Nicole Seah breaks down as her NSP colleagues watch on.
(Yahoo! photo/Jeanette Tan)
National Solidarity Party candidate Nicole
Seah broke down during a rally at the Chinese Gardens on Thursday
night, after recalling a meeting she had with a poor family in
MacPherson earlier in the day.
The 24-year-old, who is contesting the Marine Parade GRC, said
the resident told her how she could not get help to fund her son's
$80 tuition fees. Worse, when she sought help from a Member of Parliament, she was chided for the small
amount.
Pausing to compose herself, Seah told the estimated
10,000-strong crowd, "This is the kind of problem we have. We need
a government who has a heart for Singaporeans."
It was the second time in a day that the advertising executive
broke down. While speaking to the same resident earlier, she had
also cried after listening to the mother's desperate situation.
An emotionally-charged Seah then told the audience at the rally
that it was time for change.
She said, "They (the PAP) do not have the
mandate of the of heaven but with the consent of the people... We
must move towards the next phase of nation building to build a
future that comes in more colours than white."
After the rally, which was the final chance for NSP candidates
to address voters, members in the crowd told Yahoo!
Singapore that Seah had left a deep impression on them.
Ting Lee Yiaw, 48, banker, a Jurong GRC resident, said, "What
she said resonated with me. She's very down-to-earth and very real.
I can see that she is truly compassionate and really stands for the
NSP."
Nelson Tong, 36, civil servant, also a Jurong resident,
said, "It is very encouraging to see someone like her. I can really
see that she is feeling it like a true Singaporean. We feel it
together with her and that's what being Singaporean is all
about."
Brandon Chen, 26, another student, said "We need an MP like her
to give the alternative voice. It doesn't matter as long as people
feel that she is real."
A total of 12 other NSP candidates spoke during the rally.
They will be contesting the Marine Parade, Jurong, Chua Chu Kang
and Tampines GRCs as well as the Radin Mas, Pioneer and Mountbatten
SMCs.
