Getting Punggol East town council in order top priority for Charles Chong
People’s Action Party PAP candidate for Punggol East Charles Chong (2nd from left) with party activists during a walkabout at Rivervale Crescent yesterday. Photo: Wee Teck Hian
SINGAPORE — Veteran Member of Parliament Charles Chong will be the People’s Action Party’s (PAP) candidate to contest the Punggol East Single Member Constituency (SMC) at the upcoming General Election, the party announced yesterday (Aug 27).
Mr Chong, 62, was first elected to Parliament in 1988 and has served six terms as an MP. He was also chairman of Pasir Ris and Pasir Ris-Punggol Town Councils from 1997 to 2006.
Mr Chong was elected MP for Joo Chiat SMC in the 2011 General Election, but his single seat was absorbed into Marine Parade GRC under the new electoral boundaries.
On why he was contesting in Punggol East SMC this time, Mr Chong said the party indicated a need for someone with his experience or some town council background to contest in the area.
“I saw the need there ... it was a party request and I agreed,” he said.
The Punggol East single-seat ward will also be contested by the Workers’ Party’s Ms Lee Li Lian, who won the seat in a by-election in 2013 with 54.5 per cent of the vote against PAP candidate Dr Koh Poh Koon.
The by-election was held after its then-MP and former Speaker of Parliament Michael Palmer of the PAP stepped down over an extra-marital affair.
On his to-do list should he get elected, Mr Chong said: “One of the top priorities is to get our town council in order, because now it is part of Aljunied-Hougang-Punggol East Town Council (AHPETC), which is mired in all sorts of controversy with MND (Ministry of National Development), the Auditor-General, and so on.
“I don’t think Punggol East residents are in any way responsible for that. They should not be facing the consequences.”
He added: “I think what they should address really is what sort of future they would like to see, not only for themselves, but for their children also. That’s on a national level. But on the national level, I think even the Opposition parties acknowledge they do not want to form the Government, they prefer the PAP to form the Government but perhaps with more Opposition and things like that, they can do a better job.”
“But looking at our system, now if you’re elected in, whether you’re Opposition or PAP, you not only make speeches in Parliament, you have to run your town council, you have to do things that affect the daily lives of your constituents.
“So that’s why I would say please evaluate that carefully on, what you would like to see happen in the future, and vote wisely,” Mr Chong said.
