Sengkang Town Council to be set up in three months: PAP, Latest Singapore News - The New Paper
Singapore

Sengkang Town Council to be set up in three months: PAP

This article is more than 12 months old

Candidates say it would serve residents better, promise to introduce new amenities

People's Action Party (PAP) candidates contesting in Sengkang GRC have said they will set up a new town council within three months if they are elected in the July 10 polls.

Labour chief Ng Chee Meng, who is leading the PAP team in a face-off against the Workers' Party (WP), noted that the areas in the new group representation constituency are now served by two town councils.

Anchorvale is covered by Ang Mo Kio Town Council, while Compassvale and Rivervale fall under Pasir Ris-Punggol Town Council.

Creating a new Sengkang Town Council would help them to "know residents' requirements much more intimately", said Mr Ng, 51, in a virtual press conference yesterday.

He did not say where the town council would be located.

Fellow candidate Raymond Lye, a lawyer with more than 20 years of town council experience, would be in charge of setting it up.

"We aim to be more responsive and more focused in terms of the services for our residents," said Mr Lye, 54, adding that residents the team spoke to said they liked the idea.

Mr Ng and Mr Lye are part of the PAP's four-member team for the new Sengkang GRC.

The other two are Senior Parliamentary Secretary for Home Affairs and Health Amrin Amin, 41, who has moved from Sembawang GRC, and Senior Minister of State for Health and Transport Lam Pin Min, 50, whose former Sengkang West single seat has been partly absorbed into Sengkang GRC.

The team noted that the town council would, together with government agencies, introduce more amenities, such as playgrounds, fitness zones, barrier-free access routes, covered linkways and community gardens.

Lifts would be upgraded with better safety features.

Responding to an observation that the PAP's Sengkang team seemed more focused on local issues than national ones, Mr Ng said he wants to "bring national policies into the neighbourhood" and give residents a better understanding of existing schemes - from professional conversion programmes to enhanced absentee payroll support.

Sengkang GRC, which has more than 120,000 voters, is shaping up to be a hot battleground in the election.

The PAP is up against a WP team comprising lawyer He Ting Ru, 37, economics associate professor Jamus Lim, 44, social enterprise founder Raeesah Khan, 26, and equity research analyst Louis Chua, 33.

The WP's Sengkang team was also out in the same area yesterday evening, although the two parties did not cross paths.

The WP candidates first greeted residents at Renjong LRT station before going to a nearby coffee shop to talk to residents.

Prof Lim, who was joined by Mr Chua and Ms Khan, handed out fliers to commuters and diners.

ADDITIONAL REPORTING: AUDREY TAN

GENERAL ELECTION 2020