• The SDP unveiled 3 out of 4 of its candidates contesting in Marsiling-Yew Tee GRC in the upcoming General Election (GE)
• All three candidates had previously contested under the party’s banner 
• They raised some of residents’ concerns such as the lack of lift upgrading works at two blocks in Marsiling Rise

SINGAPORE — The Singapore Democratic Party (SDP) unveiled three out of four candidates who will contest Marsiling-Yew Tee Group Representation Constituency (GRC) in the coming General Election (GE).

They are Mr Bryan Lim Boon Heng, 43, Mr Damanhuri Abas, 49, and Dr James Gomez, 55.

The three candidates conducted a walkabout in Marsiling on Sunday (June 28) morning. They confirmed to reporters that they will be fielded by their party in the four-member Marsiling-Yew Tee GRC but the identity of the fourth SDP team member remained under wraps.

Mr Lim and Mr Damanhuri were part of SDP’s Marsiling-Yew Tee GRC team in 2015, receiving 31.27 per cent of the vote.

Dr Gomez did not contest in the 2015 GE but was a candidate for SDP’s Sembawang GRC team in 2011. Dr Gomez had previously contested in the 2006 GE as a Workers’ Party candidate. 

During their walkabout on Sunday, Mr Lim, Mr Damanhuri and Dr Gomez were greeting residents and handing out flyers and flags at the coffee shops around Woodlands Street 11.

Speaking to the media, the three candidates raised some of the residents’ concerns.

Mr Lim brought up the issue of lift upgrading at blocks 115 and 119 in Marsiling Rise, where residents have been asking for lifts that stop at every floor to be installed. 

Some of the residents are elderly or have medical conditions and struggle with mobility issues, he said.

In January, SDP had raised the issue on social media and Mr Lim led a petition on behalf of the residents appealing to Minister for National Development Lawrence Wong for the lift upgrading for the affected blocks.

Mr Wong leads the ruling People’s Action Party’s team in Marsiling-Yew Tee GRC.

Mr Lim said there is still no word as to whether lift upgrading works will be done at the Housing Development Board (HDB) blocks.

The Government had announced in March that a new grant of up to S$30,000 will be available to residents with medical or mobility issues who live in HDB blocks where lift upgrading is not possible, either due to excessive costs or existing technical or site constraints.

The purpose of the grant is to help residents offset the cost of buying a new or resale flat with direct lift access.

But Mr Lim said: “(The grant) does not solve this issue… With today’s advancements in technology, surely there’s a cost effective way of addressing this. 

“Not just for the residents of block 115 and block 119 Marsiling Rise, but also the residents living in the other blocks in Singapore who are seriously affected by the issue.”

Mr Damanhuri added that “the message that the residents get (from the grant) is that the S$30,000 is for them to get out of the estate”. 

He also said the Malay residents in the GRC have expressed unhappiness over Madam Halimah Yacob relinquishing her position as one of the constituency’s Members of Parliament to run for the presidency. 

“(The residents) voted and they chose Madam Halimah for all the things that she has done (for the community), but now they feel abandoned because she left the ward who voted for her,” he said. 

What made it worse was the fact that the courts ruled that a by-election was not required to fill the seat left vacant, Mr Damanhuri said.

He also claimed that the 2017 presidential election, which was reserved for Malays, was something that the Malay community did not ask for.

“The Malay community did not ask for a Malay president. There are so many other things that the Malay community wants,” he said.