That spirit, the HOUGANG SPIRIT!

As we were making our way out from the Counting centre, my phone cannot stop beeping.  Congratulatory messages as well as 'live' updates on the 'party' going on at Blk 322 kept coming in.

As we approached Blk 322, we could hear the thunderous cheer.  What greeted us was the 'Hougang Spirit'.

Both sides of the road were filled with people.  They were chanting non stop.  Whenever there is a car that passed by with the WP flag on it, the crowd will cheer even louder.  The drivers will then respond back with a series of honking.

As if that wasn't enough for the police to handle, the drummer was there!  The one that will sit right in front at every of our rally :)  I turned around and was pleasantly surprised to see a huge WP flag, about the size of 4 mahjong table and a banner hanging from level 2!

62.09%........... Hougang is truly unique.

We have a lot of people to thank for.  Logistics support, house visits team, Admin and paperwork team, IT team, photographers, research team, bouncers, sellers at rally, runner for food, creative team, flyers distribution team, polling and counting agents and most importantly, the people of Hougang.  Without them, there will be no victory.

Another amazing night in Hougang! If I am ever ask what the 'Hougang Spirit' is, my reply would be, 'you got to experience it yourself, there is no way to describe it.'

风雨同舟二十一年！
后港，谢谢！

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.

Our 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 such activities. 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 :) 

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 giving 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 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 :)

The next thing I know, I 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. Subsequently, 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!

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?', exclaimed Bernard.

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 :)

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.

My 3rd speech at Punggol East SMC!

Dear voters of Punggol East SMC and fellow Singaporeans, welcome once again to the WP rally! I am Lee Li Lian, the WP candidate for Punggol East. Thank you for coming.

[Cantonese intro]
Dear voters, da ka hao! Happy to have the opportunity to meet everyone here. We know you have taken precious time to be here to attend the WP rally. On behalf of WP, we thank you for coming.

During my walkabouts since the birth of Punggol East SMC just over slightly less than 2 months ago, I have been asked by residents, young and old alike what I will do if I am elected. I have no million and multi-million projects to announce today, neither am I going to make you empty and false promises. I see myself as a down-to-earth person and if I am elected, the immediate and most important thing is to establish a town council from scratch, to serve Punggol East residents and to take good care of the constituency, a most privileged role, if entrusted to me by the residents of Punggol East. Setting up a Punggol East Town Council with the experience I have gained from working alongside Mr. Low Thia Khiang and members of the Workers’ Party in Hougang is my top priority! Nothing would be more important than this.

I will be a good Member of Parliament and serve the needs of every Punggol East resident. What do I mean by that?

• First, I am keen to make representation on behalf of my residents at the Meet-the-People’s Session.

• Second, I will look into the issues that concern Punggol East residents and raise them on a national platform. I will listen to you and speak up on your behalf in Parliament, to let the Prime Minister and his cabinet know that your interests must be taken seriously in the policy-making process.

• Third, it is my duty to make sure that the constituency is well-managed and well-taken care of. I want the best for my residents, the residents of Punggol East. Nothing but the best, to the best of my abilities.

To the PAP, your talk of community bonding and spirit is hollow and hypocritical! How do you build a strong community when after every General elections you break up the boundaries at the slightest hint of competition from the Opposition? Why chop part of Aljunied into Ang Mo Kio?

A friend of mine who has been staying in Hougang for the past 20 years voted in 3 different GRCs, Cheng San GRC in 1997, Aljunied GRC in 2006 and now Ang Mo Kio GRC without having his house move an inch! And I’m sure everyone here knows at least one other person who has had this experience. Is this community building or community breaking?

In my last speech I spoke about 2 silent groups in our community, - the elderly and the disabled. Today, I will briefly touch on another 2 groups. Many Singaporeans keep bringing this up but nothing gets done!

1st group, stay at home parents,

Work fare bonus is only meant for people with an income. As an inclusive society, have we forgotten stay at home parents who do not earn an income?

