The white-hot battle for Aljunied GRC just got even hotter, with former Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew stepping into the fray.
The PAP elder statesman, whose Tanjong Pagar GRC was the only constituency to be uncontested on Nomination Day, weighed in on the contest in Aljunied by saying that the voters would regret voting for the Workers’ Party.
“If they choose the opposition, then I say, good luck to them. They have five years to ruminate and to regret what they did. And I have no doubts they will regret it,” said Mr Lee during a walkabout in Tampines.
“At the end of the day, if you are in Aljunied, ask yourself: Do you want one MP, one Non-Constituency MP, one celebrity who has been away 30 years, and two unknowns to look after you? Or do you prefer two ministers, one potential Parliamentary Secretary, one potential Speaker of Parliament, and one grassroots MP? Just ask yourself that,” he continued.
The PAP team in Aljunied is helmed by Foreign Minister George Yeo. The other candidates in the team are Lim Hwee Hua, Cynthia Phua, Ong Ye Kung and Zainul Abidin Rasheed. The WP team is headed by former Hougang MP Low Thia Khiang, who is contesting alongside Sylvia Lim, Chen Show Mao, Faisal Manap and Pritam Singh.
The comments are believed to be the first from the Minister Mentor since the election campaign begun in earnest. Mr Lee, 87, has been known to involve himself in hotly-contested constituencies, such as in Cheng San in 1997 and Aljunied in 2006.
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Some say opposition – Mr Chiam is getting extra points/vote for standing up for this GE ever since his stroke etc…
Well, now that Mr Old Lee has his GRC walked-over… Why is he coming out now and making comments?? Getting extra/votes for PAPA by using his age?? gosh~
There are now 24,000 more voters who are not able to vote for the Hot contested Aljunied GRC because they have carved out our Hougang Ave 8 to join the AMK GRC. After the lousy lift upgrade and neglected estate beautification for years, we have no chance to voice on the performance of MP YGK and now have to settle for the motion of voting exercise. First from Cheng San, then Aljunied and now AMK. What a way to manipulate the vote count. Are we assure to get the same posh facilities offered to AMK GRC? I doubt so. Even among the Aljunied GRC, there was differential among the facilities. Those flats with PAP office at void deck or PAP childcare has better facilities offered. After increasing the Aljunied conservancy fees last year, do I get fee reduction when this estate are move out of Aljunied GRC?
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how is what MM Lee said considered a threat? i seriously do not understand the hate.
Be cool. Hate is the wrong word here. Passion is the right word, Singaporeans are reasonable, they don’t take to the streets in violent protests as in our neighbouring countries. Ever heard of politicians here being pelted with rotten eggs and their effigies burnt. Well, there was one case of 1 nut case who set an MP alight. That was it.
And ask yourself aljunied residents do you want to listen to an 86 year. Old man who takes 4 million. Of tax payers money to threathen you
PAP feels shaken..a point where LKY has to step in to voice a threat?
Come on!! Face it, if PAP lacks the touch then admit that you’re losing your people due to your arrogant and provocative doing. If you really love your people, your people will never rebel you but if you’re testing our patience years after years then you’ll get what you never expected..
By the way, the leader of the PAP Aljunied GRC Team candidates, was an SAF General. So we all now know the sort of generals produced by the SAF and two more have joined them for this GE. One already got in under the cover of the old man himself, itself yet another confidence-stripping eye-opener for the electorate.
Time to send him the message in no uncertain terms that his bullying days are OVER!
I still remember the sheepish look on Ne Eng Hen’s face as he set behind LKY during the SIA Airline Pilots’ negotiation. Ng had earlier made no headway in negotiation with the pilot assoc’s officials.
Now, no less than 2 ministers, one of whom is a senior cabinet member,and one potential parl speaker and one potential parl sec require his aging 87 years frame to shield them from political opponents challenging them!
Can the real calibre or the lack of it of the PAP Aljunied GRC be made any clearer to voters!
