By Lediati Tan, Foo Jie Ying and Jennifer Dhanaraj

SHE was chided by then-Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong.

Dr Amy Khor had used the word "betrayal" to describe how middle-income Singaporeans felt about CPF cuts in 2003.

But that didn't stop her from raising issues.

Dr Khor said Parliament is not the only forum.

"My fellow MPs and I frequently take matters up with the relevant ministries outside the halls of Parliament. Most people don't see it," she told The New Paper in an e-mail interview.

So have her residents noticed?

The New Paper had previously polled residents from four single-member constituencies (SMCs) - Potong Pasir, Radin Mas, Bukit Panjang and Hougang.

And of the 100 residents polled in the Hong Kah North SMC, fewer than 30 raised municipal issues - the lowest count so far.

Some residents,such as 45-year-old housewife Rosidah Sukaima, who has lived in Hong Kah North for 26 years, calls Dr Khor by her first name.

Said Madam Rosidah: "Here, if you say Amy, everyone knows who you are referring to."

The upcoming election will be different for Dr Khor, who has been in Hong Kah North - which was under Hong Kah group representation constituency (GRC) - for almost 10 years.

The Hong Kah North SMC has been carved out of the GRC in last month's electoral boundaries report.

Her first

If she stands for election there, it will be Dr Khor's first time contesting alone in an SMC.

She will also be one of the first women from the People's Action Party (PAP) to be fielded in anSMCsince the 1991 election.

Then, the PAP fielded two female candidates in two SMCs-Mrs Yu-Foo Yee Shoon in Yuhua SMC and Dr Seet Ai Mee in Bukit Gombak SMC.

Mrs Yu-Foo, Minister of State for Community Development, Youth and Sports, is now an MP for Holland-Bukit Timah GRC.

So what does Dr Khor think of being fielded in an SMC?

"If indeed it is so, it will be an exciting challenge which I am looking forward to," said the Mayor of South West District, adding that it's an "honour and privilege" to be among the few women candidates to have the opportunity to contest in anSMC.

"If anything, I would also like to think that it shows that the party has confidence in the fielded candidate."

Is that the indication for the PAP?

Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean's comments at a People's Association carnival in Toa Payoh HDB Hub to mark International Women'sDay seemed to confirm that.

He had said: "Where they have good connection with the ground, they will be good MPs.

"So we should be able to judge them on their ability to connect with the ground, work for the people in their constituency and less on whether they'remenorwomen."

Agreeing, 72-year-old retiree Abdul Aziz, who lives at Bukit Batok West Avenue 4 said:

"Man or woman, it doesn't matter as long as they work hard.

"What she has done here, we know. We should judge based on whether she can do anything for the constituency. If she can, then we elect her for another term."

Hong Kah North SMC comprises Bukit Batok West and Jurong West.

Two opposition parties - the Singapore People's Party (SPP) and the Reform Party (RP) - have expressed interest in contesting in Dr Khor's ward.

SPP chairman Sin Kek Tong, who had been working the ground in Manpower Minister Gan Kim Yong's Chua Chu Kang ward before the release of the electoral boundaries report, is likely to be fielded in Hong Kah North.

Chua Chu Kang SMC has now been absorbed into the new Chua Chu Kang GRC.

When contacted, Mr Sin said he believes SPP and RP will be able to come to a resolution and avoid a three-corner fight there.

He also said that he was more confident of standing in Hong Kah North than against a full-fledged minister in Chua Chu Kang SMC.

And what does Dr Khor think of a contest?

She said: "Contest makes the challenge more interesting and victory all the sweeter.

"My track record would include what I have done to improve the lives of my residents in the ward and also in the district as a Mayor of the South West District over the last 10 years.

"I can also leverage on my rapport with the residents that I have painstakingly built over the past 10 years."

Would her gender be an issue if she were to stand in HongKah North SMC?

"I have never encountered any difficulties with residents as a result of my gender," she said, adding that she has been able to connect with Hong Kah North residents of all races, regardless of age or gender.

Poll results and interviews with residents seem to indicate a high level of satisfaction with Dr Khor and her work in Hong Kah North.

While a handful, such as housewife Wong Choy Lin, 60, a Jurong West Street 73 resident, hoped for more amenities and better lift maintenance, most pointed to the cost of living as their top concern.

In interviews, residents were quick to indicate that they are happy with Dr Khor as their MP.

Said Madam Ranjeetha, 51, who is unemployed and lives on Bukit Batok Street 32: "She is very approachable and willing to help. I have been able to pay off my bills in monthly instalments in tougher times."

Dr Khor said she receives feedback from residents both online and offline, and even when she is outside the constituency.

She related how once while out shopping at a department store, a sales assistant, who was a Hong Kah North resident, approached her to ask when the estate would be having New Year and National Day countdown events again.

Another time, a cleaner in the housing estate where Dr Khor lived told her about her sister, who was a Hong Kah North resident concerned about the relocation of a covered linkway because of lift upgrading.

Dr Khor went to the location and found a way to shift the linkway so that it would not lead directly to the woman's front door. She said: "Such incidents are, arguably, very mundane but deeply satisfying because these are things which impact the residents' lives.

"Every time I am able to help a resident in specific and tangible ways, my heart is warmed. It spurs me to want to serve them even better."

But is there any conflict between her role as Deputy Government Whip and raising residents' concerns?

No, she said, because the role of the party in government is to implement policies that will "improve the lives of Singaporeans and ensure Singapore's future", and take into account the feedback and concerns of the residents.

Gender issue

So will gender be an issue if she stands in the SMC?

Dr Gillian Koh, senior research fellow at the Institute of Policy Studies, said: "It will be interesting to see how Dr Khor does.

"This is a constituency where she has spent many years tending the ground and she seems to have been a dynamic mayor, and chairperson of Reach.

"I'm not too sure if gender will be an issue.

It will depend on who she stands against and if they will understand the ground more than an MP who has been there for 10 years, and what issues will matter more to the residents there."

Dr Khor said: "Given the higher level of contestation this GE and rumours of women and minority candidates running in SMCs, it would be interesting to see if these candidates and residents, say in Hong Kah North, are able to change our view that only Chinese men can deliver the votes."

Though RP had indicated interest in the SMC, the party's secretary-general Kenneth Jeyaretnam declined comment.

Hong Kah North by the numbers

Number of voters: 27,691

Type of homes: 100% public housing

Breakdown of HDB flats:

22% are three-room flats or smaller

47% are four-room flats

31% are five-room flats or larger

We asked 100 Hong Kah North residents: What is the most important issue you would raise with the candidates when they visit you?

MUNICIPAL ISSUES: 28%

- Cleanliness: 9%

- Lift upgrading programmes and maintenance: 8%

- More amenities such as markets, playgrounds and coffee shops: 5%

- Public transport infrastructure: 4%

- Safety and security of town: 1%

- Inconsiderate neighbours: 1%

NATIONAL ISSUES: 72%

- Cost of living and more financial assistance: 52%

- Housing prices: 6%

- School fees: 5%

- Medical subsidies: 5%

- Job security for elderly: 3%

- Too many foreigners: 1%

Current MP Dr Amy Khor Age: 53 Profession: Minister of State (Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources); Mayor of South West District; Deputy Government Whip; Chairman of Reach Supervisory Panel Years in ward: 9 Likely rival Singapore People's Party Reform Party

This article was first published in The New Paper.