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National Solidarity Party adviser and founding member Ken Sun
The National Solidarity Party’s (NSP) adviser and founding member Ken Sun had choice words for the opposition WP and Singapore Democratic Party (SDP), which the NSP is going up against in multi-cornered fights in both Tampines and Sembawang GRCs.
He said: “WP has a long history of abandoning constituencies they promised to serve in. It abandoned Jalan Besar in 2015, MacPherson in 2020, and now Marine Parade-Braddell Heights this year… do you think WP will continue to be here in Tampines at the next GE?”
He added that these moves made it seem like the WP was treating general elections as “masak-masak” (child’s play).
Mr Sun, who is not contesting the upcoming general election, was speaking at the NSP’s first e-rally, which was live-streamed on Facebook on April 29.
He also expressed his disappointment with the WP and SDP for “encroaching (on) NSP’s turf” in Tampines and Sembawang GRCs, respectively.
In the 2015 and 2020 General Elections, the NSP went up against the PAP in straight fights in both constituencies. In 2020, the NSP garnered 33.59 per cent of the votes in Tampines GRC and 32.71 per cent of the votes in Sembawang GRC.
Tampines has become one of the most hotly contested GRCs in the upcoming polls, with the WP and People’s Power Party also in the running.
Earlier in the hustings, NSP secretary-general Spencer Ng had told the media it would be near impossible for opposition parties to cooperate and avoid multi-cornered fights in future elections, given the eleventh-hour decision by WP to withdraw from Marine Parade-Braddell Heights GRC.
At the virtual rally, NSP president Reno Fong addressed questions about the party’s relevance.
“Some are asking: ‘Why is NSP contesting again after so many years without a breakthrough?’ Some say we may lose our deposit.
“We say: ‘We’re not here to place bets. We’re here to serve.’ Some say the WP will attract more attention. But attention alone doesn’t solve problems. Deep roots, long commitment, and real engagement do,” said Mr Fong, who is leading the Tampines slate.
On April 30, after a walkabout in Kampung Admiralty, Mr Ng was asked if the candidates could lose their deposits in Tampines – the sum of $13,500 will be forfeited if candidates are not elected and do not secure more than 12.5 per cent of the votes polled.
He said: “Let us not be too drawn away from the issues that deserve our attention in this GE. We have been spending too much time covering trivial issues, parties bickering with one another... I think they have lost their focus.
“We should be focusing on issues where people are concerned with how we are going to lower the cost of living through responsible, sustainable, constructive policies. And not to focus our attention on which candidates are singing onstage or during rallies.”
The party said it has been active in Tampines and Sembawang for years and expressed unhappiness with SDP for attempting to stake a claim in Sembawang GRC, after last contesting there in 2006 and 2011.
In a veiled reference to SDP, Mr Sun said: “Now we have an old pretender… trying to edge us out. It had several brushes with the law in the past.”
Since 2019, SDP has been asked to put up multiple corrections under Singapore’s Iaw against fake news. Party chief Chee Soon Juan has also been sued for defamation and jailed for holding a rally and speaking in public without a permit.
Mr Ng said earlier that the SDP had offered Holland-Bukit Timah GRC in exchange for Sembawang GRC, but NSP had turned down the proposal.
NSP also said it withdrew from the new Sembawang West SMC to pave the way for a straight fight between SDP’s Dr Chee and Ms Poh Li San of the PAP.
In the two-hour virtual rally, candidates also brought up causes they would champion if elected.
Tampines GRC candidate Eugene Yeo, 49, suggested that the Senior Employment Credit scheme be expanded to middle-aged workers who are retrenched and have children and parents to support. The scheme provides wage offsets to employers who hire Singaporean workers aged 60 and above.
His running mate Zee Phay, 32, proposed higher wages for “overworked and underpaid” infant care professionals in Singapore.
Mr Ng, who is leading the Sembawang slate, said an NSP team in Parliament would scrutinise “every line item that the PAP wants to spend on” to ensure that taxpayers’ money is not “squandered away” without due diligence.
“Is it too much for us to demand that (ministers) must think out of the box to increase our external revenue and investment returns? They have all the expertise in place… and we should whip them into shape,” he added.
“So let us not be content with just the whites and blues in Parliament.”
