GE: Opposition parties plan to discuss constituency allocation
SINGAPORE: Some of Singapore’s opposition parties are planning to meet on Wednesday evening to decide on the allocation of constituencies for the coming General Election.
A council member of the Singapore Democratic Alliance said the key opposition parties plan to meet once again on Saturday if no decision is reached on Wednesday.
12 Single Member Constituencies and 15 Group Representation Constituencies are at stake at the General Election.
All the 12 single seats are expected to be contested by the opposition parties but political watchers said a key challenge for them is to avoid three—cornered fights.
Observers have said that a three—cornered fight with the ruling People’s Action Party (PAP) will only dilute the opposition’s vote share and lower their chances against the PAP.
Several GRCs have also been visited by more than one opposition party over the past few months.
For example, the Singapore Democratic Alliance and Worker’s Party have both claimed to have been active on the ground at Punggol East SMC.
As for Moulmein—Kallang GRC, both the Worker’s Party and National Solidarity Party have staked their claim there.
And at least three opposition groups have expressed interest in Bishan—Toa Payoh GRC. They are the Singapore Democratic Alliance, the Singapore Democratic Party and the Reform party.
Saturday is when the opposition parties are expected to finalise the constituencies they will be contesting.
The major opposition parties will all be attending tomorrow’s meeting, except for the Reform Party.
The Secretary General of the Reform Party, Kenneth Jeyeratnam said he has requested for Wednesday’s meeting to be postponed as his party is busy and would be unable to attend.
Singapore’s next Parliament will have a total of 87 MPs, up from the current 84. The key test would be in seeing how much resources the opposition can come up with to contest as many seats as possible.
— CNA/fa/ac
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
PAP, Opposition members cross swords on TV
Dapated from Todayonline
SINGAPORE - As Singapore shifts into higher gear for the General Election (GE), the Opposition voiced doubts on the Government's aim of increasing real income by 30 per cent over the next 10 years.
On Channel NewsAsia's Talking Point programme, which was aired last night, Opposition members also claimed that the Government had plagiarised its stance on productivity - a notion that was swiftly rebutted by PAP MP Indranee Rajah.
The programme brought together PAP MPs - Ms Rajah and Mr Michael Palmer - and Opposition figures Workers' Party treasurer Eric Tan, National Solidarity Party (NSP) secretary-general Goh Meng Seng and Reform Party (RP) secretary-general Kenneth Jeyaretnam. Apart from the changes to the electoral boundaries, the panellists spoke on a range of issues - such as cost of living, immigration and income inequality - which would dominate the hustings.
Mr Goh said his party doubted that the Government could meet its stated target in raising Singaporeans' real income. He pointed out that, in spite of the strong economic growth in the last decade, the Government was unable to raise the real income by 5 per cent for households in the 20th percentile.
But Mr Palmer stressed that it is work in progress: Apart from raising productivity, the Government has also embarked on a push to increase the skill levels of the workforce.
Said Mr Palmer: "We've been consistently doing that ... So I think that if Mr Goh gives us a chance, we can raise that income level."
Pointing out that the RP "wants to focus on raising the real incomes of Singaporeans", Mr Jeyaretnam said: "Notably since I suggested this, I noticed the Government has been adopting much of the same language."
Mr Jeyaretnam also claimed that Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong, in a recent speech, "seems to be talking about exactly what I've been saying - the need to focus on raising the productivity of our own workforce, rather than relying on cheap labour from abroad". In response, Ms Rajah said: "I thought that back in the '70s, we had launched the productivity movement; we had the productivity and standards board. That was something like a good 30 years or more ago ... before the RP came up with its recent statement."
On addressing the income gap, Mr Tan felt a bigger cash component in the Workfare Income Supplement scheme would be "better" for the lower income families, instead of serving "so many purposes like Medisave, forced savings or retirement". Said Mr Tan: "We should just focus ... to give them more cash in their hand."
Mr Palmer reiterated that the Budget will benefit lower income families. For example, the increased income ceiling for the Kindergarten Financial Assistance Scheme and Centre-Based Financial Assistance Scheme for Child Care "will have a significant impact", he said.
Turning to election strategy, Mr Palmer said that he would be reaching out to younger voters via new media, while the NSP's Mr Goh said the party will match the profile of voters to its candidates. For instance, if 30 per cent of voters are young, NSP will field a candidate between 26 and 27 years old.
