SINGAPORE: The People’s Action Party (PAP) must account for why it had “removed” previous MPs for Nee Soon GRC, said Red Dot United’s (RDU) secretary-general Ravi Philemon on Thursday (May 1).
Among the incumbent, only Law and Home Affairs Minister K Shanmugam is contesting the GRC this election. He is the anchor minister for the PAP slate for Nee Soon, leading four new faces: Ms Goh Hanyan, Dr Syed Harun Alhabsyi, Mr Jackson Lam and Ms Lee Hui Ying.
Of the five PAP MPs who served in Nee Soon GRC between 2020 and 2025, three – Mr Louis Ng, Ms Carrie Tan and Mr Derrick Goh – are not contesting this General Election.
Meanwhile, Minister of State for Home Affairs and National Development Muhammad Faishal Ibrahim in April announced his move to the Marine Parade-Braddell Heights GRC, which the PAP clinched in a walkover on Nomination Day.
Mr Philemon said Mr Shanmugam “must account” to Nee Soon residents why the MPs were being “let go of”, and why Assoc Prof Faishal – a “well-liked MP in the area” – had been “parachuted into another constituency”.
Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of RDU’s outreach at Block 925 Yishun Central on the final day of hustings before candidates wind down on Cooling-off Day, Mr Philemon pointed out that “statistics” had shown Mr Ng to be the “most hardworking MP” in parliament.
The two-term Nee Soon MP had previously cited family reasons for his decision to retire from politics, saying the role made him miss “a lot of important milestones” in his daughters’ childhoods.
“Everybody should have the right to retire when they want to. Public service is not easy,” Mr Philemon said.
“I think Mr Shanmugam could have convinced him to stay on,” he added, referring to Mr Ng.
The RDU chief also questioned Mr Ng and several other outgoing MPs’ promises to continue offering their help and support to the incoming MPs.
He asked why they would stay on even after their resignation, and said: “It doesn’t add up.”
UNKNOWN TO RESIDENTS
Mr Philemon also defended his team against comments made by former Nee Soon MP Lee Bee Wah – who served the constituency between 2011 and 2020. During a PAP rally on Tuesday (Apr 29), Ms Lee had said that the five candidates in RDU’s slate for Nee Soon were unknown to the residents.
Rebutting this, Mr Philemon said: “May I remind the PAP in Nee Soon GRC that there are four faces here besides Mr Shanmugam’s which the people here in Nee Soon do not know.”
He argued that he was not unknown in the area, adding Mr Shanmugam had told him: “You are not unfamiliar with Nee Soon.”
The RDU lineup consists Mr Philemon, party chairman David Foo, Dr Syed Alwi Ahmad, Mr Pang Heng Chuan and Ms Sharon Lin.
Mr Philemon pointed out that Ms Lin had been a Nee Soon resident all her life and was hence familiar with the residents’ concerns.
In contrast, the PAP’s line-up of new faces were “unknown” at best, he argued.
Beyond this, there remained “lingering questions” about the candidates, said Mr Philemon – pointing to why Dr Syed Harun could be allowed to run despite having just resigned from his position as a Nominated MP (NMP).
Pointing to how Mr Raj Thomas – another NMP who had resigned in the same period – had said he must first walk the ground and that now was not the time for him to contest, Mr Philemon asked why Dr Syed Harun did not make the same decision.
He questioned if Dr Syed Harun’s choice to stand in the election was “principled” even if it had been “legally right”.
Mr Philemon also responded briefly to comments made by PAP ministers this week.
Prime Minister Lawrence Wong had said at Monday’s lunchtime election rally that a vote for the opposition was a vote to weaken the PAP government at a time when Singapore was facing serious challenges.
Meanwhile, Health Minister Ong Ye Kung said on Wednesday that for Singapore to have an effective governance system, there needs to be a strong ruling party and a constructive – but not strong – opposition presence to provide checks and balances.
Responding to both comments, Mr Philemon said: “The PAP is not going to lose its power anytime soon. It is still going to have the majority in parliament.
“But the question we have to ask is: Is a weaker PAP … with the majority and more opposition members in parliament … is it to the advantage of the people? Is it to the advantage of the voters?”
NEE SOON MATTERS
Mr Philemon added he has not bumped into his competitor Mr Shanmugam on the campaign trail but PAP volunteers frequently turned up with flyers at areas where RDU was engaging with voters.
“It’s comical,” he said. “That seems to be the strategy of the PAP – to see where we are on the ground. They have eyes and ears on the ground.”
As for RDU, Mr Philemon said that “hard work” was their “only strategy”.
Whether they win or lose in the election, the party chief said RDU candidates were committed to continue walking the ground.
The party would make the effort to visit “every block” and “every resident” before the next election. He admitted that the team had done very little door-to-door visits this time, as Nee Soon, was a “very big” constituency, and it was “impossible” to meet each and every voter.
“That is our promise to Nee Soon voters because Nee Soon matters,” he said.
Asked what he thought of RDU’s chances on May 3, Mr Philemon said he was “absolutely” confident.
Likening his team to a “David” against PAP’s “Goliath”, he said that while their opponent is “formidable”, RDU has always “punched above our weight”.