PAP Activists Grow In Strength In Aljunied GRC! WP Watch Out! We're Coming For You!!

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To a man (and woman), all five branch chairmen of Aljunied GRC are determined to wrest it back from the opposition. They tell Petir what motivates them to venture into Aljunied

Victor Lye, chairman of the Bedok Reservoir-Punggol branch of Aljunied GRC, has not always agreed with the ruling People's Action Party (PAP).

In fact, at some points, such as during the 1997-financial crisis, he doubted that the party cared enough for Singaporeans.

However, he is convinced that Aljunied GRC would be better off with the PAP running it and is determined to win the GRC back for the party at the next general elections.

Mr Lye, 52 the chief executive officer of an insurance company, revealed that he had a chance to enter politics in the mid 1990s, but declined the opportunity because of the way he was approached.

"I was interviewed for it as if it were a job," said Mr Lye. "That made me feel very uncomfortable and I rejected it in the end."

He added: "To me, being an MP is not about a job. It's about helping people and wanting to serve for the good of society."

After the 1997 financial crisis, Mr Lye decided to "go to the ground" and do grassroots work.

And while he did not always agree with the PAP then, he joined former Foreign Affairs Minister George Yeo in Aljunied GRC, as he "wanted to do grassroots work".

"He was a good man and I felt he had a very open mind," said Mr Lye. "I was not keen to join the PAP, I was only keen to help but because there was no other mechanism to help at that time, I decided to join the party."

Mr Lye has been volunteering at Aljunied since 1999 and even though the PAP lost the GRC in 2011 to the Workers' Party, Mr Lye stayed on.

"I couldn't turn my back when George Yeo lost," he said. "At least I can say I never left and I didn't quit."

He added: "We are here because we believe we can make a difference. Within the PAP, there must be more people who are there not because they can win an election, but because they can serve the people well."

It was also their desire to help Singapore that prompted the other four branch chairmen under Aljunied GRC to accept the posts.

Taking on Aljunied to serve the people

For Mr Chua Eng Leong, chairman of the Eunos branch, it was his concern for the future of the younger generation that made him take the step up.

"All the young have the good life and they are asking for more, such as things like freedom of speech and so on," said the 43-year-old, whose father is former Cabinet Minister Chua Sian Chin.

"But if we are not careful with that, the next generation might run loose. And Singapore cannot afford to let that happen."

Ms Chan Hui Yuh, who has helmed the Serangoon branch since April 2014, said the WP was not helping residents in the ward.

"They are there just because they are the opposition. They are not there to serve residents," said the 38-year-old director of a construction firm.

Lawyer K. Muralidharan Pillai from Rajah and Tann, who heads the Paya Lebar branch, said: "All of us came into this knowing that we'd be going up against the odds. But we are people who came in not aspiring to be MPs, but out of the desire to do good for the residents."

Kaki Bukit branch chairman Mohamad Kahar Abu Hassan, 46, said he is motivated by the activists in his branch who stayed on the ground in Aljunied. And more join their ranks every month, he added.

"Many of those who are coming forward to join us are from the younger generation as well," said Mr Mohamad Kahar, who is SMRT's deputy director of infrastructure.

Other branches within Aljunied also report growing number of activists.

Turning adversity into strength

Mr Murali, 47, said: "After 2011, there were some who refused to come to Aljunied. But if you are truly interested in politics, you would come to Aljunied because here is where you'll see a real fight to win over the residents and remind everyone about what politics is about at the end of the day."

But even though the five branch chairmen are willing to sacrifice to win back Aljunied GRC, they know the odds may be stacked against them.

Mr Chua, who has two sons, said they had quizzed him when he wore all white one day when going to the branch to do some grassroots work.

Many of the young don't think it's cool to support the PAP. But that's exactly the kind of opinions that we're aiming to change," said the bank officer.

Mr Lye believes the "angst" in Aljunied against the PAP is not permanent. "If residents know that they have a sincere government and party that will make changes which will benefit the residents, they will return to our side again."

He also believes that the loss of Aljunied in 2011 would be worth it if the constituency can provide the platform that will transform the party.

"Too much success may have dulled the political acumen of some politicians," he conceded. "We have to go back to basics. We can turn the adversity here into strength."

A team that cares

In PAP wards, every GRC is helmed by a Cabinet Minister.

This is not the case in Aljunied GRC, where former Foreign Affairs Minister George Yeo had to step down after losing the 2011 general elections.

Eunos branch chairman Chua Eng Leong, said of the five current branch chairmen in Aljunied GRC: "We are five ordinary people. But if we can make the difference, can touch lives on the ground, I think that's better than having a heavyweight sent in just for the elections."

Bedok Reservoir-Punggol branch chairman Victor Lye added: "The definition of a heavyweight has changed. Now, it's more about who cares for you and who knows the ground."

All five chairmen said that the Workers' Party, which runs Aljunied GRC now, will probably try to sell the line that the PAP does not care for the people of Aljunied if the party does not field a minister to helm the team.

Mr Mohamad Kahar Abu Hassan, chairman of the Kaki Bukit branch, said that in a GRC, what's more important is that the team members have different attributes so that they bring different skills to the table.

"We are a team and we all have different strengths which help the team function well together and effectively," he said. "That is most important."

Mr Chua, who is the tallest and the biggest of the five chairmen, jokingly added: "If people must have someone who is the heavyweight in the team, then it's clearly me!"

Mr Lye's fear is that the "vocal minority" who speak up against the PAP may cause the "silent majority" to swing to the opposition.

"It'd be a sad, sad day for Singapore if we allow politics to turn into a sport. Politics is not a sport and we are not here as sportsmen. We have to win the people's trust... we have to fight for every vote."

Mr K. Muralidharan Pillai, chairman of Paya Lebar branch, added: "If a voter feels that the PAP is not listening to their concerns, then he should vote against us.

"But they should not vote against the PAP just to goad the government into making populist decisions. That would spell doom for us all."

This article was first published in the January 2015 issue of Petir Magazine

Source: https://www.pap.org.sg/news-and-comm...g-and-caring-a...


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