LIVE – GE2011 and I

This article was first published in 'Hammer', issue: 1102

Getting Ready

I received a message to meet Mr Low Thia Khiang after a weekly Hammer outreach in February 2011. I sensed that it was about the General Elections. I was right. Mr Low asked me to run as the Workers’ Party (WP) candidate in the new Single Member Constituency (SMC), Punggol East.

Questions raced through my mind. ‘Am I up to this responsibility?’ ‘Can I deliver?’ ‘Will I be a liability to the Party?’ ‘Will I be better off as background support, which is equally important?’

Everything happened rapidly after that. Bernard Chen was assigned to be my Election Agent. I was glad because as a first time candidate, it would definitely be an advantage to have someone I have known and worked with for years as my Election Agent.

Bernard and I started planning for house visits in Punggol East as soon as we got the electoral map from Elections Department. This was critical as it was the only opportunity I had to get to know the residents. With maybe only two months to complete 133 blocks of HDB flats, we were short of time. I wanted quality house visits but I knew that we might not be able to visit every household.

Bernard and I did house visits at least thrice a week with different volunteers each time to prevent volunteer fatigue. I was very fortunate to have a committed, disciplined and responsible group of volunteers who came from all walks of life. Some had signed up via the Workers’ Party website. Others came through personal contacts. Even my father and uncle were roped in. Not to forget Uncle Ee Ping, WP’s veteran, and the parents of some of our members. Having elderly people with us had certain advantages. I was very touched. The warm reception from residents was just as motivating and encouraging.



Nomination – Spirit of Blue Umbrellas

Then Parliament was dissolved and 27 April 2011 was announced as Nomination Day. The first thing I did was to apply for leave. Next I had to prepare for candidate introduction, my nomination speech and to get my Assentors and documents ready for Nomination Day.

We continued with house visits, more often and more quickly. Time management was essential. Whatever pockets of time I had, I wrote down notes for my speeches. I was among the first batch of candidates to be introduced by WP. An hour before meeting the reporters, I was still editing my introductory speech!

The night before 27th April was incredibly long. Bernard and I made phone calls to remind all Assentors and the volunteers who were picking them up to be on the time and to bring all the necessary documents.

Finally came the Day – our Assentors, Commissioner for Oaths, supporters and umbrellas for our supporters were ready! I remember telling our supporters, “We will be outnumbered by the whites but it is the spirit that counts!” With that, both the Punggol East SMC and East Coast GRC team were on our way to the Nomination centre.

Nomination was nerve wrecking. But we were the first to arrive which had a psychological advantage. The entire process took about 20-30 minutes to complete. I looked at my speech and I thought to myself, “Come on Lilian, you can do it!” As I walked out to face the crowd, I was heartened by the sight of the blue umbrellas. They looked magnificent in the sun! The responsive crowd under the hot scorching sun inspired me to deliver my speech.



Campaign – Strength to Journey on

The next 9 days of campaigning was a test of our mental and physical ability. A typical campaigning day included waking up at 6am, meeting with the volunteers at 7.30am before meeting working adults and residents on their way to work and market. Because I could not visit all the households, we decided to spend about 30 mins at each MRT/LRT station. We would start at Kangkar, move on to Bakau and finally, Rumbia. From Rumbia, we would proceed to the junction outside Rivervale Mall to continue our outreach.

On certain days, we would also go to the market and the shops. Our outreach was well planned and effective and many shop owners and residents soon recognised me. The fish stall owner even had my calling card pasted on the wall!

We also did house visits in the afternoon so as to not waste time. I would then make my way back in the late afternoon to prepare my rally speech for the night on which I was slated to speak. On the nights when I was not scheduled to speak, we conducted outreach in the evenings as well.

My maiden speech was on WP’s home-ground, Hougang SMC. I may be a Trainer but to speak before a 30, 000 strong crowd for the first time was definitely nerve wrecking. I can hardly remember what I spoke about but our campaign theme, ‘Vote Workers’ Party, Towards a First World Parliament’ rang out loud and clear throughout the night.

For the subsequent rallies, I gained confidence and was able to deliver speeches that were more engaging, at least according to the feedback from friends and supporters!

