Dr Chee Soon Juan, the secretary-general of the Singapore Democratic Party (SDP) has confirmed that he will be the political party’s candidate for the upcoming by-election in Bukit Batok Single Member Constituency (smc).
The election was called after the former Member of Parliament for the constituency, David Ong, stepped down following an extra-marital affair with his grassroots leader. Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong has announced that he will call a by-election in the constituency in due course.
Dr Chee Soon Juan has also confirmed that if elected, SDP will run the town council themselves without engaging an management agency to do so. He said that town council management will be his priority, and that he intends to “surpass” the current standards set in town council management.
Soon after SDP’s announcement of Dr Chee’s candidacy for Bukit Batok smc, the People’s Power Party (PPP) announced that it will not contest election in that constituency. The Party’s secretary-general Goh Meng Seng said that his Party “does not see the need to contest in this by elections since SDP has put up one of its best candidate forward for this by-elections.”
SDP garnered 26.4 per cent of votes in Bukit Batok smc in the last General Election. It fielded Sadasivam Veriyah as its candidate then.
Despite PPP’s announcement that it will not contest the election, a multi-cornered contest is shaping up in Bukit Batok smc. Benjamin Pwee of Democratic People’s Party has indicated that he intends to contest in the constituency.
Chee Soon Juan, the Singapore Democratic Party (SDP)'s candidate for the Bukit Batok by-election, outlines his priorities as MP if elected. http://bit.ly/1R8s5Q3
Posted by Channel NewsAsia Singapore on Saturday, 19 March 2016