The chief of Singapore Democratic Party (SDP) Chee Soon Juan took to his Facebook on Tuesday (30 June) to criticise a “scurrilous attack” made on PAP MP Murali Pillai’s family, right after the latter announced that he will standing for GE2020 in Bukit Batok SMC.
Mr Murali, who was elected into Parliament in 2016, said in a Facebook video that a post has been circulating online highlighting his son’s past offences, and it surfaced “minutes after election has been declared in Bukit Batok SMC” on Tuesday.
“My son was a victim, of a scandal. He also committed offences. The court has dealt with all these matters. The perpetrators behind the scandal have been dealt with. He himself has been dealt with and is serving sentence,” Mr Murali said without going into much details.
The MP, who is a lawyer, added that the timing to which the post surfaced “leaves nothing to imagination”.
The politician also stated that he is not a perfect father and all families have issues, but these should not be involved in politics.
“Yes, I’m not a perfect father. Yes, families have issues. But no, these things should not be brought into politics. I’m terribly affected by this, but I will not be deterred. I will fight on,” he said.
Mr Murali will be going against Dr Chee in Bukit Batok SMC for the upcoming GE after both of them submitted their nomination papers yesterday. This will be the second time both the men will be going against each other at the same constituency.
Dr Chee last contested in Bukit Batok SMC in the 2016 by-election – which took place following the sudden resignation of PAP MP David Ong – where he lost to the PAP’s Murali Pillai, who won with 61.21 per cent of the vote.
Responding to this attack, Dr Chee slammed the person who posted the video and urged others not to circulate it.
“I have just been told that there is a video circulating about Mr Murali’s family. I haven’t seen it myself but I have watched Mr Murali’s anguished response to it,” he wrote in a Facebook post.
He added, “I stand with Mr Murali on this and call on whoever who did this to stop it and for others not to circulate it”.
Dr Chee also went on to state that politics should be about making the country better, and “not personal attacks like this.
“This is not what politics should be. Politics is about ideas on how we can make our nation better, not personal attacks like this.”
Pointing out that although Dr Chee may disagree with Mr Murali on political views, but the difference should not go down the road of smearing the candidates and their families.
“I may disagree with Mr Murali on his political views and we can have a healthy and professional debate on them. But our differences must not be allowed to degenerate into unseemly smears against the candidates and their families,” Dr Chee concluded.
Without elaborating much about the scandal, Mr Murali said to The Straits Times that he will not allow this incident to distract him from doing the best for the people of Bukit Batok.
“I am determined to continue helping Bukit Batok families to overcome the challenges that we collectively face in this present crisis,” he said.
