Low, speaking to reporters
Low, speaking to reporters
Low, speaking to reporters

The Workers’ Party (WP) secretary general, Low Thia Khiang, says his party takes the support of voters seriously and this was one reason why the WP has said it will be contesting Marine Parade GRC in the upcoming elections.

Speaking to reporters at this meet-the-people session in Aljunied GRC on Wednesday night, Mr Low was responding to questions on whether the WP will back out of the contest in Marine Parade to avoid a three-cornered fight with the National Solidarity Party (NSP) and the People’s Action Party (PAP).

The NSP contested the GRC in the last elections in 2011 and has expressed interest in doing so again.

Negotiations between the WP and the NSP have so far yielded no agreements to avoid three-cornered battles in Marine Parade GRC and Macpherson SMC, which the two parties are also interested in. Nonetheless, the NSP said on Tuesday that it was still committed to “opposition unity”, a reference to the bloc’s pledge to avoid multiple-cornered fights as far as possible.

Responding to this, Mr Low said, “There are many things which are not within our control. We have to accept whatever people want to contest. I think it’s the right of every opposition party to contest anywhere in Singapore which they wish.”

He said that he is glad that voters now have more choices but at the same time, this has resulted in higher chances of three-cornered fights which, he said, were “a reality which we will have to see how we can manage.” He added that the WP has tried to avoid three-cornered fights as far as possible.

As he did when the Electoral Boundaries Review Committee (EBRC) report was released on 24 July, Mr Low took pains to explain why the WP felt it was right for it to contest Marine Parade GRC, which is currently held by the PAP team led by Emeritus Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong.

On 26 July, Mr Low said, “As a matter of principle, The Workers’ Party will contest where we have contested before. In this case, Joo Chiat is being redrawn into Marine Parade. We don’t want to disappoint voters in Joo Chiat. We want to offer them a choice again in this election.”

On Wednesday, he reiterated this position.

“The main push factor for us to go into Marine Parade is because Joo Chiat SMC , which Yee Jenn Jong, the party’s candidate [in 2011], lost [by] 388 votes, [has been] drawn into Marine Parade GRC,” Mr Low said. “That is a factor which we cannot ignore. And are we going to say sorry, Joo Chiat residents, because [it’s] now being drawn into Marine Parade, we back off?’

He added:

“We are a serious party, we take support of the voters seriously. We will go in. If this is what they want, yes, we will put up a fight, we will take the challenge.”

Turning to questions of whether he will remain in Aljunied GRC, instead of leaving the constituency to lead a WP team elsewhere in the elections, as he did in 2011 when he left Hougang SMC for Aljunied GRC, Mr Low confirmed that he will remain in Aljunied.

“I will not move,” he said. “I appreciate very much that residents of Aljunied have given us a chance to serve, who have responded to the call to move Singapore towards a First-World Parliament. And I am happy to see the Government today is more responsive and there are many policy u-turns being made for the benefit of the people. And I want to continue to serve residents of Aljunied GRC  and I am grateful for their support. I am very happy that their support has resulted in a better and more responsive government today. “

Mr Low, however, declined to reveal if his other Aljunied GRC team members will remain as well and contest the constituency in the elections. He said the party will reveal details of its candidates at a later date.

Party chairman, Sylvia Lim, has said that the party plans to field 28 candidates and to contest in five SMCs, namely Hougang, Punggol East, Fengshan, MacPherson and Sengkang West SMCs; and five GRCs – Aljunied, Marine Parade, East Coast, Jalan Besar and Nee Soon.

The WP is currently incumbent in Hougang SMC, Punggol East SMC and Aljunied GRC.

Subscribe
Notify of
0 Comments
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
You May Also Like

PA to present free commemorative NS50 PAssion card for national servicemen

People’s Association (PA) has announced that all past and present national servicemen will…

Myanmar army sues Reuters for criminal defamation over story on death of two Rohingya women in Rakhine

The Myanmar army has filed a criminal defamation lawsuit against international news…

马共总书记陈平终于“回家” 巫统放软姿态:“尊重家属决定”

离开马来西亚超过半世纪,2013年9月16日在泰国合艾去世,马共总书记陈平生前遗愿是回到老家拜祭父母,致离世都无法如愿。 不过在一众老战友的安排下,成功在今年9月16日,把陈平的骨灰,送返马国霹雳州实兆远的老家。 据马国媒体报导,陈平亲属早在去年就委托陈平生前的老战友,组成“陈平亲朋好友及同志骨灰处理工作组”,安排把陈平骨灰运回马国。但为了避免引起争端,此前才未有张扬,行程保密。 该工作组负责人蔡建福,在昨日召开新闻发布会公布陈平骨灰“已回家”的消息。除了携带陈平骨灰到老家合照留恋,也前往红土坎本律华人义山,让陈平得以在祖坟前“拜祭”父母及兄嫂。 之后,他们带着陈平骨灰,乘船前往红土坎码头与邦咯岛之间的海域,将部分骨灰撒入大海;两日后将剩余骨灰撒到位于和丰的蒂蒂旺沙山脉山脚下,完成陈平的遗愿。 据了解,马国前朝政府国阵最大盟党巫统,在失去政权后也对陈平骨灰返马一事态度放缓;该党总秘书丹斯里安努亚慕沙指出,在宗教角度上,巫统尊重陈平亲友将陈平的骨灰运返马的决定。 “我们针对的是活人,不管是陈平或任何人,既然已经去世,那么我们应尊重家属要做的任何事,只要不违反法律。” 陈平原名王文华,17岁时加入马来西亚共产党,以在第二次世界大战时进行反英殖民斗争,过后则在日军侵略时,反过来获得英国的协助,对抗日军。 遭前朝政府内长拒绝 24岁时,陈平受委为马共总书记,并在1955年华玲谈判破裂后,走入马泰边境的森林。 自1989签署年《合艾和平协议》,渴望返回老家实兆远的陈平是第一个向马国政府申请回国的马共领袖。但却遭到拒绝,直至2013年离开人世都无法如愿以偿。 尽管此后陈平家属和老战友,都试图将其骨灰运返马国,却遭到时任马国国阵政府内政部长阿末扎希拒绝。当时他提出的理由,是考量到那些过往与马共战斗、或受害者家属的后代情绪。

“不是搭便车!” 毕丹星:选民深知反对党在国会更有益国家

总理李显龙和国会反对党领袖毕丹星,针对储备金和反对党等议题在国会过招。 总理引述国务资政张志贤竞选时的经历,指出曾由选民问他,能否投给反对党,因为政府仍会继续掌权,落选行动党候选人仍会继续服务。 对此,总理非议“投反对票,其他人还是会支持执政党”的说法,形容这是“搭便车”(free rider)的行为。如果认为现任政府做的不好,那么就应该投选出新的政府,换掉政府换掉政策。 对此,毕丹星也立即反驳,“我不认为阿裕尼、盛港、后港的选民是在搭便车”。 人民理解国会里有反对党,对新加坡有益。 毕丹星指出,反对党同样要管理好选区,而不是让执政政府来工作而已。“我们同样要管理市镇会,这也是为何已故李光耀设立市镇会的用意,若要以反对党议员身份继续前进,那么就要透过市镇会证明你的价值。” 毕丹星形容,这是选区选民赋予工人党的信任,且他们深知,有反对党在国会,对新加坡更有利。 “如果您有民选反对党议员,政府会更积极聆听,这对确实对民众有一定的意义。”