Despite the gruelling schedule, the stress of a 3-cornered fight and the constant fear of saying or doing something wrong, I never thought of giving up. The committed volunteers who walked the ground with me, the volunteers who hand-delivered my profile to each and every household, the numerous smses I received from my colleagues, the constant calls from my parents to ensure that I had taken my meals, my husband who gave me his full support, residents who left me encouraging messages and the trust of the WP leadership gave me the strength to journey on.



Polling Day and the Night of Blue Flags

Polling Day started with ensuring that our Polling Agents were in place at all the polling stations. I stayed at one polling station for a while to witness the polling.

I remember several encounters as I was walking out of the Polling Station. Residents came forward and shook my hands and told me that they had voted for me. I appreciated and acknowledged their gestures but we were not allowed to speak to voters at the polling stations. There were also residents who probably knew this and smiled at us instead.

The day continued with activities such as buying and delivering meals to our Polling Agents. Finally, voting closed at 8pm and the counting began.

I was struck by the thought that, all the months of walking and the 9 days of intensive campaigning would be reflected in one little result slip that night. For my colleagues contesting in East Coast, Nee Soon, Aljunied and Hougang, it was years of walking the ground.

The atmosphere was tense as I entered the counting hall. The respective counting agents were waiting for the ballot boxes from the polling stations to arrive. My counting agents assured me that they would watch out for every vote.

As the counting commenced, I made my way around the 5 counting tables, spending a good 7-10 minutes witnessing the sorting and counting for every table. I could see that for every 4 in 10 ballot paper, there was a cross for WP. I then went to the counting center for 'Punggol East' and 'Pasir Ris-Punggol'. As I was arriving, Mr Michael Palmer was about to leave. We wished each other luck and moved on.

I went through the same routine in the second counting center. About an hour into the counting, it seemed like 38-40% of the valid votes were for WP. We had hoped for the best but were also prepared for the worst. All of us prepared two speeches for Polling Day, a ‘winning’ and a ‘losing’ speech.

I then went to the Assembly Centre. My family was there. Before I could even say anything, my father came up to me and said, “Regardless of the result, you have done your best and we are very proud of you.” I was so moved by those words. Ever since I knew that I would be the candidate for Punggol East, I had spent almost all my time covering the ground. I didn't have much time with my family during that period.

WP members and volunteers were all there to support the candidates. I found a chair and sank into it. I looked at the volunteers and members around the assembly area. They looked exhausted but were in high anticipation.

Forty-five minutes later, Mr Low arrived and came to me. He asked, “How was Punggol East?” “I think I did ok, probably about 38-40%.” I replied. He nodded and gave me an encouraging pat on the back, before moving on to talk to the other candidates.

The official result for the Workers' Party in Punggol East was about 41%, better than I expected. My team and I had done our best given the amount of time we had. We have no regrets.

Cheers and shouts rang out when it was announced that we had won Hougang SMC. At about 2.30am, WP supporters, members and candidates turned the entire Hougang stadium into a jubilant sea of blue flags. WP had won in Aljunied! Cheers and tears filled the night. The tears that I had been holding back flowed freely. It was tears of joy, relief, and perhaps exhaustion too. The people have acknowledged our message and our years of efforts.

I hope that my experience as a candidate will propel me to greater things.

Selamat Hari Raya Haji!

A few WP colleagues, MPs and myself were privilege to be given the opportunity to visit a mosque today. What is even more special was today is the day Muslim friends celebrate Hari Raya Haji also known as Hari Raya Korban.

The mosque, 'Masjid Al-Istiqamah', is located at Serangoon North, in the Serangoon division of Aljunied GRC.

On this day, the sacrifice of 4-legged animals is performed. These animals include goats, cows, bulls and camels. In Singapore, our Muslim friends usually performed such sacrifice on goats. To find out what Hari Raya Haji means, click.

We were allowed to take pictures of everything except the sacrificing process.

We were first brought to the place where the goats were kept. Young men ranging from age 18-25 were the ones responsible for transporting the goats from the storage place to the place of sacrifice. When transported, the goats were held by the legs cuddled in a comforted position in the arms of the volunteer.



Next came the sacrificing process. It was done over a man-hole so that blood will drip directly into it. The animals were killed in accordance with the proper religious rites and the meat is then distributed.

Having the opportunity to witness the sacrificing process up close, it has definitely enabled me to better understand the word, Halal and let us remember each others sacrifices, big or small.

Thanks to Azman, the organizer of this visit!

Kallang roar is roaring BACK!

'SSShhhhhh!!!'

