Candidates Need To React To How Voters Respond To Their Campaign, Say Analysts
SINGAPORE: Analysts have said that both the People’s Action Party and Workers’ Party candidates will have to be careful in the way they approach their by-election campaigns.
But from the onset, both parties have also set very different agendas.
The ruling PAP has couched this by-election as a local contest.
Its candidate Desmond Choo is banking on the programmes he has introduced in the single-seat constituency.
He has rolled out these programmes for Hougang residents over the past year as their grassroots advisor.
The Workers’ Party, on the other hand, by virtue of the fact that it has held Hougang for 20 years, is expounding on the need for the party to defend the seat, so that the party continues to offer an alternative voice in Parliament.
Analysts say the party that can address both local and national issues will get the upper hand.
Dr Gillian Koh, Senior Research Fellow at the Institute of Policy Studies, said: “Residents in Hougang are concerned about cost-of-living issues, the place of foreigners in Singapore, land transport issues, whether they have their buses, and hawker centres.
“And all these issues, though they are questions of facilities locally, are all part of national programme and national policy. So it’s actually rather difficult to just segment it that way, to say that it is local and not national, or national only.
“So I think you have national policies, and the question is how would they translate locally to the people’s lives in Hougang. And it’s the candidate that’s able to pull these together, I think, that would be able to reach out and move the ground.”
Analysts add that while candidates can set the agenda at the early stage, they would eventually have to react to how voters respond to their campaign.
Assistant Professor Eugene Tan, Law Faculty at the Singapore Management University, said: “A party that stubbornly sticks to its original form of characterisation and doesn’t respond or engage the voters, will not come out looking that good.
“So in the early days, I think we’ll see the parties set the agenda, trying to reinforce what are the key themes. But ultimately they must put a very close ear to the ground, to understand what are the concerns of voters.
“It’s a dynamic process. So it’s not Party A saying it’s a local election, so let’s deal with local issues alone. In the end, they need to respond, they need to engage and assure voters that their candidate if voted in, would be able to deliver on the various promises.”
Candidates have nine days to campaign.
Two sites in Hougang can be used for rallies during the campaigning period.
One is the open field in front of Block 837, bounded by Hougang Avenue 4 and Hougang Central.
The other site is Hougang Stadium in Hougang Avenue 2.
- CNA/de
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Changi Motorsports Hub Contract Terminated
SINGAPORE: The construction of the Changi Motorsports Hub may finally be called off, after the final termination papers were signed on Wednesday.
The Singapore Sports Council (SSC) will take back possession of the land from the SG Changi consortium on Thursday.
SG Changi could not complete the Changi Motorsports Hub as the company had run into various financial difficulties.
The next step for SSC will be to see if there are any parties interested in taking up the project.
The Request for Information phase will last from August up to the end of 2012.
A decision on whether a re-tender will be called will be made in the third quarter of 2013, SSC elaborated.
SSC CEO Lim Teck Yin said there could have been more stringent criteria in place when it came to examining the financial strengths and organisational ability of the bidding consortiums.
“We could have gone further to require a level of assurance about being able to finance the entire project, maybe through the likes of a bankers guarantee for the entire project, and not just the ability to buy the land,” he said.
“That could have benefitted the project, since we were also trying to achieve other national objectives, not least trying to get the hub up on time and ready.”
“But those are the lessons learnt,” he added.
SSC said it welcomes both local and overseas investors and is also keeping its options open to both motorsports- and non-motorsports-related concepts.
In informal sessions, it has already met five or six interested parties and will be engaging the services of a consultancy to help it with the feedback process.
- CNA/wm
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HTC Smartphones Blocked By US Customs
WASHINGTON: US mobile carrier Sprint said Wednesday it was delaying the introduction of an Android smartphone from Taiwan’s HTC after the devices were blocked by US customs.
The move appeared to mark the first enforcement of a win in a trade complaint by Apple, which claimed Android devices infringed on its patents for one-tap screen commands.
