Hougang by-election 26-5-12 -- WP Png Eng Huat
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Originally posted by Dalforce 1941:
I think time for strategy talk again for GE 2016.
Strategy is to whack the opposition again in 2016 and lose more votes.
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Originally posted by charlize:
Strategy is to whack the opposition again in 2016 and lose more votes.
strategy is to play it win or lose. 1 super GRC!!! -
Straits Times, Zaobao challenge Low's remarksUpdated 10:26 AM May 30, 2012
SINGAPORE - The Hougang by-election may be over, but its ramifications are still being felt.
Following Workers' Party (WP) chief Low Thia Khiang's criticism of sections of the media at its press conference on Saturday, Lianhe Zaobao and the Straits Times have weighed on the issue.
In a commentary published on Monday, Zaobao editor Goh Sin Teck described Mr Low's remarks as "irresponsible" and "unfair" and said he should not use the media as a "target board".
Mr Goh also questioned why Mr Low only made these accusations after the elections. He noted that the WP had faced questions during the campaign period over party discipline and whether its candidate Png Eng Huat had been upfront about not being selected as a Non-Constituency Member of Parliament.
However, the WP chose not to address them and instead levelled accusations at the media.
He also defended the paper's handling of the "Secret Squirrel" episode - where minutes of a WP central executive council meeting were leaked by a source who called itself that - saying it had acted professionally in verifying the facts and had given the WP the chance to respond.
According to Mr Goh, the reporters tried to contact the WP, but its designated spokesperson did not respond. WP chairman Sylvia Lim replied after midnight that the issue would be addressed the next day.
Without any response from the WP, Mr Goh said the newspaper decided to go ahead and publish the story after determining - based on experience - that the minutes were authentic.
Low responds to Zaobao editor
In a response to Mr Goh's commentary, which was published in Zaobao yesterday, Mr Low stood by his remarks. Nevertheless, he clarified that he did not accuse the media of being the perpetrators of an attempt to discredit the party.
Mr Low said that what he had said at the press conference was that the media was being used as a powerful tool by those seeking to hurt the WP, and that he did not accuse any media outlet of behind a "thug" of the People's Action Party (PAP).
He also pointed out that he had spoken on the need for an independent media during the WP's final rally on May 24. Mr Low reiterated that, by allowing itself to be used for political gains, the media would encourage others to do the same in future.
Referring to the "Secret Squirrel" incident, Mr Low directed criticisms at MyPaper, which had interviewed the anonymous source. Mr Low questioned if MyPaper knew for a fact that "Secret Squirrel" is a WP member.
Mr Low said: "If the media does not verify the veracity of its sources, or even the identity of its source ... it misleads readers and could lead to public mistrust of the media."
Straits Times weighs in
During the press conference, Mr Low had criticised, in particular, the Straits Times' use of photographs and its headlines.
The Straits Times joined in the fray yesterday: In an editorial, the newspaper pointed out the developments in the run-up to Polling Day "were no fabrications by the media but emanated from within the party". It added that "far more damaging material" on the WP could be found on the Internet, "which the mainstream media mostly chose not to pick up, as it was unsubstantiated and possibly defamatory".
The editorial added: "Mr Low's charges that the mainstream media was used as a 'political tool' by the ruling People's Action Party were therefore unwarranted and unfounded. His post-election outburst, scripted and delivered live on national television, seemed designed for political effect, firing a salvo at his political opponents, with the media caught in the crossfire. That is lamentable, not least since anyone who claims to promote the idea of a First World democracy should take care to uphold its institutions, including the media."
Speaking to TODAY, PAP Member of Parliament Baey Yam Keng, who sits on the Government Parliamentary Committee for Information, Communications and the Arts, reiterated that "no one can control the media and any responsible media would want full editorial independence".
Mr Baey said: "Sometimes reports may not be what the newsmaker wants it to be, because there may be neutrality by the media, so it's not always what the newsmaker wants."
He disagreed with Mr Low's assertion during Saturday's press conference that the conduct of the by-election was regressive.
