So far, the 154 media has publicly announced a few potential PAP candidates for the upcoming general elections and they have been all from public sector - either the military or civil service:

Gan Siow Huang - Former Brigadier-General at SAF
Tan Kiat How - Former Chief Executive at IMDA
Yip Hon Weng - Former Group Chief at MOH
Ng Ling Ling - Former Director at MOH
Desmond Tan - Former Chief Executive at PA

More names should be announced soon as the elections looms near, but it will not be a surprise if the rest will also be from the public sector. And because the PAP is recruiting increasingly from the public sector, it is going to be seen as more and more insular, and will find it ever harder to recruit from the private sector.

It is a vicious cycle that will see the PAP becoming more and more homogenous than it is already. The last thing we need is more 'yes' men running the country.

In order for us to completely get out of this Covid19 pandemic, each and everyone one of us has and must play a part which sadly I observed is not happening.

Recently The Govt introduced TraceTogether and Safe Entry App for effective contact tracing when an infected case surfaces. As I depend heavily on public transportation for my daily work commute; the minute I leave my house for work, I automatically switch on the Bluetooth which activates the TraceTogether App. Before I tap on the ticket turnstiles at the LRT Station, I will scan the Safe Entry App Check In and upon exiting the MRT Station I will again use the Safe Entry App to check out.

What bemuses me is when I am doing either check-in or check-out, many commuters did gave me that weird look like as if I am 'siao' to take time to do that. I don't blame them as most of them are either rushing to work, ignorant or lazy. On board the trains when our Country was in Phase 1, I observed on many mornings and evenings couples blatantly disregarding the safe distancing and holding hands or hugging each other. There were occasions when the same can be seen on the escalators.

This to me is pure selfishness as it will only exacerbate the situation, resulting in a 2nd wave of infections which definitely our export based economy can ill afford. Perhaps to encourage all to use both the TraceTogether and Safe Entry App a transport rebate of 50 cents can be awarded to the end user. When counted per day does look like a small amount, but for 20 work days of a month amounts to S$ 10/-.

As for couples not complying with the Safe Distance advice whilst onboard trains; could the train officers, Certis or Aetos APO speak to these couples politely and issue a written stern warning. Thereafter report to the Station Control Room to input into the data system. If the same couple is caught failing to comply with Safe Distancing Rule then it is only appropriate to issue a composition fine of S$ 300/-.

As a responsible citizen of Singapore I am looking forward towards a collective effort in combating and overcoming this Covid19 pandemic sooner than later.

Thank you very much

Libran Citizen (pseudonym)

When Malaysia announced its lockdown in March, Singaporeans rushed to supermarkets to stock up on eggs and shelves were empty in no time. Prices of eggs started to increase slightly due to border restrictions.

Fast forward 3 months, Malaysia is out of lockdown and has resumed their supply. Eggs are flowing into Singapore from Malaysia, Thailand, Australia, New Zealand and recently Poland. At the same time, demand from F&B dropped and there was less demand due to muted Hari Raya celebrations this year.

As a result, egg suppliers find themselves having too many eggs. Distributor Kim Hock for example had to discard 250k eggs from Thailand last week. Egg prices has since dropped by more than 2 cents each.

Did Singapore go into overdrive trying to procure eggs from all over the world? A day after Malaysia's Movement Control Order (MCO), Kee Chiu personally went to Changi Airport to receive 300k eggs from Thailand to show Singaporeans that we have more than enough eggs coming from other countries. Just this month, Polish eggs arrived in Singapore. Despite telling Singaporeans not to be kiasi, it seems that the government was also panic buying to ensure food security. Unfortunately, due to the mismatch in the enthusiastic procurement and reduced demand, distributors are selling eggs at a loss and eggs are being wasted.

Egg suppliers can only hope that demand will increase again when Phase 2 starts this Friday.

Progress Singapore Party member Kumaran Pillai was asked by a few journalists about the state of opposition unity in the upcoming General Elections (GE). He answered that there is a loose alliance among the larger parties. These parties have a mutual respect and understanding to avoid 3-cornered fights.

