Follow us on Telegram for the latest updates: https://t.me/mothershipsg
Following the resignation of Raeesah Khan from the Workers' Party (WP) and from her position as a Member of Parliament (MP) on Tuesday (Nov. 30), the WP confirmed on Thursday (Dec. 2) that the remaining three Sengkang GRC MPs will not be resigning to trigger a by-election.
This means that Sengkang GRC will be handled by He Ting Ru, Louis Chua, and Jamus Lim, who will be jointly taking care of the Compassvale ward, which Raeesah had previously overseen.
Compassvale will be jointly taken care of
Previously, Anchorvale was overseen by Lim, Buangkok by He, Rivervale by Chua, and Compassvale by Raeesah.
Photo via Facebook / He Ting Ru.
With the resignation of Raeesah, Compassvale will be jointly taken care of by Lim, He, and Chua, and the boundaries of Sengkang will be redrawn.
Photo via Workers' Party.
A "live overlay" of the boundary changes can be seen on Google Maps here.
Here is who will oversee the residents of the different areas:
- He: Blocks 215 to 241
- Chua: Blocks 244 to 256, 291 to 292, and 295 to 299
- Lim: Blocks 286 to 290, 293 to 294, and 257 to 263
"Folding Compassvale into the oversight of the three MPs ensures that all residents of Compassvale will continue to have a direct line of contact with an MP who will represent them," He said in a press conference on Thursday.
Residents are also welcome to reach out to any of the MPs even if they reside in a different division, as they have been able to do previously.
Operations of Sengkang Council will also be uninterrupted, and residents can continue to reach out to Town Council staff via existing channels. "SKTC remains committed to maintain high standards of service," He added.
He reiterated the commitment of the WP, the Sengkang MPs, and the Sengkang team of volunteers to "ensuring a smooth transition of resident affairs in the Compassvale division".
Faisal Manap to support Sengkang GRC
Faisal Manap, who is an MP in Aljunied GRC, will also support Sengkang GRC in an advisory capacity.
Responding to a question from media about whether the lack of an MP of a minority race in Sengkang might "raise eyebrows", WP secretary-general Pritam Singh acknowledged it to be a "relevant point".
He explained that that is the reason why Faisal is assisting in an advisory capacity, in order to work closely with the Sengkang MPs.
Another journalist noted that Raeesah had previously spoken up about minority issues, including those affecting the Malay community, and asked how the WP would give assurance to the community.
Singh said that the hope is that the presence of Faisal will assure Sengkang's Malay-Muslim residents that "their issues will not be ignored, and through him, can be put at the highest level in Parliament".
However, he also caveated his statement:
"But having said that, I also don't want to go too far with this, because as a multiracial country, there's nothing stopping any MP of any race to bring up issues that affect minority groups or communities. And this is something I think we have to remember very closely."
Still, he said, Faisal will be available to counsel the team if they need additional information or understanding on Malay-Muslim issues.
Related stories:
Follow and listen to our podcast here
Top photos via Facebook / He Ting Ru and Workers' Party.