Mr Baey said: "I don't think we have gone back 20 years, I think the balance of coverage now is quite fair in that you have more profiling of the Opposition parties than you did before, perhaps even more than what the PAP would like. Readers will have to decide for themselves, and nowadays social media also plays a big role ... They can look at what is out there and form their own opinion."http://www.todayonline.com/Singapore/EDC120530-0000047/Straits-Times,-Zaobao-challenge-Lows-remarks
Media coverage of 1997 elections:
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the by election is over
the people has given the mandate
can move on or not?
do they know the �和尚 and �和尚 story?
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Originally posted by SevenEleven:
strategy is to play it win or lose. 1 super GRC!!!You need the god of gamblers to play this....
SHOW HAND!
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We will move on from the by-election: WP's Low (video)
DPM Teo comments on LTK's combative tone; Desmond
Choo thanks HG residents - 27 May 2012
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kJIaxL5gr8U
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Originally posted by M the name:
WP will work with PAP to better Singapore: Low
By ANDREA ONG
DAY after emerging victorious in the Hougang by-election, the Workers' Party said it wants to move on and work with the People's Action Party to tackle important national issues.
WP chief Low Thia Khiang said he noted Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong's call to Singaporeans late on Saturday to refocus on longer term issues and "work together as one people to achieve the best for Singapore".
Speaking to reporters yesterday morning, Mr Low said: "The WP will move on from this election and work together with the ruling party for the betterment of Singapore."
It was the opposition leader's way of explaining why he would not be taking up points raised by Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean during the by-election campaign, which Mr Low described on Saturday night as "character assassinations".
Mr Teo had questioned Mr Png Eng Huat's differing accounts of whether his name had been in the running when the WP picked a Non-Constituency MP last year.
On Saturday night, after the by-election results were announced, Mr Low and Mr Teo had an exchange through the media. It culminated in Mr Teo saying Mr Low was "free to take it up further, through legal action".
Last night, Mr Teo said at a community event that he hoped Mr Low would "move away from the combative tone that he took during the by-election and work in a constructive way with the Government".
In another sign the WP chief did not want to "let the by-election topics continue to trouble us", he said yesterday there would be no witch-hunt to find the party member who had feaked internal documents to the media.
Instead, he highlighted several national issues that the WP would be keeping an eye on.
These include the high cost of living, in particular, the prices of electricity and certificates of entitlement, the productivity drive and its effectiveness in raising pay for low-wage workers, and adjustments to foreign worker inflows and their impact on small and medium-sized enterprises and wages at the bottom.
In Hougang, Mr Low said the WP's priority is to improve the estate for residents as that was one of Mr Png's election promises.
The National Solidarity Party and a group led by former civil servant Benjamin Pwee congratulated the WP on its victory.The Straits Times, May 28,2012
The WP should have answered that for the NCMP post, even if Png had expressed that he did not want to be considered, he still had to abide by the rules of CEC of the party and observe due process . And the reason why he had only one vote was because he had already made his views known to all that he wasn't interested in the post- so only one person voted him nevetheless" that would have been a better cover-up arguement!" -
it's a fight, literally
not masak masak
of cos combative rite
u dun want the residents to think all is oni act act pretend pretend rite
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Originally posted by Nelstar:
You need the god of gamblers to play this....
SHOW HAND!
cham la an nel... U ask 7-11 aka Li Nan Xing also no use... they ish gotch kate spade sexpert, The Tin Woman...
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Originally posted by Dalforce 1941:Straits Times, Zaobao challenge Low's remarksUpdated 10:26 AM May 30, 2012
SINGAPORE - The Hougang by-election may be over, but its ramifications are still being felt.
Following Workers' Party (WP) chief Low Thia Khiang's criticism of sections of the media at its press conference on Saturday, Lianhe Zaobao and the Straits Times have weighed on the issue.
In a commentary published on Monday, Zaobao editor Goh Sin Teck described Mr Low's remarks as "irresponsible" and "unfair" and said he should not use the media as a "target board".
Mr Goh also questioned why Mr Low only made these accusations after the elections. He noted that the WP had faced questions during the campaign period over party discipline and whether its candidate Png Eng Huat had been upfront about not being selected as a Non-Constituency Member of Parliament.
However, the WP chose not to address them and instead levelled accusations at the media.