Kumaran Pillai also said that certain "fringe parties" have been very reckless by going on a head-on collision course. His comments could mean that certain smaller parties are eyeing constituencies which larger parties have been working on or planning to contest in.

However he believes in democracy, and having a plurality of voices is a good thing. Therefore he still encourages all parties to contest in the GE if they really feel that they are bringing something extra to the table.

While these "fringe parties" remain unnamed, netizens have long suspected that certain political parties have been planted by the PAP to be a mole. Some have accused these parties of serving to sully the opposition image or disrupting opposition unity by contesting in 3-cornered fights during GE. Though it may seem unbelievable, Singapore politics has seen planted moles who have tried to discredit the larger parties or their Secretary-Generals.

During the Parliamentary Budget debate, Finance Minister Heng Swee Keat announced various schemes and monetary handouts to Singaporeans to overcome the Covid19 pandemic. One of these cash payouts would be the Cash and Support Package which would be paid out on 18 June 2020. Eligible Singaporeans can expect to receive $300 to $600.

Yesterday Singapore Democratic Party (SDP) member Fadly Azad wrote on his Facebook about Budget 2020. While Singaporeans should be thankful for the cash payouts, he reminded Singaporeans that the money handed out by the government actually came from taxpayers. The government is only able to give us these goodies because these money were initially obtained from our family members through taxation.

The government is only able to propose numerous Budgets to fight Covid19 because of our reserves which have been built up for decades. However remember that one way which the government gets this money is by taxing us, and "whatever they give you now they will take it back sooner or later". Fadly Azad foresees us paying more for conservancy charges, road tax and parking charges. He adds that GST increase is only put on hold temporarily.

With the General Elections looming closer, Fadly Azad calls for Singaporeans to vote wisely. We can either choose to vote in a government who cares more about money and treats its people as digits, or vote in a government that is more concerned about our welfare and well being.

Hello fellow readers! It has certainly been a long time since I've written one of these "opinion articles".

To be honest, the news cycle within our island has been quite flat. But compare that to the rest of the world... I mean there's a neighbourhood in Seattle where violent people are trying to implement Communism at the barrel of a gun ! But this is on Singaporean matters. Frankly I am going to kiss the ground tomorrow. Wait no, today. It's been so long I almost forgot the one business day it takes for this to process.

Now I may not be the only guy saying this, but PLEASE PLEASE practice whatever social distancing measures are left in place. Scan your IC or that SafeSense QR Code. I absolutely agree with you in saying that these tasks make life a bit troublesome. But can we risk that ? What is a few minutes gone when compared to the ability to roam around as you'd like normally.

We have made the HUGE mistake of relaxing our grasp on health measures a month after Lunar New Year festivities. For a month or two, we all gloated in glee as the nations of the world envied our low count of cases. "Model Coronavirus Response" said the prestigious CNN Network right from their tower in New York City. But then suddenly we had like a couple hundred people infected out of nowhere. One thing leads to another and we have 10 grand still stuck on hospital beds today.

While the amount of new cases is slowing, remember that most of the expense has been paid for by the swathes of migrant workers. They did not sign up to work here just to receive the world's newest health scare. I believe the measures placed on us locals has been adequate, however the same cannot be said for the Ministry of Manpower. I guarantee that the moment this is all over, we will suddenly plunge into a diplomatic crisis regarding unequal measures to ensure the safety of foreigners to a reasonable degree.

Ma wants to have tea with her Church friends, Pa wants to get back in his PropNex, grind 9 to 5 and unwind at night with "I am a Singer" or WWE wrestling. My elder brother is going into a state of depression with the constant delays to his OCS training. My twin brother is begging for his ITE schedule to be rigid enough to pack properly for tomorrow's lessons. And personally, I cannot wait for the chance to physically touch that Polytechnic Campus. Being a freshman to Programming through my computer via Home-Based Learning has been an utter nightmare for the half semester I went through so far.

