Tampines residents face future with confidence: Heng Swee Keat

Singapore

TAMPINES residents have a variety of concerns but also face the future with confidence, said Education Minister Heng Swee Keat on Tuesday.

"They have a variety of concerns ... they face the future with confidence and think their children will have a better future," said Mr Heng at the Poi Ching School Nomination Centre. Mr Heng, who was speaking to reporters, leads the People's Action Party (PAP) Tampines GRC team against the National Solidarity Party (NSP) led by president Sebastian Teo.

The two parties are familiar foes; they had faced off in the 2011 election where the PAP team won Tampines GRC, beating the NSP with 57.22 per cent of the vote.

Earlier, NSP candidate Lim Tean had spoken of the problems Singaporeans are facing such as the high cost of living.

Mr Lim told NSP supporters that Singaporeans should "vote for NSP because Singaporeans deserve better".

He said some Singaporeans wonder if they can retire at home or in a foreign land because they can't afford to live here, and some young people worry they may have less than their parents.

"We go into battle with confidence because our cause is just," said Cambridge-educated lawyer Mr Lim, who added that many will be voting and praying for the NSP.

Mr Heng said the PAP does have "national plans" to bring Singapore forward. "Much has been achieved," he said, adding that much more can be achieved as long as Singaporeans remain united.

Mr Heng also revealed the PAP's manifesto for Tampines. He spoke about building a caring community in Tampines and having programmes for residents to have a healthy lifestyle.

The 2015 election is "about our future, the future of our children", he said.

The rest of the PAP's Tampines GRC team are Masagos Zulkifli, Minister, Prime Minister's Office, and Second Minister for Home Affairs and Foreign Affairs; Baey Yam Keng; Desmond Choo; and Cheng Li Hui.

Mr Masagos has been MP for Tampines GRC since 2006. Mr Baey, a senior adviser for Hill+Knowlton Strategies, has been MP for Tampines GRC since 2011.

Mr Choo, who was the former PAP Hougang SMC candidate, is director, youth development and deputy director, industrial relations, National Trades Union Congress. Ms Cheng is deputy chief executive of listed engineering company Hai Leck Holdings.

In the afternoon, NSP announced that it had appointed Mr Lim, 50, its new secretary-general. Mr Lim, a practising lawyer for 17 years and NSP member for the past four years, was previously a partner at law firm Rajah and Tann and later founded energy resources company Feres in 2007.

Rounding off the NSP Tampines GRC team are Choong Hon Heng, 45, business administrator; Nor Lella Mardiiiah Mohamed, 41, business consultant; and assistant secretary-general, Reno Fong, 46.

The NSP has been hit by some tumult in the past few weeks, with then-acting secretary-general Hazel Poa quitting the party after a U-turn decision to contest the single-seat MacPherson. Steve Chia, the party's choice to run in MacPherson, later reversed his decision to contest in the ward, abruptly announcing on his Facebook page that he will not stand in any constituency.

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