GE2015: Reform Party unveils Ang Mo Kio GRC team, includes Roy Ngerng
The Reform Party (RP) unveiled on Friday afternoon its six-member team that will contest Ang Mo Kio Group Representative Constituency (GRC) in the upcoming general elections.
Blogger Roy Ngerng, 34, was confirmed as part of the slate that will go up against incumbents People’s Action Party (PAP), who will be led by Prime Minister PM Lee Hsien Loong.
Lee sued Ngerng last year in a defamation lawsuit over blog posts that alleged criminal misappropriation of CPF funds. Damages are still being assessed.
Ngerng’s one-time lawyer, M. Ravi, will lead the team as RP returns to contest Ang Mo Kio, which lost to the PAP in 2011 after garnering 30.67 per cent of the votes.
The pair are joined by party volunteers Siva Chandran, 32 and Jesse Loo, 52, social activist Gilbert Goh, 54 and business director Osman Sulaiman, 40. Goh was part of the defeated National Solidarity Party in Tampines GRC in 2011, while Osman is the only candidate left from RP’s previous Ang Mo Kio team.
There was a delay to the press conference as the owner of the coffeeshop initially scheduled to host them changed his mind, said an RP spokeswoman. Two food outlets nearby were approached to no success. The owner of the third explained to Yahoo Singapore that she changed her mind after realising the turnout was larger than expected and would take up customer space.
RP leader Kenneth Jeyaretnam asserted that the team was assembled to “present a strong challenge” in the PM’s ward and stop the “dodging” of questions.
“For the last 40 years, Mr Lee, apart from suing bloggers has a part time job as the Prime Minister [and] has dodged questions,” he said. “We have written to him several times for answers to serious questions… We’ve never received a response.”
Ravi claimed that he reversed his decision to not enter politics after receiving “a lot of positive response” from supporters and wants to effect changes in the constitution.
“We have unfair laws, and outmoded judicial aspects and legal system and laws,” he said, citing the death penalty and Sedition Act as examples.
“I hope that my expertise, which I wish to bring on the table and to go in the Parliament, is to effectively check these unfair laws and be a sounding board of the people.”
Issues of transparency and accountability were further highlighted by Ngnerg, who felt that the government cannot be a “check on themselves”. He said that he would advocate for “fairer” policies regarding retirement, healthcare and CPF if elected.
“I do not think the government has responded or reacted sufficiently to Singaporeans. In fact the government has ignored Singaporeans to some extent,” he said. “Being in government is really to protect the people – that is the main responsibility of the government.”
Similarly, the remaining members asserted their desire to make a difference to the lives of ordinary citizens if elected, such as improving welfare for low-income groups and issues of local graduates being unable to find employment.
Osman was also quick to clarify that the RP is not “xenophobic”, saying, “We are not against foreigners; we are against the policy of [having] 6.9 million people.”
When questioned as to whether the RP team was a “suicide squad”, Ravi brushed away the notion and believed the rise of social media has helped to open up people’s mindsets.
“I don't think that we are a suicide squad… We are a wonderful energy and a powerful one to be reckoned with. The question will be best answered on polling day,” he stated. “With the online media, we hope to have a balanced view and change is just around the corner.”
Jeyaretnam reiterated that the RP is not “just a protest movement” but one that is determined to effect changes.
“Our team is not cobbled together,” he declared. “We want to go into Parliament with a serious purpose. We are not there to heckle.”
This marks the final announcement of candidates from RP, who revealed their teams to contest West Coast GRC and Radin Mas Single Member Constituency (SMC) on Thursday.
