2 May 2002
During the 2001 GE, SDP claimed to have done grassroots work in Jurong. Many residents and I from Jurong want to know where exactly did the SDP do their grassroots work in Jurong?
And may I know where is the SDP in Jurong now? From what residents of Jurong had observed, the Singapore Democratic Party disappeared as fast as their sudden appearance in Jurong.
What about the SDP’s call for full pay when retrenched? If not, has the SDP helped in any form in the assistance of the ‘new poor’? Has Dr Chee Soon Juan and SDP done any work in assisting the poor? Or is it all talk and no action.
I was a resident of Bukit Gombak some years back. SDP’s second man Ling How Doong won the seat in Bukit Gombak. One of the many things Mr Ling asked at the rally at Bukit Gombak then was how many times did the residents see its then MP Mrs Seet Ai Mei.
Well, Mr Ling How Doong’s office was below my block, Blk 524 Bukit Batok Ave 5 but I did not see Mr Ling How Dong once. Well Mr Ling did a big mess of Bukit Gombak and was voted out by a very large majority at the next GE.
SDP and Dr Chee Soon Juan talk a lot, write a lot and appear on TV a lot. But what has the SDP and Dr Chee done for the citizens? Why must Dr Chee always get himself arrested when he knows he will be handcuffed and the world’s press will be there to see him handcuffed.
Is Dr Chee trying to show that the government are thugs bullying him? Oh poor thing! But please, we are not fools. Actions speak louder than words. Dr Chee can write lots of books, have many many ideas, have many many dreams of ‘freeing’ Singaporeans from the PAP.
Well they are talk. But was there ever action? Or does Dr Chee and SDP expect the people to vote for a party that appears suddenly during elections but leaves as soon as results are known.
Where is the SDP in Jurong? What are the grassroots work SDP claimed to have done? Are the SDP doing anything to help the unemployed? Is the SDP doing anything about its mandate SDP said at rallies at Jurong during the 2001 GE?
Or is the SDP been doing what it is always been doing, talk, talk and a lot of talk. Everyone knows how to talk.Where is the SDP?
Eric Lim
SDP: We thank Mr Lim for his letter.
The SDP has worked and will continue to work in the vicinity of what is now Jurong GRC. We have been doing this for more than 10 years. We have been selling our newspaper, The New Democrat, at the various hawker centres, markets, and MRT stations there. When Mr Lim doesn’t see us, it doesn’t mean we are not there.
Admittedly, we are unable to make our presence felt the way the PAP does. The PAP has resources of the state at its disposal and is not shy about using them for its own purposes e.g. CCCs, CCs, RCs, etc. We can’t even rent space from the HDB. And don’t forget about the ban on public speeches and gatherings, which the PAP doesn’t apply to its members.
The gist of Mr Lim’s letter is that the SDP is all talk and no action. Our work is hampered by the lack of resources that we face. The PAP makes sure of that (think Political Donations Act as one example).
But this is not an excuse. We will continue to do everything to reach out to Singaporeans the best we know how.
If Mr Lim is genuinely concerned about the SDP improving itself, then we invite him to come and help us do what he sees as lacking. We could certainly do with more help. But if he is intent of just offering criticisms, then that’s another story altogether.