GE2020: Don’t settle for ‘PAP-lite’ WP, the real thing is much better, PM Lee tells Sengkang voters

Vernon Lee
·Senior Editor
Updated ·3-min read
Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong addressing Sengkang GRC voters on 4 July. (SCREENSHOT: Facebook/PAP)
Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong addressing Sengkang GRC voters on 4 July 2020. (SCREENSHOT: Facebook/PAP)

SINGAPORE — Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong has lent his heft to the People’s Action Party (PAP) team contesting in Sengkang group representation constituency (GRC) by urging voters there on Saturday (4 July) not to settle for the ‘PAP-lite’ Workers’ Party (WP).

Speaking at a PAP webcast directed at Sengkang GRC voters, Lee dismissed the opposition party’s manifesto ahead of the upcoming General Election (GE).

“They take the PAP’s plan, they say, ‘very good and here are a few holes, please patch the holes, here are a few places where you can add more money, make it cheaper, do more, work harder’. I also can!” Lee said emphatically.

Also participating in the webcast were the PAP’s Sengkang candidates Ng Chee Meng, Lam Pin Min, Amrin Amin and Raymond Lye. They are up against the WP team comprising Jamus Jerome Lim, He Ting Ru, Louis Chua and Raeesah Begum Khan.

PM Lee was referring to the televised debate on Wednesday involving representatives from four parties including Foreign Affairs Minister Vivian Balakrishnan from the PAP and WP’s Lim.

Dr Balakrishnan told Dr Lim that the PAP could have written the WP manifesto and said that was why the opposition party has been labelled by people as “PAP-lite or PAP-like”.

“It's almost a position where whatever line or stand the PAP has taken, you basically use that as your reference point and take a half step to the left. And that's why we really don't have too many fundamental things to disagree about,” Dr Balakrishnan said.

PM Lee said that the opposition parties in general have no plans to deal with the COVID-19 crisis. In the case of WP, he added, “Why do you want to settle for PAP-lite? The real thing is much better. And here in Sengkang, you have the real thing with the four members of our PAP team.”

He urged Sengkang voters to think very seriously and give the PAP team their full support as they are “ready and raring to go” to serve the residents well.

Stay in the know on-the-go: Join Yahoo Singapore's Telegram channel at t.me/YahooSingapore

Follow Yahoo News Singapore’s GE2020 coverage here.

Related stories:

Overheard during GE2020: Memorable quotes by party members, candidates

GE2020: SDP, RP and SPP candidates pledge to become full-time MPs

GE2020: Chan Chun Sing's comment on non-PAP coalition govt fear mongering – opposition parties

GE2020: Pritam Singh dismisses PAP's 'fearmongering' of alternative government

GE2020: PAP candidates will return as grassroots advisers even if they lose, says WP's Marine Parade team leader

GE2020: Support government, oppose its policies when warranted – WP's Aljunied candidates

GE2020: PSP's Leong Mun Wai will reject NCMP seat if offered, proposes proportional representation

GE2020: Vote us for diversity instead of PAP's '2D cutout' candidates – PSP Tanjong Pagar team

  • Up next
  • Up next
  • Up next
  • Up next

Latest stories

  • Sabrina Carpenter looks practically naked in completely see-through lace mini dress

    Sabrina Carpenter went braless wearing the Mirror Palais Anemone Dress in butter featuring illusion tulle adorned with lace appliqués along the neckline and hem

  • Russia has found the critical vulnerability in Nato’s American tanks

    The arrival of the US M1A1 Abrams tanks in Ukraine was hailed as a turning point in the war. Coming in at roughly $10 million a unit, the Nato stalwart was supposed to provide the armoured fist that would punch through the Russian lines. But tactics evolve quickly in warfare, and Russia’s use of surveillance and hunter-killer drones has led to heavy casualties for Ukraine’s tank fleets. This is alarming for NATO. If Russia has found critical vulnerabilities in our armour, our borders are beginni

  • China is the enemy of the world and has nobody to blame but itself

    Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s multi-day trip to China this week caps a particularly busy stretch of meetings between US and Chinese officials. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen was in Beijing earlier this month where she delivered remarks about establishing a floor underneath the US-China relationship and was photographed drinking a beer at a local brewery. On April 5, US and Chinese defence officials held maritime talks for the first time in three years. And on April 16, US Defense Secretar

  • Russian actress who hosted 'almost naked' party fined for calling for peace in Ukraine

    Anastasia Ivleeva fell foul of a law that sanctions remarks discrediting the Russian military.

  • Bully dog found beheaded, burnt and cut into pieces near children’s playground

    A dog walker made the horrific discovery on Tuesday morning

  • Moh Swee Kee — Disagreement spurs sister of Rui Ji Chicken Rice to go solo

    The post Moh Swee Kee — Disagreement spurs sister of Rui Ji Chicken Rice to go solo appeared first on SETHLUI.com.

