SDP presents its fourth batch of candidates

Singapore

THE Singapore Democratic Party (SDP) announced two more candidates for the coming election on Friday evening.

They are hospital manager Bryan Lim, 38, who heads the party's ground operations unit, and Mr Damanhuri Abas, 45, the director of an Islamic college.

SDP chairman Jeffrey George introduced them at a press conference in the party headquarters in Ang Mo Kio without revealing where they will be standing.

Mr Abas said he has been active in the Malay community for more than 20 years, and wants to address issues in the Malay community. He is married with five children, aged six to 17.

He wants to push for policies to "help Singaporeans make difficult decisions in life regarding children".

"My wife works as a teacher... Yes it's tough. We went through the period when my first child did not get a baby bonus; then two to four have, then five no more. When government announced (that the baby bonus was extended to all children), my wife jokingly said maybe can consider," he quipped.

Mr Lim, who is married with a daughter, said he comes from a humble background and can relate to the man on the street and their issues, which he intends to raise in Parliament.

"We need strong opposition in Parliament to ensure government keeps to its promises," he said.

He had previously contested in the 2001 General Election. Then aged 25, he was part of a five-member SDP team that stood in Hong Kah GRC against a PAP team led by former minister Yeo Cheow Tong. The SDP team garnered 20.3 per cent of the votes.

So far, six other SDP candidates have been introduced.

They are compliance auditor Sidek Mallek, 55; psychologist John Tan, 54; healthcare administrator Chong Wai Fung, 45; former Navy staff sergeant Khung Wai Yeen, 34; sales director Jaslyn Go, 43; and National University of Singapore Yong Yoo Lin School of Medicine professor Paul Tambyah, 50.

The SDP has said it plans to contest the new Marsiling-Yew Tee GRC, Holland-Bukit Timah GRC as well as the single-seat wards of Bukit Panjang, Bukit Batok and Yuhua.

The SDP, which launched its campaign in January, has said that it would champion issues related to the cost of living, the Central Provident Fund (CPF) Minimum Sum and the country's growing population.

The Sept 11 election will be the first that Chee Soon Juan, the party's secretary-general, is set to contest since 2001.

He could not be fielded in 2006 and 2011 because he was declared bankrupt after having failed to pay S$500,000 in damages for defaming then-senior minister Lee Kuan Yew and then-prime minister Goh Chok Tong during the 2001 General Election.

He was cleared of bankruptcy in 2012. The Straits Times