Singapore People’s Party (SPP) announced its candidate on Saturday evening, for the contestation of the Hong Kah North Single Member Constituency (SMC). Blogger Ravi Philemon was introduced by the party chairman, Mrs Lina Chiam at the walkabout at Bukit Batok as the party’s candidate in the upcoming General Election.
Mr Philemon is the former director of volunteer welfare organisation Operation Hope Foundation and said he brings years of social activism to the table.
“I have stepped forward because I believe I have a debt to Singapore.” said Mr Philemon.
He shared that he came from a disadvantaged family and was able to climb the social mobility ladder due to the opportunities that were available in Singapore.
Mr Philemon said to the media, that the reason for him to enter politics is to ensure that there are enough opportunities for Singapore’s children, and its children’s children in the future, and for that, “it is important for check and balances…”
“I have made relatively big sacrifice for this step of coming into politics” said Mr Philemon
He also shared with reporters that he had quit his job on Friday. When asked for the reasons behind the resignation, he said, “My employment contract stated that if I were to contest, I have to resign. So that is my reason for my resign[ation]”
Mr Philemon said that residents can be assured that he would be able to run a town council if he were to be elected as he is supported by the party machinery of SPP, which had run Potong Pasir for twenty over years.
“We have twenty over years of experience with Mr Chiam leading the town council in Potong Pasir. And when he left, he left with a surplus. And there were lifts upgraded, I think about 29 lifts that were upgraded, without residents co-paying for it. So that is the kind of assurance the residents can have, when they elect someone from SPP.
Saying that he would be a voice and a conscience for Singaporeans in parliament, Mr Philemon said, “And when you look at the parliamentary proceeding, for the last thirty years, SPP has had a presence in parliament.. many times in the past, we have been the only opposition in parliament, we have been a conscience in Singapore. And Mrs Chiam has the record of speaking up the most number of times in Parliament on many different valid issues.”
Mr Philemon was a former member of the National Solidarity Party and was part of a batch of members who left NSP in March this year and joined SPP.
People’s Action Party’s Dr Amy Khor had earlier said yesterday, that she would defend her seat in Hong Kah North.
Singapore People’s Party’s candidate, Ravi Philemon to be contesting in Hong Kah North SMC against People’s Action Party’s candidate, Dr Amy Khor.