  • The world’s 100 worst polluted cities are in Asia — and 83 of them are in just one country

    All but one of the 100 cities with the world’s worst air pollution last year were in Asia, according to a new report, with the climate crisis playing a pivotal role in bad air quality that is risking the health of billions of people worldwide.

  • Secret Service says agent on Harris’ detail was removed from assignment after distressing behavior

    A Secret Service agent assigned to Vice President Kamala Harris’ detail was removed from their assignment after displaying behavior that colleagues found “distressing,” the agency said.

  • Mohamed Salah can spearhead Liverpool’s new era but the jury is out on Darwin Nunez

    In the aftermath of a particularly demoralising defeat, former Liverpool manager Gerard Houllier once appealed to the Kop with the observation: “We don’t destroy our heroes today when we worshipped them yesterday.”

  • Prince Edward and Duchess Sophie Feel Disappointed by King Charles Royal Title "Snub"

    The "chosen ones" are reportedly sad they didn't get new roles after Prince William and Kate Middleton's latest appointments.

  • Erik ten Hag: Marcus Rashford abuse is wrong but he must accept share of blame for failings

    Erik ten Hag has told Marcus Rashford he must take his share of the blame for Manchester United’s struggles despite offering the striker his full backing in the face of “months of abuse”.

  • Millie Bobby Brown Pairs Tiny Bikini with Denim Hotpants on Vacation: See the Cheeky Pic!

    The 'Stranger Things' star rocked a pair of denim shorts from her fashion brand, Florence by Mills

  • Jacky Wu and his "Mr. Player" team filmed in Penang for four days

    The Taiwanese host is back in Penang again after filming in the island back in 2015 and 2019

  • Maggie Cheung Ho Yee to make TVB comeback?

    The Hong Kong actress is said to star in a drama by "The Queen of News" producer

  • Pictured: Sea lion pups outsmart orca

    A pair of sea lion pups had a lucky escape after outsmarting a hunting Orca and leaving the giant whale stranded on a beach in Argentina.

  • The games that will decide Premier League title race as Arsenal, Man City and Liverpool battle in run-in

    The Gunners’ bid has been revitalised but the reigning champions remain in pole position

  • How the 'Bengaluru dream' turned into a nightmare

    STORY: Nineteen-year-old Kkavya landed in Bengaluru with dreams of getting a degree in English literature and an exciting job at a tech firm.During a job interview, Khavya, who hails from Kashmir, was told she would have amazing job opportunities in India's Silicon Valley.She was sold the "Bengaluru dream.""What was promised to me when I came to work, they were like, 'Listen, the weather is going to be amazing, you're going to get paid, come work for us for seven hours, go home, take a beer, chill, sleep."After three years in the city, the dream is falling apart, and fast.One problem is the traffic."Do you see the horn? Did you hear it? This is my nightmare."As it was transformed into India's tech hub, the city has struggled to keep up with the massive population influx.Kkavya now spends up to five or six hours on her daily commutes.In the 1990s, Bengaluru rapidly became India's answer to Silicon Valley.It attracted millions of workers and the regional headquarters of some of the world's biggest IT companies.But unrestrained urban expansion has affected Bengaluru's character as a liveable city.With the city poised to vote in the second phase of India's national election on Friday (April 26), Kkavya said she felt frustrated to see that these issues are rarely addressed by local politicians and candidates."We are that sad now, we don't even think that this is something politicians can fix, because they never talk about it. Traffic is our problem, roads are our problem, hospital is your problem. So when I tell my boss that I can't reach on time, it's my problem, not the people who made the roads, not the people who are responsible for the traffic."And she struggles every morning to get water for her daily use. Weak southwest monsoon rains last year failed to replenish depleted groundwater causing shortages.This forced residents to ration water use and pay a much higher price.Water rates at her apartment have gone up by almost four times from about $8.40 per month to more than $27. "Water is expensive as it gets. It is something like we fight for, cause I remember, two days back, this building and the next building had a war over one tank. Because there was only one tank available, and we both wanted it, so basically they paid more and they got it."

  • Kylie Jenner just revived the naked brow trend and she looks like a woodland fairy

    Kylie Jenner shares Instagram selfies of her new bleached eyebrow look for 2024. She looks so different, with the ash-blonde look.

  • Israel talks up Rafah invasion as Hamas prepares for full-scale attack

    Amid 40C heat, key players from the UN gathered in a tattered compound in Rafah to hear the organisation’s most senior security official brief them on what many expect to be a traumatic and bloody few months in southern Gaza.

  • Jurgen Klopp: Blame me for Liverpool’s failure

    Jürgen Klopp has blamed himself for Liverpool’s title bid unravelling, and revealed he ‘hated’ the Merseyside derby performance so much he would have led a crowd chant demanding more fight from his team.