SINGAPORE — Candidates from the People’s Action Party (PAP) and the Progress Singapore Party (PSP) contesting the new Marymount Single Member Constituency (SMC) — both with military backgrounds — outlined their plans for the ward in a constituency political broadcast ahead of the July 10 polls.

PAP is sending new candidate Gan Siow Huang to contest the SMC, which has been carved out of Bishan-Toa Payoh Group Representation Constituency (GRC).

The Marymount area was represented by Mrs Josephine Teo when it was part of Bishan-Toa Payoh GRC. Mrs Teo is now contesting Jalan Besar GRC.

Ms Gan, 46, was the first female brigadier-general in the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) and is among the 10 new female candidates the PAP has fielded for this General Election (GE).

In the broadcast on Monday (July 6), Ms Gan said: “I had many opportunities through my 20 over years with the SAF. I had the opportunity to work with different groups of people, and picked up expertise in the areas of operations, maintenance, manpower, long-term planning and policymaking.

“I believe that my experience and the values that I gained in the SAF, especially in leading and taking care of people, will enable me to serve the residents of Marymount well.”

Her opponent is Dr Ang Yong Guan, 65. The chairman of the now-defunct Singaporeans First (SingFirst) party joined PSP and has served 17 years as SAF's chief psychiatrist until 2003.

Dr Ang was a SingFirst candidate in Tanjong Pagar GRC at GE2015 and before that, he was a Singapore Democratic Party candidate for Holland-Bukit Timah GRC in 2011.

On Monday, he spoke about the lack of diversity in Parliament and how there is an “over-dominant PAP government”.

“We want an inclusive government, not an exclusive one — a government that can connect with its people, a government that listens to its people,” he said.

Marymount SMC has more than 23,400 voters.

In these constituency political broadcasts, candidates vying for single-seat wards have three minutes each to speak. Those contesting in four- and five-member GRCs have 12 and 15 minutes respectively in total.

The broadcasts are being aired on Channel 5, CNA938, cna.asia, 8world.com, CNA YouTube, CNA Facebook and TODAY at 7pm from July 3 to 8.

PAP’S PROPOSALS

• Ms Gan said that a single town council comprising both Marymount SMC and Bishan-Toa Payoh GRC would be formed should the PAP win both wards.

• “This way, we’ll be able to maintain high standards in taking care of the estates well, in a cost-effective way”, she said.

• Addressing rising unemployment rates and the present hardships faced by enterprises, she said that it is her duty to help individuals and families to protect their livelihoods during this difficult time.

• She identified the challenges faced by so-called “sandwich” families — those that are both raising young children and taking care of older parents — stating that she empathises with their struggles.

She said: “I’m joining politics so that I can give back to the community. I ask for your support and vote so that together, we can make Marymount a place that our residents will be proud to call their home and proud to be Singaporeans, just like me.”

PSP’S PROPOSALS

• Dr Ang said that in its obsession to build up the economy, the PAP Government has “neglected to focus on building its people”. He asked if Singaporeans feel at peace with their lives, since they live in an expensive and stressful city, where one in 33 people suffer from obsessive-compulsive disorder. Many people feel that to survive, they have to work long hours and cannot allow themselves time to relax. 

• In Singapore where the stigma of mental illness is still prevalent. Dr Ang said that as a psychiatrist, he would be able to examine policies that had a “direct psychological impact on our lives”, and that “Singaporeans should be happy, and not just wealthy”.

• In insisting on holding the election during the Covid-19 pandemic to get a fresh mandate, the incumbent party has put the health of Singaporeans second, he said. “We deserve to have our well-being prioritised.”

• He also said that PAP has refused to promote “a political climate where diversity thrives”, adding that it has used laws such as the Protection from Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Act to “curtail freedoms”.

• A post-Covid-19 Singapore “requires a rethink”, Dr Ang said, with “bolder and more divergent thinking”, a role that alternative parties such as PSP can play.

He said: “To the voters of Marymount, I want to make Marymount a model constituency. It is my dream. Let’s make it a reality… You deserve better.”