Reform Party chief makes major gaffe
The atmosphere, fiery. The speakers, passionate, and the crowd, enthusiastic.
Everything was going as planned, and then it happened.
Just as the final Reform Party (RP) rally was concluding at Clementi stadium on Thursday evening, the emcee urged the approximately 3,000-strong crowd to stand as party chief Kenneth Jeyaretnam led the pledge.
However, J.B Jeyaretam's elder son got it all wrong.
He started, "We the citizens of Singapore, pledge ourselves to build a society," and hesitated for a few agonising seconds before the emcee took over the microphone and started the pledge again.
Will this incident put a dent in the party's run for a place in Parliament?
West Coast GRC residents at the rally whom Yahoo! Singapore spoke to were unfazed.
"This rally had more emotion than the earlier rallies, and the ending was a little disappointing. Maybe he was a bit anxious and forgot the lines," said 32-year-old process technician, Lokman, who was at RP's rally for the second time.
Third-time RP rally attendee, Irda, 28, who is a nurse, agreed. "The speakers today had more fire, but maybe he was a bit gan cheong (Hokkien for 'nervous') that's why."
22-year-old banker Dylan, who was at his first rally this election campaign, said, "I can't comment on anything, because humans do make mistakes."
He added that he was not disappointed by the mistake, and tactfully added that Jeyaretnam "just needs improvement".
The slip-up, though, was the only black spot of the night as the RP candidates took aim at Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong's apology for his government's mistakes.
Speaking at the combined rally for Ang Mo Kio and West Coast GRC, Jeyaretnam questioned PM Lee's sincerity in asking for Singaporeans' forgiveness.
"We all know that I too recently apologised. I misquoted Mr Lee on Saturday and fixed it on Sunday. I did so immediately and spontaneously. No PR agency advised me to do so," he said.
He then noted that PM Lee had "magnanimously accepted" his apology." The RP chief added, "Mr Lee, I accept your apology even though it's taken five years. But I do not accept your excuses."
"Your apology is too little, too late. It will not erase all your actions over the last five years."
Ang Mo Kio candidate Osman Sulaiman added, "You've heard apologies from the PM. What do you think? Is he sincere, or is it because GE is coming?"
Jeyaretnam, who used to be a hedge fund manager, added that if voted into Parliament, he will be able to come up with economic policies to help alleviate the bad ones he claims the PAP have made.
He also vowed to "make the media free again", having accused them as being "state-controlled".
"I am the one voice they (the PAP) do not want to hear again. That is the voice of a Jeyaretnam," he said as he concluded his speech.
The other candidates also spoke about issues related to housing, influx of foreigners, and a growing income gap.
The Reform Party will be contesting the GRCs of West Coast and Ang Mo Kio.
Follow Yahoo! News on Twitter and become a fan on Facebook.
This article is published by Yahoo! Southeast Asia Pte. Ltd., 60 Anson Road #13-01 Mapletree Anson, Singapore, 079914.
