19 Jan 2013 Punggol By-Election Rally Speech by Sylvia Lim Jan 20th, 2013 @ 12:25 am › WP Webmaster
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WHY WP IS CONTESTING PUNGGOL EAST
WP Rally #1, 19 Jan 2013
Dear Residents of Punggol East,
These last days must have been a new experience for you. Suddenly, the whole of Singapore is interested in you. People hand you stacks to read, knock on your door, ask for your opinion. You are so important to so many people at this time. It can be bewildering. I came across a lady 2 days ago who said this to me: “Everybody says they are the best candidate. How are we going to choose who really is the best?”
This evening, I want to answer her question. Who is the best candidate for Punggol East?
Some of you may think that voting for the PAP candidate is a safe choice, because he is from the political party which runs the government. But, dear friends, this is exactly why you should not vote for the PAP candidate. His political party is already running the show. They already have an overwhelming majority in Parliament, holding 80 out of 87 elected seats. That’s already 92% control! Does the PAP need to be stronger?
Many Singaporeans have noticed the effect of the PAP losing Aljunied GRC in 2011. It was a big blow to them. The PAP government has been trying to win back voters by making some changes to its policies, such as increasing healthcare funding and tightening its liberal foreign worker policies. Why are they doing this? Because they are afraid of losing more votes from their unpopular policies. Last night DPM Teo Chee Hean said that after GE 2011, the government “had taken the initiative and moved ahead” on some issues. Are you satisfied with their progress so far? There is still a lot to be done to make life better in Singapore. Public transport, public housing, care for the elderly, low-income workers, all these still need attention. Do you want the government to work harder to fix problems? We have to help the government work harder. So use your vote to make them work!
The next question you might ask is this: What can Lee Li Lian offer to Punggol East residents and to the nation, as a WP MP?
First of all, Punggol East is a logical place of interest to the Workers’ Party. It is close to our wards in Hougang SMC and Aljunied GRC. Many of our residents have family members living here. Li Lian’s family lives in Buangkok, which is nearby. And even I found that my former secondary school, St Joseph’s Convent, is now within Punggol East SMC!
If Li Lian is elected, she will be running Meet the People sessions to assist Punggol East residents in their dealings with government departments. The other day a gentleman asked me whether the government departments would react differently if they received a letter from a WP MP. Well, from what I know, it is the duty of government departments to respond to WP MPs according to the same policies which apply to residents in PAP constituencies. If they don’t, we will just file a Parliamentary question for the Minister to answer!
If Li Lian is elected, she will also take over the Town Council. We do not expect this to be a problem. WP has been running the Town Council in Hougang SMC for 22 years, against many obstacles thrown its way. Hougang voters found the town well-managed – unlike what former PM Lee Kuan Yew predicted, their rubbish did not pile up to the 3rd storey! Since 2011, WP has been running Aljunied-Hougang Town, at the GRC level. Despite the short time for take-over and some unnecessary contract terminations, we rose to the challenge and did not let Aljunied voters down. Today if you visit Aljunied-Hougang Town, it does not look much different from other towns of the same era. Punggol East is an SMC, much smaller than Aljunied GRC. Punggol East residents can be assured that if we need to take over the town council for Punggol East, we are confident we can handle it. We will talk more about the Town Council at a later rally.
Now what about at the national level – what can a WP MP do that a PAP MP cannot do? Our job as opposition MPs is to ensure that the government performs and hold the government to account when it fails to perform. WP believes in constructive opposition. We play our role in Parliament by scrutinizing government actions, confronting the government when we have to, and voting against actions which we do not believe to be in the public interest. In the last few years, WP has voted against certain Constitutional amendments and legislation, and pressured the government on various matters such as their astronomical Ministerial salaries, healthcare funding, and social justice issues. On the other hand, even though we are an opposition party, WP does not believe in crippling the government, which will hurt Singaporeans. In fact, from time to time, WP has submitted its alternative suggestions on certain policies to the Ministries for their consideration behind closed doors. Our brand of opposition politics is pro-Singapore. We do not want the ship to sink, because we are on board as well!
This by-election is about who should represent Punggol East voters in Parliament. It is also about which candidate can contribute more at the national level, by bringing something fresh to the table. Do you know how many male PAP MPs we already have in Parliament? 62! Do we really need another PAP man? Do you know how many Workers’ Party women there are in Parliament? Well, you are looking at her… What we need is another Workers’ Party woman! I can tell you one thing about Workers’ Party women – we work! Lee Li Lian is 34, young, energetic, dynamic. And she can do something that I can’t do – run in high heels!
Fellow Singaporeans, Singapore is our home. The Workers’ Party wants Singapore to succeed. Singapore can be better. If you believe the Workers’ Party has played a useful role in promoting good governance in Singapore, now is the time for you to play your part. It is your turn now. The PAP will still be a juggernaut even if they lose Punggol East. There is more than enough of White around. Instead, vote for a Singapore of many colours and many voices.
As Li Lian said on Nomination Day, she will serve you wholeheartedly. This is a 4-cornered fight, every vote counts. So come January 26, vote for a better Singapore, a brighter future. Vote for the Woman – Vote for Lee Li Lian as MP for Punggol East! Vote for the Workers’ Party!