Sprint said in a statement that the phone, known as the HTC EVO 4G LTE “has been delayed” and that “HTC is working to resolve this issue.”
But the carrier said, “We can’t provide specific timing for product availability at this time.”
Sprint said it received a statement from HTC saying two phones being imported into the US were “delayed due to a standard US Customs review.”
Apple won an order last December from the US International Trade Commission, which issued a “limited exclusion order” directing that HTC stop bringing offending smartphones into the United States effective on April 19.
Taiwan-based HTC had expected to be able to adapt the Android-powered handsets to sidestep the trouble with the single patent before the deadline.
The move was likely to come at the cost of removing some features smartphone users enjoy and came as part of an ongoing campaign by Apple to cobble the momentum of smartphones powered by Google’s Android software.
Apple has accused HTC and other smartphone makers using Google’s Android mobile operating system of infringing on Apple-held patents. A separate case is pending against Samsung.
- AFP/fa
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Workers’ Party’s Png Eng Huat Runs “No-Frills” Campaign
SINGAPORE: The Workers’ Party candidate for Hougang, Png Eng Huat, said he’s running a “no-frills and low key, ground” campaign.
Relying less on social media, Mr Png said he prefers to speak to residents personally, going door-to-door.
Mr Png said he has no Twitter account and his Facebook page will remain inactive during the hustings. Only the Workers’ Party and Hougang SMC Facebook pages will be used for updates.
Notebook in hand, Mr Png Eng Huat cuts a solitary figure across Hougang in his Workers’ Party blue shirt.
He speaks to residents and jots down their concerns, switching between English and Hokkien.
Mr Png said the Hougang by-election is going to be a clean fight and added he spoke to his opponent, the People’s Action Party’s Desmond Choo, on how campaigning will be approached at the Nomination Centre.
Mr Png was announced as the Workers’ Party candidate in May, just three months after former MP Yaw Shin Leong was expelled from the party for failing to account for his alleged personal indiscretions.
His quiet ways are in sharp contrast to party secretary-general Low Thia Khiang, who held Hougang for 20 years and is now MP for Aljunied GRC.
But the 50-year-old businessman said he’s had a warm response from residents.
Mr Png said: “They’ve met me, they have talked to me, they have not given me any indication they want me to be fiery. But the bottom line for me is, things must get done. In the sense, whether I’m fiery or I’m doing is on the quiet, things must get done. Views must be aired.”
Mr Png joined the Workers’ Party in 2006.
He started with the Hougang Constituency Committee, heading its welfare arm.
In 2011, he was part of the Workers’ Party team for East Coast GRC.
He went back to Hougang this February after the Workers’ Party expelled Mr Yaw Shin Leong.
Mr Png has said that if elected, he will raise issues concerning education, transport and low-wage workers in parliament.
On the municipal front, he will push for estate upgrading and expand the ward’s existing welfare programmes as well as its EduTrust Fund to cover more residents.
“My objective is, I do not want to duplicate services. My belief is that anything that benefits the community, let’s do it,” Mr Png said.
With nine days of campaigning ahead of him, Mr Png has been busy working on his speeches and logistics with his team.
And he’s received some inspiration from his 11-year-old daughter.
“Kids are wonderful. They can support PAP or WP, but then later they’d play together. That should be the way, we should learn more from them,” he said.
Win or lose, Mr Png said he would still serve Hougang residents, to the best of his ability.
- CNA/ck/fa
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S’pore Q1 GDP Up 1.6% On-Year
SINGAPORE: Singapore’s economy grew 1.6 per cent on-year in the first quarter, compared to 3.6 per cent growth in the preceding quarter.
On a quarter-on-quarter basis, Singapore’s economy grew by 10 per cent, reversing the 2.5 per cent contraction in the previous quarter. The figure was slightly higher than the 9.9 percent reported in Advance Estimates released last month.
Singapore is maintaining its economic growth forecast for 2012 at one to three per cent, amid uncertainty in the global economy.
