The take by the Bukit Timah Prata Gang on Bukit Batok BE

[scroobal]

As most political parties called for an emergency session to discuss Bukit Batok By Elections and to consider their position, it was only right that the Bukit Timah Prata gang convened an emergency session last night at the usual haunt to assess the events as they unfolded and the nuances of this by elections. The purists ordered plain prata with fish curry and the rest ordered egg prata. With important items on the agenda done, it was time to delve into the topics of interest.

Bukit Batok Constituency:
The demographics was interesting as the so called experts in the gang highlighted a number of things. One trivia is if you can call it that stood out and not sure if it is true. Apparently close to 7% of residents fall under the cleaners vocation. It caught many by surprise. If true, it does show the slide of this country. In the main, all demographics point to PAP territory. Historically the western part of the country was known MCP territory and the Govt in the 60s and 70s had recruited and deployed ISD and PA officers to act as "case officers" and the first point of contact for most needs. As they left villages to take to the new HDB estates, the network and contacts were kept alive. Dixie Tan, ex MP and known humanitarian made a comment about this when she turned up for her first CCC meeting. It may also explain why Opposition parties traditionally don't bother with the West and focus their time and resources in other parts of Singapore.

The other interesting thing about Bukit Batok is that it includes Bukit Gombak where Chee and SDP ran the town council after the 1991 victory. Dr Seet Ai Mei royally fucked up and Ling won only to lose it by massive margin of 30%. So an interesting piece of SDP link to this area.

Murali:
No one seems to have any clue about this guy which surprised me except from what appeared in the press. Some felt that he was a Malaysian with a Singapore PR and became a citizen after his NS. They were actually surprised he was nominated. The gang was however divided on the motive for nominating him. It was not lost on the lot that he was nominated after the PAP knew who they were taking on and thus the last minute decision on Sunday. Most agreed that if Leon Perera or Paul Thambyah were the candidate, it would have been a Chinese candidate that PAP would have nominated. This was based on the straight comparison of credentials, potential and the lack of past political baggage. They felt that mindset of voters would have led them to decide on this basis as by-elections did not contribute towards electing a govt.

Chee:
One pundit felt that Chee had 2 internal targets to clear - (1) 24.6% set by his fellow SDP party member Sadasivam Periyah in 2015 at Bukit Batok and the (2) 33.4% that he and he and his GRC team achieved in 2015 in Holland Bukit Timah GRC. The reason behind this is the barometer that it offers to assess the possibility that Chee has become a liability to his own party. The first target is obvious and many felt that he should be able to do better than 24.6%. The second is not so obvious but based on the notion that Paul Thambyah carried the votes rather than Chee. In this regard no one was able to predict the outcome. But if he fails in this, the general consensus was that he should call it a day.

PAP:
Much time was spent on PAP's trajectory in politics and their use of tactics. Some felt that the PAP was more open to the idea that 100% of parliaments was alright and very unlike old man's need to fully dominate. This was not based on the desire to promote democracy but to show the world that they are democratic. They all agreed that WP will continue be their main target and all agreed that in Aljunied in 2015, the GRC format screwed the PAP's chances. They could have recovered 2 out of the 5 seats. Putting a fresh faced minority candidate in an SMC may be the start of a plan to dismantle the whole concept of GRC.

It was also not lost on anyone that the PAP had copied or more like plagiarised WP's GE 2011 manifesto for 2015. If you recall in 2011, Sylvia Lim crucified Ng Eng Hen when he challenged their manifesto. What a u-turn.

Bukit Batok Outcome:
Consensus was PAP victory and the key deciding factor was quite interesting - one had political baggage and the other was a total unknown so no baggage to talk about. Some felt that Chee would have a fighting chance against Victor Lye who like Dr Anal Koh did not come out right in the public eye.

 

[scroobal]

"Bukit Batok BE: An electoral race that will shed light on race
Mar 21, 2016 10.16PM | Bertha Henson linkedin

by Bertha Henson

IT WAS, as Deputy Prime Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam acknowledged, not a very well-kept secret. Lawyer Murali Pillai, 48, is the man from the People’s Action Party (PAP) who will be taking on Singapore Democratic Party’s (SDP) Dr Chee Soon Juan in Bukit Batok.