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WHY WP IS CONTESTING PUNGGOL EAST
WP Rally #1, 19 Jan 2013
Dear Residents of Punggol East,
These last days must have been a new experience for you. Suddenly, the whole of Singapore is interested in you. People hand you stacks to read, knock on your door, ask for your opinion. You are so important to so many people at this time. It can be bewildering. I came across a lady 2 days ago who said this to me: “Everybody says they are the best candidate. How are we going to choose who really is the best?”
This evening, I want to answer her question. Who is the best candidate for Punggol East?
Some of you may think that voting for the PAP candidate is a safe choice, because he is from the political party which runs the government. But, dear friends, this is exactly why you should not vote for the PAP candidate. His political party is already running the show. They already have an overwhelming majority in Parliament, holding 80 out of 87 elected seats. That’s already 92% control! Does the PAP need to be stronger?
Many Singaporeans have noticed the effect of the PAP losing Aljunied GRC in 2011. It was a big blow to them. The PAP government has been trying to win back voters by making some changes to its policies, such as increasing healthcare funding and tightening its liberal foreign worker policies. Why are they doing this? Because they are afraid of losing more votes from their unpopular policies. Last night DPM Teo Chee Hean said that after GE 2011, the government “had taken the initiative and moved ahead” on some issues. Are you satisfied with their progress so far? There is still a lot to be done to make life better in Singapore. Public transport, public housing, care for the elderly, low-income workers, all these still need attention. Do you want the government to work harder to fix problems? We have to help the government work harder. So use your vote to make them work!
The next question you might ask is this: What can Lee Li Lian offer to Punggol East residents and to the nation, as a WP MP?
First of all, Punggol East is a logical place of interest to the Workers’ Party. It is close to our wards in Hougang SMC and Aljunied GRC. Many of our residents have family members living here. Li Lian’s family lives in Buangkok, which is nearby. And even I found that my former secondary school, St Joseph’s Convent, is now within Punggol East SMC!
If Li Lian is elected, she will be running Meet the People sessions to assist Punggol East residents in their dealings with government departments. The other day a gentleman asked me whether the government departments would react differently if they received a letter from a WP MP. Well, from what I know, it is the duty of government departments to respond to WP MPs according to the same policies which apply to residents in PAP constituencies. If they don’t, we will just file a Parliamentary question for the Minister to answer!
If Li Lian is elected, she will also take over the Town Council. We do not expect this to be a problem. WP has been running the Town Council in Hougang SMC for 22 years, against many obstacles thrown its way. Hougang voters found the town well-managed – unlike what former PM Lee Kuan Yew predicted, their rubbish did not pile up to the 3rd storey! Since 2011, WP has been running Aljunied-Hougang Town, at the GRC level. Despite the short time for take-over and some unnecessary contract terminations, we rose to the challenge and did not let Aljunied voters down. Today if you visit Aljunied-Hougang Town, it does not look much different from other towns of the same era. Punggol East is an SMC, much smaller than Aljunied GRC. Punggol East residents can be assured that if we need to take over the town council for Punggol East, we are confident we can handle it. We will talk more about the Town Council at a later rally.
Now what about at the national level – what can a WP MP do that a PAP MP cannot do? Our job as opposition MPs is to ensure that the government performs and hold the government to account when it fails to perform. WP believes in constructive opposition. We play our role in Parliament by scrutinizing government actions, confronting the government when we have to, and voting against actions which we do not believe to be in the public interest. In the last few years, WP has voted against certain Constitutional amendments and legislation, and pressured the government on various matters such as their astronomical Ministerial salaries, healthcare funding, and social justice issues. On the other hand, even though we are an opposition party, WP does not believe in crippling the government, which will hurt Singaporeans. In fact, from time to time, WP has submitted its alternative suggestions on certain policies to the Ministries for their consideration behind closed doors. Our brand of opposition politics is pro-Singapore. We do not want the ship to sink, because we are on board as well!
This by-election is about who should represent Punggol East voters in Parliament. It is also about which candidate can contribute more at the national level, by bringing something fresh to the table. Do you know how many male PAP MPs we already have in Parliament? 62! Do we really need another PAP man? Do you know how many Workers’ Party women there are in Parliament? Well, you are looking at her… What we need is another Workers’ Party woman! I can tell you one thing about Workers’ Party women – we work! Lee Li Lian is 34, young, energetic, dynamic. And she can do something that I can’t do – run in high heels!
Fellow Singaporeans, Singapore is our home. The Workers’ Party wants Singapore to succeed. Singapore can be better. If you believe the Workers’ Party has played a useful role in promoting good governance in Singapore, now is the time for you to play your part. It is your turn now. The PAP will still be a juggernaut even if they lose Punggol East. There is more than enough of White around. Instead, vote for a Singapore of many colours and many voices.
As Li Lian said on Nomination Day, she will serve you wholeheartedly. This is a 4-cornered fight, every vote counts. So come January 26, vote for a better Singapore, a brighter future. Vote for the Woman – Vote for Lee Li Lian as MP for Punggol East! Vote for the Workers’ Party!