The Ministry of Trade and Industry said any recovery in the global economy remains fragile and vulnerable to downside risks.
It also warned that a disorderly sovereign debt default in the eurozone could not be ruled out, and if it did happen, would pose considerable downsides for the global economy and Singapore’s externally oriented industries.
The improved momentum was largely due to the upturn in the manufacturing sector. The sector grew 19.8 per cent on a quarter-on-quarter basis, rebounding strongly from the 11.1 per cent contraction in the previous quarter.
The construction sector, meanwhile, surged 32.1 per cent.
The wholesale and retail sector contracted 2.3 per cent in the first quarter. This weak performance was mainly attributable to a decline in re-export volume, which negatively affected the wholesale trade segment.
The finance and insurance sector contracted for the second time by 3.4 per cent, due to the sluggishness in fund management activities.
-CNA/ac
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Football: Liverpool Sack Dalglish
LONDON: Liverpool legend Kenny Dalglish was sacked as manager of the club on Wednesday in a dramatic move by the club’s owners following a disappointing Premier League campaign.
The 61-year-old Scot, who had returned for a second stint as manager at Anfield in January last year, paid the price for a dismal season which saw Liverpool finish 37 points behind champions Manchester City.
The Merseyside club’s American owners the Fenway Sports Group had given Dalglish more than
SIA To Suspend Flights To Abu Dhabi, Athens
SINGAPORE: Singapore Airlines (SIA) will suspend services to Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Athens in Greece, due to sustained weak performance of both routes.
The last flights to both cities will depart Singapore on October 26, 2012.
SIA said on Wednesday that the decision was a difficult one as the airline has been serving Athens since 1972 and Abu Dhabi since 2006.
It said the suspensions are in line with its policy to match capacity to prevailing market demand.
Customers who have confirmed tickets issued before May 16 for travel to and from Abu Dhabi and Athens after October 26, or after October 27 for the return Abu Dhabi-Singapore service, can get refunds, without administrative fees or penalties.
This also applies to KrisFlyer redemption tickets.
SIA will contact affected customers to offer alternative travel options.
It will continue to serve Dubai in the UAE.
Connections to and from Athens are also possible on Star Alliance partner airlines via several of SIA’s other European points.
Abu Dhabi is currently served three times per week.
Athens is served two times per week, rising to three times per week between early July and late September.
- CNA/wm
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Taiwan President Ma’s Approval Rating At Rock Bottom
TAIPEI: Taiwan President Ma Ying-jeou is to be sworn in on May 20 for his second term. But with his approval rating at rock bottom, he has little to rejoice.
President Ma was re-elected with a majority vote in January.
But he is now on the brink of becoming a lame duck president before the inauguration.
Even his supporters seem to have lost patience over a string of controversial policies.
“I think he needs to spend more time to find out what the people are thinking, (and) what they really want,” said a member of the public.
“He doesn’t seem to have done much since the election. And he is indecisive in his policies,” said another.
Mr Ma’s approval ratings are below 20 per cent, the lowest in three years.
This comes after the recent spikes in fuel and electricity prices.
But analysts said it is mainly due to resentment over his poor leadership.
Liu Shih Chung, research department director, Taiwan Brain Trust, said: “He is indecisive in making policies and he lacks conviction. That’s what triggered so much public anger. Even those within his own party don’t support him anymore. Mr Ma is now facing a confidence crisis.”
Chang Ya Chung, political science professor, National Taiwan University, said: “Many people are angry, especially the pro-KMT supporters, because Mr Ma gives in to public pressure too easily, even though he is not under any pressure for re-election.”
The pro-independence Democratic Progressive Party is seizing the opportunity to make a comeback after its defeat in the presidential race.
It plans to launch a large-scale protest against Mr Ma on the eve of his inauguration.
Mr Ma is also losing support in parliament, where his party, the Kuomintang, has a majority.
