Bukit Batok by-election: Highlights of Day 1 rallies

SINGAPORE - Town council management, candidates' values and unemployment issues took centre stage on the first day of the Bukit Batok  Single Member Constituency (SMC) by-election rallies. 

People's Action Party's (PAP) candidate Murali Pillai spoke at Bukit Gombak Stadium. He was accompanied by the Members of Parliament (MP) from the Jurong GRC, Yuhua SMC as well as Speaker of Parliament Halimah Yacob and former MP Lim Boon Heng. 

Dr Chee Soon Juan spoke at Bukit Batok Industrial Park A and was accompanied by party members Mr Damanhuri Abas, Mr Sadasivam Veriyah, Mr Bryan Lim, Chairman Wong Souk Yee and Dr Paul Tambyah. 

Here are 10 highlights you need to know:

PAP rally

1. Mentorship

Mr Pillai spoke of three mentors he looked up to; his father Barisan Socialis member and political detainee, Mr P.K Pillai, former Members of Parliament Dr Ong Chit Chung and Mr Lim Boon Heng.

Quoting the older Mr Pillai, he told residents: "The day I stop (making a positive difference) to Bukit Batok, I will leave. When I leave, I leave with shirt on my back and nothing else except memories of my service with you."

He also added that his two senior MPs taught him to put the residents at the core of his political career.

2. Community Placement Programme

On unemployment issues, Mr Pillai said that a Singaporean's job should be preserved above a foreigner's. He added that he wants to start a Community Placement Programme, which will leverage on a network of contacts to provide employment for those who have lost their jobs. He said that Jurong GRC will be supporting this programme.

3. SDP's confidence in managing the Town Council

MP of Yuhua SMC Grace Fu questioned the Singapore Democratic Party's (SDP) confidence in managing the Town Council. She spoke of how their previous forays into the elections have been unsuccessful after Dr Chiam See Tong, founder of SDP was voted out of the party. She also questioned Dr Chee's work credentials and asked how he planned to manage the SMC in times of economic downturn when he hasn't been in the workforce for years.

"To recruit a person, you need to look at their work experience and references from those who worked with them." She added: "It will be very interesting to see if there will be a reference letter from Mr Chiam See Tong, the 'sifu' (master) who recruited Mr Chee into the SDP."

4. Racial discrimination

Ms Fu also called for residents to be wary of those playing the racial card. She said she was aware that the message "Chinese should only vote for Chinese" has been circulating, and she requested that SDP make their stand on this. Ms Fu also revealed that while Mr Pillai lost in the fight for Aljunied GRC in the 2015 General Elections, he won over residents in the Paya Lebar division.

5. Mr Pillai's consistency

Speaker of Parliament Halimah Yacob listed three reasons why residents should support Mr Pillai. He is an "old boy on the block", consistent in his values of hardwork and respect regardless of political beliefs, and has clear programmes.

Mdm Yacob added that while some residents may question the significance of a by-election, it remained important to elect a good leader to serve as a catalyst and connector to parliament. 

SDP rally

1. The upgrading programmes

SDP member Paul Tambyah and Dr Chee assured residents that upgrading programmes will continue no matter who gets voted in. Dr Tambyah further cited examples in Aljunied GRC where upgrading continued after GE2011.

He also added that Singapore has a non-partisan civil service that serves Singaporeans regardless of their political affliation.

However, Dr Chee criticised Mr Pillai for saying that a 3G park would only be constructed if the PAP wins the SMC, saying that if the PAP candidate cared about Bukit Batok, the park would be built even if he was not elected.

2. Town council management

The various speakers, including Mr Abdul Salim Harun and Mr Yeo Yeu Yong, stressed that SDP will manage the the Bukit Batok town council directly.

They also said that they will save cost as they would not need to hire a managing agent, and that they have set up a four-person transition team to ensure a smooth handover should the party win.

3. Need for more opposition

Dr Chee said that if elected, he will ensure that the voices of Bukit Batok residents are heard in Parliament, and that as a PAP member, Mr Pillai will not be able to ask the hard questions.

He also cited statistics from a report by Japanese securities firm Nomura, saying that without productivity growth, Singapore's economy will not grow, which in turn could lead to lower wage increments and more unemployment.

He said: "Without productivity, without an innovative economy, we are going to suffer."

4. No personal attacks

Dr Chee remarked that he would not launch any personal attacks against former Bukit Batok MP David Ong, as he is a good man, saying, "You don't want to kick a man when he is down".

He further stated that while he disagrees with Mr Pillai's political views, he does not disagree with Mr Pillai as a person - calling him a "decent chap".

5. Amusing trivia

As AsiaOne was on the ground at the SDP rally, some things of interest caught our reporter's attention.

When Dr Chee said "something happened" that led to the by-election, someone in the crowd shouted: "Wendy!"

Dr Chee also said that his only reluctance to run was because "'Chee doesn't go well with 'by-election'", referring to a hashtag that was being on social media. 

seanyap@sph.com.sg

debwong@sph.com.sg

prabukm@sph.com.sg