This sudden lifting of restrictions is nothing short of a bright streak of sunlight breaking through this storm of doom and gloom. I beg of you people to practice whatever it takes to restore our signature brand of lukewarm peace. Before I go, I should warn you of this: The sudden re-opening of every bit of business and recreation will be overwhelming. There has never been any precedent of such a thing happening apart from war or shortage. I wouldn't blame you if you'd explode and run around your favourite spot. But tone down the excitement a little bit. At least enough to remember "One arm's length away from people". Or was it 2 ? Whatever, I hope to commentate on a juicy tidbit of local news soon.

Loyal ASS Reader Justin

The Progress Singapore Party (PSP) has announced its first batch of election candidates. The candidates are from a range of backgrounds and demographic. Although the party did not state where it will contest in the upcoming elections, it is likely to be West Coast GRC.

The six members are:
1.Francis Yuen - Appointed to PSP CEC. He is CEO of industrial conglomerate Hong Leong Asia.
2. Hazel Poa - PSP Vice-Chairman. She is founder of SmartLab Education Private and graduated from Cambridge University.
3. Bradley Bowyer - Media background
4. Sri Nallakaruppan - PSP Treasurer. He is an Investment Specialist in capital markets.
5. Gigene Wong - She has held senior roles in China MNCs.
6. Muhammad Taufik Bin Supan - He is an IT professional.

With candidates and members coming from a variety of fields of expertise it is hoped that they may be able to represent the people well in parliament.

The 1000-strong party is helmed by Dr Tan Cheng Bock who has been present in PSP's Meet-the-People Zoom sessions and was seen in a walkabout in West Coast earlier in January.

With both PSP and the Reform Party expected to contest in West Coast GRC, the upcoming general elections might see a three-cornered fight.

A contributor has shared some interesting calculations for Budget 2020. The government has proposed four Budgets for this financial year, amounting to $193 billion. In Finance Minister Heng Swee Keat's round-up speech on debate on the Fortitude Budget in Parliament, he revealed that Singapore is "committing almost $100 billion, or close to 20 per cent of our GDP, to our Covid-19 response".

According to Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore (IRAS), Goods and Services Tax (GST) collection for FY2018/19 was $11.1 billion. Once the PAP increases GST from 7% to 9%, our contributor estimates this should bring in an estimated extra 0.7% GDP per year.

So in order to cover the money spent on the Special $100 billion Covid19 Budgets, our contributor suggests that the government will need around 28.5 years to claw back this amount. Could this mean that the PAP has a lot of extra in our reserve and they don't really need the extra 2% GST to begin with?

On the other hand, instead of waiting 28.5 years to patch up this financial deficit in our reserves, another way the government can reduce this 28.5 years could be to increase costs and other forms of taxation. This concern about rising costs has been suggested by another netizen.

Singaporeans should vote wisely or risk dealing with "getting their whole chicken taken back after receiving a chicken wing".

Credits: 許隆貴

Mother Name: Zaharah Binte Abdul Rahman.

Daughter name: Norlela Binte Abdullah.

Taken away: At the age of 2 year old around the year 1980 - 1981 at Block 244, Ang Mo Kio Avenue 3.

According to our contributor, the daughter was allegedly given away for adoption without her mother's consent around 30 - 40 years ago. The organisation which coordinated this adoption procedure allegedly refused to cooperate when the family tried to retrieve info of her child's whereabouts.

Red Dot United has been successfully registered as a political party on 15 June after submitting its application on 26 May. Red Dot United's Secretary-General Ravi Philemon is keen on fielding candidates this General Elections (GE). With this approval by the Ministry of Home Affairs’ (MHA) Registry of Societies, he believes the party is "even more ready".

Red Dot United currently has three office holders: Secretary-General Ravi Philemon, Chairman Michelle Lee, and Treasurer Mr Chia Weng Lee, who is a 53-year-old business owner.

When the state media asked if Ravi Philemon will contest Hong Kah North SMC once more, he said that the party's Central Executive Committee (CEC) has not met since the approval. Therefore it is too early to comment.

In the meantime, Red Dot United is waiting for its approved registration to be gazetted before it is made official. The party is also working on securing other approvals like having its party symbol approved.

