SDP candidates rebut Ong Ye Kung's claim that Chee Soon Juan abandoned Bukit Batok

Straits Times

25-04-2025

SDP chief Chee Soon Juan at the rally for Bukit Panjang SMC at Beacon Primary School on April 25. ST PHOTO: JASON QUAH
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SINGAPORE - SDP chief Chee Soon Juan had spent years walking the ground in Bukit Batok, only to have the SMC removed with the latest review of the electoral boundaries, his party's candidates said on April 25.
At SDP's second election rally, candidates banded together to defend Dr Chee, after Health Minister Ong Ye Kung said at a PAP rally the day before that Dr Chee had 'abandoned Bukit Batok to come to Sembawang West'.
The Bukit Batok single seat was absorbed into the new Jurong East-Bukit Batok GRC with the release of the Electoral Boundaries Review Committee report on March 11, with Dr Chee announcing later that month his intention to contest the Sembawang West SMC in this election.
The veteran opposition politician contested and lost in the now-defunct ward twice, the latest in GE2020 where he garnered 45.2 per cent of the vote against PAP's Murali Pillai, who notched 54.8 per cent.
'You simply erase the hard work of Dr Chee for the last 10 years, winning the hearts and minds of Bukit Batok residents by resorting to tactics of a playground bully,' said SDP's Sembawang GRC candidate Damanhuri Abas at Beacon Primary School in Bukit Panjang.
'Sadly, we are still dealing with a reality that allows the PAP to maintain an uneven political playing field where they can move the goal post,' he added.
Several other speakers, including fellow SDP Sembawang GRC candidate James Gomez, noted that Mr Ong had also moved to Sembawang for the 2015 election, after being part of the losing PAP team in Aljunied in 2011.
Party chairman Paul Tambyah said he listened to Mr Ong's speech again on April 25 and could not believe Mr Ong 'actually accused the candidate of abandoning his residents to go to a constituency for political agenda'.
He then added he was not sure if Mr Ong was referring to DPM Gan Kim Yong or Dr Tan See Leng, who moved on Nomination Day to head the PAP's slates for Punggol and Chua Chu Kang GRCs respectively.
'Although he kept referring to Dr Chee in his speech, it was quite obvious that somebody who abandoned their residents one hour before Nomination Day was far more questionable,' Prof Tambyah said.
Party chairman Paul Tambyah speaking at the SDP rally for Bukit Panjang SMC at Beacon Primary School on April 25.
ST PHOTO: JASON QUAH
When asked about the PAP moves, PM Wong had explained on Nomination Day that it was to ensure a better spread of the party's senior leadership, given the retirement of Senior Minister Teo Chee Hean.
Despite the rebuttals by his fellow candidates, Dr Chee himself did not address Mr Ong's comments in his speech, saying only that he would address them in the party's next rally on April 26.
Instead, Dr Chee, who was the last speaker of the night, spoke at length against PAP's immigration policies, which he said has resulted in issues such as overcrowding and increased cost of living here.
'If foreigners are here to put the icing on the cake, to help us excel in a certain industry or sector - in other words, supplement our economy, it wouldn't be so hard to swallow,' he said.
But he added that it was 'very hard to accept' that Singaporeans 'don't have the ability, the smarts, the drive to take our own country forward'.
He pointed out that SDP is not against foreigners, but 'it is the irrational, the irresponsible immigration policy of the PAP that we are questioning'.
Dr Chee noted that Singapore's population has crossed 6 million, and is the third most densely populated country in the world, with the growth 'fuelled by the increase in foreigners'.
'We have an existential problem in our country and if we continue to allow the PAP to bring in more and more foreigners, our problems of mental health, cost of living, overcrowding, environmental degradation and overall quality of life are all going to worsen,' he said.
Supporters at the SDP rally for Bukit Panjang SMC at Beacon Primary School on April 25.
ST PHOTO: JASON QUAH
He also called on Prime Minister Lawrence Wong to articulate what he sees as an optimal population size for Singapore, adding that he will expand on SDP's vision on immigration in the coming days.
Meanwhile, Prof Tambyah, a senior consultant in the division of infectious diseases at the National University Hospital, said Singapore is facing huge challenges in its public healthcare system.
'I've said many times we have some of the world's best doctors, nurses and allied health professionals. We also have good healthcare administrators, but the problem is the political environment under which they operate,' he said.
In SDP's manifesto launched on April 20, the party proposed that maternal and paediatric services should be largely free and funded by the government from taxes.
The proposal also includes a 'risk pooling system' that would cover primary services and treatment for chronic illnesses.
'The bottom line is that health care policy needs to focus primarily on getting people well. The SDP healthcare plan involves small co-payments which are kept, and operates on the basis that no one chooses to get cancer or a heart attack,' added Prof Tambyah.
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