PAP and WP begin battle for Hougang in earnest

By Leslie Koh, The Straits Times, 11 May 2012

THE People's Action Party (PAP) said yesterday that it was entering the battle for Hougang as the underdog fighting to win.

A day after the Writ of Election was issued for the single seat that was vacated by disgraced Workers' Party (WP) MP Yaw Shin Leong, both the PAP and WP yesterday made official their widely expected choice of candidates.

On the PAP side is union employee Desmond Choo, 34, mounting his second attempt after losing to Mr Yaw at last year's general election (GE). The WP's man is businessman Png Eng Huat, 50, who strode into a WP press conference to knowing 'aaahs' in a packed room.

Deputy Prime Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam, who introduced Mr Choo at a PAP press conference, said: 'Hougang has been under the Workers' Party for the last 20 years, under Mr Low Thia Khiang, and we come in as the underdog.'

But Mr Choo will work his 'socks off' to serve residents. 'We took Hougang and Potong Pasir very seriously in the GE and we take Hougang very seriously in this by-election.'

He added that the contest is a local election to choose the best representative to help Hougang voters. His comments came even as political observers suggest the by-election could be a scorecard on government performance since last year's GE, a point Mr Low seemed to agree with, as he said the election was about local and national issues.

On Mr Png, the WP chief said that he was confident he was a man of integrity and sincerity who had been carefully selected, deflecting criticism on his past choice of Mr Yaw.

Both candidates seem focused on local issues. Said Mr Png: 'The estate needs upgrading and transport - elderly-friendly access, shelter, drop-off points, all these are issues.' Mr Choo stressed his 'long-term commitment' to the ward, outlining plans such as a legal clinic. 'We do what we say,' he said.

I am my own man, says PAP candidate
Choo has refused help from party bigwigs

By Teo Wan Gek, The Straits Times, 11 May 2012

THE PAP's candidate for Hougang, Mr Desmond Choo, said yesterday he has refused help from his party bigwigs for the by-election as he is confident that the work he has done in the constituency for the past 15 months speaks for itself.

'I am my own man,' Mr Choo said repeatedly, taking a dig at how his rival Png Eng Huat is being bolstered in his campaign by the presence of Workers' Party (WP) chief Low Thia Khiang, who was Hougang's MP for 20 years.

But he left it open as to whether People's Action Party heavyweights will show up later in his campaign to help.

'I want the residents to know that I am my own man, that I have my own vision for Hougang, that I've...executed my plans, and there's more that I can do. So, having party bigwigs here or not is not going to distract me from how I want to run my campaign in Hougang.'

Mr Choo, 34 and a unionist, was formally introduced yesterday as the PAP's candidate for Hougang by Deputy Prime Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam, at the party's Hougang branch office. The introduction comes a day after the writ of election was issued, setting May 16 as Nomination Day.

Mr Choo fought his first electoral battle in Hougang at last year's May polls, losing to the WP's Yaw Shin Leong by almost 30 percentage points.

But the seat became vacant in February after the WP sacked Mr Yaw for not coming clean on his alleged extramarital affairs.

Yesterday, with his election slogan 'Always Here For You' emblazoned on a board behind him, Mr Choo expressed the hope that residents will judge him on his body of work in the single-seat constituency and added: 'I'm confident of the 15 months of hard work that I've put into Hougang.'

He dwelt at length on the plans, projects and programmes he has introduced in Hougang, including social aid schemes like a Job Hub to help residents find work, and a subsidised mobile traditional Chinese medicine clinic.

On Tuesday, he will set up a monthly legal clinic in partnership with the Association of Criminal Lawyers, he said.

When asked if the Yaw saga would feature in his election campaign, Mr Choo said: 'I come to Hougang with only one objective, to know my residents...and to serve them to the best of my abilities.

'The Shin Leong incident was unfortunate but it doesn't distract me from my work.'

When a reporter pointed out that his comments are in stark contrast to Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong's earlier comments that suggested the saga is far from a closed chapter, Mr Choo quipped:

'Well, obviously our opinions differ and you can see that I am my own man.'

His election manifesto, he said, will not differ greatly from the 2011 general election manifesto.

'Are we going to change taglines, are we going to change plans on a whim or fancy just because tides change or shift?

'That's not going to happen because there are real concerns on the ground and these real concerns need steady, complete, long-term plans,' he said.

'However, I have no doubt that this will be a tough contest. But our spirit is strong and we will fight to convince voters that we are the better choice for their future...We're there to serve them and will always be there for them.'