He also defended the paper's handling of the "Secret Squirrel" episode - where minutes of a WP central executive council meeting were leaked by a source who called itself that - saying it had acted professionally in verifying the facts and had given the WP the chance to respond.
According to Mr Goh, the reporters tried to contact the WP, but its designated spokesperson did not respond. WP chairman Sylvia Lim replied after midnight that the issue would be addressed the next day.
Without any response from the WP, Mr Goh said the newspaper decided to go ahead and publish the story after determining - based on experience - that the minutes were authentic.
Low responds to Zaobao editor
In a response to Mr Goh's commentary, which was published in Zaobao yesterday, Mr Low stood by his remarks. Nevertheless, he clarified that he did not accuse the media of being the perpetrators of an attempt to discredit the party.
Mr Low said that what he had said at the press conference was that the media was being used as a powerful tool by those seeking to hurt the WP, and that he did not accuse any media outlet of behind a "thug" of the People's Action Party (PAP).
He also pointed out that he had spoken on the need for an independent media during the WP's final rally on May 24. Mr Low reiterated that, by allowing itself to be used for political gains, the media would encourage others to do the same in future.
Referring to the "Secret Squirrel" incident, Mr Low directed criticisms at MyPaper, which had interviewed the anonymous source. Mr Low questioned if MyPaper knew for a fact that "Secret Squirrel" is a WP member.
Mr Low said: "If the media does not verify the veracity of its sources, or even the identity of its source ... it misleads readers and could lead to public mistrust of the media."
Straits Times weighs in
During the press conference, Mr Low had criticised, in particular, the Straits Times' use of photographs and its headlines.
The Straits Times joined in the fray yesterday: In an editorial, the newspaper pointed out the developments in the run-up to Polling Day "were no fabrications by the media but emanated from within the party". It added that "far more damaging material" on the WP could be found on the Internet, "which the mainstream media mostly chose not to pick up, as it was unsubstantiated and possibly defamatory".
The editorial added: "Mr Low's charges that the mainstream media was used as a 'political tool' by the ruling People's Action Party were therefore unwarranted and unfounded. His post-election outburst, scripted and delivered live on national television, seemed designed for political effect, firing a salvo at his political opponents, with the media caught in the crossfire. That is lamentable, not least since anyone who claims to promote the idea of a First World democracy should take care to uphold its institutions, including the media."
Speaking to TODAY, PAP Member of Parliament Baey Yam Keng, who sits on the Government Parliamentary Committee for Information, Communications and the Arts, reiterated that "no one can control the media and any responsible media would want full editorial independence".
Mr Baey said: "Sometimes reports may not be what the newsmaker wants it to be, because there may be neutrality by the media, so it's not always what the newsmaker wants."
He disagreed with Mr Low's assertion during Saturday's press conference that the conduct of the by-election was regressive.
Mr Baey said: "I don't think we have gone back 20 years, I think the balance of coverage now is quite fair in that you have more profiling of the Opposition parties than you did before, perhaps even more than what the PAP would like. Readers will have to decide for themselves, and nowadays social media also plays a big role ... They can look at what is out there and form their own opinion."http://www.todayonline.com/Singapore/EDC120530-0000047/Straits-Times,-Zaobao-challenge-Lows-remarks
Media coverage of 1997 elections:
Lai, I add on for u...
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Originally posted by ^Acid^ aka s|aO^eH~:
cham la an nel... U ask 7-11 aka Li Nan Xing also no use... they ish gotch kate spade sexpert, The Tin Woman...
Maybe Qi Fang can help Yan Fei.
Afterall her secret is she can swallow. -
Originally posted by Dalforce 1941:Straits Times, Zaobao challenge Low's remarks
Mr Low said: "If the media does not verify the veracity of its sources, or even the identity of its source ... it misleads readers and could lead to public mistrust of the media."
Zaobao challenged simi? smelly means smelly. You don't bathe and continue to talk, you're still smelly. ppl have nose to smell or in this case, ppl have eyes to see, brain to think. Zaobao think the citizens are still kampong kia? Who thinks that singaporeans are kampong kia, kee chiu!
