Eisner Award winning comic artist Sonny Liew throws weight behind Low Thia Khiang and WP, says ongoing trial proves Aljunied is crucial battleground

Writing in his Facebook, Sonny Liew said that the narrative the trio from Workers’ Party is “offering feels more convincing than the prosecution’s”. Liew was referring to the ongoing court case of Workers’ Party leaders, Low Thia Khiang, Sylvia Lim and Pritam Singh. The trio faces lawsuits related to their handling of the Aljunied-Hougang (AHTC) and Punggol East town councils.

Liew said he first “became aware of Low Thia Khiang during the 2011 elections – with the The Workers’ Party’s rather bold move to try to unseat the PAP at Aljunied. He paid tribute to Low as a “careful politician who has tried to build a viable opposition presence in parliament by focusing on grassroot needs – attending every funeral in his old Hougang ward for example”

He added: “The current AHTC trial seems to centre around intentions rather than facts per se – with the prosecution attributing either ill intent or slipshodness, and the defense arguing that while there might have been missteps, these were taken within the wider context of a governing system meant to make life as difficult as possible for opposition parties.”

The ongoing court case proves that “Aljunied (may be) a crucial battleground (as) it’s a chance for both sides to demonstrate an opposition party’s capacity/ incapacity to run a GRC, which presumably has a knock on effect in elections far into the future,” said the artist.

Liew noted that the approach of the Workers’ Party has “usually leaned towards being cautious and sensible, and very much focused on resident needs (and) in that context one could argue the narrative they’re offering feels more convincing than the prosecution’s”.