These stay at home parents or home makers (in other developed countries they are called ‘carers’ ) have chosen to stay at home to take care of the house and family so that other members of the family can go out to work or attend school, and have piping hot meals served to them when they come home. They are the CEO of the HOUSE but they are given none or very little recognition for their valuable contribution to home and society.

They have chosen a noble profession that is no less important than any salaried job, and have often put their careers on hold to nurture the next generation. They should not be forgotten!

The Workers’ Party proposes that Stay at home parents should receive the same infant care and childcare subsidies as other working mothers!

Our inclusive society has also forgotten the 2nd group, single parents, who are Singapore citizens and whose daughter and son will bear and nurture future generations as well as serve National Service.

Did you know that single parents are not allowed to purchase new HDB flats? The only option available to them right now is to wait till they are age 35 and above to buy a resale flat which is often very expensive! But to Mr Mah Bow Tan it is affordable! I believe the government can provide more housing options for them such as 2-room or 3-room flats.

Regardless of marital status, all parents love and want to provide their children with the best they possibly can. Some single parents need caregivers too, but they are excluded from tax relief, caregiver relief and maid-levy relief.

Babies from single parents are also not eligible for Baby Bonus.

While having children outside of marriage should continue to be discouraged in our society, children born to single parents should not be denied the benefits that children of married parents receive. The children are innocent parties and should not start life being disadvantaged. Single parents should receive the same parenthood benefits packages as married parents.

Allow me to quote our pledge, ‘happiness, prosperity and progress for our nation’. How can there be actual progress when stay at home parents and single parents are being left behind! We, the citizens of Singapore should move together as one people under one Flag!

Mr Michael Palmer said in a report from ‘TODAY’ on 1st May 2011, ‘It’s about balancing residents’ needs.’

I am glad that he is aware of the idea of balancing. But it is not so much just balancing residents’ needs, it is about re calibrating the residents’ voices.

Currently, the Parliament is made up of 82 PAP MPs vs 2 Opposition MPs. Mr Michael Palmer, you are in fact adding onto the great imbalance in Parliament! That is why there is an urgent need to vote more Workers’ Party candidates into Parliament.

Mr Michael Palmer from the PAP is like me a first time contestant for this electorate.
We have an equal chance to prove ourselves.

But as an opposition candidate, we only learnt about this new SMC at the end of February this year, it leaves us with very little time to walk the ground! Do you, voters of Singapore, think that this is fair to the Opposition?

I think that if you are here tonight you have not already decided who you want to vote for. I also know that there are people who are not pleased with the 3 corner fight that we are in, believing that it will dilute the votes of the Workers’ Party. If I may recall, the first major legislative breakthrough of the WP came in the Anson by-election in 1981, where JB Jeyeretnam won in a 3 corner fight with 51.9%! So, we shall see on May 7th if this 3-cornered fight is a real problem. [Sa kak jian, bo bun tueh!] hokkien

My call to you today is, let us recreate history once again just like what we did 30 years ago! This watershed election could be the most significant election for the Workers’ Party! In 1981, the Workers’ Party won in a 3 corner fight.

30 years on today, the Workers’ Party with your votes can also emerge victorious and re-ignite Singaporeans’ confidence in a democratic process!

On 7th May 2011, your ballot paper is not just a piece of paper with a cross on it. It is a piece of paper that will propel the Workers’ Party to electoral victories in Hougang, Sengkang West, Joo Chiat, Nee Soon, Moulmein Kallang, East Coast, Aljunied and PUNGGOL EAST SMC!

Vote Workers’ Party. Towards a First World Parliament!
投工人党一票，迈向第一世界国会！

2nd speech at Yishun Stadium

'The Forgotten Group in Singapore'

Friends, fellow Singaporeans and dear residents of Nee Soon GRC, “ni men hao”!!! Thank you for coming down once again to support the WORKERS’ PARTY! Thank you very much!

My name is Lee Lilian and I am the Workers’ Party candidate for Punggol East SMC. Today, I am here to talk to you two groups of people who have been forgotten in Singapore, I call them the silent community.

