‘Absurd that a grassroots event has to be politicised’
The dispute between the Worker's Party (WP) and People's Association (PA) regarding the use of public spaces has sparked heated online debate in Singapore.
The row started last Saturday when WP Member of Parliament Chen Show Mao posted a note on his Facebook page saying his invitation to a Hungry Ghost grassroots dinner in Paya Lebar was withdrawn by organisers.
Since then, WP and PA have released statements on the matter, with the PA now subsequently allowing residents to invite whomever they want to events on public sites leased by the association.
Some netizens felt that it was unfair to have prevented an MP to go for his own grassroots event. M. Tan said, "It is really quite absurd that a grassroots event like this has to be politicised, I cannot believe that this is actually happening."
But there were also those who wanted more information available, saying that there needed to be more transparency regarding the matter before any judgment could be made on both parties.
Facebook user Benjamin Wee said that there needs to be a deeper look into the matter, and asked for "an independent party" to further examine the issue.
Commenting on one of Yahoo!'s articles, Paul said: "It seems that whenever a constituency... is governed by an opposition party, it somehow runs into 'problems'.
"Singaporeans are watching and if there's no fair play and justification, the ballot box will probably speak louder at the next General Election."
Colin Ng asked on Yahoo!'s Facebook page, "Is the same thing happening to the other constituencies?"
A few netizens also mentioned that the dispute was uncalled for because public spaces are supposed to be for the public, and the conflict should not be tied to politics.
Said Wutburger, "PA should not have to take sides politically in the first place. 'Advisors' appointed or representing political parties should have no role in publicly funded organisations or activities."
After WP chairman Sylvia Lim revealed that HDB had leased to the PA 26 commonly-used sites -- once under Aljunied Town Council when it was headed by the People's Action Party -- many also questioned the purpose of HDB's actions.
Heng Chee Meng said, "HDB needs to understand that its role is to build flats, not political goodwill."
Some felt that a re-examination of PA's role in Singapore is due, as they questioned its relevance in the country's development.
Blogger Alex Au said, "The People's Association needs to be cleaned out, too, and the best solution, in my view, is to disband it altogether. It would be no loss to Singapore. What critical need does it serve anyway?"
