Former Nee Soon GRC MP Lee Bee Wah debunks PSP candidate's post "PSP candidates should not exploit the elderly for political advantage".

On July 8, 2020, Progress Singapore Party Nee Soon GRC candidate Kala Manickam put up a Facebook post regarding a few seniors that PSP claimed was in need of financial help.

"I had a long conversation with a Nee Soon resident which disturbed me deeply emotionally. An elderly couple in their 70s barely has 2 meals of noodles or bread almost every day without stable meals. Even at times, she would pick vegetables that would be left at the stalls.

Her hubby picks cartons to survive, where he needs to accumulate the weight of 1Kg to make 5 cents per kilogram even though he is not in good physical / mental condition. In addition to the few dollars earned from selling the cartons, which is definitely not enough, they have to tap on their “coffin money” to barely survive."

Kala put up two photographs of elderly residents in Nee Soon.

She ends her post with this:

My team and I are honoured to serve the people of Nee Soon and take on the challenge of not just looking after the neighbourhood but bringing back the Kampong spirit on a wider scale.

Later on in the day, Lee came out with a post seemingly targeted at the aforementioned post by Kala.

Here it is:

Here's Lee's clarification on the couple:

"The couple in black t-shirts in PSP's post:

- Our resident approached the couple today. The wife said that the PSP contingent kept probing her. She was uncomfortable the entire time. When our resident translated PSP's post for her, she said, "Why they anyhow say.. I've never said anything like that.."

- The vegetables that PSP claimed she scrounged from stalls, were actually given by her friends and neighbours.

- This lady said, she is not well to do, but she gets by. She does not want to apply for financial assistance, because she does not want to depend on others. She had told the PSP contingent this, but they kept pressing her to apply for assistance from the SSO. This lady knows the RC members in Chong Pang and knows that she can approach them if she needs any help."

Here's her statement about the pink-shirt elderly woman:

"Lady in pink in PSP's post:

- This lady used to come to my MPS every alternate week. I always tell her to let me know if she needs any help, and she always says she's OK.

- My resident visited the lady again today. She said she could not hear a word the PSP people said, because she is quite deaf in both ears. One of them helped her push her cart, so she accepted it. The lady acknowledged that her daughter is supporting her and told her not to collect cardboard anymore."

Lee ended off her post with this:

"Many of the elderly in our neighbourhood look frail, but they have their dignity. Taking photos without permission and making false claims about them makes them very embarassed and distressed, because they do not know how to correct the lies. To protect their privacy, I will not post any photos of them.

PSP candidates should not exploit the elderly for political advantage."

Image from Kala Manickam and Lee Bee Wah