The first group – the elderly. Our senior citizens worked hard, contributed to nation building and the growth of our country but when they are in their twilight years, they are forgotten. They are even engineered to travel at specific time of the day.

Before 9am, their concessions don’t apply.

Aunties and uncles, let me tell you this, before 9am, you cannot leave house. You can only leave house after 9am then you can enjoy the concessions. [Hokkien]

Our senior citizens who wish to continue working finds it difficult to find a job.

Our senior citizens who wish to retire are told that they have to work longer. Where do we leave them? In no man’s land?

Our senior citizens who have been saving up since they were young now find that they do not have enough money in their CPF to retire.

CPF enough anot? [Hokkien]

Singapore can do better than this!

The Workers’ Party proposes that:

• Concessions passes on public transport for the elderly should be extended to all operating hours
• Older workers must be protected from exploitation and financial hardships upon turning 62. The Workers’ Party also recognized that the current re-employment provisions are in place but these provisions should be re-worked to provide stronger protections for older workers.
• The prices of new HDB flats should be pegged to the median incomes of Singaporeans households.

Dear Mr. Mah Bow Tan, I am sure many Singaporeans here today would agree with me that the length of mortgage loan is indeed an issue. Mr. Mah, I am just curious here. Do you want your own child to take 30, 40 or 50 years to pay? Oh, I forgot. You won’t need such housing loan, unlike us.

As for me, I believe that HDB flats should be affordable and my child should be able to pay off his loans in 20 years’ time.

We belong to a society, a caring society. We call Singapore home, our home. But there is another group of silent community, the ones whose voices have been blocked out for so long, they are the disabled and they are forgotten.

• The disabled who often travel on public transport finds it hard to do so. This is especially so when they travel by taxis to areas not covered by wheelchair accessible buses.
• While it is good to see that we have wheelchair accessible buses but the current target to make it available on all bus services which is 2023 is way too long! You mean a first world economic nation like ours need another 12 years to make all our trunk and feeder bus routes wheelchair accessible

Let me say this once again. Singapore can do better than this!

People with disabilities have the right to live a dignified and fulfilling life and be integrated with the rest of the community.

• It is important that we keep the fares affordable. ERP should be abolished for taxis to keep fares affordable for one and all
• The government should be more involved and bear the cost of purchasing Wheelchair Accessible Buses and bear the responsibility for modifying all bus stops to make them wheelchair accessible.
• The government should also fund disabled transport concessions, in line with best practices in other developed countries.

Whether one is male or female, young or old, abled or disabled, we carry a card, a card that identifies us together under one common citizenship, living up to the first five words of our pledge, “We, the citizens of Singapore!”

Since young, I have known Singapore to be my country and my home but today we hear that Singapore is run more like a company than a country. Nowadays it seems like Singapore is all about record GDPs and making more and more money.

We, the people of Singapore and our welfare seems to have taken a back seat since we handed the ruling PAP a mandate of 66.6% at the last elections in 2006. In case the PAP do not know what this means, let me remind them again. For every 10 eligible voters, at least 6 voted for them. Yet, they have failed to take care of us, the people of Singapore. It is only when the elections are around the corner do we feel like we matter.

Listen to these!

• 13 March 2011, SMRT will increase MRT train services by adding another 420 train trips per week on the North-South-East-West Line (NSEWL)
• 20 March 2011, SBS Transit will start adding another 170 train trips per week during the morning and evening peaks, as well as off-peak hours, on the North-East Line (NEL).
• On the same day, the retail price watch group roll out initiatives to ease the pressures of rising prices on the average Singaporean.

Probably, we really should have General Elections every year. Only when the elections are here do we feel better taken care of. Apart from all these, Singaporeans get to see their PAP MPs almost every day. Elections are indeed amazing.

Singapore is no doubt a country, My Country, Your Country, OUR COUNTRY. This election, we the people of Singapore are taking back our country! On 7th May 2011, we the people of Singapore are taking back our country.

