Hot demand for overseas constituency trips with MPs; some residents missing out 'kick up a big fuss'

SINGAPORE — After seeing posters at the lift lobby of her Tampines public housing block publicising a constituency trip to Batam, Indonesia, resident Eileen Kim thought that it would be interesting to travel with her Member of Parliament (MP) Baey Yam Keng.

Another plus was that, as a participant, she did not need to organise the two-day trip in July last year.

Everything was pre-arranged, including transport to the ferry terminal. The pick-up and drop-off location was her nearest Residents’ Network.

Constituency trips have become increasingly popular, so much so that Mr Baey said in a Facebook post last month that a couple of residents who missed out on places in one recent trip "kicked up a big fuss" and scolded some of his volunteers.

He is the MP for Tampines Group Representation Constituency (GRC).

Ms Kim, 42, a regional business development manager, told TODAY that she was aware of the high demand for such trips, so her family acted quickly.

“My parents were the ones who suggested the idea because they’ve always thought fondly of Mr Baey, so we immediately registered our interest," she said.

“They previously tried to get tickets for another trip but couldn't because there were too many people.”

Sure enough, demand for the Batam trip was hot. Ms Kim and her family were joined by some 200 other residents for the weekend getaway.

Registration was open on a Sunday from 10am to 12pm, and many residents rushed to secure their spots. The first person reportedly arrived at 5am, five hours early.

Ms Kim and her parents arrived at 8am to find a small queue had already formed.

A month earlier, Ms Kim's father, Mr Kim Joo Hwee, 69, had missed out on tickets for another trip because he arrived late.

“After (ticket sales) started at 9am, we arrived at 9.30am. My wife and I were surprised. We didn’t think it would be so popular,” he said.

He recalled that his first trip with an MP was with Aljunied GRC MP Gerald Giam to Lake Toba, Indonesia.

His friend in his 60s had asked if Mr Kim and his wife would like to join, having spontaneously bought tickets for them, and the couple agreed even though their residence was under Tampines GRC.

“I remember that my friend got the tickets within the day. She didn’t tell me she had to queue or say it was difficult to get. That’s why we didn’t know (these trips were so popular),” Mr Kim added.

“Before this, we didn’t even know such constituency trips existed.”

Fellow Tampines resident Vincent Cao, 36, said that when he and his wife joined the queue (the same one as Ms Kim’s) at 9.45am — 15 minutes before opening time — the number of people already in line caught them by surprise as well.

They managed to snag their tickets at around 11am.

“Our main objective was to travel, so the queueing wasn’t a big deal. We enjoyed the experience, and after paying, we just needed to gather at the nearest Residents’ Network, and we’re off.”

The frequency of these constituency trips depends on the organisers. Some might hold them only once or twice yearly, while others are able to organise them several times a year.  

UPSET OVER SOLD-OUT TICKETS

In a Facebook post on May 31, Mr Baey described the behaviour of some residents who missed out on places in a recent trip.

A total of 228 tickets were sold for a trip to Malacca and Muar in Malaysia from July 13 to 14 organised by the Tampines North branch of the People's Action Party.

“For our past registrations, those who couldn’t get tickets were naturally disappointed, but they accepted that others had queued up earlier and waited longer," he wrote.

“However, this time, it was unusual that a couple of people kicked up a big fuss, rallied others to find fault and even scolded my volunteers.”

In his Facebook post, Mr Baey said that even though residents were told registration for the tour would start at 7pm on Monday, May 27, they started to form a queue around 3pm.

When the grassroots volunteers arrived around 6.30pm, they started doing a count before informing about 100 people who were further back in the queue that they were unlikely to get tickets.

Mr Baey said that some of the feedback his team had received included:

• Queueing is "unfair" since only people who are not working can go earlier
• Tickets should be sold via a ballot instead of on a first-come-first-served basis
• Only Tampines residents should be allowed to sign up for tours
• Residents who have not gone on previous trips before should be given priority
• The number of tickets bought by one person should be limited

In response to TODAY’s queries, Mr Baey said that organisers could explore adding other registration options to cater to those who are unable to register at the designated time.

