GE2025: Sengkang GRC MPs to continue to speak up on key issues like jet noise, lack of coffee shops

SINGAPORE – The three incumbent Workers’ Party MPs in Sengkang GRC on March 29 assured residents that they will continue to be a voice for those living in the area for as long as they remain elected representatives.

Speaking during a town-hall meeting, MPs He Ting Ru, Jamus Lim and Louis Chua said they have raised concerns flagged by Sengkang residents in Parliament over the years, from the lack of coffee shops in the area to the noise from fighter jets taking off and landing at nearby Paya Lebar Air Base.

On aircraft noise, a perennial bugbear among residents, Associate Professor Lim said: “Rest assured, as long as we are still here in a position to do so, we will continue to raise (this) as a pressing area of concern for Sengkang residents.”

Outside of Parliament, Mr Chua, who is vice-chairman of Sengkang Town Council, said he and his fellow MPs have also been working with the various authorities to ensure Sengkang is well served with basic infrastructure and amenities, such as coffee shops.

The MPs were addressing the more than 50 residents who turned up for the town-hall meeting, which was held at a multipurpose hall in Compassvale Link, near Buangkok MRT station.

The meeting is part of a series of regular forums organised by the Sengkang MPs since 2022. Called Sengkang Conversations, it is for residents to discuss national and local issues.

During the event, residents also spoke up on other municipal and national issues. There was, for example, a suggestion for necessities to be exempted from the goods and services tax, as well as calls for greater scrutiny over government spending.

There was also a discussion about how to resolve neighbourly disputes.

However, those who attended the two-hour session hoping to hear more about the WP’s plans for the next general election – which is widely expected to be called by mid-year – were asked to wait a little longer.

In response to a resident who asked what the WP will do for Sengkang ahead of the polls, Ms He, who chairs the town council, said the meeting was not the right place to speak about election campaign issues as it was not a WP event. “We will be making some announcements on that shortly. So just keep an eye out for those,” she said.

At the town hall, the Sengkang MPs shared snippets of how they had spoken up on issues raised by residents during the recent two-week debate over the Government’s latest

$143.1 billion spending plan

.

Mr Chua said that in Parliament on March 4, he had spoken up on the need to rejuvenate Sengkang. Residents there have long called for more amenities such as coffee shops in the area, and the WP had promised during the 2020 hustings that it would push for more spaces for shops in the neighbourhood.

At the town hall, Mr Chua gave residents an update on this front, saying the Sengkang MPs will be meeting the Urban Redevelopment Authority in April to flesh out some ideas the team has in mind.

The agency is set to unveil its Draft Master Plan 2025 in June.

Mr Chua pointed to the site of the defunct Compassvale Bus Interchange as an example of land that could be used for amenities such as hawker centres and retail outlets.

A number of attendees at the March 29 town hall said they were there for the first time, citing the upcoming election as a reason for showing up.

Mr Tai Binquan, 23, who lives in Compassvale, said he attended the meeting to learn more about the issues that people are facing.

The freelance videographer said he is concerned about the cost of living, and worries whether wages from future jobs will sufficiently cover his living expenses. The first-time voter said he hopes to see more support for those in his generation.

The WP team in Sengkang GRC has been operating without one member after Ms Raeesah Khan admitted to lying to Parliament and

resigned from her post in 2021

.

While the WP has not revealed who will be fielded in Sengkang GRC for the coming election, one name tipped to fill the empty seat is Mr Abdul Muhaimin Abdul Malik, who has been

seen at previous community events and walkabouts

.

The senior property manager at Aljunied-Hougang Town Council created a public Instagram account in March, publicising his activities with the Sengkang MPs. He was also seen interacting with residents at the March 29 meeting, but declined to comment when approached.