Mr Tharman and Ms Grace Fu, Minister for Culture, Community and Youth heaped praises on Mr Murali, a member of the five-member suicide squad who went up against the Workers’ Party (WP) in Aljunied GRC in the 2015 General Election (GE2015). Mr Tharman reminded the media of how Mr Murali did extremely well in his ward in Paya Lebar against WP’s Chen Show Mao. He swung the votes there, said Mr Tharman, a point which was also made in the PAP press statement. (Which only goes to show that electoral results can be broken down, rather than made public as a gigantic GRC number.)

Now, he is moving from Aljunied to Bukit Batok where he used to be PAP branch secretary under the late Member of Parliament (MP) Ong Chit Chung. Expect the number 16 to be uttered often – that’s how far back his roots in Bukit Batok go after he was first invited by Dr Ong to handle a legal case. He went on to set up legal clinics in the ward, got involved in grassroots groups and went over to Paya Lebar in 2012. He has maintained his relationships with Bukit Batok activists since, he said, making the point that community work isn’t like a job where changing companies meant severing ties.

If elected, he said his focus will be on helping the elderly and needy, given that Bukit Batok is a mature town. He said that the ward had plenty of rental flats and wants to prevent a “permanent underclass from developing, an issue he would pursue in Parliament.”

Mr Murali looked like he was jet-lagged.

In fact, he returned to Singapore only last night and had been communicating with activists and party leaders by phone, he said. Mr Tharman was a little awkward when fielding questions about the timing of the announcement. He started by saying the PAP wanted to take its time, then said that one week for the David Ong saga to settle down was appropriate and that the press conference today wasn’t in response to Dr Chee’s announcement of his candidacy yesterday. He said it had been planned beforehand. With a name in hand, why wait? “There was no reason to hold back announcing a candidate that we are very comfortable with,” he said.

Poor Mr Murali. Off a plane and straight into the hustings.

That might account for his tentativeness during the press conference at the Bukit Batok PAP branch, very different from the feistiness he displayed when he was introduced as a suicide squad member for GE2015. The father of four, who has 100 lawyers under his charge as head of commercial litigation in Rajah and Tann, was ready for a fight in Aljunied GRC after a four year “internship”, vocal and able to answer every question levelled at him and the team. This time, he seemed a little lost for words.

Perhaps, it was the nature of the questions. After all, he was going up against a seasoned campaigner in Dr Chee, head of an opposition party and in what looks set to be a straight fight in a single-seat ward. He was asked, for example, if his race would count against him. After all, the official narrative has been that a non-Chinese would face an uphill task in a contest with a Chinese. Hence, the Group Representation Constituency.

His answer was a little confusing. He spoke of Paya Lebar which he said had a lower proportion of Chinese than the norm in other wards. Bukit Batok is the same, he maintained. He had no problems in Paya Lebar and did not see why he should have a problem in Bukit Batok. “Of course, I had to deal with a language barrier, but so long as I show I was sincere in wanting to solve their issues… I could surmount it through a little bit of effort.” He could have pointed to the example of Mr Michael Palmer who won the Punggol East single seat for the PAP in GE2011. But perhaps, that’s not politically correct because Mr Palmer had to step down in similar circumstances as Mr Ong, whom Mr Murali is hoping to replace.

Mr Tharman acknowledged that the party thought hard about the race factor. He described Mr Murali as a candidate that stood for cohesion: ”When people look at Murali, they see Singapore. They see someone who is with them, not someone who is above them in any way. They see someone who listens to their needs. They see someone who represents our multiracialism. They see something about Singapore in him that they can associate with very easily.”

Mr Murali was asked what he had going for him in a fight against a seasoned campaigner. He replied: “I made the decision to stand here irrespective of who’s going to stand against me.” Expanding on this later, he said: “As far as I’m concerned, politics is only about serving residents and I consider myself seasoned because I have put in quite a bit of time serving residents’ needs, and that’s really the focus. I’m also confident that if elected, I’ll continue to be able to support their needs with the support of grassroots activists.”

Mr Tharman said much the same and clearly would not be drawn into a comparison of candidates. He did, however, make a jibe about how the SDP wanted to “out-source” the Punggol East town council to the Workers’ Party if the SDP won that by-election in 2012. For the record, the SDP withdrew and WP won the by-election.

