Jewel Philemon, Elliot Aruldoss
On 6 May 2011, the eve of Polling Day which is Cooling-off Day, a resident living in Moulmein-Kallang constituency filed a police report about ongoing election activity in the area.
According to the Singapore Elections website, under the Parliamentary Elections Act:
“The eve of Polling Day is designated as Cooling-off Day, a day when election campaigning is prohibited. This 24-hour campaign silence period is to give voters some time to reflect rationally on issues raised during the election before going to the polls.”
Restriction and prohibition of certain activities on Cooling-off Day include canvassing and visiting homes and workplaces of voters for electioneering purposes.
In his statement, the resident said a female Chinese had knocked on his door and that she was wearing a T-shirt with the words ‘Grow and Share’. She identified herself as a staff from the Ministry of Finance. The Chinese woman then handed him a flyer titled ‘Rising Costs; How The Government Is Helping You’.
The resident said he made the police report because he felt “this is a way of canvassing and there should not be any form of canvassing after 5TH May 2011.”
It is unclear if the police have taken or will be taking any action.
The Moulmein-Kallang GRC was won by the People’s Action Party (PAP) team in the recent elections, beating a team from the Workers’ Party.
Separately, a member of the public has also filed a complaint with the police over PAP candidate, Ms Tin Pei Ling, in the recent general election. She is alleged to have violated Cooling-off Day rules involving comments posted on her Facebook page on 6 May, a day before Polling Day. (See Today’s report here.)
Under the Parliamentary Elections Act, canvassing on Polling Day and Cooling Off Day is prohibited and the offence carries a fine or imprisonment or both.
