PAP's new candidate for Fengshan: I'm not a sacrificial lamb - See more at: http://www.tnp.sg/news/singapore-ne...-im-not-sacrificial-lamb#sthash.gtsAmHhZ.dpuf
For a candidate described by some as a People's Action Party (PAP) sacrificial lamb for the Fengshan SMC seat, Ms Cheryl Chan, 38, didn't talk like one. She is not your traditional hotshot candidate with a lengthy list of achievements and qualifications. Her major claim to fame? Ms Chan has been volunteering in Fengshan for about 10 years. After Manpower Minister Lim Swee Say introduced her, she took to the microphone, cool as cucumber.
She tackled the questions calmly, including the one about her being a sacrificial lamb. She said: "What's important for us now is for the PAP team that has been on the ground in Fengshan, are we able to serve the residents? Are their interests and welfare being looked after? "For someone who has this engagement and experience, it's a natural step that I would have taken to lead this team." Oh, and as a former resident of Fengshan - she lived there for 12 years - she had something to say about that whole orh luak (oyster omelette) remark. "Orh luak is not my favourite local dish, laksa is. Also, at the Bedok Block 85 food centre, the most famous dish is the bak chor mee," said Ms Chan.
Workers' Party (WP) chairman Sylvia Lim had sparked talk of the party's interest in the ward when she earlier remarked that the taste of Fengshan was delicious while posing with a plate of orh luak. Mr Lim said Ms Chan was PAP's candidate for Fengshan SMC, replacing former Transport Minister Raymond Lim, who is retiring. PAP'S EAST COAST GRC TEAM: Senior Minister of State for Trade and Industry and National Development Lee Yi Shyan, 53, Minister of State for National Development and Defence Mohamad Maliki Osman, 50, Ms Jessica Tan, 49, Manpower Minister Lim Swee Say, 61. TNP PHOTO: PHYLLICIA WANG He too discounted talk of Ms Chan being a sacrificial lamb. Mr Lim said Ms Chan is the best person because she has been deeply engaged with Fengshan residents for the past 10 years.
Furthermore, Fengshan had polled "fairly even" with the four other East Coast GRC wards. Ms Chan, who is single, started volunteering in 2005 after the then-Fengshan resident wrote in to the PAP asking how she could help out. She intends to champion two causes if elected - help for the elderly and children from less privileged backgrounds. Singapore Management University Associate Professor Eugene Tan said Ms Chan's profile and experience makes her a perfect fit. "She has much local knowledge of the ground and the residents know her...Putting in a higher-profile name, but who is unfamiliar with Fengshan, may then actually be a sacrifice."
- See more at:
http://www.tnp.sg/news/singapore-ne...-im-not-sacrificial-lamb#sthash.gtsAmHhZ.dpuf
Trying to put on a brave front huh Ms. LambChop.