SINGAPORE: A question has arisen online, as to whether the ruling party’s team for Punggol GRC is throwing their running mate Janil Puthucheary under the bus, following complaints about a slew of problems by his former constituents at Northshore.
Responding to the spate of concerns, including allegations of poor workmanship and defects in new HDB flats as well as accusations that Dr Janil did not act on problems raised to him, Punggol GRC anchor minister Gan Kim Yong promised residents that he will personally take care of the sub-ward if elected.
Northshore was a subdivision under Dr Janil’s purview during the 14th Parliament’s term. The DPM told the press, “I promised them that I will sit down and work with the relevant agency to see how we can reduce the population of monkeys to make sure that at least our residents in Northshore will feel safe.”
He added that the issues that residents have raised with him will be “addressed seriously and robustly. He said, “I cannot promise I will solve all the problems, but I promise that I will do my level best to improve the situation in Northshore, the environment, as well as to continue to increase connectivity.”
While some voters welcomed Mr Gan’s assurances, others wondered if his comments pointed to a possible internal rift in his team. The question of whether Dr Janil is being thrown under the bus arose again as Sun Xueling made a series of posts on the matter.
In one post, she revealed she has been promised the Town Council chairperson’s seat. Sharing a video of Mr Gan speaking about this issue, she wrote, “DPM Gan shared that he is aware of the issues that Northshore residents face. He has indicated that should he be elected that he intends to be the MP directly in charge of Northshore estate.
“He also shared that should he receive the residents’ support, that he intends to designate me as the Chairman of the Town Council to address the issues related to the new estates.”
Interestingly, hours later, Ms Sun removed the full text from her post and instead appended a transcript on what Mr Gan said in the video. She initially wrote:
“DPM Gan shared that he is aware of the issues that Northshore residents face. He has indicated that should he be elected that he intends to be the MP directly in charge of Northshore estate. He also shared that should he receive the residents’ support, that he intends to designate me as the Chairman of the Town Council to address the issues related to the new estates.”
It remains unclear why she deleted her original words, which can still be viewed through the View Edit History feature on Facebook.
She subsequently posted another carousel of images on social media, highlighting all of the house visits she has made. She said on Facebook, “I am publishing the list of dates when I conducted full block visits and estate check ins in recent years. A total of 157 block visits and 27 estate checks in were done. Unique visits to households in need of help and the rental units are not included in the list as I have a separate collation for that.”
Some responding to the list felt that Ms Sun was trying to pointedly show that she is always on the ground, unlike other candidates and MPs. The series of posts has raised speculation as to whether the PAP team is fragmented within, inviting more comparisons to their rivals from the Workers’ Party who are mounting a fierce challenge.