Hougang residents: We won’t trust anybody easily anymore after ex-MP Yaw Shin Leong went ‘AWOLed’
Posted by temasektimes on March 15, 2012
As the old saying goes – ‘once bitten, twice shy.’ After being ‘bitten’ by ex-WP MP Yaw Shin Leong who went ‘AWOLed’ and left them in a lurch, Hougang residents now say they will scrutinize the candidates carefully for the coming by-election instead of putting their faith blindly in the Workers Party again.
When Mr Yaw was first introduced as a candidate for Hougang by his mentor Low Thia Kiang during an election rally last year, Mr Low promised Hougang residents that WP would never ‘abandoned’ them. Less than a year later, Hougang is left without a MP after Mr Yaw was sacked by WP over a sex scandal involving a few party members and a married neighbor from China.
In an interview with Hougang residents conducted by inSing news, many said ‘trust’ will be a main factor.
24-year-old Mohammad Shafiq said:
“The new MP needs to win people’s trust, because now we won’t trust anyone easily anymore.”
Another added she is disappointed with the Workers Party after Mr Yaw ‘vanished’ into thin air without accounting to the residents.
“I voted for him and he simply went off without saying a word.”
35 year old Edric Lim had little faith in WP MPs taking turns to look after the ward:
“They are also human, they cannot juggle everything on their own. They also have their own residents to be concerned about.”
Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong pledged to call for a by-election in Hougang during a speech made in Parliament last week, but declined to give a timeline.
In the meantime, the High Court will be holding a judicial review regarding a Hougang resident’s application to clarify – if and when – a by-election must be called by PM Lee.
Related articles:
Hougang by-election application to be reviewed by supreme court
The right time to call for by-election in Hougang
PM Lee blames Workers Party for causing seat of Houagng to be vacant
PAP may send signal that it does not respect right of voters
Jaded said
this is the sort of useless and one-sided reporting that the MSM like to do. Who are 24-year-old Mohammad Shafiq and 35 year old Edric Lim? What is the use of quoting them when nobody knows them and can verify their comments?
I can also say “Hougang residents will still vote for WP in coming by-election”. Said 30 year old Tan Ah Kow “WP has done a great job and no matter who they put up, they will continue to do great.”
Mod’s reply:
Go to insing.com
Ken Lee said
what happen THE TEMASEK TIMES kanna buy over already?
James Tan said
Come on, I’d have more respect for such a website that provides balance from both sides, & not one-sided. If we become biased towards the opposition, we are no better than the incumbents.
Brendan Chong said
Aljuned WP MPs can still represent the needs of Hougang residents in parliament right? Isn’t that what Sylvia Lim said that If YSL had AWOLed on his own accord and , then WP did the right thing to sack him. I don’t think WP would have taken such drastic action against him based on the marital affair alone, given that greater national interest is at stake. Disclipline him, yes but not sack him.