“In order to ensure their own re-election in 2016, these lawmakers are expected to side with the public’s opinion and reject Mr Ma’s policies such as fuel and electricity price hikes,” said Prof Chang.
Mr Ma may have secured a second term by playing the China card, but he is quickly losing that advantage.
To regain public confidence, analysts said he has to be more assertive and effective in addressing domestic issues. Otherwise, the KMT could risk losing power to the opposition after Mr Ma’s second term.
- CNA/cc
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Myanmar To Celebrate First Gay Pride Event
YANGON: Myanmar will hold its first ever gay pride celebrations Thursday, organisers said, as social attitudes liberalise in tandem with political reforms in the formerly army-ruled nation.
Same-sex relations are criminalised under the nation’s colonial penal code, and although it is not strictly enforced, activists say the law is still used by authorities to discriminate and extort.
The celebrations are part of the International Day against Homophobia and Trans-phobia and will take place in four cities across Myanmar, according to Aung Myo Min of the Human Rights Education Institute of Burma.
There will not be a parade, unlike at gay pride events in more liberal countries.
Instead, music, plays, documentaries and talks by authors will mark the occasion in Yangon, Mandalay, Kyaukpadaung and Monywa, Aung Myo Min said, adding that the events have been officially sanctioned.
“In the past a crowd of people at this kind of event would be assumed to be against the government — taking part in something like a protest,” he said.
“Now LGBT (lesbian, gay, bi-sexual and transgender) society has courage… and they dare to reveal their sexual orientation.”
Totalitarian politics along with conservative religious and social values have conspired to encourage many gay people to stay in the closet in Myanmar, formerly known as Burma.
Attitudes contrast markedly from neighbouring Thailand, where a lively gay and transsexual scene is a largely accepted part of society, which — like Myanmar — is mainly Buddhist.
But dramatic political change since the reformist government of President Thein Sein came to power last year is rippling out to wider society.
Calling on the government to repeal laws criminalising gay sex, Aung Myo Min said taking part in an international event would empower Myanmar’s gay population.
“They will have more courage to reveal their sexuality,” he said.
“If we don’t discriminate against them and respect that diversity, the world will be more beautiful than now.”
The past taboo on homosexuality in Myanmar has restricted awareness of sexual health among gays.
In some areas, including Yangon and Mandalay, as many as 29 percent of men having sex with men are HIV positive, according to a 2010 report by the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS.
- AFP/cc
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We Will Never Give Up Nuclear Rights: Iran Nuclear Negotiator
TEHRAN: Iran rejects Western pressures over its nuclear activities and will never give up its rights, Tehran’s chief nuclear negotiator said Thursday ahead crunch talks with world powers in Baghdad next week.
“If we participate in the negotiations… it is because of our resistance (to Western powers). Thanks to our resistance, we have defended the rights of the Iranian people,” Saeed Jalili said in a speech broadcast on local television.
“The Iranian people will never give up even an iota of their rights,” Jalili added, in reference to the Islamic republic’s nuclear drive which the West suspects is masking a weapons programme. Tehran vehemently denies the charge.
“I advise Western officials against making calculated mistakes. In Baghdad, we can negotiate for cooperation on the basis of respect for Iran’s undeniable rights.
“The path chosen by our country is a path of no return. The (West) would like to block Iran’s progress in the nuclear domain, but they have failed. Iran today has become a nuclear power,” he said.
Jalili also reiterated that sanctions and international pressure were not affecting Iran’s determination.
“To those who say that time is running for dialogue, I reply: What is running out is the policy of pressuring Iran, because this strategy has not yielded the results” expected by world powers.
The United States and the European Union have tightened economic sanctions on Iran, imposing tough restrictions on its vital oil industry, to pressure it over its disputed uranium enrichment programme.
US President Barack Obama warned Iran in March that time was running out to resolve the standoff through diplomacy.
Iran and the P5+1 — Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States plus Germany — held their first talks in 15 months in Istanbul in mid-April, and agreed to more in-depth discussions in Baghdad on May 23.
- AFP/wm
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