Mr Tharman would also not say what sort of issues – whether local or national – would frame the by-election. Instead, the PAP would frame this by-election “in a way that makes sense for Bukit Batok voters”.

He said: “We are not responding to either the SDP or anyone else’s framing of elections. Local issues count, the needs of residents count, that’s the first and foremost for any MP. Our first priority is to serve the residents well, make sure the town council is run well, but also raise the interest of residents as a microcosm of Singapore, which also raises national issues.”

That might well be the case for the PAP but there is no saying how the campaign will go. So far, however, the SDP seems to be focusing on gaining residents’ confidence in its ability to run town councils. (Yes, it will run this one if it won.) Maybe, just maybe, this by-election, which so many people predict will be held in May, will be fought on issues such as hawker centres and rental waivers. But it has this X-factor now: how will a non-Chinese fare against a Chinese? And will Dr Chee flex his Chinese credentials?

It will be so, so interesting."

 

[scroobal]

The guy is a hopeless orator. He even struggled to answer questions during the press conference to introduce him. Honestly not sure how he became Head of Litigation for Rajah and Tann with 100 lawyers under him.

 

[scroobal]

"Lawyer's service in Bukit Batok dates back to 2000, giving free legal aid to residents
Chong Zi Liang
Six months after coming within a whisker of winning a seat in Parliament, lawyer Murali Pillai is getting a second shot.

Mr Murali, 48, returned to his old stomping ground of Bukit Batok yesterday, where he was unveiled as the People's Action Party candidate for the by-election.

The head of commercial litigation at law firm Rajah & Tann, who is known also as K. Muralidharan Pillai, has been PAP branch chairman for Paya Lebar since May 2012, and was part of the PAP team that won 49 per cent of the votes in Aljunied GRC at the 2015 General Election.

But it was in Bukit Batok where he first got involved in grassroots work, in 2000. He gave free legal aid to residents, was roped in to help then MP Ong Chit Chung, and became branch secretary in 2007.

When Mr Murali took on his new post in Paya Lebar, he maintained his ties to his old ward by remaining on the Bukit Batok Citizens Consultative Committee until last year.

murali3.jpg
PAP's Murali Pillai will contest in the upcoming Bukit Batok by-election.
Related Story
What you need to know about lawyer Murali Pillai, PAP's candidate for the Bukit Batok by-election

ST_20160322_VNMURALI2_2156430.jpg
PAP veteran activist Murali Pillai (above) and SDP chief Chee Soon Juan (below) will contest the Bukit Batok by-election.
Related Story
Bukit Batok contest takes shape with 2 contenders named

ST_20160322_VNCHEE6_2156721.jpg
Dr Chee making his rounds in Bukit Batok on Sunday. The SDP leader is contesting in the by-election in the constituency.
Related Story
Quite a few unknown factors at play in Bukit Batok

"I have a record of service in Bukit Batok for Bukit Batok residents. I pledge to serve with all my heart."

Bukit Batok single-member constituency will have a by-election after former MP David Ong resigned on March 12 over an alleged affair.

The date has yet to be called, but Deputy Prime Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam, who introduced Mr Murali at a press conference, said there was no reason to hold back announcing a candidate the PAP was "very comfortable with".

He praised Mr Murali for having been a galvanising force for activists when the late MP Ong Chit Chung, who oversaw Bukit Batok when it was then in Jurong GRC, died suddenly in July 2008.

"Jurong MPs were all involved, helping out in taking care of Bukit Batok, but Murali was the one who held everyone together, all the volunteers, the activists, and in fact strengthened the team," Mr Tharman said.

Culture, Community and Youth Minister Grace Fu said Mr Murali was the party's "first choice and the best choice for residents".

Mr Murali said that if he is elected, his focus will be on helping the elderly and needy, given that Bukit Batok is a mature town.

He also noted that the constituency has a number of rental flats, and he wanted to make sure children living in them get the same basic opportunities that others get.

"We must ensure social mobility and guard against a permanent underclass from forming in our society," said Mr Murali, who has been married to educator N. Gowri for 20 years. They have four children.

Mr Murali would be the second minority candidate PAP has fielded in a single seat in recent years. Asked about this, he said he had spent years helping out in Bukit Batok and Paya Lebar, areas with a larger proportion of Chinese residents than the national average.

He acknowledged that he had to deal with a language barrier, "but so long as I showed that I was sincere in wanting to solve their issues, I could surmount it".