Mr Jeyaretnam also weighed in on Opposition unity - saying that the practice of "lumping everyone together actually lowers the image" of the Opposition. He said: "We're different parties with different ideologies."
SINGAPORE - As Singapore shifts into higher gear for the General Election (GE), the Opposition voiced doubts on the Government's aim of increasing real income by 30 per cent over the next 10 years.
On Channel NewsAsia's Talking Point programme, which was aired last night, Opposition members also claimed that the Government had plagiarised its stance on productivity - a notion that was swiftly rebutted by PAP MP Indranee Rajah.
The programme brought together PAP MPs - Ms Rajah and Mr Michael Palmer - and Opposition figures Workers' Party treasurer Eric Tan, National Solidarity Party (NSP) secretary-general Goh Meng Seng and Reform Party (RP) secretary-general Kenneth Jeyaretnam. Apart from the changes to the electoral boundaries, the panellists spoke on a range of issues - such as cost of living, immigration and income inequality - which would dominate the hustings.
Mr Goh said his party doubted that the Government could meet its stated target in raising Singaporeans' real income. He pointed out that, in spite of the strong economic growth in the last decade, the Government was unable to raise the real income by 5 per cent for households in the 20th percentile.
But Mr Palmer stressed that it is work in progress: Apart from raising productivity, the Government has also embarked on a push to increase the skill levels of the workforce.
Said Mr Palmer: "We've been consistently doing that ... So I think that if Mr Goh gives us a chance, we can raise that income level."
Pointing out that the RP "wants to focus on raising the real incomes of Singaporeans", Mr Jeyaretnam said: "Notably since I suggested this, I noticed the Government has been adopting much of the same language."
Mr Jeyaretnam also claimed that Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong, in a recent speech, "seems to be talking about exactly what I've been saying - the need to focus on raising the productivity of our own workforce, rather than relying on cheap labour from abroad". In response, Ms Rajah said: "I thought that back in the '70s, we had launched the productivity movement; we had the productivity and standards board. That was something like a good 30 years or more ago ... before the RP came up with its recent statement."
On addressing the income gap, Mr Tan felt a bigger cash component in the Workfare Income Supplement scheme would be "better" for the lower income families, instead of serving "so many purposes like Medisave, forced savings or retirement". Said Mr Tan: "We should just focus ... to give them more cash in their hand."
Mr Palmer reiterated that the Budget will benefit lower income families. For example, the increased income ceiling for the Kindergarten Financial Assistance Scheme and Centre-Based Financial Assistance Scheme for Child Care "will have a significant impact", he said.
Turning to election strategy, Mr Palmer said that he would be reaching out to younger voters via new media, while the NSP's Mr Goh said the party will match the profile of voters to its candidates. For instance, if 30 per cent of voters are young, NSP will field a candidate between 26 and 27 years old.
Mr Jeyaretnam also weighed in on Opposition unity - saying that the practice of "lumping everyone together actually lowers the image" of the Opposition. He said: "We're different parties with different ideologies."
Thursday, February 10, 2011
Singapore opposition leader escapes jail term
Singapore opposition leader escapes jail term
AFP) – Feb 10, 2011
SINGAPORE — A vocal opposition leader in Singapore Thursday escaped a jail term after an online donation drive raised enough money to pay a fine instead.
Chee Soon Juan, secretary-general of the Singapore Democratic Party (SDP), had faced a fine of Sg$20,000 ($16,000) after being convicted of "making an address in a public place without a licence" in 2006.
Chee, 48, would have been imprisoned for 20 weeks had he failed to pay the amount by Thursday, prompting his political party to organise an online fund-raising drive.
"We are glad to announce that we have reached the target of Sg$20,000 in contributions for Dr Chee Soon Juan's fine," said a post on the SDP's website.
"More than just keeping Dr Chee out of jail, Singaporeans have rallied and sent a message that they will not sit idly by when the opposition is persecuted."
The SDP said many of the donors were "youths," and added the success of the drive was unprecedented.
"This is a historical development in that it is the first time that Singaporeans have rallied together to show such encouraging support for an opposition cause," it said.
"It is important that we continue to (use) cyberspace to increase political space in Singapore. This exercise has given civil society and the opposition a gauge on the power of the new media."
Kenneth Jeyaretnam, who heads the opposition Reform Party, said on his blog he had also contributed to the donation drive despite describing himself as Chee's "fiercely competitive political rival".
