Hazel Poa urges AGC to release findings on volunteer harassment case

SINGAPORE: The Progress Singapore Party (PSP) has renewed calls for transparency from the authorities, urging the Attorney-General’s Chambers (AGC) to release the outcome of investigations into a controversial walkabout incident that took place earlier this year at Bukit Gombak.

Speaking at a rally held at Bukit Gombak Stadium on Friday evening (25 Apr), PSP vice-chair Hazel Poa pressed the AGC to make its findings public.

Ms Poa, who is standing for election in West Coast–Jurong West GRC, revisited the events of 4 Jan. She recounted that PSP volunteers were shadowed by individuals dressed in white, later identified as People’s Action Party (PAP) volunteers, who filmed and photographed PSP members without providing any clear explanation for their actions.

“This was not the first time we faced unpleasantness at Bukit Gombak,” Ms Poa said, referencing a similar experience during a walkabout at Hillview Estate in November 2024.

The January incident escalated when PAP MP for Bukit Gombak, Low Yen Ling, accused a PSP volunteer of slapping a PAP supporter. Ms Poa criticised Ms Low’s handling of the situation, suggesting that rather than addressing the conduct of her own volunteers, Ms Low had made serious allegations against PSP members without substantial evidence.

The matter attracted further attention after PSP volunteer Stella Stan Lee lodged a police report on 5 January, alleging that she was harassed by three individuals who followed her and filmed her at close range throughout the walkabout.

Ms Lee described the experience as invasive and said it left her feeling unsafe. She further claimed that the harassment continued into a car park, where the individuals allegedly photographed vehicle number plates without consent.

In a public Facebook post, PSP member S Nallakaruppan supported the PSP volunteer’s account, saying he too had witnessed similar behaviour during the same event. He also raised concerns about a pattern of such incidents, pointing to an earlier encounter in November at Hillview Estate.

The situation took another twist when PAP volunteer Azman Ibrahim came forward, identifying himself as the alleged victim. He uploaded two edited videos to social media, purporting to show interactions from the day. However, critics noted that the videos lacked continuity and did not provide evidence of any assault.

PSP later released unedited footage that appeared to show Mr Azman closely tailing PSP volunteers while filming them, and allegedly taunting them.

According to Ms Lee, police investigations were completed by mid-February, and the findings were referred to the AGC for review.

Speaking at Friday’s rally, Ms Poa questioned why the findings had not yet been made public. “If the accusation that a PSP member had slapped a PAP volunteer is baseless, do you agree that an apology is due to the poor fella who is falsely accused of assault?” she asked the crowd.

Ms Poa stressed that political leaders have a duty to uphold fairness, adding that unfounded allegations could tarnish reputations and erode public trust. She called on the AGC to promptly release the findings and for those responsible to apologise if the accusations are proven to be false.