PAP candidate distances himself from the war of words between his party and SDP

Staying out of the barbs traded between his party and his Singapore Democratic Party (SDP) rival in the by-election in Bukit Batok, People’s Action Party (PAP) candidate Murali Pillai said yesterday that he wanted to focus on residents who are affected by the gloomy economic climate on the occasion of Labour Day.

Speaking to reporters after mingling with bus captains at the Bukit Batok interchange, the 48-year-old lawyer sought to drive home the benefits of the job placement programme he unveiled for the constituency in his campaign manifesto last week.

Mr Murali’s job placement programme, which he has piloted informally, matches residents who are out of jobs to positions through tapping the estate’s pool of community volunteers and his own business contacts. So far, two residents have secured leads through the programme, said Mr Murali, who noted that his team has the workings of the system that will be able to address the job concerns of affected residents.

“Here we see an excellent example of how the community can work together ... coming together to help affected Bukit Batok residents,” he added.

He also noted that he could tap the “extended family” in Jurong, referring to the neighbouring Group Representation Constituency (GRC) anchored by Deputy Prime Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam.

Mr Murali was accompanied by several of his party mates for his walkabout yesterday, including Mr Shanmugaratnam, Senior Minister of State (Home Affairs and National Development) Desmond Lee and former MP for Hong Kah GRC Ang Mong Seng.

On Saturday, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong criticised Mr Murali’s rival Chee Soon Juan during a visit to the single-seat ward, saying the opposition figure has presented himself as a changed man, even though he remained the same person who is not contrite about his past antics.

Asked about the SDP’s rebuttal that the ruling party was engaging in “character assassination”, Mr Murali said he would like to focus on his own agenda.

“Today, we talked about the job placement programme, which I believe can make a difference to a number of Bukit Batok residents who are affected by the gloomy economic climate,” he said.

After crossing the mid-way mark in the nine days set aside for election campaigning yesterday, Mr Murali said his assessment of the by-election remains the same: It is a “tough fight”.

“The by-election effect is real and I expect the next few days to be tough as well. Every day I’ll need to do what I need to do to persuade Bukit Batok residents of the plans that I have for them and seek their support,” he added.

Source:
courtesy of TODAY

by Siau Ming En

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