“We will still maintain the first-come-first-serve principle and not do a ballot as the tickets, while popular, are not subsidised… Participants pay what the travel agency charges,” he added.

“We are also unlikely to require all participants to be residents as they are mostly family and friends of residents, and we want to be more inclusive.”

APPEAL OF CONSTITUENCY TRIPS

MPs who join their residents on such trips told TODAY that participants generally enjoy the convenience of having the pick-up and drop-off locations in their neighbourhood, saving them the hassle of making their own way to ferry terminals or land checkpoints.

Mr Liang Eng Hwa, MP for Bukit Panjang, said: “If you live near a CC (Community Club) or RC (Residents’ Committee), you can meet there, and the bus will take you to your destination. The logistics are taken care of for you.”

Asked if the price point is also a factor, MPs and trip organisers said that the tour packages are charged according to the market rate in collaboration with travel agencies.

Ang Mo Kio GRC MP Gan Thiam Poh said that compared with travelling with strangers on a tour, residents prefer these trips because they can bond with their neighbours, fostering a strong sense of community.

“And it’s not just the same people who always go on these trips. I see different faces each time, and it’s a good mix of young and older families.”

The length of these trips also plays a part in demand.

Mr Lim Biow Chuan, MP for Mountbatten, said that in his constituency, he sees higher demand for two-day trips to Johor Bahru in Malaysia and Batam in Indonesia compared with three-day ones to places further afield such as Bangkok in Thailand or Hong Kong.

“There will still be interest, but only among a smaller pool of people because I think few would want to take time off to do it.”

Mr Lim added that they also have to take extra care in looking after the seniors on the trips. Grassroots leaders and volunteers usually care for them, because they typically need help with mobility, such as getting on and off the bus.

Mr Jackson Au, a Workers’ Party (WP) coordinator for the Serangoon ward of Aljunied GRC, said that the trips are organised at the division level by volunteers, with the WP MPs joining their residents to destinations as nearby as Johor Bahru, and as far away as Jeju Island in South Korea.

Tickets for some trips can be very popular, Mr Au added. “For recent trips organised by Serangoon and Paya Lebar (wards), the posters in the lift lobbies had to be taken down after just a few days as tickets had sold out.”

An upcoming trip to southern Thailand and various spots in Malaysia on July 12 saw volunteers having to open more departure dates to accommodate the demand.

Mr Au said that with meals and accommodation covered, the trips have high value, and it is part of the service to constituents.

VOLUNTEERS ENSURE TRIPS PROCEED SMOOTHLY

Since the trips are not sponsored or subsidised, volunteers who join these trips to ensure everything goes smoothly have to pay for the trip themselves, as it is with any resident who joins the tour.

Mr Justin Fong, 54, a grassroots volunteer and chairman of Jalan Batu Residents’ Network, said that volunteers such as himself are in charge of ensuring everything proceeds as planned.

They also serve as the “extra hands, legs, and eyes” for residents, especially older ones, by helping them with their luggage and guiding them to where they want to go.

As for managing ticketing sales, Mr Fong said that it was important to be “as fair as possible” to everyone and manage their expectations.

“When people are disappointed, we explain that it’s on a first-come-first-served basis. We also tell them where we usually publicise these trips and when to look out for them.

“These trips have been popular all along, even before Covid. But based on my observation, it does feel like the trips have been getting more popular recently. Perhaps participation is better due to better ways of promotion such as through social media.”

Mr Au, who attends some trips as a volunteer with the Aljunied Constituency Committee, a grassroots committee under WP, said that the heightened moments for him are the early start to these trips.

This is because of the experience with latecomers or forgetful residents who did not take along their passports, so he made it a point to brief the volunteer team on what to do during such situations.

Thankfully, during the two trips he has gone on so far, there were no such problems.

“It’s nice to see the happy looks on everyone’s faces during the trips, especially when they come together for a group photo. It makes all the preparation work feel worth it.”