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Originally posted by Honeybunz:
Zaobao challenged simi? smelly means smelly. You don't bathe and continue to talk, you're still smelly. ppl have nose to smell or in this case, ppl have eyes to see, brain to think. Zaobao think the citizens are still kampong kia? Who thinks that singaporeans are kampong kia, kee chiu!
We are all daft kampong kia.
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Originally posted by FireIce:
the by election is over
the people has given the mandate
can move on or not?
do they know the �和尚 and �和尚 story?
Repent.
That's what some people are making other people do.
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Originally posted by charlize:
We are all daft kampong kia.
The New Paper may be a production of SPH (quoting a Gohhock's way of pushing the blame) but the editors are to blame not SPH.
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HOUGANG: THE DAY AFTER
What lies ahead for next fight?
By-election holds lessons for PAP and WP for a higher-stakes battle
By ROBIN CHAN
NEWS ANALYSIS
WELL before the first ballot was cast, punters and pundits alike thought the odds of Mr Desmond Choo winning Hougang were extremely slim.
They were right. On Saturday, Hougang voters stuck to their preferred choice of the Workers' Party and rebuffed Mr Choo of the People's Action Party.
But they did it a tad more gently this time, compared with a year ago at the general election (GE). Mr Choo improved on his previous showing of 35.2 per cent, pulling in 37.9 per cent of the votes this time.
Mr Png Eng Huat will be sworn in as the WP's sixth elected MP.
Beyond restoring parity to Parliament, what signals can be read into the results?
For the WP, the victory must be particularly gratifying, as party chief Low Thia Khiang admitted facing a challenging battle.
Given the circumstances under which the by-election was called, and talk of rifts within the ranks, the party emerged relatively unscathed, with a resounding 62.1 per cent of the votes, down slightly from 64.8 per cent last year.
Many political observers point to the talismanic influence of Mr Low himself, who defended Hougang for 20 years before leaving for Aljunied GRC last year.
"He was like a co-candidate," said Nominated MP Eugene Tan.
"It was Low Thia Khiang and Png versus Desmond Choo."
In the last rally, such was his overwhelming presence that Mr Low took to the stage- not once, but thrice, speaking in Mandarin, Teochew and English.
Even in victory, he remained fiery, thrashing the PAP for resorting to old-style tactics of "personal attacks, veiled threats and character assassination".
During the campaign, the PAP had said that Mr Low's decisions ought to be questioned after he failed with his choice of former MP for Hougang and erstwhile protege Yaw Shin Leong who fled Singapore.
But voters stayed faithful to Mr Low.
Former Nominated MP Zulkifli Baharudin said: "It was as if Low Thia Khiang was still their MP."
Mr Tan put it thus: "Hougang voters seem to have their loyalty to Mr Low first and to the WP second."
The victory in Hougang preserves Mr Low's unimpeachable position in the party, say observers, and a looming leadership election is unlikely to rattle him.
But while observers like Dr Derek da Cunha believe "the premium on WP brand name remains intact", others say the recent rumblings should give cause for internal review.
Mr Low said yesterday that he would not be going on a witch-hunt but observers believe the party will reinforce discipline within the ranks.
The recent clutch of transgression appears tolerable to supporters. So, Mr Yaw proved to be a dud as he fled after refusing to deal with allegations of infidelity. So, party member Poh Lee Guan pulled a stunt by indicating he too wanted to contest in Hougang only to back down later. So, a certain insider calling himself "Secret Squirrel" leaked party meeting minutes.
For now, voters in Hougang - and probably elsewhere - are prepared to give WP the benefit of the doubt. It has not expended much of the capital it earned after historic wins in the last GE, said Mr Zulkifli.
Still, observers say that if the WP has ambitions to expand its influence in the north-east, from Joo Chiat to East Coast and even Tampines, it will have to do more to keep the flotilla in tight formation.
"To be entrusted with more seats in Parliament, it must show that its own house is in order... The stakes will be higher than before," said Nanyang Technological University media academic Cherian George.
A Straits Times poll of 400 residents over May 23 and 24, showed that 6 per cent had voted for WP last year, but were undecided this time because the recent incidents had shaken their confidence in the party.
While they did not make the switch, their wavering should give pause.