My mother will often have to repeat this several times to remind us to keep our volume down.

The year was 1994, Singapore won the Malaysia Cup with a 2-1 over Kedah, I was 16 :)
It was also after this win, Singapore withdrew from the competition.

My family except my mother, often have our eyes glued to the television set every weekend evening. We will curse, shout, stamp our feet, jump in joy and sometimes swear! That was by the far the only thing that really brought the family together in front of the television.

Singapore won the Malaysia Cup 24 times and is the 2nd most successful side in the competition's history after Selangor :)

Back in the 80s and 90s, we will often keep our weekends free for moments like this:



Needless to say, my father was the one who influenced us :) Watching the Malaysia Cup and English Premier League was a weekly affair for the family.

My grandma who often commented on how silly it was to watch 22 men running around for a ball, can never understand why we were so passionate!

Seriously, I have no idea too! It was the only event that will bring the whole family together. The National stadium will come to life with the Kallang roar, Kallang wave and the simultaneous feet stamping. Strangers will hug, cheer and laugh when goals were scored.

I miss the Malaysia Cup.

In the Workers' Party 2011 manifesto, the party proposed the re-entry of Singapore team into the Malaysia Cup. The news 'Singapore back in Malaysia Cup after 16 years', was hence very welcoming for me!

I know that I may never find back the likes of Abbas Saad, Sundram's famous bicycle kick, Super Sub (Steven Tan), Rafi Ali, Malek Awab, Lee Man Hon, David Lee, Suave Nazri Nasir and of course Fandi Ahmad, but the thought of watching the nation cheering together perks me up!

2012, I can't wait for it to commence!

AJCC's first community event

The 1 day durian trip on 10th July 2011, was a first for a couple of WP members who have been volunteering our time for such trips for the past few years in HOUGANG.

First, because of a couple of reasons:

Reason no 1 - New constituency with new constituents.

The first community event for our newly won constituency. We didn't dare to be too ambitious with ticket sales, not knowing whether the residents are keen with activities as such. But we also understand that we need to give it a try.

As we were not able to put up posters on notice boards yet, we did it the conventional way, flyers distribution. 3 Sundays before the trip, teams which consisted of myself and a handful of volunteers who signed up through our website to help, were activated :)

Likewise for the rest of the division, we all did it the conventional way. Not forgetting netizens who helped spread the word :)

Thank you to Tai Ann, Zhijian, Marcus Lee, Zuraini, Mustafa, Linda, Winston Roy and Winston Loy who responded to my call :)

Next came the ticket sales which was overwhelming! We went through 3 weeks of sales. The bulk of the sales came from week 2, probably after a week or so, word starts to spread :)

During the 3 weeks, it was a common sight to see residents queuing up at Blk 616 Bedok Reservoir to purchase tickets. Most of them walked away elated to have bought their tickets while a handful were disappointed that they didn't.

Thank you to David Chua, Marcus Kong, Binson Tan and Gordon Lim for helping out with ticket sales :)

When all that was done, preparation for the day starts!

Reason no 2 - Working with new volunteers.

After determining the no. of buses, we will need to allocate 2 bus leaders to every bus. They are the ones, residents will get to interact with throughout the journey.

This was when the challenge starts :) getting enough people to be BL and I did my best to allocate an experience one to every new volunteer. As much as I would like to do that, I have 2 buses that were made up of 2 new volunteers with no prior experience as BL with residents.

Nonetheless, I'm going to give it a try :)

Bernard (the rep from Bedok Reservoir-Punggol) and myself (rep from Eunos) conducted a BL briefing a week before the trip. With the logistics prepared by Swee Bee, we took turns to do our best to communicate effectively to our new BL on what needs to be done and what to look out for. We hope that with the experience we got from volunteering previously in HOUGANG as BL, we were able to impart all that in that hour of briefing :)

On the morning of 10th July, I gave a wake up call via sms to all BL. Everyone of them reported 6am, at meeting place. I was relieved that I didn't have to activate my back up BL.

James, thanks for agreeing to be my back up BL :)

It was a frenzy start as the residents boarded their respective buses rapidly. They were all eager to start the day!

With everything all checked, the buses moved off in an orderly manner.

We met each other occasionally during the trip and from what I can see, our BL were fitting into their roles very well :) They were walking around looking for residents, mingling with them, assisting them and of course helping them to take pictures with their MPs!

