The Workers’ Party (WP) team for Sengkang group representation constituency (GRC) received a warm welcome from vendors and patrons at their walkabout in Rivervale Plaza on Tuesday noon (7 July).
According to a TOC correspondent, many people including “both old and young residents, both Chinese and Malays” were eager to take photographs with the young candidates.
Party secretary-general Pritam Singh and chair Sylvia Lim were also present at the walkabout.
WP’s Sengkang GRC four-person team comprises lawyer He Ting Ru, equity analyst Louis Chua, economics professor Jamus Lim and social activist Raeesah Khan.
The WP Sengkang GRC team appears to be sustaining its campaign trail momentum amid controversy surrounding recent police investigations into Ms Khan’s past social media posts, as seen in Ms He’s Facebook post on Monday.
“We keep walking,” she wrote.
Mr Singh last Sunday said that he does not regret fielding Ms Khan, having observed her work for residents on the ground long prior to the general election period.
Stressing that Ms Khan takes “every case very seriously” when assisting in past Meet-the-People sessions “regardless of race and religion”, Mr Singh told the media in response to questions on the matter: “She’s very vested into what the resident is facing and what help the person needs”.
“So I think those are very important criteria for me personally to consider someone for candidature — whether you are able to put yourself and walk in the mile of the shoes of someone who needs help in a system,” said Mr Singh.
“I have no regrets for fielding a candidate who is like that, who is prepared to walk with residents to solve their problems and issues,” he added.
Mr Singh assured that Ms Khan will continue campaigning as a candidate in Sengkang GRC and that the party will review the case after the election.
While declining to comment on Ms Khan’s posts due to the ongoing nature of the police investigations, Mr Singh said that it would be a disappointment if WP’s candidates attempted to “sanitise their past”, and that they should be “authentic” towards the public.
“In the event that there are certain posts or certain comments that they may have made which are untoward, then I would expect them to explain themselves.
“And that’s how I think that generation who has lived on social media, from their adolescent years, will have to understand the difference between what you do on social media, and what happens when you move into the public realm,” he said.