SINGAPORE: People’s Action Party (PAP) candidate for Bukit Batok Single Member Constituency (SMC) Murali Pillai said his strategy for the upcoming by-election is to focus on the needs of residents, in particular, the elderly and needy.
On the sidelines of a walkabout on Sunday (Apr 3), Mr Murali said feedback he had gathered while making the rounds in Bukit Batok included calls by residents for the Home Improvement Programme to be extended to more housing blocks in the SMC.
He also shared some of his plans for the area if elected, such as introducing a Panic Button Installation fund for elderly residents and increasing medical literacy for them.
No date for the by-election has been announced, but Mr Murali added that when it comes, it will be a matter of him presenting his credentials and experience and leaving the decision "in residents' good hands".
The walkabout on Sunday saw the media being invited to tag along for the first time. Mr Murali was joined by others in the Jurong family of MPs, including Jurong GRC MPs Tharman Shanmugaratnam, Desmond Lee and Rahayu Mahazam; Yuhua SMC MP Grace Fu, and Mayor of South West District Low Yen Ling. Former Jurong GRC MP Lim Boon Heng was also seen lending support.
The by-election was triggered by the resignation of Bukit Batok MP David Ong on Mar 12. Mr Ong left his post after an extramarital affair with a PAP grassroots activist came to light. Both have resigned from the party.
Mr Murali contested the General Election in 2015, as part of the PAP team challenging the incumbent Worker’s Party team (WP) in Aljunied GRC.
Meanwhile, Mr Murali's opponent, Singapore Democratic Party's candidate Chee Soon Juan, was also canvassing in Bukit Batok on Sunday.
Dr Chee said his top priority will be to take care of the housing estate and town council affairs.
He pledged to become a full-time MP if elected and that he will raise issues such as poverty and housing costs in Parliament.
"We don't want the residents to depend on handouts. We want to empower them, that's the difference. The more they depend on handouts, the more the power can be used as an overlord to them. What we want to do is to make sure that laws and policies give them their right to bring up their children and give them equal opportunity, so that they will be empowered," said Dr Chee.
He added that this by-election will be an interesting one, as there are many issues concerning people's livelihoods that both he and Mr Murali will have to think about.
On the sidelines of a walkabout on Sunday (Apr 3), Mr Murali said feedback he had gathered while making the rounds in Bukit Batok included calls by residents for the Home Improvement Programme to be extended to more housing blocks in the SMC.
He also shared some of his plans for the area if elected, such as introducing a Panic Button Installation fund for elderly residents and increasing medical literacy for them.
No date for the by-election has been announced, but Mr Murali added that when it comes, it will be a matter of him presenting his credentials and experience and leaving the decision "in residents' good hands".
The walkabout on Sunday saw the media being invited to tag along for the first time. Mr Murali was joined by others in the Jurong family of MPs, including Jurong GRC MPs Tharman Shanmugaratnam, Desmond Lee and Rahayu Mahazam; Yuhua SMC MP Grace Fu, and Mayor of South West District Low Yen Ling. Former Jurong GRC MP Lim Boon Heng was also seen lending support.
The by-election was triggered by the resignation of Bukit Batok MP David Ong on Mar 12. Mr Ong left his post after an extramarital affair with a PAP grassroots activist came to light. Both have resigned from the party.
Mr Murali contested the General Election in 2015, as part of the PAP team challenging the incumbent Worker’s Party team (WP) in Aljunied GRC.
Meanwhile, Mr Murali's opponent, Singapore Democratic Party's candidate Chee Soon Juan, was also canvassing in Bukit Batok on Sunday.
Dr Chee said his top priority will be to take care of the housing estate and town council affairs.
He pledged to become a full-time MP if elected and that he will raise issues such as poverty and housing costs in Parliament.
"We don't want the residents to depend on handouts. We want to empower them, that's the difference. The more they depend on handouts, the more the power can be used as an overlord to them. What we want to do is to make sure that laws and policies give them their right to bring up their children and give them equal opportunity, so that they will be empowered," said Dr Chee.
He added that this by-election will be an interesting one, as there are many issues concerning people's livelihoods that both he and Mr Murali will have to think about.
