On the final day of the hustings, she just
couldn't hold it in anymore.
National Solidarity Party candidate Nicole
Seah broke down during a rally at a field in Chinese Garden on
Thursday night, after recalling a meeting she had with a poor
female resident 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 afford an $80 deposit that
was required over and above the rent for her flat. Worse, when she
sought help from grassroots leaders, 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 heaven but 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."
Undergraduate Brandon Chen, 26, added, "We need an MP like her
to give the alternative voice. Age doesn't matter, as long as
people can 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.
Follow Yahoo! News on Twitter
and become a fan on Facebook.
This article is published by Yahoo! Southeast Asia Pte.
Ltd., 60 Anson Road #13-01 Mapletree Anson, Singapore,
079914.