Weighing in, Mr Tharman said: "Race is never absent in politics anywhere and we did consider this very carefully. And I can tell you we are very comfortable with our choice of Murali."

He noted that when PAP leaders met grassroots leaders and residents in Bukit Batok last week, Mr Murali's name came up readily.

"One elderly Chinese lady I met asked: 'What about that Indian man?'" Mr Tharman recalled.

"When people look at Murali, they see Singapore in him. They see someone who is with them, not someone who is above them in any way... They see someone who represents our multiracialism."

Mr Tharman also acknowledged that PAP would have to contend with the so-called by-election effect, where voters are more willing to elect an opposition MP as the ruling party is already in power.

But he reiterated that the party was confident about its choice.

Asked about competing against Singapore Democratic Party chief Chee Soon Juan, Mr Murali said: "Politics is really about serving residents. And I consider myself seasoned because I have put in quite a bit of time serving the residents' needs. That is really the focus."

His late father P.K. Pillai was a former political detainee arrested during Operation Coldstore in 1963, who later credited the Government for Singapore's prosperity.

Mr Tharman said Mr Murali also worked extremely hard in Aljunied GRC's Paya Lebar ward in the GE: "He worked the ground very hard and swung the votes around."

Mr Murali said his time in Aljunied taught him a valuable lesson: "One thing I learnt from my experience in Aljunied GRC is to fight hard for every vote. I am not taking anything for granted. I am going to fight hard for every vote in Bukit Batok.""

 

[scroobal]

The Toa Payoh Brothel is laying it on real thick for the PAP. It looks like a character reference letter to the residents. The only thing missing is how he walks on water.

 

[scroobal]

PAP to field top lawyer in Bukit Batok by-election
Murali Pillai, with 16 years of grassroots work in the ward, pledges to serve the people with all his heart

By
Lee [email protected]@LeeUwenBT

MAR 22, 20165:50 AM
Singapore

HAVING spent more than 16 years as an activist in Bukit Batok, Murali Pillai hopes the residents there will give him their vote at the upcoming by-election in the single-member constituency.

The 48-year-old father of four, a top lawyer at Rajah & Tann, was formally introduced on Monday as the People's Action Party (PAP) candidate to contest the poll.

It is not known when the by-election will be held; Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong has only said it would be called "in due course", but political watchers reckon it is likely to take place as early as May, after the two-week Budget and Committee of Supply debate in Parliament is over in mid-April.

The by-election was triggered by the surprise resignation of former Member of Parliament David Ong on March 12, allegedly over his extra-marital affair with a fellow party member. Both Mr Ong and the woman have since resigned from the PAP.

Mr Murali, a former secretary at the PAP's Bukit Batok branch, was in the ruling party's five-member team that narrowly lost to the opposition Workers' Party in Aljunied GRC in last September's general election.

The announcement of his candidacy came a day after Singapore Democratic Party (SDP) chief Chee Soon Juan was officially unveiled as the opposition party's choice to contest the ward.

Speaking at a packed news conference, Deputy Prime Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam said the party was "very comfortable" with its decision to field Mr Murali.

"(He) proved his worth in Aljunied. He worked very hard, got to know people on the ground, and he swung the vote. So Murali, because of his personal character, his knowledge and relationships in Bukit Batok, gave us confidence," said Mr Tharman, who is also the PAP's second assistant secretary-general.

"We have a man who knows Bukit Batok and its people well, works well with everyone, (and is) totally dedicated to residents. I've known Murali for the last 15 years and I have the highest regard for him."

Mr Murali, a former senior police officer, is the head of the commercial litigation department at Rajah & Tann, and has more than 100 lawyers reporting to him.

He said that if he wins the by-election, he would stay on at the country's largest law firm.

He pledged to serve "with all my heart" if elected, stressing that his special focus would be on the elderly and needy residents in Bukit Batok, which is a mature estate.

The constituency has a population of about 45,900, with around 27,000 people eligible to vote. Nearly 96 per cent of them live in public housing, with four in 10 households in four-room flats.

During the hour-long press conference, Mr Murali said he was not concerned about the prospect of facing Dr Chee, a veteran politician preparing for his fifth run for a place in the House:

"As far as I'm concerned, politics is only about serving residents and I consider myself seasoned because I have put in quite a bit of time serving residents' needs, and that's really the focus," said Mr Murali. "I'm also confident that, if elected, I will continue to be able to support their needs with the support of grassroots activists."

