SINGAPORE, Aug 26 — From fine-tuning local manifestoes for their constituencies, scheduling content to be pushed out on social media, to rostering the manpower for the nine days of campaigning, it is full steam ahead for the People’s Action Party (PAP) candidates now, right up to Polling Day on Sept 11.
PAP candidate for Chua Chu Kang Group Representation Constituency (GRC) Zaqy Mohamad said his team has already been keeping their campaign machinery warm over the past three to four months, by preparing the administrative work involved and touching base with residents.
“It’s time to move from warm-up mode to go all the way, to full steam into the General Election,” said Zaqy yesterday (Aug 25).
The coming polls will be the third General Election Zaqy is contesting in and the 40-year-old said he is now more familiar with the planning involved and has worked out the schedule for the nine days of campaigning.
“There’ll be more focus on engagement as opposed to administration,” added Zaqy, who expects to clock more hours in his constituency over the next few days.
Defending his seat in Mountbatten Single Member Constituency is PAP candidate Lim Biow Chuan, who began finalising preparations at his branch office at 4pm yesterday, after President Tony Tan dissolved Parliament and issued the Writ of Election.
Lim said there will be quite a lot of logistical work to do now that the dates have been fixed, such as scheduling the days the activists and volunteers will be available to help out.
Over the next few days, he will also be meeting the activists, briefing them on their duties on Nomination Day and thereafter, as well as arranging for their food and transport needs during the campaigning period.
Old banners and posters that identify him as a Member of Parliament will also have to be taken down, while the new ones will have to be prepped before they can be put up after Nomination Day, said Lim, who has served two terms in office.
Right up to Nomination Day on Sept 1, Meet-the-People Sessions will be put on hold. But most of the PAP candidates TODAY spoke to said they will continue engaging residents, especially those who will be contesting in a different constituency this General Election.
For instance, Gan Thiam Poh, whose Punggol South ward will be moved to Ang Mo Kio GRC under the redrawn electoral boundaries, said he will try to spend more time in other parts of Ang Mo Kio GRC over the next few days.
Patrick Tay, who will be moving from Nee Soon GRC to West Coast GRC in the upcoming polls, will be visiting residents in his new GRC while attending community events in his current GRC that were scheduled earlier, such as the Seventh Month dinner at the Nee Soon East ward yesterday.
Since Parliament was dissolved yesterday, Tay said he has been receiving numerous notifications from his WhatsApp group chats as his team started finalising their preparations, including preparing the documents for Nomination Day.
The PAP’s new candidates have also been bracing themselves for the upcoming polls.
Aljunied GRC is among the remaining few constituencies where the PAP has not announced its slate yet. Yesterday, the ruling party’s likely team held a meeting at an undisclosed location. They were joined by former PAP chairman Lim Boon Heng, who had earlier been described by Aljunied activists as the military adviser to wrest back the constituency from the Workers’ Party.
Banking executive Yee Chia Hsing, who will be contesting in Chua Chu Kang GRC, said his team has held meetings with volunteers to prepare for the General Election and last night’s meeting was planned before they knew Parliament would be dissolved yesterday .
Saktiandi Supaat, who will be standing in Bishan-Toa Payoh GRC, had experience helping out with the election prep work for Dr Yaacob Ibrahim back in 2011, but he noted that the job scope this time is different. He now has to oversee preparations for publicity, social media, the messaging that goes out, among other things.
“It’s my first time, everything is new, but it’s an exhilarating and challenging experience,” he added.
With less than a week to Nomination Day, Baey Yam Keng, who will be defending his seat in Tampines GRC, said about 70 to 80 per cent of his preparation has been completed. What remains include making final edits to manifestoes for the constituency.
For many of the candidates, it will be a physically demanding period, and Baey said he would be taking extra care of his health — especially since he would probably be unable to keep up his running regime during the hustings. “Maybe drink more water, eat more fruits, eat more Vitamin C tablets,” he said. — TODAY