Later in the day, at a WP press conference, Mr Low fired a salvo at him, asking whether his slogan 'Always Here For You' meant he was present in Hougang as a People's Association grassroots adviser or the PAP candidate.

Mr Choo, speaking to reporters last night at a celebrity soccer kick-off match at Hougang Stadium, shot back: 'Well, always for the people.'

DESMOND CHOO

Age: 34 

Occupation: Deputy director at NTUC's Industrial Relations Unit; executive secretary with the Union of Security Employees and Singapore Shell Employees Union 

Marital status: Married; no children 

Education: Studied economics at the University of Chicago on a Singapore Police Force Overseas Merit Scholarship 

Languages/dialects spoken: English, Mandarin, Teochew, Hokkien and Cantonese 

Electoral history: Stood for election in Hougang last year and received 35.2 per cent of the vote 

One thing I will champion in Hougang: Assistance schemes, such as for health, education, transport and job matching; and a free legal clinic

Tharman: Contest is a local election
By Leslie Koh, The Straits Times, 11 May 2012

THE by-election in Hougang is strictly about choosing the MP who can best help its residents solve their problems, said Deputy Prime Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam yesterday.

'This by-election is a local election,' he stressed at a press conference held to introduce PAP candidate Desmond Choo.

If by-elections were being held in several constituencies, he said, national issues might have come into play.

But as only one single-seat constituency is involved, the electoral fight should remain a local contest.

At the same time, in a comment clearly aimed at the Workers' Party (WP), Mr Tharman said it was important not to 'trivialise' the election process.

'Mr Low is clearly confident, I would say ultra confident, having held Hougang for 20 years but we shouldn't trivialise the election process.

'I don't think you can say that it doesn't matter if a candidate turns out to be irresponsible, it doesn't matter what he is like, if something turns up, something goes wrong and if after a few weeks, we can't get an answer (from him), 'we sack him and hope for an early by-election, and don't worry, we will produce a new candidate'.

'I think that trivialises what has happened,'' he said

The Hougang seat became vacant after its former MP Yaw Shin Leong was expelled by the WP following allegations of extramarital affairs.

Yesterday, Mr Choo avoided being drawn on the question of whether the scandal would swing some votes the PAP's way, saying only that it was a 'closed chapter'.

Likewise, Mr Tharman dismissed talk that the PAP was looking at holding a by-election in a GRC to bring in new faces, as former PM Goh Chok Tong did in 1992. 'It's just speculation,' he said. 'The by-election is being called to elect a new member to Parliament. So let's focus on that task.'

When asked whether the poll had been prompted by a court case on a resident's bid to get the PM to call the by-election soon, he said it was irrelevant. 'The case before the court concerns certain legal and constitutional issues,' he said, and noted that the Prime Minister had made clear his intentions and considerations, including national priorities, and decided to call the by-election now. 'So these are two quite separate matters.'

In his replies to reporters' queries, Mr Choo, too, kept turning the conversation back to the issue of getting a new MP for the constituency.

Hougang residents 'need a person to serve them and take care of them, and this is what this by-election is about.'

WP man opts for no-frills campaign

Png will hear out residents' problems
By Tessa Wong, The Straits Times, 11 May 2012

WITH no election manifesto, slogan or campaign promises, the Workers' Party's (WP) Mr Png Eng Huat is relying on a basic campaign focused on serving the needs of Hougang residents.

The 50-year-old businessman said his platform would centre on his being a listening ear.

'My strategy is a very direct thing,' he said after being presented as the WP's candidate at its headquarters yesterday. 'I visit every home, make sure I meet as many residents as possible. I talk to them, understand their needs. We don't make campaign promises, but when we hear about their problems, we see if we can resolve them.'

This approach also marked the way he handled yesterday's 40-minute press conference, flanked by WP secretary-general Low Thia Khiang and chairman Sylvia Lim.

Noting how he and Mr Low had different styles of engagement, he said: 'I take a back seat, every time I take a look at things, I like to listen.'

Mr Low interjected with a chuckle: 'So he's saying I'm more aggressive.'

When Mr Png was asked if he was riding on the coat-tails of the WP and Mr Low, who was Hougang's MP for more than two decades, he acknowledged that 'definitely, the brand name plays a big part'. If elected, he said, he would continue Mr Low's legacy and voice Hougang residents' concerns.

But he also listed what he had done for the constituency.

