Workers' Party (WP) candidate Dr James Gomez - delve into the
issue.
The protest, organised by socio-political blog The Online
Citizen (TOC), was the second there since rules on public
demonstrations were relaxed on Sept 1.
National University of Singapore (NUS) law undergraduate Choo
Zheng Xi, the chief editor of TOC's website, spoke first. He called
the transport fare hikes a 'recurring nightmare'.
Dr Gomez argued that the transport woes were exacerbated by the
the 'large volume of people brought into the country'.
Financial analyst and local blogger Leong Sze Hian said the
'transfer' rebate cost would be borne by commuters making direct
journeys. He said: 'Who are the ones who take direct services? The
poor!'
Earlier in the week, the TOC had released to the media a 10-page
report, with recommendations to improve the transport system. On
Saturday, 50 copies were given out. Many in the crowd were
professionals and university students.
Read the full story in tomorrow's edition of The Sunday
Tim