With the General Elections being called soon, it appears that the PAP has started its smear campaign against opposition party members. During the Budget debate on 5 June, Pritam Singh said Singapore should be fortunate to have citizens who are “loving critics”. Even though Pritam Singh did not name any specific person, Tan Wu Meng inferred that Pritam Singh had spoken in support of Alfian Sa'at.

On 19 June, the official PAP social media accounts shared a opinion piece titled "Mr Pritam Singh supports Alfian Sa'at". The piece written by Jurong MP Tan Wu Meng, attacked Alfian Sa'at by questioning his loyalty to Singapore with various screenshots of his social media comments which were "pro-Malaysia" and "mocked Singapore". 

Tan Wu Meng then took this opportunity to smear Pritam Singh who had supposedly voiced support for Alfian Sa'at. Tan Wu Meng asked if Pritam Singh still thinks Alfian Sa'at is a "loving critic" of Singapore based on the selected screenshots of Alfian's comments, and went a step further to accuse Pritam Singh of being a "loving critic" if he still supports Alfian.

Alfian Sa'at has responded to Tan Wu Meng, saying the piece was a "roundabout way of attacking another opposition party". Alfian Sa'at also wonders if the PAP is resorting to a character assassination of Pritam Singh only because The Workers' Party manifesto and policy proposals are so perfect and unassailable.

This is not the first instance where the PAP was accused of engaging in gutter politics. During the 2016 Bukit Batok by-election, the PAP made personal attacks against SDP Secretary-General Chee Soon Juan who was contesting during that time.

<Reader's Contribution>

Why is it that when PSP members did their walkabout yesterday at Bukit Batok, 2 safe distancing officers told them that they will be fined for breaching safe distancing rules? This is in phase 2, plus the PSP members clarified with the officers that they never had more than 5 people together.

Then we rewind back to during the first few weeks of the circuit breaker period. PAP members Chia Shi Lu, Amy Khor, Seah Kian Peng, Masagos Zulkifli, Melvin Yong went for their walkabouts on the pretext of "visiting the ground" or "giving out masks". But NO NEA officer or safe distancing ambassador fined them, not even a warning was given.

Is this the type of double standards to be expected of our public service? Isn't the public service supposed to be non-partisan and impartial to everyone? This kind of double standards in favour of the PAP makes me sick and leaves a bad taste in everyone's mouths, and they still have the cheek to ask us to vote for them. Pui! They can wait long long.

ASS Loyal Reader Chan

In PAP MP Tan Wu Meng's smear campaign against WP's Pritam Singh, he said this in relation to local playright Alfian Sa'at:

"This man grew up in Singapore. Singapore gave him his education and he earns a living here. An education and a living that is denied to many minorities in the region."

Somehow Tan seems to be insinuating that Alfian, as a minority, should be grateful for having been done the special favour of receiving an education from the benevolent majority, as if Singaporean minorities need the goodwill of the benevolent majority to be given an education, as if that goodwill is contingent on Singaporean minorities being subservient and toeing the line. Are Singaporean minorities full citizens with full democratic and civic rights, or are we just "window dressing" that must learn our place?

Tan's statement is all the more egregious if one considers that Alfian, as an indigenous person, has rights that are enshrined in the constitution of Singapore, and that are inviolable regardless of his role in our society or in politics.

I don't know what the hell's going on in the PAP's ranks, but our founding political leaders must be stirring in their graves to see this non-entity, this riff-raff of a 4G leader racialising his diatribe against a private citizen. Why compare the treatment of minorities in Singapore to other countries to make a point? This is just so irresponsible.

The 158th state media published a story about Peoples Voice Party (PVP) Secretary-General Lim Tean facing two bankruptcy applications over $1.45 million. The Straits Times claimed that Lim Tean is facing applications from DBS Bank over a $549,378 debt and a trading company Sing Wing (I & E) over a debt of about $905,000. ST conveniently included a sentence that the Singapore Constitution disqualifies undischarged bankrupts from becoming Members of Parliament.