Lee is resorting to his favourite weapon of threatening voters to get his way with them. Whether the voters will fall for his bluff and prove once again that they are 3rd world voters or call his bluff proving themselves to be first world voters we will know on 7 May 2011.
But, what Singaporeans now know is how rattled the PAP Aljunied GRC candidates are by the WP challenge.
By the way, isn’t LKY also using an ‘EMOTIONAL’ approach which only a couple of days ago, George Yeo the PAP Aljunied GRC team leader has accused the WP with?
Five scaredy cats hiding behind an old knuckle-duster weilding thug for protection.
If the people of Aljunied GRC care for the overall well being of the country, they should send the old man a clear message.
That LKY should step into the fray at Aljunied is not unexpected. That they will for the very first time lose a GRC has now become a reality and LKY has to be called upon to save them. The GRC is a ploy they devised to bring in their hangers-on, side-kicks and yes-men into Parliament by the back door. For they know that sooner or later they will find it increasingly hard for them to find good and credible candidates to stand as PAP candidates in single wards. That is why you have dumbos and idiots like Tin Pei Ling and Steven Tan, and god-knows-who who have not been exposed yet. Good people with a sense of justice and minds of their own will not want to be associated with them. Now that the unravelling has begun, this is LKY’s last desperate attempt to try to salvage what he thought was an everlasting structure that he has built. No Mr Lee, the days of seeming forever glory for the PAP are over, and reality in the people even in the young ones whom you thought were apathetic have taken over. You should have departed long ago when your star was still shining brightly over you, and your legacy would have lasted with us forever. Now you will witness the demise of your party and this is brought about not by any of the opposition parties, but by the very people that you thought you have carefully chosen to take over from you. For these are the people who have grown very arrogant and greedy. They think they can ignore the peoples’ grouses. They think the people they rule over are stupid can be bought over by monies in their bank 1 week before polling day. Most of all they think they can even be like you – brash, arrogant and ruthless. They are sadly mistaken. I wish you a long life, long enough for you to witness not only the demise of the PAP in this election, but further disintegration of the PAP in the next election 5 years from now.
Let it be a fair fight. BG Yeo, why don’t you debate Low one on one? Just 1 debate.
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Well, we are paying millions for the so-called ministers who are graduates, scholars who cannot stand up themselves to face the public whom has a vote to cast. The PAP needed the old Lee to come and help them out with threatening words. Ha Ha, what a job! Keep increasing the fees and we will sure to have better facilities which has no use like the beach volleyball court and increase in our flat value by altering the void deck every year.
hahaha mm can’t stay away.
hey! just found this site! looks like my long lost temasek review
“saying that the voters would regret voting for the Workers’ Party.”
What are you going to do old fart? If Aljunied falls, are you going to ask your new Major General @ Tanjong Pagar to send in the army?
The only reason why MM Lee can go around talking cock is because he himself was secured by a walkover (by 35 seconds). If not he has to stay and fight in his own ward and can’t go around helping others. If you notice, LHL, GCT and WKS can’t afford to go around ka-cauing in Aljunied. This is why its important to contest ALL wards.
Lee Kuan Yew should not step into any battle. He should just fucking retire, period. He is the most calafare minister in the world and it is a national disgrace that this 87 year old man refuse to quit. I won’t be surprised if he is the oldest MP and minister anywhere in the world.
forget about the car, forget about the bus. the real driver is here and he is driving a bulldozer threatening to flatten the people of aljunied.
do you really need two ministers, a parliamentry secretary, a speaker of parliament and a grassroot mp to run a humble GRC? if they are so good why can’t they fight for themselves? going by george yeo’s defination, you are not democratic.
with your experience and wisdom, you would know that the people of singapore strongly desire an opposition with a voice and madate in parliament. this is the big picture. grc needs are secondary.
some of your PAP current drivers are holding kopi license and mr low have offered to slap them on our behalf if they fall asleep.however, if you stand in the way, the slap that is meant for them might hit you instead.