[SINGAPORE] Walkabouts by ruling party heavyweights in Tampines GRC show how the Workers’ Party’s (WP) presence has brought “some form of competition”, said WP vice-chairman Faisal Manap on Wednesday (Apr 30) evening.
He was replying to reporters who pointed out that the People’s Action Party (PAP) slate has received strong support from senior party figures, with both Senior Minister Lee Hsien Loong and Prime Minister Lawrence Wong doing walkabouts there.
“We are humbled by the presence of SM Lee and the prime minister,” said Faisal, who leads the five-member WP team in a four-way fight in Tampines. “It shows that our presence does bring some form of competition.”
He added: “The purpose of us coming (to Tampines) was to give competition to the incumbent so that they will do better and perform better.”
He was speaking at the sidelines of a walkabout in Tampines Central, with the rest of his team as well as Tampines Changkat SMC candidate Kenneth Foo.
The other WP candidates for Tampines are first-time candidates Eileen Chong, Michael Thng, Jimmy Tan and Ong Lue Ping. Foo, who was part of the WP’s East Coast team in GE2020, now squares off with PAP incumbent Desmond Choo.
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Also running in Tampines GRC are the National Solidarity Party and People’s Power Party. The three opposition parties face a PAP team comprising leader Minister for Social and Family Development Masagos Zulkifli, incumbent Baey Yam Keng, as well as two newcomers David Neo and Charlene Chen.
Town council experience
At Wednesday’s walkabout, the WP candidates told reporters that Tampines residents have given them a warm reception.
“(Residents) say they want a strong and effective opposition to challenge the government and maintain checks and balance,” said Foo in Mandarin. He reassured residents that the WP has experience in running town councils and will take care of Tampines well if it wins the constituency.
Noting that Faisal has had years of experience running the Aljunied-Hougang Town Council, Foo added that he himself has been part of that town council’s committee and is familiar with operations.
Residents have also shared concerns about whether estate upgrades will take place if the WP takes over, noted Foo. He reassured them that government-initiated plans will continue and the WP will also continue to push for these.
Faisal said that, if elected, he will bring his experience from running Aljunied GRC’s Kaki Bukit ward to Tampines GRC.
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