Both the Singapore Democratic Party (SDP) and the Workers’ Party announced brand new youth teams.
Secretary-General of the SDP Chee Soon Juan, and his WP counterpart Pritam Singh took to social media in the early afternoon to unveil their new members.
The SDP boasts a young team of about 20 fresh faces, including civil rights activist Jolovan Wham.
Activist Jolovan Wham was, on Monday (Apr 29), fined S$5,000 for contempt of court.
In April 2018, Wham published a Facebook post alleging that Malaysia’s judges were more independent than Singapore’s in cases with political implications.
TISG spoke to two of their new members, Naresh Subramaniam and Min Cheong, both part of SDP’s youth arm.
“Growing up in a very humble environment, I was taught to always take the well-being of others into consideration. Now being an adult with the means to contribute back, doing so with the SDP was one of the first avenues that came to my mind. I believe in their vision, their heart and the selflessness with which they press on”, Naresh said.
The 31-year old media professional added that he looks forward to the party’s advance into Parliament “so that we can be a voice for the people, to fight for good policies and to amend current policies that we feel require some work”.
Min Cheong, 34, and a marketing and communications professional, said that her journey with SDP began as a volunteer in 2011. Since then, her role has shifted and she has become more active in the party.
“What drew me to the SDP was an appreciation for the balanced and compassionate policies the party had put forth, and its visionary and passionate leadership. As a firm believer in open public discourse, it’s my hope that we will continue to develop a greater appetite and aptitude for critical thinking and meaningful debate, camaraderie and empathy, as well as an unwavering desire to fight the good fight for the people who need support alongside causes worth championing”, she told TISG.
On his social media page, Dr Chee made the announcement, adding, “We did a photoshoot over the weekend for the party’s magazine-cum-manifesto. Nice pic of our Young Democrats. Epitomy of organised chaos with wardrobe changes, makeup and lots and lots of smiles”.
https://www.facebook.com/cheesoonjuan/photos/a.10150092386688849/10159224356533849/?type=3&theater
Concurrently, Workers’ Party Sec-gen Pritam Singh shared a photo of The Workers’ Party Youth Wing (WPYW) Executive Committee members decked out in blue.
https://www.facebook.com/pritam.eunos/photos/a.640647072624276/2479992605356371/?type=3&theater
He wrote, “Youth voices are often cause-based. But a national political party often has to accommodate a whole range of views. It also has to make room for compromise, with the pulse of the population’s aspirations very much in mind. Accommodating different views and opinions requires an open mind, and a willingness to contribute effectively, particularly when one has to deal with people from all walks of life. This takes effort and energy”.
TISG has reached out to Pritam Singh and WP for more information on their youth candidates. -/TISG