Ex-gov’t scholar completes SPP’s Bishan-Toa Payoh GRC team
Singapore People's Party (SPP) new candidate and former government scholar Jimmy Lee says he hopes to create a "more robust political environment".
Lee, who used to work as an assistant chief information officer at the Ministry of Defence, was officially unveiled together with SPP's founding member, Mr Mohamad Hamim Aliyas, at a Toa Payoh walkabout on Saturday.
Together with Mr Chiam See Tong, Mr Wilfred Leung, and Mr Benjamin Pwee, they will form the Bishan-Toa Payoh GRC team that will contest against the People's Action Party (PAP) team to be led by Deputy Prime Minister Wong Kan Seng.
For Lee, 36, who is currently a business consultant, he attributed his decision to join the opposition to the party's chief. He read Chiam's inspiring online story on how he soldiered on in a makeshift cubicle under a Potong Pasir void deck.
The Cornell MBA holder saw how "dogged and determined" Chiam's efforts were in making a difference for his residents that he decided to join the opposition. He was contacted by the party early this year.
Said Lee, "Given our political environment as it is now, the best we can do for Singaporeans now is to step forward and be the alternative voice. I believe that the PAP has enough people to represent the incumbent voice."
Added fellow candidate Pwee, who share 'Raffles Institution and Raffles Junior College connections' with Lee, "It was not hard to get him into SPP, I was actually quite surprised at how easy it was."
For Malay candidate Hanim, who has a diploma in interactive media from Scotland's James Watt College, it will be his second time running in the General Election.
In 2006, he contested in Pasir Ris-Punggol GRC as part of the former Singapore Democratic Alliance, which consists of SPP, PKMS, NSP and SJP.
Hanim founded SPP in 1994 with Mr Sin Kek Tong, who is currently its chairman.
After unveiling his team, Chiam said that he was very happy and if elected, they will do their best to serve the residents of Bishan-Toa Payoh.
When asked if SPP's game plan was to focus on discontent over DPM Wong's handling of the Mas Selamat issue during campaigning, Pwee said, "We don't want the elections to be about personal attacks on anybody. We want to address issues that are in the hearts of the people because we want this to be a fair and respectable affair."
