Singapore GE2020: Sengkang will be well managed under PAP, says Teo Chee Hean

Senior Minister Teo Chee Hean (right) and People's Action Party candidate for Sengkang GRC Ng Chee Meng (centre) exchanging elbow bumps with a resident during a walkabout at Rivervale Plaza yesterday. The PAP team is standing against a team from the
Senior Minister Teo Chee Hean (right) and People's Action Party candidate for Sengkang GRC Ng Chee Meng (centre) exchanging elbow bumps with a resident during a walkabout at Rivervale Plaza yesterday. The PAP team is standing against a team from the Workers' Party. ST PHOTO: CHONG JUN LIANG

Sengkang's town council will be well managed if the People's Action Party (PAP) team is elected in the upcoming election, Senior Minister Teo Chee Hean said yesterday.

"Many issues have been discussed during this election. I would like to boil it down to three things. First, jobs during this crisis. Second, in our daily lives, who is going to look after our town council. And third, who can speak up for me?" said Mr Teo, adding that the PAP ticks all three boxes.

The Senior Minister, who is contesting in the nearby Pasir-Ris Punggol GRC, had joined two of the party's four candidates for the new Sengkang GRC - labour chief Ng Chee Meng and lawyer Raymond Lye - for a walkabout at Rivervale Plaza in a show of support.

He said the PAP candidates were experienced and had a "very good track record". "Check the track record of both sides to see who can run your town council and its finances well," Mr Teo added.

The other team members are Senior Minister of State for Transport and Health Lam Pin Min, and Senior Parliamentary Secretary for Home Affairs and Health Amrin Amin.

The four men are up against a Workers' Party (WP) team consisting of lawyer He Tingru, economics professor Jamus Lim, social enterprise founder Raeesah Khan, and equity research analyst Louis Chua. Associate Professor Lim is quickly becoming the party's star candidate, having drawn much attention after representing WP in a political debate on TV last week.

Mr Teo is the second party heavyweight in two days to lend support to the PAP team in Sengkang GRC, which includes WP stomping grounds and is shaping up to be a hot battleground in the election.

On Saturday, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong made a guest appearance in a webinar about the PAP team's plans for Sengkang GRC.

Both Mr Ng and Mr Teo emphasised yesterday that the PAP candidates for Sengkang are well placed to help residents with job issues.

Mr Ng said: "Many here are middle-class families with parents to upkeep and children to look after. So, the pressures and anxiety of job loss, and even income drops, are significant. As secretary-general of NTUC (National Trades Union Congress), I am in a good position to help them.

"It is important for them to know that there is help from the Government, from NTUC. Even in Sengkang town, we can give them the assurance that the NTUC Job Security Council can be that matching agent for them."

Aside from jobs, Mr Ng said residents he spoke to during his walkabouts are also concerned about municipal issues and their daily needs.

He added that his team has the experience and track record, and presented a plan for the group representation constituency.

Last week, the PAP team announced that if elected, it would set up a new Sengkang town council, introduce more amenities and programmes in the area, and actively seek residents' feedback while crafting these plans.

In a Facebook post yesterday, Mr Ng added: "This is a serious matter, your jobs, your livelihood, your lives in Sengkang. The PAP team here have a good plan, the experience and track record. We can make it real for you over the next five years.

"I humbly ask: What have you heard from the opposition specifically about you?"

Sengkang GRC consists of the Sengkang Central ward of Pasir Ris-Punggol GRC, Punggol East SMC and part of Sengkang West SMC. It has more than 120,000 voters.

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on July 06, 2020, with the headline Sengkang will be well managed under PAP, says Teo Chee Hean. Subscribe