Meanwhile, Mr Tharman said the party had considered several strong candidates before plumping for Mr Murali, and that the final decision had been made before the SDP declared Dr Chee as its candidate.

Mr Tharman, the anchor minister in the neighbouring Jurong GRC, said: "We did not want to rush (our) announcement immediately after David Ong's resignation ... We also wanted to listen to the ground (and) understand what sort of person they wanted to see."

He added that Bukit Batok residents have a "high regard" for Mr Ong - their MP for six years - and felt sorry that he had to leave.

"They understood why we had acted, they understood why he resigned. (It's) because the PAP upholds high standards in politics," said Mr Tharman.

He conceded that the opposition holds the advantage in a by-election, and that the party had factored that in during its discussions to pick its candidate.

At the last GE, the PAP won comfortably in Bukit Batok with 73.02 per cent of the vote in a three-cornered fight. The two other contenders were the SDP's Sadasivam Veriyah, who got 26.4 per cent, and independent candidate Samir Salim Neji, who lost his election deposit when he picked up only 0.6 per cent of the vote.

 

[shittypore]

Sit back and enjoy the entertainment, its election time at Bukit Batok.

 

[GoldenDragon]

The Toa Payoh Brothel is laying it on real thick for the PAP. It looks like a character reference letter to the residents. The only thing missing is how he walks on water.

and how he fed 5000 with 5 loaves of gardenia bread .....

 

[petebike]

as such as i hope a opposition to win the by election at BB. i dont think CHEE will win.

i blamed the fake opposition WP. The meat is there for the taking and they did not even attempt to bite it :oIo:

 

[tonychat]

You created a thread giving your opinion about the by election.

That is solely your own personal opinion on this.

however, many disagree with you on your take on this.

pls create more clones to agree with you on this so that you can feel justified about it.

 

[petebike]

so jiu hu kia... what is wrong with this scroobal thread?
isnt this BBS mainly made up of shit post and opinions?

You created a thread giving your opinion about the by election.

That is solely your own personal opinion on this.

 

[GoldenDragon]

TS - excellent posts!

 

[enterprise2]

as such as i hope a opposition to win the by election at BB. i dont think CHEE will win.

i blamed the fake opposition WP. The meat is there for the taking and they did not even attempt to bite it :oIo:

Actually applaud WP for sitting this one out. Code of honour and behavior more important

 

[Leongsam]

You created a thread giving your opinion about the by election.

That is solely your own personal opinion on this.

however, many disagree with you on your take on this.

pls create more clones to agree with you on this so that you can feel justified about it.

Please cut this crap. You can start your nonsense again after the election. At the moment I would like some sanity here please.

 

[halsey02]

The Toa Payoh Brothel is laying it on real thick for the PAP. It looks like a character reference letter to the residents. The only thing missing is how he walks on water.

No lah!..he dod not walk on water....does he have greasy hands that will part the dough!...ha ha ha ha

 

[GoldenDragon]

Please cut this crap. You can start your nonsense again after the election. At the moment I would like some sanity here please.

excellent post!

ching chong nigger

 

[dr.wailing]

Honestly not sure how he became Head of Litigation for Rajah and Tann with 100 lawyers under him.

In the same manner that Cleopatra Saw became CEO of SMRT, Ho Jinx became CEO of Teamasick?

 

[yahoo55]

I find that PAP have taken Sinkie voters for granted after the GE. Hope Dr Chee wins and give PAP a scare and a kick in the pants.

 

[Thick Face Black Heart]

I find that PAP have taken Sinkie voters for granted after the GE. Hope Dr Chee wins and give PAP a scare and a kick in the pants.

Hope so too. Need to chase away the gloom of the last GE dismal results

 

[scroobal]

The PAP has always taken the voters for granted. One reason they woke up for 2015 is that PM removed cabinet ministers who performed poorly at grassroots level. Raymond Lim was one casualty. It will be good to give them a bloody nose. The key is Chee and the SDP touching on issues that are currently hurting the residents.

I find that PAP have taken Sinkie voters for granted after the GE. Hope Dr Chee wins and give PAP a scare and a kick in the pants.