About 500 people attended the fourth anti-immigration protest at Hong Lim Park against the Population White Paper on Jan. 31, 2015 — a sharp decline in turnout compared to the massive 4,000-strong crowd that showed up for the first Population White Paper protest held two years ago.
Though interest in the protest wore thin, the Saturday afternoon protest organised by unemployment support worker, Gilbert Goh of Transitioning.org, saw a number of opposition politicians attend and speak in their own capacities.
Around 30 members of Singaporeans First Party (SingFirst), including their party secretary-general Tan Jee Say, treasurer David Foo and head of communications Winston Lim were in attendance “as private individuals”.
When asked if SingFirst supported Gilbert Goh’s anti-immigration movement, Tan said: “We support the issues they are fighting for, for Singaporeans… It is an important issue because it is where the government has failed the people.”
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Opposition political party members speak out
Jufrie bin Mahmood from the SDP and Osman Sulaiman from the National Solidarity Party (NSP), who spoke at the protest in their own personal capacity, lambasted the PAP’s liberal immigration policies and urged protesters to vote an “alternative voice” into Parliament.
Sulaiman, a human resource officer, blamed government policies for not aiding the poor. Citing the removal of GST for trading of precious metals, he said: “The alternative (opposition parties) have always proposed to remove GST on basic necessities (but instead) what the government did was not to help the poor… Does it make sense?”
Jufrie said that people in the opposition political parties were “working to give Singaporeans their alternative voice”.
In his speech, he lambasted the government for their immigration policies, heavily implying that the policies were intended to aid the ruling People’s Action Party. “I don’t know (why the PAP) sangat sayang (very dear to) the foreigners,” he told the crowd.
Gilbert Goh investigated by police for separate incident
Goh said during the protest that he was questioned for attempting to organise an event in protest of proposed Philippine Independence Day celebrations in Ngee Ann City.
“There was a five-hour interrogation, but it was cordial,” Goh told Mothership.sg, adding that he was being questioned on potential charges of “inciting violence” and “forgery”.
Goh had in June last year posted a Facebook picture warning Filipinos that the planned celebration will be taken as an “act of war”. He also published a statement calling on Singaporeans to show their “displeasure” by “participating in a silent protest” outside Ngee Ann City. The planned celebrations were eventually called off.
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More protests to come
When asked why he decided to organise a fourth Population White Paper protest after two years had past, Goh said that he wanted to “let the authorities know” that “there are still a group of us here that aren’t happy with the White Paper”.
“(For some of us) as the law pass, as the legislation pass (sic), we accept it, and life goes on… but we are different,” he said, adding, “Every year, we can assure you, in the month of January or February, we will hold this protest in Hong Lim Park.”
“Even if I am here alone, I will still do it. But of course I hope you’re here with me.”
Hong Lim Park turnouts have steadily declined since the heyday of the Population White Paper protest and the Return Our CPF protest, despite the four-month lull between the last Return Our CPF protest, where protesters clashed with a YMCA charity carnival.