The only time I got to see all BL was during dinner where all 16 buses gathered together in Restaurant Cathay 88, for a 9 course dinner :)

Was at Blk 615, waiting for the last bus to pulled in at about 12am. My heart warmed at every feedback that the residents gave when we shook hands at the end of the day.

Thank you to all BL (you know who you are), both new and experience ones, for making the day a great one!

With this experience, I'm confidently sure that all new BL are now experience to lead the next one! Woohoo!

Not forgetting, Davis, our photographer :)

Reason no 3 - New role.

Since I joined the WP in 2006, I volunteered my time for most if not all of the day trips as BL. I remembered my first partner was Auntie Yizhi, resident from HOUGANG. 2nd time onwards, I'm always paired up with a new BL so as to show them the ropes.

This year, I've got a new role. No longer a BL whose role is to take care of a bus, but the co ordinator for Eunos Division, to take care of all the buses.

From printing of tickets to the day of the trip, I was fortunate to be assisted by great volunteers and members.

I remembered meeting Bernard (also first time co ordinator) at the Singapore checkpoint. The first thing he said to me was, relax lar! I must be looking Gan cheong! Hahaha!

A few mins later, Bernard saw one of his BL and he asked her where her bus was. She shrugged her shoulders while searching for her bus.

'Huh? Where is your bus?' was Bernard's instant reply!

My turn to go, relax lar!!! Hahaha!

It was a case of, 'easier said than done' :) We were anxious probably because it was our first time as co ordinator working with new volunteers in a new constituency, serving new constituents :)

Soon, we were doing bus hopping, moving from one bus to another to ensure smooth operation :)
Just when I thought I could relax myself for dinner, Bernard and myself were called up to address the crowd as well as to conduct lucky draw. Well, this to me isn't new. This happens to me all the time hahaha!

Next week, 17th July, I will be volunteering my time for Serangoon division. This time, I will be reverted back to my old role, BL :)

If you are interested, you can find some of the account of my experiences in this blog as well.

Regardless of whatever role we play, the objectives are the same. That is, to serve the community to the best of our capabilities.

Commemorating 'Bukit Brown Municipal Cemetery'........

As far as I can remember, every Qing Ming, my parents will bring my sisters and I to 2 locations to pray before our ancestors. The 2 locations are 'Mount Vernon' and 'Bi Shan Ting'. I often read about how the young and old will brave the scorching sun to pray before their ancestors, sweep the tombs and offer food, tea, wine, chopsticks, joss paper accessories, and/or libations to the ancestors. I have never had the chance to visit a cemetery. More often than not, I only get to pass by....

Yesterday, together with a few others from the WP, we decided to pay 'Bukit Brown Municipal Cemetery', better known as 'Kopi Sua' a visit. We were under the influence of Bernard, a proclaimed Historian, to make this trip. Reason: URA will be gazetting the place for development.

When most of the graves in Bidadari Cemetery (a Muslim and Christian cemetery) were exhumed because of redevelopment, I wonder who would want to buy or rather dare to buy properties on these ground? It did not cross my mind to visit the place or to take any pictures of it. It was a place that I was very familiar with. I will have to pass by Upper Serangoon Road almost everyday. You can say that I took that piece of heritage for granted. And yes, I can only now face a piece of lush greenery whenever I pass by it. Only vague memories remained and so far no development on that piece of land :(

Having that first experience of not having to really see a grave/ tomb up close and personal, I decided to join the rest on this photography cum historical trip before it is gone.

When we reached the entrance of the gate at about 10.30am, we were greeted by a pile of white joss paper. I guessed someone must have done some rituals before we arrived. Cameras, bags, insect repellant, water and umbrella, all checked...we were ready to go.

What an awesome sight! Never have I seen anything that amazing. The whole place was filled with tombs of different shapes, sizes, finishings and carvings. Before us ,was a group of individuals from Asian Paranormal Investigators (API). They were there to recce the place, look for notable deceased, marked them so that visitors are able to find it :) Very nice, I must say. Bernard, our Tour Guide, was outstanding too! He was actually at the place twice before us to recce the location. Guess what? He got a map of Bukit Brown too! A very responsible Tour Guide :)

Bukit Brown was officially opened on 1st Jan 1922. It was opened for more than half a century until its closure in 1973.