Later that night, Lim Tean responded to this smear article with a Facebook post "When You Fear, You Smear!". Lim Tean rubbished ST's claims about him about to become bankrupted, clarifying that "Let me make it clear. I am not going to be bankrupted, and it is total rubbish that I owe $1 450 000!" He even shared how ST faked that they tried calling him for comments because he never received any calls or queries.

This is the second attempt by the state media to smear PVP. They previously tried to paint Lim Tean as a potential bankrupt over a $209,000 loan incident with a Shanghai businessman. Naturally this case was closed after Lim Tean successfully settled the debt and legal costs.

With such a timed article ahead of a General Elections, this only shows how the establishments are feeling threatened by PVP. The party has gained a surge in popularity during Circuit Breaker due to the incompetent mishandling of Covid19 by the elites. Ordinary hardworking Singaporeans are also increasingly becoming attracted to PVP's ideals. Therefore such smear campaigns only serve to pull wool over voters' eyes and to cripple the party even before GE2020 is called.

As if one police report was not enough, Kate Spade princess Tin Pei Ling made a second police report about the doctored Chinese New Year banner apparently because it re-emerged again. Mind you, it was a CNY banner so that was half a year ago since the first report. How coincidental that she is making a police report when elections is just around the corner.

In January, a photoshopped image of the MP in a CNY banner in Macpherson went viral on social media. The doctored image featured miss Tin wearing a low-cut cheongsam outfit with the words “ENJOY HAPPY SAVINGS with Government U-SAVE Rebates!" and "Vote PAP for Prosperity and Power!". Tin then took to her Facebook to voice her displeasure, saying "the doctored version contained a photoshopped image of me. It is so crass that I would not even put it up here. I do not know who committed such mischief. But it is clear that the person or party behind this has no respect for women." We wonder which party she was thinking about.

Yesterday, Tin posted screenshots of a Tan Melissa's post of the doctored banner captioned "so eager to campaign! Using sex to sell votes?". Tin wrote that she made a police report on this as well:

"Hi all, you may remember I posted on 21 Jan 2020 that a photo containing a doctored version of my CNY greeting banner was circulated. The doctored version contained a photoshopped image of me and superimposed messages that were fabricated. Objectifying women in that manner was a clear lack of respect for women. I made a Police report then and the culprit was caught.
However, this doctored, i.e. FAKE, photo is now being circulated online again (see example below)."

How convenient that Tin Pei Ling can make a police report and gain the sympathy of her constituency during election time. Why is she wasting police resources when mata already have so many things on their hands? Who wants to vote for a crybaby?

In a sudden national broadcast, PM Lee Hsien Loong announced on 23 June 4pm he had advised President Halimah Yacob to dissolve Parliament. He gave excuses why the GE2020 should be called before April 2021, citing reasons like Covid19 and the threat of external uncertainties. This paves way for GE2020 Polling Day to be on 10 July.

The PAP's rush to call for an early elections has generally been frowned upon because of the ongoing Covid19 pandemic. But even when signs of an early GE were clear back in May 2020, the PAP still resisted calls from opposition parties on clear election campaigning rules to be published promptly. Minister for Trade and Industry Chan Chun Sing brushed away these calls by reassuring that the Elections Department (ELD) will issue its safe campaigning guidelines "with sufficient time for political parties and aspiring candidates to prepare."

The ELD eventually released some preliminary campaigning guidelines partially on 8 June and then some others on 18 June.

Given how political parties and candidates only had 5 days between 18 June and 23 June when Parliament is dissolved, it seems the PAP thinks that having a preparation time of less than a week is "sufficient". This logic appears ironic since the PAP has always complained about a lack of time before GE has to be called in so many months before April 2021.

Lee Hsien Yang - the son of the late Lee Kuan Yew, and brother of the current Prime Minister, will has just joined the opposition Progress Singapore Party as a member.

This was announced early this morning at the Tiong Bahru market by PSP Sec Gen Dr Tan Cheng Bock, who also handed Mr Lee his member card at the same time.

Will Lee Hsien Yang be standing in the coming elections too? And if he is, will he be contesting in Tanjong Pagar GRC (where Tiong Bahru market is under) which was his father's old ward?