"This is a golden opportunity for all the opposition parties to demonstrate unity of purpose whilst maintaining our individual ideologies and present a real challenge to the behemoth that is the PAP (People's Action Party)," he wrote.
Jeyaretnam, son of the late veteran opposition politician J.B. Jeyaretnam, would not say how much he had donated, telling AFP the amount "wasn't small, but it wasn't a large amount either".
Chee was declared bankrupt in 2006 as he was unable to pay libel damages to top Singapore leaders.
He was then convicted on four counts of speaking in public without a permit after a trial lasting from 2007 to 2010. His final appeal against his conviction was dismissed by a high court on January 20 2011.
International rights group Human Rights Watch (HRW) had on Wednesday slammed the sentence imposed on Chee, who has been jailed in the past for actions related to his struggle against the ruling PAP.
"The Singaporean government is once again abusing the justice system and trampling on basic rights to remove an opposition politician from the political playing field," said Phil Robertson, deputy Asia director of Human Rights Watch.
"The government should end this persecution of Dr. Chee and show that free speech is not a dead letter in Singapore."
Singapore has maintained that its tough laws against public assembly are necessary to maintain peace and order, a bedrock of its economic prosperity.
AFP) – Feb 10, 2011
SINGAPORE — A vocal opposition leader in Singapore Thursday escaped a jail term after an online donation drive raised enough money to pay a fine instead.
Chee Soon Juan, secretary-general of the Singapore Democratic Party (SDP), had faced a fine of Sg$20,000 ($16,000) after being convicted of "making an address in a public place without a licence" in 2006.
Chee, 48, would have been imprisoned for 20 weeks had he failed to pay the amount by Thursday, prompting his political party to organise an online fund-raising drive.
"We are glad to announce that we have reached the target of Sg$20,000 in contributions for Dr Chee Soon Juan's fine," said a post on the SDP's website.
"More than just keeping Dr Chee out of jail, Singaporeans have rallied and sent a message that they will not sit idly by when the opposition is persecuted."
The SDP said many of the donors were "youths," and added the success of the drive was unprecedented.
"This is a historical development in that it is the first time that Singaporeans have rallied together to show such encouraging support for an opposition cause," it said.
"It is important that we continue to (use) cyberspace to increase political space in Singapore. This exercise has given civil society and the opposition a gauge on the power of the new media."
Kenneth Jeyaretnam, who heads the opposition Reform Party, said on his blog he had also contributed to the donation drive despite describing himself as Chee's "fiercely competitive political rival".
"This is a golden opportunity for all the opposition parties to demonstrate unity of purpose whilst maintaining our individual ideologies and present a real challenge to the behemoth that is the PAP (People's Action Party)," he wrote.
Jeyaretnam, son of the late veteran opposition politician J.B. Jeyaretnam, would not say how much he had donated, telling AFP the amount "wasn't small, but it wasn't a large amount either".
Chee was declared bankrupt in 2006 as he was unable to pay libel damages to top Singapore leaders.
He was then convicted on four counts of speaking in public without a permit after a trial lasting from 2007 to 2010. His final appeal against his conviction was dismissed by a high court on January 20 2011.
International rights group Human Rights Watch (HRW) had on Wednesday slammed the sentence imposed on Chee, who has been jailed in the past for actions related to his struggle against the ruling PAP.
"The Singaporean government is once again abusing the justice system and trampling on basic rights to remove an opposition politician from the political playing field," said Phil Robertson, deputy Asia director of Human Rights Watch.
"The government should end this persecution of Dr. Chee and show that free speech is not a dead letter in Singapore."
Singapore has maintained that its tough laws against public assembly are necessary to maintain peace and order, a bedrock of its economic prosperity.
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
NSP’s Goh Meng Seng pledges to sell flat to fund election bid
NSP’s Goh Meng Seng pledges to sell flat to fund election bid
By Ng E-Jay(The Online Citizen)
The Secretary-General of the National Solidarity Party (NSP), Mr Goh Meng Seng, has revealed to close associates and supporters that he intends to sell his HDB flat in Serangoon North in order to fund his upcoming election campaign.
This was announced on Mr Tan Kin Lian’s blog as well as on the Sammyboy Alfresco Coffeeshop forum. Mr Goh had helped the ex-NTUC chief deliver the mandarin versions of his speeches at Hong Lim Park in late 2008 during the Lehman minibond saga.
