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SINGAPORE: Workers’ Party (WP) candidate Harpreet Singh Nehal was in fine form at the rally for Punggol GRC at Yusof Ishak Secondary School on Monday night (April 28) addressing the crowd in multiple languages, and refusing to mince words about a hot topic that emerged during this election — the blocked Income-Allianz deal from last year.
Mr Singh, who is leading the WP team at Punggol, was one of the last speakers of the night. He talked several times about Deputy Prime Minister Gan Kim Yong, who is anchoring the ruling People’s Action Party (PAP) slate at Punggol.
In the context of the Income-Allianz deal, he said that what is critical for the WP, and for Singapore, is fair politics and accountability. Ng Chee Meng, the PAP candidate at Jalan Kayu SMC, in his capacity as secretary-general of the National Trades Union Congress, had “dropped the ball” regarding the deal, Mr Singh said. However, DPM Gan, as the chairman of the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS), also played a role in deciding whether to approve the transaction or not.
Former NTUC Income chief executive officer Tan Suee Chieh wrote an open letter addressed to Mr Gan regarding the issue on April 27.
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Mr Singh said, “So let me say this to DPM Gan, and I say this respectfully. DPM Gan, will you answer Mr Tan’s questions?
“Because they are important questions being asked on behalf of all Singaporeans. And DPM, if you will not answer, please tell us why, because this is about accountability.”
At one point in his speech, Mr Singh said, “Ask yourself this: if the PAP is so confident that they have won the trust of Punggol residents, why do they have to parachute in DPM Gan at the very last minute?”
When the crowd began to boo, he appealed for them to stop, saying that it was a serious question.
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Mr Singh, who is running for MP for the first time, publicly said in an interview that he did not want to be fielded in any constituency that would be considered safe for a WP candidate.
DPM Gan, who had represented Chua Chu Kang in Parliament since 2006 and had been expected to contest there again in this year’s polls, was suddenly announced as a PAP candidate on Nomination Day.
“I have searched all the news reports and I have not found any report where DPM Gan said, ‘I am sick and tired of this safe Chua Chu Kang GRC and I want to be parachuted in somewhere unsafe.’”
Mr Singh also asked why DPM Gan said during a rally speech on Saturday (April 26) that he would speak to his “good friend” Prime Minister Lawrence Wong about getting more funding for Punggol’s infrastructure.
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“What was Senior Minister Teo Chee Hean doing for 20 years when he was helming Pasir Ris-Punggol GRC? Was he not good friends with the Prime Minister? Did he not ask the Prime Minister for more support for necessary infrastructure upgrading in Punggol?” said Mr Singh.
However, he underlined the point that it does not matter whether one is good friends with the Prime Minister or not, as the money allocated for infrastructure belongs to Singaporeans.
“That money must be provided because it is your money,” he told Punggol residents.
When the crowd booed again, Mr Singh reminded them not to bully anyone.
“That’s not who we are. Let’s deal with the issues,” he said. /TISG
Read also: Ex-NTUC Income CEO urges Jalan Kayu voters to hold Ng Chee Meng accountable for aborted Allianz deal
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