The Singapore Democrats conducted another walkabout this Sunday
at the Holland-Bukit Timah GRC at the Ghim Moh Road market centre.
In the past several months the SDP has been quietly doing its
campaign rounds in the 5-member constituency, assessing the ground
situation there.
Result? The feedback has been very positive with residents
welcoming the SDP to contest in the warded and expressing
unhappiness at the PAP.
A typical response that we have received came from a middle-aged
man: “I have been a PAP supporter until a few years ago. I don’t
know what’s happening to Singapore now. It doesn’t feel like our
home anymore.”
The GRC is helmed by Minister for Community, Youth and Sports Dr
Vivian Balakrishnan and NTUC Chief Mr Lim Swee Say. The other MPs
include Ms Yu Foo Yee Shoon, Mr Christopher de Souza, and Mr Liang
Eng Hwa. The GRC was uncontested in the 2006 GE.
The SDP intends to change this. We are putting together a
formidable team to take on the PAP in the ward.
Dr Vivian Balakrishnan, with his questionable ministerial
perfomance, cannot go unchallenged.
Many still cannot get over the blunders that the minister
made in his handling of the Youth Olympic Games that was held in
Singapore this year. Dr Balakrishnan had blown the budget, spending
a total of $387 million – three times the original amount
allocated.
In return, we received almost zero coverage of the event from
the international media. Along the way, the Internet painfully
exposed the questionable leadership qualities of the minister.
Another minister, Mr Lim Swee Say, with his tone-deaf
‘I-feel-so-rich’ quip, must also not be allowed another walkover.
Who can forget that during the depth of our economic crisis, all Mr
Lim could do was sing his NTUC jingle ‘Upturn the downturn’,
leaving Singaporeans quite speechless.
Over the past several months, the Democrats have been working at
Bukit Panjang SMC and in the course of our work there we have
spread our campaign to the adjoining Holland-Bukit Timah GRC.
The
intention is to ensure that which ever way the PAP redraws the
boundaries, we will have ensured that our work will not be
wasted.
Residents at both the SMC and GRC have become familiar with the
SDP red-shirt. Danny also came along to help in the campaigning and
continued to attract attention among the residents.
An interesting note: Many, if not most, of the residents who
approached us and bought our newspaper were women. The photographs
give an indication of this observation.
“Are you coming to contest here?” one 40-something lady asked.
“I haven’t had a chance to vote in my entire life.” Several people
indicated the same view.
Another lady asked to take a photograph with Dr Chee Soon Juan.
She said: “We need a different voice in Parliament. I hope you will
come here to run. Thanks for doing what you’re doing.”
We also met a former PAP MP who was having breakfast with some
friends. He bought a copy of The New Democrat. (We won’t
mention his name in case he’s still collecting his
pension.)
In the coming weeks we will step up our campaign in the GRC and
continue to reach out to the residents there.
.
Singapore Democrats