Hougang residents adopt wait-and-see stance to by-election
By Lin Wenjian and Elizabeth Soh
As news of the by-election in Hougang broke on Wednesday afternoon, most residents there that Yahoo! Singapore spoke to said they would wait until Nomination Day on 16 May, when the candidates will be announced, before deciding who to vote for.
Civil servant Jason Chua, 30, said he is "keeping an open mind" this time.
"I have always been a staunch Workers' Party (WP) supporter, but for the upcoming by-election I will listen to the PAP candidate's plans for the constituency before deciding," Chua said.
The longtime Hougang resident admitted that his confidence in WP has taken a hit, following the Yaw Shin Leong fiasco.
Yaw, the former WP Member of Parliament (MP) for Hougang single member constituency (SMC), lost his seat after he was expelled from the party on 14 February for refusing to account for his alleged extra-marital affairs.
But three months after his removal from office, his alleged misdemeanours still figured prominently on the minds of many residents contacted by Yahoo! Singapore for their views on the by-election.
Housewife R. Lee, 35, said she hoped to hear WP chief and former Hougang MP Low Thia Khiang’s explanation on Yaw during the campaigning. “Only if he gives an unconvincing answer will I consider voting otherwise. WP has been consistently serving our ward well and I have no reason to consider Desmond Choo,” she added.
Choo, the candidate fielded by the PAP against Yaw in the general election last May, garnered 35.2 per cent of votes, the lowest electoral percentage result for the ruling party in the Hougang SMC since the 1988.
Company secretary Linda Koo, 42, on the other hand, hoped to see “candidates who are more responsible about the personal life choices they make, as well as be responsive in crisis situations”.
She said: “If the candidates are not up to mark, I feel that I would be inclined to make a more practical decision that can get us things like lift upgrades and better facilities faster.”
Retiree Lim David added that he felt “turned off by elections after Yaw let us down”.
“You really can’t tell from a couple of days how good a candidate will be. New candidates won’t have time to work the ground so I expect that we won’t be spoilt for choice anyway,” Lim explained.
Another resident, undergraduate Randall Ong, 24, said he would be looking out for a candidate with honesty and transparency.
Ong, who has been a Hougang resident all his life, added: “Although this time it won’t be as exciting as the general election, it will still be important. Hougang has been under Worker’s Party for so long but no one is sure if it will go back to the PAP this time. I’m hopeful residents will elect someone able to represent our interests best."
He added that he would be looking out for candidates with solid plans to improve the SMC, such as increasing the number of sheltered walkways as well as a stronger focus on the elderly residents.
But at least one resident said only one party will emerge victorious come polling day. Freelance writer Leow Mei Xue, 34, said. “We have always been a WP stronghold, so unless the WP candidate is really not up to standard, I think the result is predictable.”
WP is expected to field Png Eng Huat in the by-election after the 49-year-old was seen making his rounds at the constituency earlier this year.
Meanwhile, PAP's Choo, who has continued his grassroot outreach in the area after last year's poll, said he will be honoured if given the chance to contest in the ward again.
Hougang residents tell us your views. What concerns and issues would you like to raise ahead of Nomination Day? Write in to reachus@yahoo-inc.com