Many well-known and prominent Singaporeans are interred at Bukit Brown Cemetery. They include:
1. Gan Eng Seng, who established Anglo-Chinese Free School which was later named Gan Eng Seng.
2. Lee Choo Neo, 1st woman medical doctor in Singapore who is also Lee Kuan Yew's aunt.
3. Ang Seah Im, a Chinese Communist leader. Seah Im Road is named after him.
4. Lee Hoon Leong, Lee Kuan Yew's grandfather.
5. Ong Sam Leong and his sons, prominent straits Chinese businessmen. Sam Leong Road is named after him. The biggest tomb in Bukit Brown belongs to him.
6. Lim Chong Pang, a Chinese Community leader.
7. Mrs Lim Nee Soon, mother to Lim Chong Pang.

And many many more such as, Chew Boon Lay, Cheang Hong Lim, Chew Joo Chiat and Teh Ho Swee. These are familiar street names and places in Singapore named after these people. They all formed part of our history. Unfortunately, their remains are forgotten.

Make a trip to Bukit Brown, a place filled with rich history and biodiversity. A place where many of our Singapore pioneers and forefathers are buried. Is worth the trip, do it before it is gone.

Pictures of Bukit Brown Cemetery...click here.

MPS @ Eunos Division

Winning Aljunied GRC was a dream come true. The work which had begun 2 weeks ago was a reality! We have the Meet-The-People Session (MPS) to start off with. First session ended at close to 2am while the 2nd one at about 3.15am!

Residents arriving as early as 6pm to queue, some to catch a glimpse of their MP or to express their interest to volunteer were all there. In the last MPS, we also saw WP's ardent supporter who went around to all of the 5 MPS in Aljunied to have his yellow helmet signed. He did not just get MPs to sign, I was asked to sign too! So was Uncle Ee Ping :) What a fan! Thank you! Thank you!

Seriously, I like the way the MPS is being carried out. Residents who do not know each other, started to smile, talked and laughed together as they were waiting for their turn. Very nice, warm and fuzzy :)

Residents and supporters all the way from Clementi and Jurong, turned up to indicate their interest to help. Any form of help, regardless of how big or small, they just wanted to help. We have residents who will turned up from nowhere to offer us cold canned drinks :)

What was even more surprising was when I arrived at the MPS venue slightly earlier than usual, about 6pm last week, a resident was waiting to help me with the tables and chairs! Very nice!

Our volunteers, many of them their first time experience, did great! Thank you :)

Very soon, residents staying in Block 615 will find the sight of their MP meeting their fellow neighbours a common sight...well, at least every Monday evening... or Tuesday morning :)

7th May 2011

I finally found myself some time to pen down my thoughts for 7th May 2011.

GE2011 is not quite the same for me as compared to GE2006 which I was a part of it too.

In GE2006, I was both the Polling and Counting Agent for Aljunied GRC.

In GE2011, I was a candidate and of course still rooting for all the constituencies the Workers' Party had contested in which also includes Aljunied GRC.

As compared to the campaigning period, I woke up slightly later on Polling Day, 7th May 2011. Reason, I need to reach destination at 8am instead of the usual 7.30am :)

It was a long day filled with countless activities. Started the day early to ensure that all Polling Agents were in place at all 10 Polling Station and everyone was aware of their roles. Apart from making sure that the Polling Agents were alright, I would also, like other candidates, lingered in the Polling Station for a while to witness the polling and of course, smile at our voters :)

I remembered several incident as I was walking out of the Polling Station, residents came forward to me, shook my hands and told me that they had voted for me. I appreciated their gesture very much however we were not allowed to speak to voters in the Polling Station hence I had to explain to them nicely about this which of course all of them can understand. There were also residents who probably knew that we can't speak to them, were smiling at me knowingly :)

I remembered seeing this lady :)



The day continued with activities such as buying meals and delivering it to the respective Polling Stations for all Polling Agents. When dinner was finally distributed, my team of 4 and I stopped by for a drink and this was when I was reminded that polling will end soon and that means counting will take place after that.

The first thing that came into my mind was, the months of walking and the intensive 9 days of campaigning would soon be reflected in the result slip that I was going to get that night. In the case of East Coast, Nee Soon, Aljunied and Hougang, it was the years of walking and door knocking that we had done.

I quickly finished my ice Milo before making my way to the 1st counting centre, Rivervale Pri Sch.

