A vote for WP is a vote for the future, say its candidates
WP candidates onstage at the party's last rally at Anderson Serangoon Junior College on May 1. ST PHOTO: CHONG JUN LIANG
A vote for WP is a vote for the future, say its candidates
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SINGAPORE – A vote for the WP will not just determine the results of this election, but will also shape the future of Singapore, party candidates said on May 1, as they made a final plea to voters.
'Let us build on what we have achieved in Aljuned, Hougang and Sengkang and take the next step to send a clear message from Punggol, Tampines, East Coast, Jalan Kayu and Tampines Changkat, that Singapore wants a Parliament that listens and a rational, responsible and credible opposition,' said Aljunied GRC candidate Gerald Giam.
'You may only have one vote, but together, our votes can chart the future,' said party chair Sylvia Lim, who is also on the Aljunied slate.
At the party's last rally at Anderson Serangoon Junior College, candidates spoke about the party's achievements in Parliament and at town councils.
WP MPs have 'punched above (their) weight', asking more than 2,300 parliamentary questions in Parliament and bringing up issues including leaked NRIC numbers on the Acra website and the Income- Allianz deal that was eventually aborted, said Mr Giam.
The party's town councils are also directly managed and on solid financial footing, he added.
Now, the party was ready to do more, he said, calling on voters to vote the WP for a more balanced Parliament and to chart a better course for Singapore.
Several candidates spoke about how the PAP has lost its way.
Mr Michael Thng, the WP candidate for Tampines, referred to the authorities spending $400,000 to consult an external agency to rebrand Marina Bay only to end up reusing its original name. This was in 2004. He also cited the $40 million budget to support the continued use of older ez-link cards after the Land Transport Authority shelved its plans for SimplyGo.
He likened the PAP to a multinational company that was once at the top of its game but has now 'stopped imagining boldly, and has started protecting what (it) has'.
'They are not able to deal with the challenges that lie ahead, or creative enough to find new ways to solve them. This is not the PAP of big, bold, forward-looking ideas,' he said.
Aljunied GRC candidate Kenneth Tiong, meanwhile, criticised the Government's willingness to sell out 'strategic national assets built over decades' to foreign players, putting this down as a reason Singapore has not produced what he called domestic growth engines.
This mentality was apparent in the sales of Chartered Semiconductor Manufacturing in 2009, shipping company Neptune Orient Lines in 2016, and the attempt – later stopped by an act of Parliament – of Income Allianz in 2024.
WP incumbent MP for Sengkang GRC Jamus Lim said it was WP's 'longstanding' ideas adopted by the Government that have made Singaporean lives better: among others, better financial support for unemployed workers, higher pay for National Servicemen and better protection for scam victims.
'Without an opposition presence in Parliament, far fewer inconvenient questions would have been asked, and mistakes made by the Government would not have been held to account in the same way,' he said.
The candidates also took the chance to address voters' concerns about voting for the opposition, with some like Tampines GRC candidate Faisal Manap arguing that voting for WP would result in more parties serving residents.
In Aljunied, residents now have the WP serving them, in addition to the PAP continuing to labour in their wards to win back their votes and the People's Association organising events during festivities.
WP-held wards have already enjoyed this windfall, such as double celebrations on occasions like Christmas, Chinese New Year and Deepavali, he said.
Mr Giam, who has contested four general elections, meanwhile, assured voters that their vote is secret.
He said he had followed the entire voting process until the incineration of the ballot papers and guaranteed that safeguards are in place.
His fellow Aljunied GRC candidate Fadli Fawzi added: 'Last election, almost one million Singaporeans courageously voted against the PAP in hopes of seeing genuine change. Do you think the Government can monitor everyone in times of global uncertainty?'
Urging voters to give their vote to the WP on Saturday, Ms Lim said: 'Let's make a promise that come Saturday, we will vote not out of fear but with conviction and hope for the future that we deserve, that years from now, we can proudly say, that we stood up and worked for Singapore as we passed the baton to the next generation.'
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