This last weekend was an eventful one for the Singapore Democratic Party (SDP).

Not only did they have to scramble at the last minute to find a venue for their general election campaign kick-off event, but they found themselves in an exchange of words with JTC Corporation.

Now according to a Straits Times report, KCC Ventures (KCCV) has given a statement apologising to both the SDP and JTC, while accepting responsibility for “being the cause of the misunderstanding” between the two organisations.

The SDP had been meaning to launch its campaign on Feb. 23 at a venue in Eunos Ave 3 run by KCCV, which according to the SDP, is the business arm of Kingdom Community Church, a local Christian church. 

But the SDP were told the day before the event that they could no longer use the venue.

After a search that the SDP described as “frenetic”, they eventually found another venue, albeit one that charged rental costs that were three times more.

KCCV has contacted the SDP to apologise, while also offering to pay the difference between venue rental costs as well as the cancellation fee of the political party's caterer.

Sparking an exchange of words

In an email the SDP shared with Mothership, KCCV had initially blamed the last-minute cancellation on an unforeseen JTC inspection.

This caused the SDP to cite a JTC inspection as one of the reasons for the last-minute change of venue, in a statement SDP released on their website.

JTC then responded with a statement of their own denying any involvement or knowledge of the cancellation, while remarking that “it is totally irresponsible” to make allegations of “political motives on the part of JTC”.

In a response on Facebook, the SDP said that their statement had been based on the KCCV’s initial explanation for the cancellation.

It was only subsequently that KCCV clarified that the building’s management did not allow political events to be held there without board approval.

KCCV has also contacted JTC to apologise.

Not the regular course of business

Speaking to the Straits Times, KCCV said that the event had been cancelled because its staff had not sought approval from the building’s landlord and the KCCV board.

Such approval was supposedly needed for events that are “not in the regular course of KCCV’s business”.

A KCCV spokesman was reported as saying that “typical events that are hosted at the venue would include video and audio recordings, panel interviews, music and vocal training, and post-production work, among others”.

The board had only heard about the campaign launch on Friday, Feb. 22, the day before the event.

Mothership has reached out to the SDP for further comment.

Top left image from Kingdom Community Church, right photo by Andrew Koay