GE2020 constituency broadcasts: What Kebun Baru SMC candidates have to say
Mr Henry Kwek (left), the People's Action Party's candidate for Kebun Baru Single Member Constituency, and Mr Kumaran Pillai (right), the Progress Singapore Party's candidate.
SINGAPORE — Candidates from the Progress Singapore Party (PSP) and the People’s Action Party (PAP) contesting the newly created Kebun Baru Single Member Constituency (SMC) outlined their plans for the ward in a constituency political broadcast on Sunday (July 5).
The SMC — which was folded into Ang Mo Kio Group Representation Constituency (GRC) in 1991 and redrawn into Nee Soon GRC in 2015 — is being defended by the incumbent one-term Member of Parliament (MP) for the Kebun Baru ward in Nee Soon GRC, Mr Henry Kwek, 44, of the PAP.
In his speech, Mr Kwek pledged to bring the area into the Ang Mo Kio Town Council if elected, which could also include Ang Mo Kio GRC and Yio Chu Kang SMC.
While Covid-19 has impacted livelihoods and businesses, Mr Kwek said he is confident the residents can come out of the crisis stronger.
“These are tough times, but I also know the people of Kebun Baru. We are a tough group of people. Together, we can overcome these hurdles and emerge stronger,” he said.
His opponent is PSP’s Mr Kumaran Pillai, the former publisher of sociopolitical website The Independent Singapore, who is making his debut in politics this General Election (GE). The 49-year-old is currently the chief executive of a venture accelerator firm, a type of firm which helps startup businesses on their way.
Mr Pillai said the PAP Government’s indecisiveness over its handling of the Covid-19 pandemic has cost the country billions in economic losses. Many jobs had also been lost, and small- and medium-sized enterprises owners had lost their livelihoods, he added.
“It is time for us to make a stand and change direction so that we can secure our future for our children and their children. You deserve better, Singapore deserves better,” he added.
Kebun Baru SMC has more than 22,600 voters.
In these constituency political broadcasts, candidates vying for single-seat wards have three minutes each to speak. Those contesting in four- and five-member GRCs have 12 and 15 minutes respectively in total.
The broadcasts are being aired on Channel 5, CNA938, cna.asia, 8world.com, CNA YouTube, CNA Facebook and TODAY at 7pm from July 3 to 8.
PAP’S PROPOSALS
As the area’s representative, Mr Kwek said residents’ feedback has shaped his parliamentary agenda as well as community programmes in the ward. These included higher Central Provident Fund contribution rates for seniors, lower interest rates to help individuals and businesses tide through Covid-19, and more training programmes and job opportunities for youths and mid-career workers.
Kebun Baru will join the Ang Mo Kio Town Council. Said Mr Kwek: “While we are an SMC, you will be taken care of.”
Mr Kwek said he will ramp up the area’s job counselling centre to help residents find jobs and overcome financial difficulties, and bring professionals and business leaders together through more industry talks and networking sessions.
A new social work movement has been built in Kebun Baru over the past three years by recruiting more than 300 volunteers, and launching more than 30 social work and assistance programmes, said Mr Kwek.
He also promised to make Kebun Baru a more senior-friendly place. Mr Kwek said that he will “make Kebun Baru the most senior-, dementia-friendly community in Singapore.”
Mr Kwek said: “I am the man you can trust. I am here to serve you. I am here to listen to you. I am with you. No problem is too big or too small. Your problem is my problem.”
PSP’S PROPOSALS
Mr Pillai said the accessibility of the elderly in the Kebun Baru estate to main thoroughfares in the neighbourhood is an issue that is close to his heart.
He noted a need to build ramps to make it easier for those on wheelchairs to access Mayflower Market and Hawker Centre.
He also pointed out the issue of peak hour traffic around the vicinity of the schools in the neighbourhood, adding that his team is currently speaking to various stakeholders so as to find a solution to this problem.
In the landed estates of Sembawang and Thomson Hills, he identified a problem with mosquito breeding as the drainage system there gets clogged up and water in the gutters become stagnant when it rains.
While the threat of dengue is an issue in the area, he said one person claiming to be in the grassroots was quite dismissive about the outbreak, showing that a concerted effort is needed to take better control of the issue there.
National issues he is concerned about are job prospects, job displacement, and the outlook that the next generation may not have the same opportunities for “upward movement”.
Mr Pillai said: “The PAP Government has been in power since 1959, first as a state government and as the national government since independence. The current Government has gone astray and it is no longer the same as the one that was founded by our founding fathers. It is time for us to change direction.”
