It might look like the by-elections in Hougang is not an important event; it is after all, an election of ONE member of parliament. What can the ONE member of parliament do after all?

We have two candidates: Png Eng Huat from the incumbent Worker’s Party and his opponent, Desmond Choo from the People’s Action Party. The seat has been a WP seat for over 21 years and from all accounts, they did a good job despite all the road blocks thrown at them from the ruling PAP.

Desmond has been campaigning that he is his own man and that the elections would be of local issues. Funny that his party does not think that he is his own man and had to have the big wigs from the party (DPM Teo CH, PM Lee HL just to name two) to start the classic smear campaigns against Eng Huat – all over Eng Huat not accepting the Non-Constituency Member of Parliament post from the last elections.

Let’s make one thing clear – the NCMP is a stupid scheme and is not worthy of consideration.  So, frankly, if Eng Huat feels that he should not be taking that seat, that is a laudable position.   Would the DPM and his boss, the PM, be willing to be NCMPs themselves? I don’t think so. They can do all the tarring they want, but in continuing to do this, they are showing that they and their party – the PAP – is just as clueless and disengaged as they were going into the general elections last year. The PAP has nothing to go with to counter the strong ground sentiment against them that they have to bring up a totally irrelevant and meaningless issue to try to distract the electorate (see, even when we tax payers pay these “ministers” the millions, their behaviour does not change).

I have no doubt that the WP will win Hougang and I would be more interested in the victory margin.

PAP does not need another seat in parliament.

They have the majority and will continue to abuse their position.

An extra seat is not going to change any of the PAP’s Bad Behaviour, but one less seat could.

Singapore needs more non-PAP voices in Parliament and I am sure my fellow Singaporeans in Hougang will do the Right Thing.

Majulah Singapura.