Atmosphere was pretty tense as I entered the counting hall. The respective counting agents were waiting for the ballot boxes from the other Polling Stations to arrive. I didn't see the other 2 candidates. I supposed they went to the other counting centre first. I've got very committed counting agents who assured me that they would fight for every vote! Hahaha!

As the counting commenced, I was making my way around the 5 counting tables, spending a good 7-10 mins of time witnessing the sorting and counting for every table. Judging from what I saw, every 4 in 10 ballot paper, I can see a cross for the Workers' Party. With that, I made my way to the other counting centre, where the counting of both 'Punggol East' and 'Pasir Ris-Punggol' were held in the same hall. As I arrived, Mr Michael Palmer was about to leave. We wished each other luck and we moved on to what we needed to do.

I went through the same routine in the 2nd counting centre. About an hour into the counting, it looks like a 38-40% of the eligible votes for the Workers' Party. The candidates of the Workers' Party were all fighting to win but we were also prepared for the worse. I remembered receiving an email to inform all candidates to get ready 2 speeches on Polling Day, winning and losing speech. To be honest, I did not prepare for any. I wanted to just speak whatever that came to my mind that moment hence I started to think of what to say as we made our way to the assembly centre. Oh yes, it was a losing speech.

My family was there. Before I could even say anything, my father came up to me and said, 'Regardless of the result, you have done your best and we are all proud of you.' I was so moved by those words. Ever since it was made known to me that I will be the candidate for Punggol East, I spent almost all my time covering the ground. I didn't have much time with my family during that period. Is time to spend some quality time with them.

Rumours of Workers' Party winning both Hougang SMC and Aljunied GRC were spreading like wild fire in the assembly centre. I was quite skeptical about it. It is better to hear from the horses' mouth, I thought. Bernard and I were talking about it just a few hours before results were announced. We both thought that let's hope that we can retain Hougang, home ground, first!

When Shin Leong arrived, I need not asked him, the result was written all over his face :) He brushed aside the rumours that a recount took place in Hougang. No recount was done. This to me means that we won by a good margin. Grrrreatttt!

Next, the Aljunied team came in. The team came forward, grinning from ear to ear. I had to ask. Sylvia, who was right in front of me, was looking so so so elated. I knew it. Emotions started to fill me up, as I was controlling tears from flowing down, Mr Low TK came up to me. I remembered his question.

'How was Punggol East?'

'I think I did reasonably well for a first time candidate, probably about 38-40%', was my reply.

Mr Low nodded his head, gave me a pat on the back, before moving on to the next candidate to perhaps also asked how his/ her results were.

The official result for the Workers' Party in Punggol East was approximately 41%, better than I expected :)

The moment came at approximately 2.30am, the supporters, members of the Workers' Party and candidates turned the entire Hougang stadium into a raging sea of blue flags upon hearing the Workers' Party electoral win in Aljunied from the now famous, Yam Ah Mee. Cheers, shouts, screams and tears filled the night. The tears that I had been holding back, flowed freely. It was tears of joy, relief, and perhaps tiredness too! The 5 years of effort we put in, was rewarded :)

We know all that is history now. The real work starts from the day we won. We have to show that the Workers' Party can manage a GRC as well as a SMC. I have been appointed as the Legislative Assistant for newly elected MP, Mr Pritam Singh. This to me is another new chapter of learning as a political activist with the Workers' Party.

I certainly hope that my experience as a candidate can propel me to greater things. And I sincerely hope that 5 years later, the electoral boundaries for Punggol East will be what it is today. With that, I hope to be able to walk the ground of Punggol East again. A place which I have come to love and know the residents as well as store holders.

Towards a First World Parliament!

Final speech at Serangoon Stadium, 5th May 2011

Welcome and Thank you for coming to our rally, my friends and fellow Singaporeans. Thank you for coming down to Serangoon Stadium this evening. Today, I am going to speak to all of you here directly from the bottom of my heart. Fellow Singaporeans – we have come to the tail end of a long journey, a journey which started not 9 days but 1,460 days ago on 6 May 2006. Your voice and your eagerness to hear what we have to say have brought us thus far. Your vote for the Workers’ Party this coming May the 7th will set Singapore on her next lap, a lap where the baton is passed from one Singaporean to another.