Mr Low brushed aside the recent troubles of the party as "isolated cases". But as former Nominated MP Siew Kum Hong said: "Mr Low needs to set the party on sound footing to go into the next GE as strongly as they did in the last one.
"If these things happened in a national GE, I'm not sure how much damage control he can do."
While WP will have much to mull over Hougang, for the PAP, the future must be one of continuing to till the ground in the ward. Can it be a Potong Pasir, which fell after a decade of assiduous courting by Mr Sitoh Yih Pin?
But his opponent Chiam See Tong began to lose support because he could not keep up the town's estate maintenance.
Hougang may be ageing but the WP has kept it spruced up and judging by the mandate given last Saturday, it is nowhere on the downward trajectory that Potong Pasir was six years ago.
Mr Tan wonders if it will take something as drastic as Mr Low retiring from politics, or a severe fall from grace to shift Hougang. "Should the PAP just give up Hougang?" he asked.
The by-election has also raised questions on the PAP's strategy, particularly of gunning after the candidate's so-called integrity when it was based on so little.
Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean had criticised Mr Png for appearing to change his stance on whether his name was in the running for a Non-Constituency MP post.
Dr Terence Chong, senior fellow at the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies, wrote on his Facebook page that DPM Teo could have handled the incident more "deftly".
"Unfortunately the PAP overplayed it and misread the public's appetite for old-style politics," he said.
One finding from The Straits Times poll, however, appears to contradict this sentiment.
The survey of 400 voters showed that Mr Choo narrowed the gap, as his share went up from 31 per cent to 38 per cent between last Wednesday and Thursday.
Were some voters beginning to have doubts about WP and could a longer campaign have helped Mr Choo do better?
The point is now moot but Mr Tan said the PAP must address the issue of perceived fair play between the PAP and opposition.
"No matter how good they run the campaign, how strong the candidate is, this sense of unfairness that some voters feel will just work against them."
Which party will heed the lessons from this campaign is a question that the next general election will answer. Unless, there is another by-election.
Top of the news, The Straits Times, May 28 2012, Pg A7 -
Sorry, it's Mr Low & Mr Png & DPM Teo vs Desmond Choo...
face it Desmond, even ur DPM Teo have to sabo ur chance, and u tot he's helping u... -
Originally posted by ^Acid^ aka s|aO^eH~:
Sorry, it's Mr Low & Mr Png & DPM Teo vs Desmond Choo...
face it Desmond, even ur DPM Teo have to sabo ur chance, and u tot he's helping u...Desmond has a chance, he just need 100 years to win Hougang.
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Biased? But S'poreans have right to know
IT IS fascinating that Workers' Party (WP) chief Low Thia Khiang is claiming the moral high ground over the People's Action Party with accusations that the ruling party had discredited Mr Png Eng Huat and the WP in the run-up to the Hougang by-election ("WP chief lashes out at PAP and media"; yesterday).
Did the WP not also cast aspersions on the integrity of Mr Desmond Choo as an independent-minded PAP candidate throughout its campaign?
The views of both parties were presented very fairly in The Straits Times.
Still, Mr Low complained bitterly about the bias of the mainstream media while conveniently ignoring the pro-opposition and anti-establishment stance that some online media have chosen to take.
Singaporeans, including the residents of Hougang, attach a huge importance to the integrity of their MPs, and have the right to know about the true character of all candidates who choose to serve them.
Otherwise, why would the WP sack Mr Yaw Shin Leong, shortly after insisting that his alleged sexual peccadilloes were a private matter and nine months after it presented him as a righteous man?
Mr Low speaks highly about building a First World society and First World Parliament.
Unfortunately, this did not stop the WP from stoking anti-foreigner sentiments during the last General Election to votes, only to call for a relaxation of foreign worker quotas in certain sectors after the polls.
If these were not calculated moves to discredit its opponents and extract political mileage, then I don't know what is.
I urge Mr Low and his party to get on with the job of serving the people instead of painting themselves as political victims to win sympathy.
Be gracious in victory. As the saying goes: "If you can dish it out, then you must be prepared to take it back."
