Not so quiet on Cooling off Day
by Christopher Toh 01:00 AM May 07, 2011
Christopher Toh
SINGAPORE - The first Cooling off Day in Singapore yesterday - when campaigning and election advertising are disallowed - was anything but uneventful.
People's Action Party Marine Parade GRC candidate Tin Pei Ling had to come forward to clarify that she was not responsible for a comment apparently posted by her on Facebook.
Annoymous messages were circulated via SMSes and letters in Aljunied GRC canvassing votes for both the PAP and the Workers' Party.
The National Solidarity Party also sent a complaint letter to the Elections Department against its PAP opponents in Tampines GRC, alleging that they had distributed pamphlets to residents of Tampines early yesterday morning.
When contacted, PAP Tampines GRC candidate Baey Yam Keng stressed: "Definitely we wouldn't have done this."
Mr Baey said his team had distributed the pamphlets "at least two days ago".
Mr Baey added: "But we can't stop people from taking any of our collateral and re-distributing it or leaving it somewhere... But we're not even in Tampines today. It could be a misunderstanding. When we go on house visits, sometimes the residents are not in, and we leave (the pamphlets) at the shoe rack or the door. I'm not surprised if some of them are still there today."
Ms Tin was also involved in what she said was "an honest mistake" - committed by one of the administrators of her Facebook account. Ms Tin told Channel NewsAsia she was alerted to the comment - which alluded to NSP Marine Parade GRC candidate Nicole Seah - when some of her friends called her shortly after it was posted.The comment was removed within minutes.
Said Ms Tin: "She wanted to post the comment in her personal capacity, and she was using her mobile phone. But she didn't realise that she had inadvertently posted as my profile rather than her own."
The Elections Department was unable to comment at press time. In an earlier press release, it reiterated that contraventions of the Cooling off Day prohibitions are offences punishable by fines and/or imprisonment.
by Christopher Toh 01:00 AM May 07, 2011
Christopher Toh
SINGAPORE - The first Cooling off Day in Singapore yesterday - when campaigning and election advertising are disallowed - was anything but uneventful.
People's Action Party Marine Parade GRC candidate Tin Pei Ling had to come forward to clarify that she was not responsible for a comment apparently posted by her on Facebook.
Annoymous messages were circulated via SMSes and letters in Aljunied GRC canvassing votes for both the PAP and the Workers' Party.
The National Solidarity Party also sent a complaint letter to the Elections Department against its PAP opponents in Tampines GRC, alleging that they had distributed pamphlets to residents of Tampines early yesterday morning.
When contacted, PAP Tampines GRC candidate Baey Yam Keng stressed: "Definitely we wouldn't have done this."
Mr Baey said his team had distributed the pamphlets "at least two days ago".
Mr Baey added: "But we can't stop people from taking any of our collateral and re-distributing it or leaving it somewhere... But we're not even in Tampines today. It could be a misunderstanding. When we go on house visits, sometimes the residents are not in, and we leave (the pamphlets) at the shoe rack or the door. I'm not surprised if some of them are still there today."
Ms Tin was also involved in what she said was "an honest mistake" - committed by one of the administrators of her Facebook account. Ms Tin told Channel NewsAsia she was alerted to the comment - which alluded to NSP Marine Parade GRC candidate Nicole Seah - when some of her friends called her shortly after it was posted.The comment was removed within minutes.
Said Ms Tin: "She wanted to post the comment in her personal capacity, and she was using her mobile phone. But she didn't realise that she had inadvertently posted as my profile rather than her own."
The Elections Department was unable to comment at press time. In an earlier press release, it reiterated that contraventions of the Cooling off Day prohibitions are offences punishable by fines and/or imprisonment.
