GE: Professionals, former civil servants among SPP volunteers - 20Apr2011SINGAPORE: The Singapore People's Party (SPP) said it has good support from professionals and former civil servants who have stepped forward to volunteer their services and the party will deploy them accordingly in the run-up to Polling Night. The SPP team for Bishan-Toa Payoh GRC has been out and about, understanding the needs of residents. For Toa Payoh, where a largely elderly population resides, medical and transport costs, and the cost of living are key issues. And with just a week to Nomination Day, the plan now is to get to know the people better. Secretary-General of the SPP, Chiam See Tong, said: "Almost without fail, everyone we've met says that they shall be supporting us. With such a response, how can we fail?" But the party cannot do this alone. It has recruited supporters, some of whom are professionals such as lawyers, accountants, and ex-civil servants. One of the members of the SPP, Benjamin Pwee, said: "The people that have stepped forward to volunteer themselves are people within our circle of friends, people who know myself, Jimmy (Lee), Wilfred (Leung) and (Mohamad) Hamim; many who are very inspired by Mr Chiam and what he represents. "We're very encouraged. A lot of them want to stay in the background and just be quiet volunteers, but we're hoping a few of them will be wanting to, like us, take a step forward and be publicly known." Mr Pwee said his party is also firming up plans to set up a community foundation, making use of donations that have been streaming in. This fund is aimed at helping Singaporeans who fall through the cracks of the system, and is applicable to anyone from any constituency, regardless of political affiliation. The party said it will reveal more details closer to Nomination Day. As for the party's manifesto, Mr Pwee said the party will release specific proposals over the next few weeks. He said: "You've heard Jimmy (Lee) speak of entrepreneurship in public transport and allowing more small players to come in. You've heard some of us talk about how we can look at cooperatives and how that could lead to greater equitable distribution of wealth to the rest of society. "So we'll be coming up with some fairly specific proposals - some of them in direct response to the PAP manifesto as well, to see how we can add value, bring Singapore forward and make sure nobody gets left behind." code pour embarquer la vidéo : >>> http://www.youtube.com/embed/OElUTnxxk10 <<< |