The Workers Party believe that it is a time for you to act, to cast your vote, to choose; there is no better time than now for a call to action. This is my call to you, to everyone of you here today. Help us turn the attendance today into votes for the Workers’ Party.

On 7th May 2011, Vote Workers’ Party. Towards a First World Parliament!

6th day into our campaigning!

My maiden speech, 'Political Insurance'.

Good Evening everyone. I am Lee Li Lian, the WP candidate for Punggol East.

In an article on Channel News Asia, in November 2008, PM Lee had said that a 2 party political model cannot work in Singapore. In the same article, PM also said: "If the party (PAP) doesn't work, if something goes wrong with the party, you can be sure new parties will come, new contests will come. People will spring up to take on the government in no time at all."

If any party were to spring up from nowhere and starts governing; Singapore will be in great danger. We will be governed by people with no experience at all! No party, not even the PAP, is infallible and there is no guarantee that such a scenario will not happen. It is, therefore, important that we have some political insurance.


What this means is that we need to ensure there are alternative parties in Parliament to participate and gain experience in the governing of our nation. We can then have another experienced party with ability to form an alternative government on standby in times of crisis or needs.

We can’t plan our future in the future; we got to plan it now! Just like personal or health insurance, we may not think we need it or want to buy it now. But most of us buy it anyway for a peace of mind as we never know when we will need it. And when that happens we are protected and can be taken care of. Similarly, we need to insure Singapore and our future.

I’m sure most of us here buy Insurance one way or another. We either buy it ourselves through an agent or we are all part of the government’s opt out insurance schemes such as DPS, Medishield and Eldershield. Some of us who own HDB flats are probably under compulsory insurance schemes such as HPS (HOUSING PROTECTION SCHEME) which protects our loved ones from losing their homes should something happen to us.

The reason why we buy insurance is for investments as well as protection purposes. When we do investments we don’t put all our eggs into one basket no matter how strong and robust that basket is right now. Likewise when it comes to governing a country, we should not rely on only one political party. Voting the Workers’ Party is an insurance against failure.

Should today’s government fail, there should be another party who is ready to take on the role immediately. And that party will need to have the mandate of the people to do so.

Having another political party in Parliament would also provide the much needed
check and balance on the government.

This will keep the government on its toes to ensure accountability. All policies and issues will be debated thoroughly and alternative ideas considered seriously before implementation.

If you can remember, in 2007 just months after GE2006, the PAP government announced that the GST would be increased from 5% to 7% from July . Inflation rose at the fastest pace in 12 years due to the hike in GST as food costs rose and rents soared. To make things worse, the bus fares increased about 1.8 per cent.

Someone even wrote a letter to the Straits Times Forum that some weeks back when he ate kway chap at the coffeeshop near his flat, he was
shocked that his meal came to $4.50. He thought the hawker had made a mistake, as he used to pay about $3.50 for similar items but the hawker said “no.”

My fellow Singaporeans, 66.6% of you voted for the PAP in 2006, and you got GST increase, record high inflation rates, higher food, transport, and healthcare costs.

Do we want history to repeat itself?

Do we want all these to happen again after the 2011 elections?

We need to ensure that the government is transparent and accountable to the people but without an effective opposition in Parliament, the government can choose to ignore our concerns and brush aside our worries.

The government encourages all Singaporeans to plan for the future, to ensure that we have enough funds to tide us through our retirement . The PAP government wants us to plan ahead hence they had implemented various insurance schemes.

But when it comes to the need for political insurance, the government does NOT plan ahead.

Regardless of how formidable the PAP might be, no one can guarantee that it will never fail in future. Because we understand that past performances is not indicative of future performances. We also know the story of the Titanic which was supposed to be unsinkable. It sank anyway on its maiden voyage killing more than 1,500 people. We need to have a backup.

