Sunday Times: WP: Opposition spurs PAP to give upgrading

By Zakir Hussain

VOTE for the opposition and you can still get upgrading.

That is the line from a Workers’ Party (WP) member tipped to stand in East Coast GRC in the coming general election.

Senior bank manager Eric Tan, 51, argues that the opposition provides competition so the People’s Action Party has to improve estates, and come up with programmes to help low-wage workers.

He said: “Because we walk the ground, you are the beneficiaries and we are happy that you are the beneficiaries.”

He was speaking to reporters at a walkabout in Bedok South yesterday afternoon with three other prospective WP candidates in East Coast GRC.

They are: Mr Abdul Rahim Abdul Rahman, 66, a technician; Mr Brandon Siow, 31, an account manager; and lawyer Chia Ti Lik, 33.

While all have been on frequent visits to the GRC of late, meeting residents and handing out name cards, they were coy when asked to confirm if they would contest there, saying it was up to the party to decide.

According to the WP website, the party has made at least nine visits to the GRC since last December.

On their chances in East Coast, Mr Abdul Rahim said: “Before, people were scared of openly supporting the opposition. Now, people feel a little more comfortable supporting the opposition, that is an advantage for us.”

However, retired crane operator Ares Abdul Gani, 55, thought otherwise.

He said: “Although we have not voted in the past two elections, the estate has improved a lot recently and we have lifts on every floor. I think they will have a tough time.”

TODAY: MP: What exactly is your vision, Ms Sylvia Lim?

IS IT ENOUGH to want to act as a check on the Government?

This was the poser given by People’s Action Party (PAP) MP Irene Ng last night when asked for her views on opposition leader Sylvia Lim.

Speaking at a dialogue with young women, Ms Ng suggested that the Workers’ Party chairman lacked a clear stand on issues.

“I’ve not engaged (Ms Lim) before in any discussions, so I’m not sure about her stand on issues, but from what I read in TODAY, her position is that she wants to be a check on the Government,” said Ms Ng.

“But it strikes me that if you want to be elected by the people, you must want to have programmes that you can implement for them and a vision of Singapore that is better than what is present today.”

“I don’t get a sense of what her stand is on issues. Does she want to see more young women step forward in politics? Because for me, as a woman MP, I see that as one of my important roles.

“I don’t hear from her any concrete programmes, ideas or issues that she wants to raise other than that she wants to be a check on the Government. And that’s up to the people to vote, and I hope the voters will choose wisely.”

When contacted, Ms Lim was unruffled by the comments and said: “The Workers’ Party vision is in our manifesto and I stand by that. We are still waiting for the PAP’s manifesto.”

The dialogue last night was organised by the National Youth Achievement Award as part of a leadership for women series.

The 70 participants, mostly female undergraduates, were mostly in consensus that there should be more women in Parliament. Currently, there are 10 elected female MPs and three female Nominated MPs.

One participant, however, sparked a mini-debate when she described the present situation as fine and that it was a choice Singapore women are making. She added that men are more pragmatic while women are more emotional.

As others responded, pointing out that the stereotype did not mean women are weak, the general sentiment emerged that disengagement is a feature in Singapore society, and that political education in schools does not imbue people with a sense that they have a role.

Commenting on the doubts over women’s role in politics, Ms Ng said: “I think it’s a fair question. It reflects the question in the minds of some people in the public – and the point is that we do (make a difference) because we reflect the views of 50 per cent of the population.” – CHEOW XIN YI

Straits Times: WP chief: JBJ will give voters more choice

BY KEN KWEK

VOTERS will enjoy more choice if Mr J. B. Jeyaretnam runs in the upcoming polls, said erstwhile party colleague Low Thia Khiang last night.

All opposition parties aim to provide options, and “Mr Jeyaretnam is also trying to do the same thing”, added Mr Low, the secretary-general of the Workers’ Party (WP).

He also said that the WP is prepared to negotiate with the veteran opposition figure should he decide to contest in Sembawang GRC on an independent slate.

“I believe some of my party colleagues are in touch with Mr Jeyaretnam, so when the time comes we will see what we can do about it,” he said.

Sembawang GRC is one of four GRCs that the Workers’ Party “reserved” as possible seats to contest.

This is part of an opposition pact to avoid three-cornered fights in the elections.

Opposition leaders of various parties reached the pact at a meeting last Friday.

Mr Low’s comments – his first since the pact was reached – are significant given the rift between the two men.

Mr Jeyaretnam led the WP for 30 years until 2001.

Mr Low, his one-time protege, replaced him as party chief in May 2001.

Later that year, Mr Jeyaretnam and several others quit the party after accusing the leadership of not standing by him in his various defamation suits.

Mr Jeyaretnam intends to contest the coming election but must first discharge himself from bankruptcy.

He has a court hearing on March 28 to do so, after failing to raise enough sums at an earlier hearing this week.

Mr Low, who spoke last night after meeting residents at his weekly Meet-the-People session at his Hougang ward, said he was optimistic the coming General Election would pose fewer problems for the opposition “administratively”.

He was referring to the last election in 2001, when the WP was disqualified from contesting in Aljunied GRC after an error was made in its statutory declaration.

Procedures for candidacy have been simplified and that ought to help, he noted.

TODAY: No need to quit TP to contest GE

Policy amendment means WP chairman Sylvia Lim won’t have to leave poly job

DERRICK A PAULO
derrick@newstoday.com.sg

GOOD NEWS: Ms Lim welcomed the news but said GRC operations may require all her time.