Looks like the family feud just got interesting, as the Lee brothers might go against each other in the coming elections.

Heng's minimart at postcode 510567 (Pasir Ris St 51).

Over the years business has grown so much so that there is a complete disregard for hygiene, misuse of unmarked common areas, storage of foodstuff in utility compartments, preparing and selling food at common area and disregard for the safety of residents.

1) Installation of immovable equipment like freezers in unmarked common area.

2) Use of unauthorised fixtures eg. metal shelves on walls and pillars in the common area.

3) Overhead storage of goods up to ceiling height in disregard for the safety of people. The overhead exhaust ventilation outlet of freezers are often blocked by boxes increasing the risk of fire. Just wonder who is liable in case of injury, death or fire. A child care centre is only 30 metres away from this danger.

4) The lift lobby area is a socialising point for residents. It is being blocked and used like a factory floor to pack foodstuff like frozen meat, vegetables etc. Packed in plastic bags, it's often left on the dirty lobby floor. Goods are also left within this area. A disused dirty freezer is placed in a marked area not for retail sales but to serve as a worktop.

5) One can count some 10 surveillance cameras covering the common area, including the lift lobby, the handicap parking lot and beyond, even our letter boxes area. Our privacy is compromised. In contrast the police have only 2 cameras, one facing the lift doors, the other at the staircase.

6) It's unbelievable, but yes, some 8~10 utility compartments on the ground floor are illegally used for storage of goods, including onions, potatoes and dried mushroom (see pic).

7) Even the area surrounding our letter boxes are not spared. There is no natural ventilation or sunlight because of the full length bamboo blinds installed by the minimart at its immediate sides.

8) The cluttered common area makes it difficult for wheelchair users and others to access into the multi storey and open carparks. It's also congested when students from Meridian Secondary School congregate here after school for their instant noodle and sugary drinks fix.

The attached pictures or any other pictures on request support this complaint. Looking to the relevant authorities taking action on the matter.

Thank you

Contributor Kenny

Gentlemen. I trust that you've heard the news from 7pm yesterday? Our good friend Lee Hsien Loong has decided to call elections within SIXTEEN DAYS from now.

As the age old saying goes "Never let a good crisis go to waste". He calls this in order to strengthen his mandate to deal with the next 5 years ahead. But does he and his party deserve that privilege of another 5 years with Veto Override Powers?

Regarding the Coronavirus, I have scary maths that says we aren't doing well. The amount of people infected is roughly 7,525.5 per million people, which means that we have the worst rate of infection in all the countries of Asia. While the amount of locals infected is low, that does not really matter when you get the virus spreading like wildfire through the cramped quarters of all the migrants who build our stuff. Whose bright idea in the Manpower Ministry was it to squeeze the most men into the least flats like cattle ripe for slaughter?

Our economy has been going flat for a bit, but now she'll be seeing red with our GDP Growth rate going -4.7%. Mind you, we still have another half a year to stomach through. While most are opened now, you simply don't just order everything to shut down out of health concerns, selectively open up some businesses and expect the flow of money to remain untouched. Several famous businesses have been shut down through the lack of further aid for businesses that do not have enough cash reserves to pay for their rent while remaining closed. Restaurants of varying caliber, the KidZania theme Park in Sentosa, countless small and medium sized businesses of all sectors built on the hands, time and personal resources of hard working people.... They are all gone under the brunt of an inadequate financial lifeline supposed to prevent our businesses from dropping dead like flies and they expect us to give them another 5 years to govern aimlessly while the markets eventually heals through market forces out of their reach?

All of this is troubling, but then again you'd say "Why should I make the effort to consider a secondary option this time? What makes this election season different? Surely their trademarked artificial smile will calm me down just enough to grab my vote? Well... As they also face cabin fever incurred from the "Circuit Breaker '', the chiefs among them have completely dropped the facade of benevolence that they would usually display. I wouldn't be surprised if they simply demanded your vote in the most passive aggressive manner. It will sound gentle, but fear the intent inside the words. Why do I say this? Let's see what has happened amid the "Circuit Breaker"...

