NEWS: Letter to PM from PA grassroots leader Aljunied GRC, 2 September 2015

A historic moment - George Yeo accepts defeat in Aljunied GRC on election night 2011 as Dr Vincent Wijeysingha of SDP looks on (at SDP election night function, Quality Hotel, Balestier Road). Meanwhile SDP leader Dr Chee Soon Juan speaks to the crowd.

Letter claimed to be from PAP grassroots:

Dear PM,

I am a PA grassroots leader in Aljunied TC. I am sorry to be sending this anonymous open letter to you via TRE. But I really got no choice because I don’t know how else I can be heard.

I want to tell you how disappointed I am about the PAP team you are fielding in Aljunied GRC for this coming GE. And it is not just me, but many of my fellow volunteers too. The message we are getting from you is: “PAP leadership has already given up on Aljunied GRC”.

If you have already given up, how do you expect us to fight on? I mean, we are all volunteers you know? Some of us take leave from work, many of us sacrifice our personal time. Your unveiling of the PAP team was like pouring cold water to our face.

My biggest disappointment is that you did not field any ministerial calibre people in the team. Ng Eng Hen said that other GRCs are more worthy to have such candidates fielded. You can say all you want but you know what we really think – You scared to lose, is it? What kind of fighting spirit is this then? When it is sure win, then you say you got so-and-so ministerial material to anchor the GRC. When it is not sure win, then you say we don’t deserve ministerial material. So is the ministerial material candidate a leader? Or is he just someone to be ushered in?

Chan Chun Sing said in the PAP annual conference that we will fight, fight, fight. Say only, right? How come no generals ever got fielded into SMCs? How come no ministers or ministerial material ever got fielded into any SMCs? How come neither George Yeo nor Lim Hwee Hwa ever continued to work the ground in Aljunied, even after they are defeated, to help win it back? Is this how “ministerial material” is to behave – when “PAP pow chiak”, they are “leading”, when not “pow chiak”, they are nowhere to be seen.

Some of us have worked in grassroots for many years, even going back to your father’s days. He knows how to fight. I don’t see this in you. Even Tan Cheng Bock said : today’s PAP has forgotten how to fight.

The next disappointment is with the sudden removal of Chan Hui Yuh and Kahar from the team lineup. They have been working the ground for more than a year now. The excuse given is that Chan is a young mother of two young children and “the PAP will not put family relations at risk. It’s not win at all cost. We value the family”. Aiyoh … sounds so lame … then how come you field Tan Pei Ling in MacPherson SMC? She just gave birth leh. And the sudden removal of Kahar and replacement with newbie Shamsul is perplexing. 

Especially since Kahar actually attended a function organised by WP’s Malay MP couple of weeks ago. 

What’s going on?? Are you taking the Malay votes for granted?

I guess the biggest issue is this: You only sent in Lim Boon Heng to walk the ground in Aljunied recently. You only deployed retiring MP Yeo Guat Kwang at the last minute. You removed those who’ve been walking the ground for a long time. Do you even have a strategy to win back the hearts and minds of Aljunied GRC residents? Not a strategy that pops up during GE time, but a long-term strategy? You accuse the opposition of only showing up during election time. Some of these candidates that you’ve appointed seem to be doing the same.

Although I and my fellow volunteers are demoralised, we will still do our best. It is hard especially when you have already given up hope, how can you ask us not to give up hope?

We will keep repeating “LKY, LKY, LKY”.
We will keep repeating “AHPETC accounts, AHPETC accounts, AHPETC accounts”.
We will keep repeating “Upgrading, Upgrading, Upgrading”.
We will keep repeating “SG50, SG50, SG50″.

But if that is the only strategy to win back Aljunied GRC, I think it will fall short. I hope I am proven wrong.

Tan Ah Kow (pseudonym)