Before last year's general election, he had been in charge of welfare programmes for Hougang Constituency Committee, the WP's grassroots arm in the ward. After the party expelled Mr Yaw Shin Leong, who was elected Hougang MP last year, Mr Png was appointed to head the committee.

In the past two weeks, he said, he has been walking the ground on his own, visiting most of the homes in the estate. The reception so far, he added, has been 'warm and very welcoming'.

He said he hopes to raise local issues in Parliament, such as the need for upgrading, transport links, elder-friendly access and shelters in Hougang. He also intends to speak for small and medium-sized enterprises, and about the rising cost of living.

Since Hougang's wet market and food centre were demolished in 2008 for residential and commercial developments, he said, residents no longer have access to cheap food.

'If you visit us when we do food distribution, you will see there are people who really need help,' he said, noting the WP's grassroots efforts to provide needy residents with daily rations.

In recent weeks, People's Action Party candidate Desmond Choo, who is Hougang's grassroots adviser, has been involved in similar efforts to help needy residents. Among other things, Mr Choo has started programmes to give out free porridge and hearing aids to the elderly, and said he would lobby for a new market to be built.

Mr Png dismissed the idea that this presented a challenge to the WP's efforts.

'As long as it's good for the residents, we welcome them and we don't want to replicate any of them,' he said. 'If you can provide a market and all those things, it's good for the residents. Definitely, we will support it.'

He also did not think the age gap between him and Mr Choo - who is 34 - is a problem.

'I may have a lot of white hair but I'm not that old; 50 is not an age that is considered old,' he said.

'I can connect with the residents with ease, I would say. I don't see age as a problem - it's not an issue whether he's younger than me.'

PNG ENG HUAT

Age: 50

Occupation: Businessman 

Marital status: Married; two children 

Education: Bachelor of Science (radio, television and film), from the University of Texas in the US 

Languages/dialects spoken: English, Mandarin, Hokkien and Cantonese 

Electoral history: Contested in East Coast GRC last year, where the Workers' Party (WP) won 45.2 per cent of the vote; joined WP in 2006 

One thing I will champion in Hougang: Ensuring that the welfare of Hougang residents, especially lower-income and elderly residents, is well taken care of

Low: WP picks candidates carefully over time
By Andrea Ong & Tessa Wong, The Straits Times, 11 May 2012

WORKERS' Party (WP) chief Low Thia Khiang yesterday emphasised that his party takes a lot of care in screening and selecting its candidates.

Besides having stringent criteria, the party also makes it a point to scrutinise its candidate over a period of time.

For instance, Mr Png Eng Huat, who joined the WP in 2006, was not fielded in the general election that year 'because we knew him for too short a time at that point in time', said Mr Low.

'Every candidate we field is a risk because if the PAP manages to dig up anything on the candidate, then you have the whole election campaign zooming in on the problem,' he noted.

But after observing Mr Png for some time, the party was satisfied he fit the bill and fielded him in East Coast GRC last year. Now, the party is confident Mr Png is the right man to fill the void left by disgraced former MP Yaw Shin Leong, who was sacked by the WP for failing to account for his alleged extramarital affairs.

'We are confident that he is a person of integrity, sincere, wanting to serve the people, and he fits our criteria as a candidate,' said Mr Low at a media conference yesterday to introduce Mr Png.

While he stoutly defended the party's selection methods, he acknowledged that no such process is absolutely foolproof.

'At the end of the day, humans are still humans,' he said in Mandarin. 'What we are sure of, what I can say hand on heart is that we do not casually let just anyone become a WP candidate.'

He said while no party or institution can be sure a person will not make mistakes as he goes on in life, 'what is important is that if something goes wrong, we are prepared to put it right'.

He also rebutted Deputy Prime Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam's charge that the WP's handling of Mr Yaw 'trivialises' the election process.

'The DPM is wrong. We take elections very seriously,' he said, adding that the WP did not take lightly the difficult decision to expel Mr Yaw and had shown 'political will' in doing so.

Noting that the democratic electoral system sieves out the best person to be in Parliament, Mr Low said if the elected candidate falls short, it is 'correct' for the party to follow the electoral process and let voters have another chance to decide who the best man is.

Mr Low also defended the choice of 50-year-old Mr Png, even though last year, WP leaders picked Mr Gerald Giam, 34, as a Non- Constituency MP over party veteran Eric Tan, 56, in the interest of party renewal. Mr Tan later quit the WP.

