Singapore — Member of Parliament Jamus Lim (Workers’ Party — Sengkang GRC), who had been on a holiday break, recently resumed house visits in his Anchorvale ward of the GRC.
In one of them, he told a resident named Slamat that no issue is too small and promised that he would do his best to help.
On Jan 9 (Saturday), Associate Professor Lim wrote in a Facebook post that he had resumed house visits to families living in the Block 329 to 331 cluster.
A/Prof Lim wrote that as he was on his way, he met Mr Slamat, “who invited us into his place for some Coke”.
The resident had seen the MP and his team during Meet-the-People Sessions (MPS). He had wanted to approach the MP to talk to him about “certain estate-related issues he was facing” but “felt embarrassed” as there were other people there who were dealing with “with more pressing matters”.
The MP wrote: “I reassured him that no issue — whether those requesting MP representation, or those related to daily living in the town — was too small, and that I would do my best to help resolve any of these. After all, it is not just my duty to do so, but also a privilege to be in a position where I can help make things better.”
Indeed, many members of the WP have sprung into action recently, given that two of the MPs from the Sengkang GRC team, Ms He Ting Ru and Ms Raeesah Khan, are currently on maternity leave.
Ms Khan, who is responsible for Compassvale ward in the GRC, gave birth to her second child on Jan 2, while Ms He, who is responsible for Buangkok, had her third son shortly before the end of 2020.
Other WP politicians are helping out in their absence.
Last week, former WP MP Lee Li Lian stood in for Ms Khan at her MPS. She said in a Facebook post: “It was great meeting residents and hearing their stories. Hopefully our appeal letters can bring them some assistance.”
On Saturday (Jan 9), WP leader Pritam Singh wrote that former WP secretary-general Low Thia Khiang had taken a precinct walk in Buangkok ward that morning, while Mr Singh had walked a precinct in Compassvale after doing so in his own precinct in the Eunos ward of Aljunied GRC.
He posted a photo of himself and Mr Low in front of a Sengkang Town Council sign.
The WP head added that, aside from Ms Lee helping out with the duties at Compassvale, party chairman Sylvia Lim was doing the same in Buangkok for house visits and Meet-the-People Sessions.
On Dec 24, he had written in a Facebook post that several WP members would “on a rotational basis and for as long as required, support Ru and Raeesah’s work in Sengkang GRC by standing in for their weekly Meet-the-People Sessions, house visits and estate walks”.
Among them are Mr Low; Aljunied GRC MPs Leon Perera, Muhamad Faisal bin Abdul Manap, Ms Lim and Mr Singh; Hougang SMC MP Dennis Tan; former WP MPs Lee and Png Eng Huat; former NCMP Yee Jenn Jong; and WP members Ron Tan, Nicole Seah, Terence Tan and Kenneth Foo. /TISG
Read also: Ex-MP Lee Li Lian stands in for Raeesah Khan at Sengkang GRC
WP team to watch over Sengkang when Raeesah Khan, He Ting Ru are on maternity leave