亲爱的后港区选民， 大家晚上好！
Dear Voters of Hougang, Good Evening!
Hougang is a very special constituency. If you look carefully at the electoral boundary map of Singapore, do you notice the shape of Hougang SMC? What shape is it? It is not round, or square; not even a trapezium or a parallelogram! In fact, if you look carefully, it is shaped like a flash of lightning. And that tells a very important story – for the last 20-over years, Hougang voters have been constantly zapped by lightning!
Though you are just one small constituency among 87, your voice has been heard loud and clear at the national level. Tonight, I would like to thank you for your guts. You may not realize fully how much your vote has made a difference to Singapore. First, let me go back in time a bit.
Before 1991, Parliament only had one elected opposition MP, Mr Chiam See Tong, against 80 from PAP. This was after Mr JB Jeyaretnam was disqualified from being an MP. WP had no elected MP in Parliament. At the 1991 GE, you trusted Mr Low Thia Khiang and voted for him.
The PAP government was not happy about this. You were told that you would get estate upgrading last. Bus routes were suddenly cut. But what did you do? You did not give in! I remember about 15 years ago, talking to a secretary in my office. She was a resident of Hougang. I asked her how she felt to have transport routes cut after WP was voted in. She replied very simply: “Never mind! If we have no train, we will take bus. If we have no bus, we can walk!”
Four days ago, on Nomination Day, I was walking out of the nomination centre, Serangoon Junior College. I bumped into a resident of Hougang whom I did not know personally. He told me that he would continue to vote for WP and his logic was, again, very straightforward. 他说： “我们后港居民已经受苦二十多年了； 他们说什么, 我们都不管。” Translated: We Hougang residents have been suffering for more than 20 years; we don’t care about anything they have to say!
That was why I was a bit puzzled when the PAP unveiled its campaign theme for this by-election in Hougang. They say the PAP is “Always Here for You”. Always? Where have they been for the last 20 years?
In 2006 General Election, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong assigned Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong to win back Hougang. SM Goh promised Hougang voters $100 million for upgrading, in exchange for voting for the PAP. What happened? Mr Low Thia Khiang’s votes went up by nearly 8%, from 55% to 63%! After that, SM Goh Chok Tong praised Hougang residents for being loyal to their MP, and said that this was a “better (characteristic) than for them to be chasing after every goodie which we offer them”. I’m confused. Maybe the PAP was finally feeling just a little bit guilty?
What else has your vote in Hougang done for Singapore? You can see it in the buildings around you, something concrete.
Your vote in Hougang has allowed the Workers’ Party to show to all Singaporeans that we can manage a Town Council. In 1991 you took a chance to let an opposition MP run Hougang Town. Did your rubbish pile up to the third storey? But the effect of your vote goes beyond Hougang. You supported Mr Low for 4 elections, and enabled the Workers’ Party to grow. You also gave Hougang Town Council the platform to build up its staff expertise.
20 years later, voters in Aljunied voted in WP. This was the first time in Singapore’s history that a GRC had fallen into opposition hands. Some skeptics wondered if we could run a town council on a GRC scale. They still hope we will fail. But we promised voters that we would work hard. Almost one year has passed since Aljunied-Hougang Town Council was formed, and you know what? We are doing alright! A recent Straits Times poll of 200 residents in Aljunied found that most residents found the estate as clean as it was in the past. Of course, there will always be areas for improvement; every Town Council can improve. But Aljunied-Hougang Town is marching on!
How did we get to this point? We have a team of dedicated professionals with Town Council experience, because for the past 20 years, you Hougang voters have supported us. Because of you, Singaporeans can see they now have a choice. They can see that it is not only the PAP that can run Town Councils.
So, we are grateful to you, dear Hougang voters. We know you have made sacrifices for Singapore, because you care so much about our country and your children’s future. We have the deepest respect for you and will never take you for granted. Mr Low Thia Khiang worked extra hard to ensure that Hougang Town was well-managed. He fought for your rights in Parliament as your opposition voice. Png Eng Huat will do the same.
Now let me talk just a bit about Png Eng Huat tonight. Png is familiar with what goes on in Parliament. He has been helping MPs and especially Mr Low research and write speeches for Parliament for many years. I know he will be able to perform in Parliament. I look forward to him sitting beside me in the Chamber, if that is your wish.
The Workers’ Party has fought for everything we have. We are fighting again for your vote in Hougang. Mr Desmond Choo says 5 alternative voices is enough. Is 5 enough? I believe nobody needs to preach to Hougang voters about that.
Singapore needs a First World Parliament; we are not there yet. In fact, we’ve only just begun! The best is yet to be.
Vote Workers’ Party…Towards a First World Parliament!