GOMEZ SLAMS VIVIAN FOR “PLAYING DIRTY”

The SDP's James Gomez says that the PAP frequently engages in smear campaigns during elections

By Wayne Sim

Staff Writer

Singapore Democratic Party candidate James Gomez has hit out at PAP minister Vivian Balakrishnan, accusing him of “playing dirty” by making an issue of Dr Vincent Wijeysingha’s sexuality.
Speaking to Channel NewsAsia reporters outside the Elections Department, Dr Gomez said, “Given the experience of previous elections, the act of smear tactics is consistent with how the PAP approaches elections in Singapore. This is once again another example of how it is trying to distract the voters, this time using discrimination and a divisive approach.”
“Dr Vivian Balakrishnan should have stuck to the issues, chief of which, his mismanagement of the Youth Olympic Games. Now, he has evaded the issue for the longest time.”

Dr Balakrishnan told reporters last week that the Youth Olympic Games that were organised by his ministry were a “success” despite running more than three times over budget. He refused to discuss the matter further, only saying that “the YOG has come and the YOG has gone.”

Dr Gomez, who stood for election in 2006 under the banner of the Workers’ Party, was singled out by PAP leaders because of an incident at the Elections Department regarding his minority certificate – with the “James Gomez issue” dominating the headlines throughout the campaign period. Eventually, Dr Gomez’s team in Aljunied GRC polled 44% of the votes, with his opponent, the PAP’s Foreign Minister George Yeo, later admitting that the repeated personal attacks had cost him votes.

Dr Balakrishnan, who leads the team of incumbents from Holland-Bukit Timah GRC, alerted the public to a video of Dr Wijeysingha taking part in a gay rights forum, and accused him of having a ‘hidden gay agenda’.

The move was thought to have been designed to win votes for the PAP in the affluent Holland-Bukit Timah area – which has a high concentration of conservative Christian voters.

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The writer is a Staff Writer at The Satay Club. He is a final-year law undergraduate at a reputable Australian university, and returns to Singapore twice a year.

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