Mr Low said the main consideration for the party's by-election committee when it unanimously selected Mr Png was his ability to connect with people. Using the Chinese phrase 'wen zhong cheng shu' to describe Mr Png as a stable, solid and mature person, he said: 'I believe Hougang needs a candidate like him.'

Poll is not a referendum on either the PAP or WP
By Chua Mui Hoong, The Straits Times, 11 May 2012

WHEN news broke on Wednesday that a by-election would be held in Hougang on May26, I posted a question on my Facebook page: Apart from Hougang voters, how much do others care?

Two friends responded immediately. One said; 'Lots for me!!! Will the nasi lemak shop be open on polling day?'

Another asked tongue-in-cheek if polling day would be a public holiday for Hougang voters. (Answer: Only polling day for general elections is a public holiday.)

It wasn't always like this.

In the past, election-starved Singaporeans would get all excited about any election. But now, Singapore is heading for its third election in just over a year, after last year's May7 general election and the Aug27 presidential election.

A by-election for 23,368 voters to pick a Member of Parliament in a north-east corner of Singapore appears almost like a distraction.

Election-fatigue, I suspect, has hit many Singaporeans, who just want to get on with their lives and concerns about jobs and family. There will, of course, be a vocal minority disenchanted with the ruling People's Action Party (PAP) who want to project their own desires onto the hapless shoulders of Hougang voters. You can hear and read their views online.

It's thus useful at the outset, before too much ink is spilt - and pixels formed - on debate over the Hougang poll, to be clear on what it is, and is not, about.

First, it is not a referendum on the performance of the PAP since May 2011.

As a voter, I want a government that can run the country. But since the government has already been formed, I would want an MP who can fight for my constituency's interests.

I may vote against him if I don't think he can get programmes and facilities going for my estate. Every other annoyance I feel towards the PAP - over its immigration policies, housing prices, or because of the five times I've been stuck in an MRT breakdown - would still be carefully nursed. But I would bide my time and make a choice when it counts.

Second, the Hougang by-election is not a good proxy indicator of the performance of the Workers' Party.

Hougang is a WP stronghold, returning Mr Low Thia Khiang and then his protege Yaw Shin Leong, in every election since 1991. Mr Yaw won with 64.8 per cent last May, but was expelled from his own party on Feb 14, after remaining mum in the face of allegations of an extra-marital affair.

The WP drew flak for first backing Mr Yaw and then sacking him. Others questioned its selection process. Its performance in Parliament has also been patchy.

It would be tempting to declare Hougang a test-case of the WP's popularity.

But that would be a mistake. Hougang is a WP stronghold, not reflective of the rest of the country. Even after Mr Yaw's dramatic self-destruction in a blaze of sex scandal and silence, the WP candidate Png Eng Huat is tipped to win by a comfortable margin.

The only remarkable result would be if the WP lost in its stronghold. That would mean the worm has turned in Hougang. Anything short of that - even a much narrower margin - doesn't really say much.

Third, the timing of the by-election. The legal and constitutional issues surrounding the by-election are being thrashed out in court, after a Hougang resident started a bid to get a court order that the Prime Minister does not have 'unfettered discretion' on whether and when to hold a by-election.

PM Lee Hsien Loong's decision to call a by-election within three months of the seat being vacated on Feb28 surprised even WP chief Low Thia Khiang by its promptness. But in fact, it's not the shortest duration: by-elections were called within 18 days of a seat being vacant in Anson in 1981 after Mr Devan Nair resigned to be president and in Marine Parade GRC in 1992.

The current decision to hold a by-election within three months is at most a political precedent other PMs may or may not see fit to follow. The only binding resolution is a judicial or constitutional one.

So is Hougang just a local election?

It is certainly not a national referendum on either the PAP or WP. But I for one will be watching it with interest for what it says about how the PAP and its political opponent engage in the so-called 'new normal' of politics post May 2011.

Will it be a fair and clean fight without personal attacks? Will PAP bigwigs eschew past tactics and leave PAP candidate Desmond Choo to fight his own fight? He himself made clear his own preference: 'This is very much my own fight. I want the residents to know that I am my own man, that I have my own vision for Hougang... So, having party bigwigs here or not is not going to distract me from how I want to run my campaign in Hougang.'

Will the PAP resist the temptation of throwing money at Hougang voters, as it has before, promising millions to improve the ageing estate in return for votes?

For many other Singaporeans in other parts of the country, the Hougang by-election will remain a sideshow.

And to answer that very important question: Yes, Punggol Nasi Lemak is open on May 26.