PAP hopes for chance to serve Aljunied residents again: ESM Goh
SINGAPORE — Two days after announcing that he will be leading the People’s Action Party’s (PAP) electoral team in Marine Parade Group Representation Constituency (GRC), Emeritus Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong went on a walkabout today (Aug 16), but in neighbouring Aljunied GRC.
Saying he was there to lend moral support to the ruling party’s likely slate of candidates for the constituency, which was won by the Workers’ Party (WP) in the last polls, Mr Goh said the PAP remains “very interested” in the welfare of residents there.
“The PAP hopes that it will be given a chance to serve them again,” he told reporters after a walkabout in Aljunied constituency’s Serangoon and Hougang divisions. “My message, therefore, is first to the PAP voters that we are very much interested in you, trying to serve you ... we will address whatever concerns you may have.”
His comments coincided with the WP’s declaration that all seven of its elected Members of Parliament (MP)would be defending their respective wards in the coming election, which is expected to be called soon.
Asked about the match-up between the line-ups from the two parties, Mr Goh said the PAP’s focus was on sending the “right team” to Aljunied GRC, adding that the PAP team in the constituency has been working hard in the last few years. “The right team doesn’t mean Prime Minister, Deputy Prime Minister to come over here to contest. It’s not necessary,” he told reporters at a coffeeshop in Hougang Street 21. “So, the fact that they’re having the same team over here shows that they take Aljunied seriously.”
Before the WP’s declaration today that its incumbents would be defending their respective seats, a photo that current Aljunied GRC MP and WP chairman Sylvia Lim posted on her Instagram page last week had sparked speculation that she would, instead, be contesting in Fengshan Single Member Constituency. The photo was of Ms Lim eating at Fengshan Hawker Centre with the caption “The taste of Fengshan — heavenly!” and the hashtag #reasonstowin. The other Aljunied GRC MPs are WP chief Low Thia Khiang, Mr Chen Show Mao, Mr Muhamad Faisal Abdul Manap and Mr Pritam Singh.
Today, Mr Goh accompanied the chairmen of the PAP’s branches in Aljunied GRC — Mr Victor Lye, Mr K Muralidharan Pillai, Mr Chua Eng Leong, Ms Chan Hui Yuh and Mr Shamsul Kamar — for the walkabout in areas such as Serangoon Garden Market and Food Centre and Hougang Central, which lasted close to three hours. Former PAP chairman Lim Boon Heng was also part of the entourage. Earlier this month, Mr Shamsul was introduced as the replacement for Mr Kahar Hassan, who stepped down from the branch chairman position at Kaki Bukit.
Mr Shamsul is serving out his notice period as Head of Student Management at Spectra Secondary School — it ends this Friday.
Mr Lye said the PAP respects that the WP has decided to retain the same team, but added that “we have been here because we are here for the people. And we are going to remain here and do our best for the people, and that’s what matters”.
Asked if this would be the ground of candidates the PAP would be fielding to wrest Aljunied GRC from the WP, Mr Goh said he will “leave it to the party to decide”. “I just wanted to come here to show moral support; (the PAP will) confirm the team sooner or later,” he added.