We have the wife of the Prime Minister firing gaffes away on her Facebook account like it was going out of style, several MPs slamming fellow friends of the opposition as incompetent private citizens or traitors to the Singaporean ideals without so much as a proper platform for them to defend themselves... and other small incidents. Here is one: Remember when a Robot Dog from Boston Dynamics was used to walk around Ang Mo Kio Park to blare out "Maintain Social Distancing" ? That is now manifesting in my head through nightmares of trying to escape militarized police in an Orwellian surveillance state with Singaporean characteristics. How about the deployments of POFMA on everyone from Thum Ping Tjin, Brad Bowyer to Chee Soon Juan? A law meant to stem fake news is being used by politicians who would rather target the interpretations or facts within their criticisms against them than engage the material of constructive criticism built over social media platforms. Yesterday, they even used misconstrued facts to slam Lim Tean as bankrupt when in reality he was in the midst of paying business debts he incurred as a private citizen.

How can we go on like this? In this time more than ever, what we do not need is to give the Lightning Party a stronger mandate for their control. What we need is more people up in Parliament to keep them on their toes. Singapore deserves leaders that look at the ground and enforce decisions from their spot in the sky to keep society strong for all that they can. Figure out where your stance is on local issues and see if that other Party within your District is more appropriate to your code of ethics.

Do not waste the means in which you can change the world around you. One vote can make a difference, but a bunch of them can make that difference more guaranteed. In a time where everything is uncertain, dark and gloomy, I ask you to shed your fears and vote for the things that you hold dear to your heart. You are only free to criticize, walk down the road, video-conference with foreigners, stand in some public place quietly for a bit or make your opinion on Facebook until they say so. Freedoms do not need a permit, you only need literacy and the courage to take it and use it !

As for me, I will storm out of the house with a mask on my face to hand out flyers, spread awareness to passer-bys and soon enough... spend one long shift to ward off anyone from tampering the ballot box. I hope to see you getting out there to fight for what you see as right. Just do not forget social distancing. Israel held their general elections and it spiked their cases from 100 to 10,000. We DEFINITELY do not want that right? A Second reinfection to shut down Phase 2 when it is already ongoing. I want to makan in wherever I think may close soon enough. Please spare me that privilege...

ASS Loyal Reader Justin

West Coast residents and all Singaporeans will remember the Reform Party (RP) for graciously giving up their ward to make things easier for the PSP who is seeking to contest in West Coast GRC.

It definitely was not easy for RP to come to this decision given the party's "strong emotional connection" to West Coast, as written by Kenneth Jeyaretnam in RP's Facebook announcement, but they are doing this for the greater opposition unity. A few weeks back, talks between the leaders of both parties over claims to West Coast GRC had previously been unsuccessful.

In the early hours of 24 June, RP wrote on its Facebook:

"We have been in long talks with Dr Tan Cheng Bock and his assistant SG Leong Mun Wai. We believe the greater cause at this moment in time is Opposition unity and contesting where everyone has the greatest chance of winning seats. We also recognise that Dr Tan has a tough fight on his hands despite it being his old stomping ground and we do not wish to hinder his progress. It is vital that there be no 3-corner fights this GE!"

RP will contest Ang Mo Kio (GRC) along with Yio Chu Kang (SMC) and Radin Mas (SMC) while PSP cuts the number of constituencies it is contesting.

We hope this arrangement is for the best of both parties and that RP's sacrifice to avoid a three-cornered fight will be worth it.

Last week, RP secretary-general Kenneth Jeyaretnam unveiled six candidates during a Facebook livestream. They are:
1. Andy Zhu (party chairman)
2. Darren Soh
3. Madam Noraini Yunus
4. Gurdev Singh
5. Mahaboob Batcha
6. Charles Yeo.

PSP has also unveiled 6 new candidates yesterday:
1. Choo Shaun Ming
2. Tan Meng Wah
3. Abas Kasmani
4. Kayla Low
5. Harish Pillay
6. Ang Yong Guan