SDP details schemes to help needy, elderly if elected in Bukit Batok
Ms Rajakumari Ashukumar, SDP's Secretary-General and Bukit Batok candidate Chee Soon Juan, Mr John Tan, Mr Tan Kin Lian and Ms Wong Hwee Lin pose for photos before amedia conference at the SDP office on April 22, 2016. Photo: Ooi Boon Keong/TODAY
SINGAPORE —Should Singapore Democratic Party (SDP) chief Chee Soon Juan get elected as Member of Parliament in the Bukit Batok by-election on May 7, residents of the single-member constituency could receive financial advice from former presidential candidate and ex-chief executive of NTUC Income Tan Kin Lian.
Mr Tan, who will facilitate a programme meant to help residents facing financial difficulties, said he was approached by Dr Chee and was “happy” to accept his invitation.
The other social programmes announced by the SDP on Friday (April 22) were for households to adopt a needy family in their community, and a scheme that would offer students a place to come together to explore their interests and talents.
The Hearts For Bukit Batok programme will see households giving their time and resources to recipient families. Activities such as sewing, gardening and bingo will also be organised for the elderly.
The programme will be coordinated by Ms Wong Hwee Lin, 42, a private tutor with a master’s degree in sociocultural anthropology.
The programme for students, Pathfinder, could feature science fairs, sports activities and a book bank. It will be coordinated by 23-year-old allied educator Rajakumari Ashukumar.
And for residents who need legal advice, a group of seven lawyers has already volunteered to help.
None of the three coordinators and facilitator announced are Bukit Batok residents or SDP members, but Ms Wong has volunteered with the party since last year and Ms Rajakumari’s father is an SDP member.
Dr Chee, who is likely to come up against the People’s Action Party (PAP) candidate Murali Pillai in the by-election, said he wanted to be a catalyst that brings out the best in Bukit Batok residents.
Pledging to contribute part of his MP allowance to help kick-start the programmes, should he be elected, Dr Chee said: “It’s important for us to be a community where people come together and support each other so at the end of the day, we’re not just people who happen to reside in that constituency.”
Dr Chee said his contribution to the programmes would likely be “in the thousands”, and other sources of funding for the programmes further down the road could include private donations and corporate sponsorships.
The SDP had earlier announced a transition team to ensure a smooth takeover of the town council should Dr Chee win the by-election. It was called after former Bukit Batok MP David Ong of the PAP stepped down due to an alleged extramarital affair with a grassroots volunteer.
“Taking care of the constituency, that’s hugely important,” said Dr Chee. “But I also want to be that spark, that catalyst the brings out the best in the people of Bukit Batok to inspire them to reach for the best, to appeal to their better angels and to discover that side of the Bukit Batok community that we didn’t know that we had, so we can build a compassionate town.
“A town that will, dare I dream, become the model and one day spread throughout Singapore,” he added.
