NSP? It stands for No Substance Party: SM Goh

Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong has dismissed the challenge from National Solidarity Party for the Marine Parade GRC, calling them a "No Substance Party."

SM Goh, who is the anchor minister in the constituency, was asked during a walkabout in Macpherson on Tuesday if he thought the National Solidarity Party (or NSP) was also the "Nicole Seah Party", a reference to the election's youngest candidate who has captured the imagination of young voters and netizens.

The 69-year-old's reply, as reported on Channel NewsAsia, was, "My sense is that it is a 'No Substance Party'... they have just one attraction, the rest are just being carried along, so am I worried?"

"If the people in Marine Parade GRC vote for that team and I am out, I think Singapore will be in deep trouble, as simple as that," added the former PM of Singapore.

SM Goh is defending the PAP-held Marine Parade GRC together with his team of Seah Kian Peng, Fatimah Lateef, Tan Chuan-Jin and Tin Pei Ling. It is facing a contest from the NSP from Ivan Yeo, Cheo Chai Chen, Nicole Seah, Abdul Salim Harun and Ng Chung Hon.

Later on, when asked for a response to Mr Goh's statement, NSP candidate, Spencer Ng, said the elections is about a contest of policies.

Ng said: "I only can say that Mr Goh, if something is good, come on let us just admit it is good, just like our NSP's proposals -- the HDB proposals, our lowering of GST, these are very good proposals, so let us stick to our policies and let us discuss policies, it is a contest of policies and not acronyms."

In recent days, SM Goh's comments have grabbed headlines.

Over the weekend, he was involved in a war of words with Tan Jee Say from the Singapore Democratic Party. He claimed the former government scholar who was his former principal private secretary quit the civil service because could not "make it" as a Permanent Secretary.

And on a walkabout in Joo Chiat on Monday, SM Goh said Foreign Minister George Yeo was too important to the government to lose, should he be defeated in the battle for Aljunied GRC.

The Business Times reported SM Goh said, "You vote him out -- what mistake has he made? You can criticise a minister for not delivering on housing or transport. Or for Wong Kan Seng, people say: 'Vote him out because he let Mas Selamat escape.' For George Yeo, what has he done to deserve this?'"

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