Fellow Singaporeans, what Singapore needs is a First World Parliament, a Parliament that leaves nothing to chance and is actively prepared for any unforeseen circumstances. It should be able to check and balance a strong government. In every GE, the WP strives to bring you a slate of good, credible candidates.

Vote WP, towards a First World Parliament!

The last lap

We have come very far from GE2006, WP comrades and myself.

From making weekly house visits, outreach events, bonding and brainstorming sessions to getting ready for GE2011. This team went through a lot together.

During the last 2 months or so, I found another team that is the team of volunteers and of course Bernard too :) who were very supportive and committed to our cause. My family and husband are all behind me. I would like to take this opportunity to express my appreciation to everyone of them, thank you :)

Tomorrow, I will be making my way to the nomination centre with our assentors and supporters. I know regardless of how many we have, the white and white will outnumber us. Is ok, is not the number that matters. It is the spirit we have.

I really really don't want to disappoint our supporters.

Wish us luck!

Q & A with TNP

Lee Li Lian, 32

Occupation: Trainer with insurance company Great Eastern Life

Career Highlights: She has been actively involved in both industrial and financial sales for the past six years, before moving on to become a recruitment manager with a private institution. She took on her current position as a trainer in 2008.

Family: She is the eldest in the family with two younger sisters. Her father, 62, is currently a store-keeper, while her mother, 59, baby-sits her niece.

She is married to Mr Jacky Koh, 34, a telecommunications consultant. He goes overseas a lot, and is back in Singapore once every two to three months. The couple plan to have children after the GE.

Q: You are concerned about stay-at-home mums and single parents. How do you intend to help them?

A: They should not be forgotten. Give them monetary incentives. Don't leave them out from workfare bonuses. For single parents, I think they should be given tax reliefs, baby bonuses, help when buying a new home... they should not be left out.

Q: What are some of the challenges that you face so far as a female opposition candidate?

A: I don't think gender is an issue. I think the question should be about the challenges that I face as an opposition candidate.

People have this fear when you join an opposition party, they want to know, how are you, do you have to be careful about the way you speak...But nothing is going to happen as long as we do the right things right.

Q: Why join the WP?

A: I want to get rid of the fear that I mentioned earlier, and I have to choose the right party. I see the WP as the right party and the right leader to follow. During the previous elections, I had a chance to speak to them, and I saw them on stage and see how they present themselves and ensure that everything is all right, everyone is together.

That gave me the belief that this is the party to join.

Q: Mr Low Thia Khiang said that you have been a good mobiliser of your husband and your family members. How so?

A: My husband flew back from his busy work schedule to be with me to give me support during this period. He has a role in the Workers' Party General Election this year; he's going to be our photographer. My husband has a flair and passion for photography.

My mother is helping me to source for cooks for polling agents. My father joins me on my walkabouts, so people can see that I've the support of my family. I think that's important. My father has also been helping with the distribution of flyers.

(Source: http://tnp.sg/content/qa-lee-li-lian)

The battle is on!

Fellow comrades, we are into our last lap of the race and JIA YOU!

Details of Singapore's General Elections 2011,
Nomination Day - 27th April 2011
Polling Day - 7th May 2011

A day after the Parliament was dissolved, the Workers' Party introduces its first slat of candidates for GE2011. They are Eric Tan, Gerald Giam, Muhd Faisal and myself, Lee Li Lian :)

Listen to what each candidate has to say,

Darf ich wissen, wie alt ist dieser Mann?

This incident happened a few weeks ago when my colleagues and I took a stroll down Chinatown to lunch at Maxwell Market.

As usual the place was packed with lunch crowd and it took us a while before finding ourselves a table with 5 seats. We were eating halfway when a bus full of German tourist alight from a tour bus to get themselves some fruit juice.

An elderly German couple shared the table with us. As they were sipping from the fruit juice to quench their thirst, they were conversing in German.

One of my colleague who used to study German started to talk to them. Wow! I was impressed by my colleague's good command of German :) At the moment, an elderly man came to clear and clean the table.