In a contest as long and difficult as this campaign has been, the spirit, perseverance and the determination of every Workers’ Party member commands my respect. In the eyes of every Workers’ Party member, I see courage and a consuming determination to bring about the breakthrough that Singapore needs. From Uncle Ee Ping, the veteran and long-time stalwart of the Workers’ Party to Bernard Chen, my most faithful election agent, who has selflessly walked with me on this long journey, I salute each and everyone of you. Thank you. Thank you.

The Workers’ Party and Singapore is stronger today because of these individuals and their efforts. I thank all of you for contributing to the nation-building efforts of this young and beautiful nation which you and I call home.

In the eyes of every volunteer, I see nothing but pride, pride to recognise themselves as a true blue Singaporean, where the meaning of the pledge resonates in their hearts, where the spirit of our anthem is played continuously as they take every step with me. Majulah Singapura! Majulah Singapura!

I owe my campaign to many people. People whom I did not even know 2 months ago like Marcus, Simon, Binson, Leandra, Sandeep, Azam, my uncle, my family and my husband, are now my closest team mates in this campaign (forgive me if I have forgotten any one). They have stood by me, shared my laughter (my short temper? sometimes) and my worries. They motivated me and reminded me constantly of the responsibilities that I have to shoulder as a candidate.

In you, I see courage, courage to stand with the Workers’ Party, and courage to hold our flag high. Two words. Two words continue to be proclaimed through the evening sky. Two words which have given my colleagues and me so much encouragement and strength. Two words which have brought you from the four corners of this island to stadium after stadium, open field after open field. Be it wet or dry, you came.

Today, as we gather in Serangoon Stadium once again, these two words will continue way into this Thursday night and into Cooling Off Day.

These two words are “Workers’ Party”!

Throughout the campaign we have tried to convince you that elections matter, that we are a credible party with credible alternatives to a PAP that only knows how to threaten you and apologise at the last minute.

We stand before you, proud to be a Singaporean, proud to represent you, proud to be of service to you, proud to stand with you, and proud to call you my fellow brothers and sisters.

This is a watershed election and I am proud to be a small part of it. Come 7 May 2011, I hope that Singapore will make its first step towards a First World Parliament. And we can do this, if you vote for us. Vote Workers’ Party.

Tonight, when you depart from this stadium, remember that we have come a long way since 1965. As a young Singaporean I supported the PAP, I believed that they were the best thing for our society but I stand before you as a 33-year old woman who has had enough of them. They don’t care about rising costs, they give themselves big fat salaries, they have lost the moral integrity needed in any leader.

They have become our managers, our bosses, here to tell us what to do, how to think, but they have forgotten how to lead. Why do I say this? Because they no longer know how to listen to the people, to ordinary people like you and me. They listen to each other but you have heard our leader, Mr Low, tell you how lonely it is to be an opposition in a Parliament where there are 82 of them and 2 of us.

On 7 May 2011, as you walk to the nearest polling centre, take a glimpse at the pink card that you hold in your hands, the card that identifies us together under one common citizenship, living up to the words of our pledge, “We, the citizens of Singapore, pledge ourselves as one united people” I

You hold the future of our nation in your hands.

I trust you, fellow Singaporeans, and I know you will do the right thing by your opposition.

This election is more than just upgrading, upgrading and more upgrading! It is a vote to bring into focus again the real needs of ordinary Singaporeans. We bring you a whole range of talent – From business expertise to social work know-how to teachers in both secondary school and tertiary sector, we bring many skills. And we bring you the heart that is sorely missing in the PAP until the last minute or until it is election time.

In this election, there is only one agenda that will REALLY matter - your agenda. We say to you: for you, your children and Singapore, it cannot be business as usual. What specific policies have you heard from the PAP. Last night at Ubi, Mr Low went through a list of these and i summarise:

1. What plans do they have for our HDB flats since PAP keeps telling us that “the PAP had enhanced our assets”. We don’t want to work our whole life just to pay for our flats.

2. What concrete plans do they have for our youth who have to borrow from the bank for their tertiary studies?

3. What is the point in asking retailers to hold their prices while ministers’ salaries are increased?

4. What plans are there to help people who are in the 50s, unemployed and who cannot draw their CPF to pay for their medical bills?

If you think it’s time the PAP gave you some straight answers, give us a chance on Saturday, vote for us and let us show you what we can do.

My name is Lee Li Lian, the Workers’ Party candidate for Punggol East SMC.

On 7 May 2011, vote for me, Vote Workers’ Party, Towards a First World Parliament.