WORKERS’ Party chairman Sylvia Lim will not have to leave her job at Temasek Polytechnic (TP) to contest the coming polls. But she might not return to work after that.

Her employer announced yesterday that it was changing its human resource policies for staff who enter the political arena.

TP employees previously had to obtain approval to participate in political activities and had to retire from service if they wanted to stand for elections.

Both requirements have now been dropped. However, the reason for the change is not due to Ms Lim’s expected candidacy at the General Election, according to the polytechnic.

It said in a press statement that the policy was removed to ensure consistency in HR practices with that of other polytechnics.

“TP’s policies are reviewed whenever there are changes in the policies of the civil service, or following discussions or regular reviews with the other polytechnics,” a spokesperson told TODAY.

“The last check with the other polytechnics was earlier this year. Upon finding out that TP’s policy on participation in political activities was not consistent with that of the other polytechnics, TP decided to review this policy.”

A check with Ngee Ann Polytechnic revealed that it too has revised its rules, which had been similar to TP’s, after a review earlier this year, as the policy was found to be “outdated” and “inconsistent” with its counterparts.

Singapore Polytechnic and Nanyang Polytechnic (NYP), which counts MP Zainudin Nordin (Bishan-Toa Payoh GRC) as one of its staff, have never had such a policy.

“All staff are free to choose whether to participate in politics and stand for GE,” said NYP public affairs officer Dawn Ho.

Ms Lim, who lectures on law at the Temasek Business School, welcomed the news but said she would probably not return to her job if she gets elected.

“The likelihood is that I’ll run for a GRC seat. To manage operations at a GRC level would require a lot of my time. I owe it to the party and the voters to devote my energy to them,” she told TODAY.

Mr Zainudin, who is the manager of the Electronics Design Centre at NYP, also welcomed the move.

“It’s a positive development. My view is that a review of HR policy would make sense in the present times. People are more active and want to be involved in shaping decisions,” he said.

Although he did not have any restrictions, he did inform his employers when he stood in the 2001 GE.

According to TP, when it was established in 1990 its HR department adapted policies and practices of the Government and other statutory boards.

Its spokesperson told TODAY: “The general practice of TP has been to adopt and adapt from the Government Instruction Manual when policies are not mandatory for TP to follow and when the non-mandatory policies are relevant and appropriate for adoption.”

According to the Public Service Division, civil servants cannot participate in political activities, such as holding office in a political organisation, speaking publicly or writing to the press on any political matter and canvassing for political purposes.

They may join a political party as a member, but will have to resign should they wish to stand for election to Parliament.

But there is more leeway for statutory boards like polytechnics.

“Statutory boards are not bound by civil service guidelines as they have the autonomy to decide on their own rules, taking their own circumstances into consideration,” said PSD’s director of personnel policy, Ms Ong Toon Hui.

Since the last GE, two TP employees have sought approval to enter politics, one of them, of course, being Ms Lim.

TODAY: WP works the ground at Sembawang GRC

General Election 2006

DERRICK A PAULO
derrick@newstoday.com.sg

TWO days after the Opposition hammered out a near-unanimous agreement on where to contest in the coming polls, the Workers’ Party (WP) went a-knocking at the doors of one of its reserve constituencies: Sembawang GRC.

With two PAP MPs – including anchor MP, former Deputy Prime Minister Tony Tan – touted to step down, the Group Representation Constituency (GRC) might be the scene for an intriguing battle.

But the ward may also pose the biggest challenge to the WP because of its size. With almost 185,000 voters and about 60 polling districts, Sembawang has the largest electorate size.

“It’s a massive task. In an ideal situation, we would need two polling agents per district (on Polling Day). For the day-today campaign, it’s all right,” said WP Youth Wing exco member Yaw Shin Leong, 30.

“The harvest might be ripe but the labourers are few,” the business analyst told TODAY.

Indeed, even if the Opposition parties could field as many as 52 candidates – which means the ruling PAP will not be returned to power on Nomination Day – it remains to be seen if they could find enough suitable candidates.

Among the Opposition parties, the WP is described as the most prepared, having worked the ground since the 2001 polls.

It is eyeing the four GRCs of Aljunied, East Coast, Sembawang and Ang Mo Kio, and the three single wards of Hougang, Nee Soon East and Joo Chiat.

Yesterday, a 10-strong team from the party ardently worked the Sembawang ground, visiting food centres and homes at Chong Pang. They distributed party pamphlets and Mr Yaw’s postcard-sized namecard.

So, if the WP stands in Sembawang, will Mr Yaw – who was part of WP’s Aljunied team that was disqualified on a technicality in the 2001 General Election – be one of the candidates?

Although he tactfully deflected the question, Mr Yaw has been involved in the party’s “outreach” efforts in the GRC since last July. He profiled Sembawang as an area where a “significant proportion of the residents belong to the new poor”, referring to a phrase coined by the WP to describe the economically disadvantaged.

Other issues the WP might raise at the coming polls may range from elitism, health care costs and reduced Central Provident Fund contributions – as noted on Mr Yaw’s name card.

A resident who gave his name as Mr Ong, invited Mr Yaw to join him at the coffee shop. The 60-year-old asked about the WP’s plans for Singapore and was told: “We want to sharpen the competitive edge in politics. We want to sharpen the decision-making process.”

Mr Ong, whose son has been out of a job for six months, said more needs to be done to minimise foreign employment and the cost of living. Would he consider giving the WP a chance at the ballot box? “I have to see what they say, but yes, I would vote for them,” he said.