Minister George Yeo hopes for minimal changes to
Aljunied GRC team
By May Wong, Channel NewsAsia
Foreign Minister George Yeo said he hoped there would be minimal
changes to his existing Aljunied GRC team so he could work with
them again at the upcoming General Election.
Mr Yeo spoke to reporters after opening a new 4-storey market at
Block 105, Hougang Avenue 1 on Sunday.
He spoke to various stall-holders as he toured the S$9 million
market.
On the Budget statement, Mr Yeo said it was a constant effort on
the government's part to take care of Singaporeans.
He said: "I don't think we can say, oh well, elections are coming,
so we sweeten the ground, and people are happy. I don't think
Singaporeans are so simple-minded. They'll observe what the
government has been doing over the years, measure us against what
we have promised in the past."
"Have they kept their word? Have they been true to their
principles? It's on this basis that they say look, can they take us
into the future? So that's the approach that we take. In an
election year, you make sure that the budget is a buoyant
one."
And on whether Singaporeans could expect new faces to be fielded in
Aljunied GRC, Mr Yeo said he was happy with his existing
team.
He said: "I hope there'll be minimal changes, I'll be quite happy
to go into battle with this same team because we have developed a
strong bond of friendship and we've been able to work very well
together."
He said he and his team had been working the Aljunied ground for
the last 4 years or so and there had been visible
improvements.
But Mr Yeo said ultimately it was for the people to decide and he
and his team were ready to fight and win every vote.
The Workers' Party has said it plans to contest in Aljunied
GRC.
Mr Yeo said: "They've been here and there sporadically, dropping
their namecards and telling people that they're around but I notice
in the last few months, they spend less time here. I think they've
been looking at other constituencies as well. But I expect them to
come. Because they came here the last time, but unfortunately they
didn't fill in their forms properly so this time round, they'll
come back."
The new Hougang Market started operations in December last year
after a S$9 million facelift.
It includes new amenities like lifts, escalators and wider
walkways, which Minister Yeo says are critical to accommodate
Singapore's aging population.
When asked about the mood of residents after meeting some of them
at the new Hougang market, Mr Yeo had this to say: "People are very
warm and enthusiastic. I think partly because the economy is
better, not to say that everyone is doing well. There are shops not
doing so well, even in this hawker centre, a bit more way out,
sometimes, there're problems here and there, we cannot expect
everyone to be happy."
"But on the whole, the economy compared to last year or about 2
years ago is doing much better and I think this trend should
continue at least this year. But it depends a lot on the American
economy and whether things remain buoyant in those big markets." -
CNA/ch