GE2015: Voters in Aljunied want to have their cake and eat it too: Goh Chok Tong
Emeritus Senior Minister (ESM) Goh Chok Tong said some Aljunied voters want to have their cake and eat it too - they want to vote for the People's Action Party (PAP), but also want the Workers' Party (WP) as the opposition in parliament.
Speaking to reporters after a walkabout at Hougang Mall on Sunday (6 Sep), which is in Aljunied GRC, Goh said he had come to show "moral support" for the PAP team of Yeo Guat Kwang, Victor Lye, Shamsul Kamar, Chua Eng Leong and K. Muralidharan Pillai. And he sensed that many voters in Aljunied were caught in a "dilemma".
"They told us quite openly, they want to support the PAP. But at the same time, they are afraid, if they vote for the PAP, then Workers' Party may be out, and therefore there will be no opposition party, headed by Mr Low Thia Khiang and Ms Sylvia Lim, in parliament. So how to resolve this dilemma?," said Goh.
"So that’s my sense of the ground: the people are caught in between….In other words, it’s quite a natural situation: People want to have their cake and eat it," he added.
Goh urged voters in Aljunied to consider two things: Whether the values of the candidates align with their own, and their future. Goh noted, "To be very frank, it is not about the future of the PAP, or about the future of any opposition party. It’s about your future. Vote for your own future, and your children’s future. Who can help you better in the future? So, if you rationalise and look at these two, then you can come to a decision."
Goh likened the PAP and the opposition to cruise ships. The former has a "clear destination" and a quality crew. By contrast, the opposition is like a ship on a "journey to nowhere". He said, "These are gambling ships, casino. But they’re exciting. Take my ship, we can gamble. But we go nowhere, just go round and round and so on."
Goh also made a jibe at the WP, saying that the opposition party can also have its cake and eat it too, thanks to the Non-Constituency Member of Parliament (NCMP) scheme.
"Let’s say they lose the election – they don’t have to run the town council. Their voice can still be as strong as before in Parliament. So in fact…they are more free to write more great speeches, to make more great rhetoric in parliament," said Goh.
Earlier in the day, Goh also went on a walkabout at a wet market and hawker centre in Marine Parade GRC. He responded to comments by WP candidate Terence Tan that he had only spoken up once in Parliament since 2011.
According to Channel NewsAsia's live blog, Goh said, “I spoke up once, but once was enough. It was impactful. That's all I need to say. I was there listening most of the time and I followed the issues. It's for the younger team members to show what they can say.”
He also addressed SingFirst chief Tan Jee Say’s comments that Goh is the oldest among the PAP candidates and an “overstayer”. Goh said, “I do not want to give any attention to Tan Jee Say. He used to work for me as my Principal Private Secretary. Full stop.”
