Student thanks SPP’s Jose Raymond for battling PAP in Potong Pasir

Singapore — A student has thanked Singapore People’s Party leader Jose Raymond for giving the People’s Action Party’s Sitoh Yih Pin a run for his money in Potong Pasir Single-Member Constituency in the General Election.

Mr Sitoh bagged 60.69 per cent of the vote in the SMC and Mr Raymond, who contested for the first time, bagged 39.31 per cent.

Although he lost, Mr Raymond received an encouraging message from the student. Mr Raymond shared a screengrab of the message on his Facebook page on Sunday (July 12). The message credited him for putting up a good fight in the constituency.

According to a report on channelnewsasia.com, Mr Raymond, in his Constituency Political Broadcast, had said: “Our journey towards a better tomorrow will begin with the choices we make on election day. We can either opt for status quo or we can look forward to a new dawn and new beginnings.”

He had also urged Singaporeans to think of the kind of future they would want to leave with the nation’s future generations. He had asked: “Can we allow a Parliament without diverse voices and devoid of political debate?” He had added that Singapore would be “best served through political competition”.

Although Mr Raymond did not emerge the victor this time around, the student commended him for putting up a good challenge against the PAP. “Thank you for standing up for the rest of us and denying the PAP a free pass to Parliament,” the message read.

The young Singaporean then encouraged Mr Raymond not to back down from the political arena. “The day people like you give up is the day the rest of us lose hope in Singapore.”

In response to this, Mr Raymond thanked his supporters. “I’m truly honoured to have made an impact on your lives through my work in Potong Pasir, and through our campaign,” he said. /TISG