SPP unveils team to contest Bishan-Toa Payoh GRC

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http://www.tremeritus.com/2015/08/31...toa-payoh-grc/

SPP unveils team to contest Bishan-Toa Payoh GRC


August 31st, 2015 |
Author: Editorial



Yesterday (30 Aug), SPP unveiled its 5-man team to contest Bishan-Toa Payoh
GRC in the GE, which would be held on Sep 11.


(Photo CNA)


The candidates are:

• Benjamin Pwee, managing director of business consulting firm – He is a
  former civil servant and scholar. He promised that if elected, he would want to
  bring to Parliament “better quality answers and solutions”.
• Hamim Aliyas, business owner – He said, “Now we have a happy partnership
  between SPP and DPP, and I hope we can work together for the future of
  Singapore.
• Abdillah Zamzuri, training company manager – He runs a training education
  company and sports academy. He is a grassroots leader with the Cairnhill CC
  Youth Executive Committee and was a grassroots volunteer with Mendaki.
• Law Kim Hwee, former marketing manager – He is semi-retired and holds a
  director position in a Belgium subsidiary in Singapore. He has 30-odd years of
  experience in sales and marketing working mainly in MNCs in Europe across many
  industries such as fashion, electronics and paper, packaging and
  publishing.
• Bryan Long, tech entrepreneur – He is a former civil servant and scholar. He
  lives in Bishan and has been walking the ground for the past 2.5 years. He said
  it is his “responsibility to give back to the community”.

“These five will make a strong team for Bishan-Toa Payoh,” SPP Chairman Lina
Chiam commented.

In fact, one of the 5, Mr Law Kim Hwee aka “2cents”, regularly contributes
thoughtful articles to TR Emeritus. The most recent one he wrote (‘PM Lee’s current FT policy and your vote‘), talks about how the
PAP government has been injecting FTs into Singapore to drive GDP growth.

He wrote:


“From 1970, foreign non-resident workers comprise 3.2% of our total
workforce. This then sextupled to 28.1% in 2000 (Yeoh and Lin, 2012). Then,
under Lee Hsien Loong’s leadership from 2004 and 2014, as if to outshine his
predecessors, his team surreptitiously executed, non-transparent,
non-accountable-to-parliament policy moves, further doubling foreigners from
603,000 to 1.3 mil. So, it’s already 38.1%, exceeding the 1/3 of our 3.5mil
workforce. How does his current Manpower teammate cap at 1/3 while still
allowing in foreigners albeit at a slower pace?”

“Here’s the real deal. What Chris Kuan has also been writing about ad
nausuem: Hui and Toh (2014) found that ‘employment as the driver of
growth has increased its share from 31% in the 1970s to 75% in
2000s‘.”

“On the surface, the obvious gleaming, LED-lit, mechanical city and
impressive skyline rightly testify to the success of PAP’s growth at all costs
policies. Yes, progress made, lives improved vastly. But below that surface? The
price paid is the 75% share of labour and employment as driver of growth while
consumption as % of GDP is a miserable 40%.”
Mr Law then calls for voters to help “reset” Singaporeans’ lives:


“Voters must be aware that each vote is also for those below 21 years, our
children and theirs. The choice is clear, For all the good achieved, is the
current Team PAP – lacking in accountability, transparency, caring more for
theirs’ and their own interests via a parliament that they completely dominated
for 50 continuous years – the one to trust another 5 years to do what they think
is right, never mind what the People think? Or do we deserve that overdue change
to reset our lives?”
Mr Pwee and Mr Hamim resigned from DPP to join SPP

Mr Pwee and Mr Hamim were secretary-general and chairman of DPP respectively.
Under the agreement with SPP, they have both resigned from their party to
contest under SPP.

“The only way this joint team could happen was if our candidates (for
Bishan-Toa Payoh) resigned and joined SPP, because from the outset we agreed to
run under the SPP banner,” said Mr Pwee, further clarifying that “SPP did not
demand our resignation”.

In fact, at the 2011 GE, Mr Pwee and Mr Hamim both contested for Bishan-Toa
Payoh GRC as part of an SPP team led by Mr Chiam See Tong at the time. They
garnered a reputable 43% of valid votes, just 7% short of majority.

Mrs Chiam also announced that because of age and health, Mr Chiam will not be
contesting in the coming GE.

“We have a strong team here, a very good line-up. We have two good co-leaders
in Mr Long and Mr Pwee. And if you’re not happy still, you can question them
personally on any matters. You can still clarify their credentials later on.
They are both professional people, and have had long experiences in their
working lives. If elected, I’m sure they can still carry on their jobs very
well,” Mr Chiam said.

The team will face the PAP team comprising of Ng Eng Hen and Josephine Teo,
plus new faces Mr Chee Hong Tat, Mr Chong Kee Hiong and Mr Saktiandi Supaat.


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