Singapore Democrats
Teams of SDP members and volunteers continue to fan out across the Bukit Panjang and Bishan-Toa Payoh constituencies to visit and meet residents. Regardless of weekends or weekdays, the Singapore Democrats are working hard to get our message across to the electorate.
Even as we build up our capacity on the Internet, we are making sure that our fieldwork and ground support is not neglected. Because of the media blackout, reaching out to the electorate directly is a crucial part of our campaign.
As a result of our walking the blocks and coffeeshops, several residents have come forward and indicated their interest in helping in our campaign.
More than just spreading our message, however, our members are using the opportunity to listen to the concerns of the residents. The feedback helps us to refine our ideas on how we can make life better for them.
Several households we visited indicated that they are having problems with the cost of living. One worry that many have is that their PUB bills have gone through the roof. One grandmother said that recently when her son moved in with his wife, their utilitiy bill went up by 100 percent from $200 to $400.
“How can this be?” she asked in exasperation. “They’re both working and they don’t come home till very late at night. Something is not right.”
To be sure, making such rounds and doing walkabouts is a physically taxing exercise. The PAP has the advantage of getting the Residents’ Committees to help them. The playing field is decidedly tilted.
We need to reach out to you, our friends and supporters, and to ask you to sign up as volunteers and help us walk the blocks. We will train new recruits and team you up with our more experienced campaigners.
If we are going to bring about change, we need all your support. Making our rounds and getting to know the residents is an essential part of the process. It is hard work but there is no shortcut. We need as many people as we can get to help us get the job done.
Please contact us at sdp@yoursdp.org. We look forward to hearing from you.