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'If I'm fit, I'm prepared to stand'
Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew said last night he is willing to contest the next general election, if his health allows for it.
But the decision lies with Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, he said.
'If I'm fit, I'm prepared to stand. But whether I stand or not, that's up to the Prime Minister,' the 87-year-old told reporters at a constituency event last night.
Asked if he was feeling up to it, Mr Lee chuckled and would only say: 'It's for you to judge.'
It was a stance similar to that in August 2006, shortly after the last general election, when he told constituents at a National Day dinner: 'If I'm still fit and capable of making another speech like this, I'll be here, I will stand with you.'
Mr Lee has been the MP for Tanjong Pagar since he won the seat in the first Legislative Assembly elections in 1955, with 78.3 per cent of the votes in a three-cornered fight. He defended the seat comfortably in subsequent elections, and last faced a contest in 1988, when he beat independent candidate M.G. Guru with 81.6 per cent of the vote. The seat became part of Tanjong Pagar GRC in 1991, and since then, the constituency's MPs have been returned unopposed.
Last month, Reform Party chief Kenneth Jeyaretnam declared his party's intention to contest the GRC if it has enough candidates.
Asked what he had to say about the opposition's interest in his constituency, Mr Lee said: 'Welcome. We'll contest them.'
But does he think they will make any headway? He volleyed the question back deftly.
'Well, you think they'll win in the next election?' he asked.
'You can sense the crowd, you can feel the ground, I don't have to answer you,' he added, smiling at residents who had gathered around to take photographs.
Zakir Hussain
Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew said last night he is willing to contest the next general election, if his health allows for it.
But the decision lies with Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, he said.
'If I'm fit, I'm prepared to stand. But whether I stand or not, that's up to the Prime Minister,' the 87-year-old told reporters at a constituency event last night.
Asked if he was feeling up to it, Mr Lee chuckled and would only say: 'It's for you to judge.'
It was a stance similar to that in August 2006, shortly after the last general election, when he told constituents at a National Day dinner: 'If I'm still fit and capable of making another speech like this, I'll be here, I will stand with you.'
Mr Lee has been the MP for Tanjong Pagar since he won the seat in the first Legislative Assembly elections in 1955, with 78.3 per cent of the votes in a three-cornered fight. He defended the seat comfortably in subsequent elections, and last faced a contest in 1988, when he beat independent candidate M.G. Guru with 81.6 per cent of the vote. The seat became part of Tanjong Pagar GRC in 1991, and since then, the constituency's MPs have been returned unopposed.
Last month, Reform Party chief Kenneth Jeyaretnam declared his party's intention to contest the GRC if it has enough candidates.
Asked what he had to say about the opposition's interest in his constituency, Mr Lee said: 'Welcome. We'll contest them.'
But does he think they will make any headway? He volleyed the question back deftly.
'Well, you think they'll win in the next election?' he asked.
'You can sense the crowd, you can feel the ground, I don't have to answer you,' he added, smiling at residents who had gathered around to take photographs.
Zakir Hussain