TOC’s Political Desk caught up with Mr Goh Meng Seng yesterday to enquire about his decision to go “all in” against the incumbent People’s Action Party (PAP).
According to Mr Goh, NSP President Sebestian Teo has himself committed personal funds to finance NSP’s election bid. As Secretary-General of the party, Mr Goh feels that he should throw in his lot as well. Thus, Mr Goh, in consultation with his wife, made the decision to sell his flat last week in order to contribute to NSP’s election war chest. He says his wife has been very supportive and understanding.
Mr Goh emphasized that he need not sell his flat if he merely intended to fund his own election battle. However, he feels that as a leader of the party, the onus is on him to personally tend to what he terms “the bigger strategic campaign” of NSP.
The amount of money that each election candidate must spend can be daunting. The election deposit alone is around $14,000 per candidate. In addition, every candidate must be prepared to spend an additional $10,000 if he is a member of a GRC team, and more if he stands in a single member ward. Mr Goh feels that leaders of NSP should be willing to assist with the finances of their candidates.
A “make or break” strategy?
Every since Mr Goh started dabbling in opposition politics, he had made it clear to all what his political stand is. In his view, he should either stay in Singapore and try to initiate change to the political system, which includes fighting against the PAP’s unfair election tactics, such as gerrymandering and pork-barrel politics via the HDB upgrading carrot, or he should leave Singapore altogether for the sake of his children.
He says that after over a decade in opposition politics, he has to be answerable to his family, having sacrificed so much time that could have been spent with his family. If his next election bid yields no results for him, he says he might have to leave politics altogether. By selling his flat, he is not only putting his money where his mouth is, but also committing himself to a final confrontation with the PAP.
He says he will leave it to voters to decide if his party and his political stand is worth voting for, and that he would have no regrets either way it turns out. He says that even if he loses, at least he can answer to his children with a clear conscience that he has done his best.
By Ng E-Jay(The Online Citizen)
The Secretary-General of the National Solidarity Party (NSP), Mr Goh Meng Seng, has revealed to close associates and supporters that he intends to sell his HDB flat in Serangoon North in order to fund his upcoming election campaign.
This was announced on Mr Tan Kin Lian’s blog as well as on the Sammyboy Alfresco Coffeeshop forum. Mr Goh had helped the ex-NTUC chief deliver the mandarin versions of his speeches at Hong Lim Park in late 2008 during the Lehman minibond saga.
TOC’s Political Desk caught up with Mr Goh Meng Seng yesterday to enquire about his decision to go “all in” against the incumbent People’s Action Party (PAP).
According to Mr Goh, NSP President Sebestian Teo has himself committed personal funds to finance NSP’s election bid. As Secretary-General of the party, Mr Goh feels that he should throw in his lot as well. Thus, Mr Goh, in consultation with his wife, made the decision to sell his flat last week in order to contribute to NSP’s election war chest. He says his wife has been very supportive and understanding.
Mr Goh emphasized that he need not sell his flat if he merely intended to fund his own election battle. However, he feels that as a leader of the party, the onus is on him to personally tend to what he terms “the bigger strategic campaign” of NSP.
The amount of money that each election candidate must spend can be daunting. The election deposit alone is around $14,000 per candidate. In addition, every candidate must be prepared to spend an additional $10,000 if he is a member of a GRC team, and more if he stands in a single member ward. Mr Goh feels that leaders of NSP should be willing to assist with the finances of their candidates.
A “make or break” strategy?
Every since Mr Goh started dabbling in opposition politics, he had made it clear to all what his political stand is. In his view, he should either stay in Singapore and try to initiate change to the political system, which includes fighting against the PAP’s unfair election tactics, such as gerrymandering and pork-barrel politics via the HDB upgrading carrot, or he should leave Singapore altogether for the sake of his children.
He says that after over a decade in opposition politics, he has to be answerable to his family, having sacrificed so much time that could have been spent with his family. If his next election bid yields no results for him, he says he might have to leave politics altogether. By selling his flat, he is not only putting his money where his mouth is, but also committing himself to a final confrontation with the PAP.
He says he will leave it to voters to decide if his party and his political stand is worth voting for, and that he would have no regrets either way it turns out. He says that even if he loses, at least he can answer to his children with a clear conscience that he has done his best.
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