Toh Cheng Seong
Forum, Hougang By-Election, The Straits Times, Wednesday, May 30 2012, Pg A26 -
SecretSquirre1 is my registered name in COH.
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Originally posted by FireIce:
the by election is over
the people has given the mandate
can move on or not?
do they know the �和尚 and �和尚 story?
Can tell them your cow story, if they no heed can serve them your noodles.
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the mainstream media is pretty unreliable, its pretty obvious
the odd thing is
they lie when they know you know the truth
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When you see the CNA that night, you will have to switch it off.
They were discussing about MIW and when the WP won, then the expert start to turn the tide.
Even when they lose, they were still covering the defeat.
Thanks to internet and youtube.
LOw was right.
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Originally posted by Medicated Oil:
When you see the CNA that night, you will have to switch it off.
They were discussing about MIW and when the WP won, then the expert start to turn the tide.
Even when they lose, they were still covering the defeat.
Thanks to internet and youtube.
LOw was right.
Eh, if you SPH chief, after what Low said, you still want to focus on him so that he can complain more meh?
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New MP hits the ground running in Hougang
Png Eng Huat first Meet-the-People Session, sets lists of tasks included re-forming WP's grassroots arm
By ANDREA ONG
JUST days into his first week as Hougang's new MP, Mr Png Eng Huat has already hit the ground running. Apart from going round the ward, he has also started visiting homes and even attended a wake.
And last night, the 50-year-old held his first Meet-the-People Session, which drew a large crowd of residents, many of whom turned up just to get a glimpse of their newly elected MP.
The Workers' Party (WP) MP has also set a long list of tasks for himself , including representing the two opposition-held constituencies in an ongoing goverment review of bus services. WP chairman Sylvia Lim told The Straits Times yesterday that Mr Png will be lobbying for better bus services for Hougang and Aljunied GRC under a programme to roll out new buses and bus routes across Singapore over the next five years.
Another of Mr Png's priorities is to re-form the WP's grassroots arm in Hougang. Called the Hougang Constituency Committee, it was suspended after then-MP Yaw Shin Leong was expelled in February. Mr Png had been put in charge of the committee then, but he will now have to reappoint committee members and office-holders. He told reporters that he plans to finish doing this by next week.
"Next week onwards will be a fresh start," he said
The new MP has also been appointed a vice-chairman of Aljunied-Hougang Town Council, alongside WP chief Low Thia Khiang. On Monday, just two days after winning the by-election, he was at work at the council, meeting its manager and staff.
Last night, Mr Png arrived at the Meet-the-People Session half an hour before it was due to begin. At 6.30pm, residents were already milling around Block 310 of Hougang Avenue 5, waiting to see their new MP. By 8pm, the crowd had swelled to around 100.
One resident drove up in a lorry to make a special delivery: 88 huat kueh (prosperity cakes) arranged in the shape of the Chinese character fa (prosper), as well as a pyramid with a blue WP flag stuck on top. Fa, or huat in Hokkien, is a pun on Mr Png's Chinese name - and also his much-used campaign cheer of "huat ah".
Mr Png spent a long time talking to each of the 19 residents who saw him, ending only past midnight. He said he had received residents' calls over the past few days, as Meet-the-People Sessions had been put on hold for two weeks because of the by-election.
While the five Aljunied GRC MPs have been taking turns to helm the sessions in the three months since Mr Yaw's expulsion, Mr Png said it is good that Hougang residents now have their own MP to go to.
Indeed, a few who sought his help last night said they were hoping that their new MP could solve their longstanding problems.
One asked him to get the town council to remove a flower-bed outside her home because workers dirtied the area when they watered it, while another wanted to be allowed to pay his service and conservancy bills in instalments. He had racked up a large debt because his wife was very sick.
Mr Png said he has not met up with People's Action Party candidate Desmond Choo since last Saturday's poll, but will have coffee with him after the two men unwind from the campaign.
Asked how he felt about his new role, the MP said some parts were familiar to him, as he had been helping out at Meet-the-People Sessions since taking charge of Hougang's grassroots arm.
As for other challenges, like speaking in Parliament, he said: "We'll go along. This is only my third day, so we still have a long way to go."
Home, The Straits Times, May 31 2012, Pg B4