SINGAPORE: Dr Chee Soon Juan needs to give a better explanation on why he “abandoned Bukit Batok to come to Sembawang West", Health Minister Ong Ye Kung said during an election rally on Thursday (Apr 24).

Speaking on the second day of the General Election campaign, the anchor minister for Sembawang Group Representation Constituency (GRC) said that if the Singapore Democratic Party (SDP) chief became MP for the adjacent Sembawang West single-seat ward, he would not be able to properly take care of residents there.

“If residents vote for Dr Chee Soon Juan and he becomes the MP, he becomes in charge, I cannot do that. I won't be able to do that because his job is not to work with me. His job is to challenge me, and his job is to challenge the government,” said Mr Ong, who is the party’s assistant treasurer.

Mr Ong was among the speakers at Woodlands Stadium, along with Sembawang West single-seat candidate Poh Li San and Marsiling-Yew Tee GRC candidates, Senior Minister of State for Defence and Manpower Zaqy Mohamad, Mr Alex Yam and Ms Hany Soh. Prime Minister Lawrence Wong will give the final speech of the night.

Mr Ong shared that several Sembawang West residents have asked him if he is still in charge of the area and if they have been left out of his care.

"I want to assure Sembawang West residents, you are still part of the big Sembawang family, and I would say in fact, you are part of the bigger northern family," he said.

To keep the "strong family ties", Mr Ong urged voters to choose People's Action Party (PAP) candidate Poh Li San, whom he called a "close colleague".

“You vote for her, she become the MP, I can continue to work closely with her, I can continue to pay close attention to Sembawang West,” he said.

In his speech, Mr Ong also addressed recent public claims by Dr Chee which he said, tried to paint Sembawang West SMC as "a lonely island", separate from the Sembawang family.

"I thought about it and realised why Dr Chee said these things. Dr Chee doesn’t want Sembawang West to be part of the bigger Sembawang family. Why? Politically, I think he knows it disadvantages him," said the health minister.

"Better for Sembawang West to become a lonely island, cut off from the rest of Sembawang town. Make Sembawang West residents feel it’s unfair. Make you feel upset. Make you feel angry. Then he has a better chance to win the elections."

CALCULATED POLITICAL MOVE

Mr Ong called Dr Chee's move from Bukit Batok to Sembawang West a "calculated political move", a decision taken after a decade of not being interested in that area.

He noted that during the 2016 by-election in Bukit Batok, the SDP chief had “abandoned” his Holland-Bukit Timah GRC team to stand in that contest.

He lost that contest and also the 2020 General Election in that ward, noted Mr Ong.

"When the Electoral Boundaries Review Committee published its report recently, he told Bukit Batok residents … 'You know me, I am not going anywhere'. Shortly after that, he packed up and left, and came to Sembawang West," said Mr Ong.

While his explanation for going back on his commitment on Bukit Batok was that it has become part of Jurong East-Bukit Batok GRC, the SDP has also given up on Holland-Bukit Timah GRC this election and freeing up its resources, noted Mr Ong.

"After 10 years of not being interested in Sembawang GRC, it is forming a team to compete and contest in Sembawang GRC. He could’ve easily formed a team, if he was really committed to Bukit Batok, to contest in the new Jurong East-Bukit Batok GRC. He chose not to," he said.

He added that in a local podcast, Dr Chee had said that he chose to contest in a Single Member Constituency as such a ward is smaller and can be covered in three weeks.

"He acknowledged it is a beachhead. Win it first, and then 'strategise from there'," said Mr Ong.

"I think Singaporeans are very perceptive. We all already know this is a calculated political move.

"There is nothing wrong with making a political calculation and switching constituencies. It happens in politics. But be upfront with your voters. Don’t tell Sembawang West residents 'I am doing it for you'."

POH LI SAN "UNDERESTIMATED"

Mr Ong also said that Dr Chee has underestimated Ms Poh and the “strength of the Sembawang family”.

He said that what the Sembawang West SMC contest is really about, is about keeping Ms Poh in the Sembawang family and keeping out Dr Chee.

“It is also about voting for Li San who has been working hard for you for the past five years, committed to you, versus voting for Dr Chee who tells you everything he does, he does it for you, when in reality, you are really part of his 'northern strategy', you are part of his beachhead for a further strategy in future,” said Mr Ong.

Mr Ong was referring to the “northern strategy” that Dr Chee announced in March when he first made public that SDP intends to contest in Sembawang GRC – a constituency that they did not contest in the last two general elections.

The National Solidarity Party (NSP) was the opposition party that contested Sembawang GRC in 2015 and 2020. This year, the party continues contesting the GRC, setting the stage for a three-way fight between itself, SDP and PAP.

On Thursday, Mr Ong said: “I believe Sembawang residents are fair minded, and they know who has been working for them all these years.”

In her speech which was delivered before Mr Ong’s, Ms Poh said that her opponent and his party may offer “bold promises”, such as reducing GST rates to 5 per cent, introducing minimum wage and sharply cutting the number of foreign PMETs.

However, they do not explain who would be paying for such proposals nor the long term impact these ideas may have on the economy and jobs, she said.

“Let’s be honest, money don't fall from the sky,” she said.

Proposing a cut in GST rates without an alternative plan means that taxes have to be raised from elsewhere, she added.

“We need well thought out policies to run this country well, not populist soundbites,” she said.