Dennis Tan’s Rally Speech, Simei Road Rally, 6 Sep

Dear residents of Fengshan SMC, East Coast GRC and fellow Singaporeans.

A good evening to you. Thank you for attending our rally tonight. It is great to be back in Simei and East Coast GRC. Me and my East Coast colleagues spent more than 2 years doing house visits around East Coast. I remember doing house visits in many many blocks in Simei as well as many of the landed houses in Simei and Sunbird areas. I remember the warm welcome many residents gave us. Just this morning, one Simei resident called me to tell me to wish me the best and to share with me some of the policy issues that he is concerned about. I hope that on September 11, the voters of East Coast GRC will send the Workers’ Party candidates into Parliament to be your voice in Parliament.

On the evening of nomination day, while driving home, I saw the election posters along the roads around Fengshan. I was momentarily stumped by the posters of Lee Hsien Loong. I was wondering whether PAP has made any mistake or that I had wrongly contested in Ang Mo Kio or my eyes were playing tricks on me. Later I found out that Lee Hsien Loong had put his posters up everywhere in Singapore. Some Fengshan residents complained to me that what the PM has done was wrong and was unfair. Do you think this is the right thing to do?

What does this shows?

One: Is the PAP is afraid of losing more seats and that Lee Hsien Loong has no confidence in his teammates?

This is no presidential election. Imagine if we do the same thing and put Mr Low Thia Khiang’s photo everywhere. They will probably ask us to take it down!

Also many people will get confused. Imagine, posters of 4 different faces in Fengshan SMC?

But why does PAP do this? Let me tell you, PAP is very afraid of your one precious vote. That is why Lee Hsien Loong has to put his photo everywhere. Please vote for the Workers’ Party and keep him and the PAP in check.

Two: this reflects the PAP’s kiasu attitude which sets a negative example for our country and our children. My colleague Daniel Goh spoke on Wednesday about kiasu and kiasi. We always laugh at ourselves for being kiasu and kiasi. BUT who is the most kiasu and kiasi? The PAP.

Aside from the mistakes they are making on certain policies such as manpower, transport, population, healthcare and education, what is fundamentally wrong with the PAP is their whole attitude towards governance and politics. PAP feels they need to be completely in charge, they need to decide everything including our future. They do not like any other party or Singaporeans to have a different view. They want everyone to have the same view, the same groupthink.

The PAP do not graciously accept the normal democratic norms of a first world country. They only pay lip service to it. They need to gerrymander every General Election. They have no respect for people’s sense of belonging to the locality of their residence. Many Fengshan residents are not happy about the latest gerrymandering. Many have asked me why they have become a SMC. I have asked some of them: did you try to find out from the PAP candidate. PAP has not given an answer to them. But I suspect many Fengshan residents know why the PAP carved out Fengshan. On 11 September 2015, please vote for the Workers’ Party to tell the PAP what you think of their little faith in you.

In this important GE, where we should be debating national policies and directions for the country, the PAP spent much time talking about town council management. Mr Low Thia Khiang, Mr Png Eng Huat and Ms Sylvia Lim have spoken much about the PAP’s pathetic handling of the issue. I will not go into details. We have been treated with smears and wild accusations. All I would say is that after so many years, PAP is still intolerant and is disrespectful of other political parties. They will do pretty much anything to keep themselves in power. I heard that in the PAP’s rally in Fengshan, PAP MPs have recently asked Singaporeans to send all 89 PAP candidates into Parliament. They want total domination so they can do whatever they want. Do you want a Parliament with all PAP MPs?

We have a first world country but politically a ruling party practising third world politics.

Dear Singaporeans, is this the kind of values you want our children to have when they grow up? Now that we are in our second 50 years, it is now time for the PAP to abandon this unsavoury part of their political DNA once and for all. Enough is enough.

On Sep 11, vote Workers’ Party to tell the PAP that you reject their dirty and ungentlemanly politics.

Dear Singaporeans, Empower your Future by sending more Workers’ Party candidates into the Parliament to force a change to the political culture of the PAP and to entrench your voice in Parliament to allow a better debate of policy issues so that we can make this country a better home for Singaporeans.

Dear Fengshan residents, vote for me Dennis Tan Lip Fong, Dear East Coast residents and Singaporeans elsewhere, vote for the Workers’ Party, Empower your future.

各位风山选民,各位东海岸选民,大家好。今天我很高兴回到四美和东海岸集选区。

过去的两年多,我和我的东海岸同僚在四美和东海岸一带做家访, 很多居民给了我们热烈的欢迎。今天早上,一个四美居民打电话给我,与我分享一些政策问题,而且祝福我好运。他希望 9 月 11 日,东海岸集选区的选民会把工人党候选人送进议会,成为他们在国会的声音。

提名日那天的傍晚,开车回家,看见沿路的李显龙竞选海报。我吓了一跳。我想糟了,难道我的海报放错选区了。后来才发现,原来不只凤山选区,全新加坡所有的选区都有李显龙的海报。这是一个非常特别有趣而且前所未有的现象。大家想想看,这意味着什么?

第一, PAP觉得,除了李显龙,其他的候选人都没有份量,不能独当一面,因此需要李显龙为全新加坡所有的PAP候选人助选。说到底,是PAP害怕这次大选会输了。所以,除了AMK选区之外,新加坡所有的其他选区,PAP 比反对党多了一个候选人。你们以为这样的作法对吗?我们需要更多的反对党候选人进入国会,来制衡这种荒唐的行为,你们说:对不对!

第二, 更重要的是,这样的作法,不只反映了人民行动党的怕输心态,而且破坏了我们国家的形象,同时给我们的孩子们,树立了一个很负面的榜样。你们说,这样做对吗?

除了在人力、交通、人口、卫生保健、教育等某些政策上的失误之外,最根本的问题是他们对政治和治理的态度。PAP 觉得他们需要完全掌权,一党独大,一切都是他们说了算,他们不能接受或容忍不同的意见,更不尊重民主。他们利用一切手段,来保住自己的权力。他们说,反对党是游牧民族。可是每一次大选,把选民搬来搬去,选民都变成了游牧民族,这是尊重民主吗?

人民行动党口口声声叫选民看他们的政绩,他们的政绩是什么?无情的打击反对人士,滥用内部安全法令,或使对方破产,甚至恐嚇选民,如果投票给反对党,组屋翻新排在最后。这次大选,我们应该讨论国家大事,未来政策,以及如何帮助人民解决就业和民生问题。但是 PAP 一直对市镇会问题纠缠不清。同时又恐嚇选民,如果有一天反对党组织政府,国家就会沉沦。你们说,这种说法有逻辑吗?是对的吗?他们最近说要把89 个PAP候选人全部送进国会,你们想象后果将会是怎样?

亲爱的选民,PAP这种对待不同意见者的手段,你们觉得对吗? 这是你想要我们的孩子学习的榜样吗?这是我们要提倡的价值观吗?我们要告诉行动党,够了,我们不耻这种肮脏的政治手段。请大家投工人党一票,把更多工人党候选人送进国会,来制止这种一党独大的现象 。

亲爱的选民,请你们掌握民权,将更多的工人党候选人送进国会, 在国会里对政府的法案和政策,发表建设性的辩论与意见,以使我们的家园变得更美好。

各位风山和东海岸选民,请投工人党一票,让我们掌握民权,把握未来。