Originally posted by ^tamago^:
huh, no need 5 members to contest in a 5-member ward ah....
[b]Singapore polls: WP can still contest Aljunied even if Gomez
dropped, says minister
02 May 2006 1501 hrs (SST) 0701 hrs (GMT)
Foreign Affairs Minister George Yeo, who is helming the PAP team
for Aljunied in the May 6 polls, says the Workers' Party can still
contest in Aljunied GRC even if James Gomez drops out now.
PAP leaders have asked the Workers' Party to withdraw Gomez as a
candidate and explain what exactly happened at the Elections
Department when Gomez said he filed an application for a minority
certificate but actually did not.
Mr Yeo said that even if Gomez were to be taken out of the
Workers' Party's 5-man team for Aljunied GRC, there is nothing in
the constitution to prevent a 4-man team from running against a
5-man team.
Mr Yeo said: "Even if you are in Parliament and
something happens to you, the rest can look after the constituency.
It is not as if election in Aljunied will stop. It'll
continue."
He said the PAP is still questioning the Workers' Party on the
Gomez issue because "many Singaporeans are still not fully aware of
what has happened."
Mr Yeo said: "They read the newspaper quickly, they flip the pages,
they watch television fleetingly, so they have not fully grasped
the importance of what has happened. So it is really our duty to
point it out to them.
"It's not something small, something trivial. It is not about James
Gomez, it is not about particular personalities. It is about the
integrity of a system which is at the heart of a democracy. Without
that integrity, general elections are a waste of time."
Mr Yeo added that if this system is seen to favour one candidate
over another, then the public will lose trust in the Elections
Department.
In many countries, there are allegations made against the Elections
Department which undermines democracy.
Mr Yeo said: "This is not a matter of personal attack, it is a
matter of principle. Some of my grassroots say I should not talk
about this because it will lose me votes, so be it. It is important
enough.
"We are not splitting hairs, we are talking about a very major
fundamental issue. I don't think they (Workers' Party) should be
evasive or be afraid. So what if you lose one candidate in the
slate? Move on."
PAP Chairman Lim Boon Heng said: "It is better if the WP...clears
any doubt of transparency in the management of the WP. After all,
this is a question they say of our government, that the government
should be transparent. So one would expect the same standards of
transparency that they're asking of the PAP to be imposed on the WP
themselves."
Meanwhile an online petition has been started in support of Gomez.
So far more than 300 people have signed it.
Mr Yeo also talked about the issue raised by some Singaporeans to
Channel NewsAsia.
They had said that they were concerned their identity card numbers
could be purchased by political parties at the Elections
Department.
This issue came up after the Workers' Party printed voters' IC
numbers on envelopes which were distributed to their homes.
Mr Yeo said: "Let me defend the Workers' Party here. We also have
the IC numbers, so there is nothing wrong with that. The electoral
register puts these out for public viewing, (to see) who are those
who are eligible for voting. We are identified by names, IC
numbers. I am a citizen, I have a right to vote and I exercise my
choice, this is something open."
Mr Yeo added that any doubts about the Elections Department must be
put to a stop. - CNA/ir
the next thing they will tell voters that you will only have 4 ppl
working for you and if you vote them you have 5 ppl serving
you.
http://www.channelnewsasia.com/palmnews/singaporelocalnews/view/206055/1/.html[/b]