The elderly couple saw him, turned to my colleague to asked, 'Darf ich wissen, wie alt ist dieser Mann?'

My colleague paused then gave his reply in German too. I was totally lost in the conversation as I could not understand a single bit of the language hahaha! 30 minutes later, we left the food center to head back to office. This was when I started to ask my colleague the content of the conversation.

He took a deep breath and explained that the German couple asked, 'How old was that old man clearing the table?'

Mid 70s was my colleague's reply. Although the German couple did not mention anything but my colleague felt that they must be thinking how come this elderly man is still working at this age???

He went on with his voice slightly raised ..............'What is happening to Singapore? Is this retirement? That German couple just woke me up, I'm ashamed to be a Singaporean! Our elderly folks worked hard during their younger days to grow the economy of the country. When they get old, this is what they get???? My decision to eventually join my family in China was correct!'

Talking Point - CNA

The recent 'Talking Point' featured representatives from the ruling party as well as opposition to speak on the impact of the new electoral boundaries.

我没投过票 ... (I have not voted before)

I was out with WP activists on our routine Sunday house visits yesterday. Ever since the release of the new electoral boundaries, I must say that we are creating quite a buzz wherever we go.

Even the toilet was not spared :)

Frieda and I visited the toilet during lunch break before moving off. When we were about to leave the toilet, the toilet attendant, estimated to be in her 60s pointed to the logo of the light blue T-shirt and asked, '你们是做什么的?'

‘我们来自工人党，是新加坡的一个政治团体', was my reply to her then I went on to explain that we were having our lunch break here after house visits in the morning.

She looked at us blankly and said, '我不知道什么来的'.

I thought I knew why she said that but to reaffirm, I asked her this, '请问你有投过票吗?'

‘我没投过票，不懂什么', was her immediate response.

My heart sank, I was right. She doesn't even know what voting is let alone know the other political parties. Or she probably did but it was so long ago that she had forgotten.

Voting is compulsory.

After the boundaries are drawn, what's next?

So what's next after the electoral boundaries are drawn?

It is COUNTDOWN to POLLING DAY!

Sequence of events that will happen:

1) Dissolution of Parliament
A dissolution puts an end to a particular Parliament, is the dispersal of a legislature at the call of en election. MPs also cease to hold office once it is dissolved.

2) Nomination Day
Candidates are required to present their nomination papers and certificates to the Returning Officer, in duplicate and in person, at the nomination centre between 11 am and 12 noon, accompanied by their proposers, seconders and at least 4 assentors.

Nomination Day must come between five days and a month after the President has issued writ. The minimum period between Nomination and Polling Day, typically nine days, has been extended to 10 days to make up for the Cooling-Off Day.

3) Campaigning starts!
Candidates can start campaigning after the notice of contested election is issued, up to the start of the day before Polling Day (which is the Cooling-Off Day). Candidates may also be given air-time by the television stations.

4) Cooling off Day
The eve of Polling Day is designated as Cooling-off Day, a day when election campaigning is prohibited.

5) Polling Day
Polling Day must be held not earlier than the 10th day and not later than the 56th day immediately following the Notice of Contested Elections is published after Nomination Day.

Voters, whose names are found in the current register of electors of a contested constituency, will receive a poll card which will be mailed to their latest NRIC address well before Polling Day.

On Polling Day, voters can go to their assigned polling stations to cast their votes any time between 8:00 am and 8:00 pm. After the close of the polls, the ballot boxes containing the votes cast will be sealed and transported to the respective counting centres.

Hope the above helps especially for first time voters :)

How to check which constituency are you voting in for GE 2011?

Fellow Singaporeans, the electoral boundaries are out and its time to find out which constituency you are voting in! Another good reason to check is to ensure that your address is reflected correctly hence voting in the right constituency :)

These are steps on how to check.

Step 1:
Go to www.elections.gov.sg

Step 2:
Click on this icon on the left hand side

Step 3:
Log in with either your Singpass or Date of issue of NRIC

Step 4:
Result out :)