'Wayang?' Goh Meng Seng & Baey Yam Keng in Facebook fisticuffs over Tampines encounter

Goh Meng Seng, leader of the People's Power Party, shared his experience interacting with Tampines residents over the weekend of March 20, 2025.

While there, he bumped into PAP Member of Parliament and fellow Hwa Chong JC alumnus Baey Yam Keng, but the seemingly brief encounter has translated into a war of words played out over Facebook.

Goh Meng Seng's Tampines encounters

On March 30, Goh shared on Facebook that he and his team did a "tactical walkabout" in the Tampines North area, where he met Baey.

Goh and his National Solidarity Party team stood in Tampines in the 2011 GE, where he lost to a PAP team that included Baey.

Goh noted that Baey has been engaging residents at the "Happy Hawker" coffeeshop, giving regular policy talks. On Saturday, Baey was leading a team of volunteers picking up litter.

To this, Goh said he met residents who want him to conduct "Town Hall" debates with PAP members and those from other parties.

"My response is, why not? Let's just do it right at the open space next to Happy Hawker coffeeshop!" Goh said.

"He must be a bit worried"

He added that while he was at the group of coffeeshops, Baey returned to "observe our operations."

"I guess he must be a bit worried about our engagement activities because our style is entirely different from others," Goh said.

He shared that he helped a "young man with some difficulties" by calling Baey over to speak to the resident, so the man could get his MP's help "immediately."

Goh concluded that this is now the "golden opportunity" for residents to get what they want from their MPs, allegedly not because the MPs want to work extra hard for them, but to get their votes.

Not worried about their engagement activities: Baey

In his own Facebook post, Baey explained his side of things.

After the litter-picking exercise, Baey invited a guest, Marcus Chin, for a drink at the coffeeshop where Goh and his team was.

"I was not there “to observe (their) operations”and I am not “worried about (their) engagement activities," Baey said.

He shared that he's been holding 2-hour sessions in Tampines called "KopiTalks" every month since 2011, except during the Covid pandemic.

There, residents ask policy questions as well as share feedback.

Of Goh's mention of a "Town Hall" policy debate with all contending parties, Baey said he doesn't think it's necessary right now.

"Residents would know my views and my take on policies and issues over the years. If I have not been able to address my residents’ concerns over 14 years of KopiTalks, doing one policy debate just before GE won’t be meaningful," he said.

"Trust residents to assess my track record"

He added that for parties interested in serving Tampines residents, it is "good" for them to find their own platforms to articulate their policy positions.

Baey took issue with Goh's "golden opportunity" comment. He said it was natural to put in "extra effort" before a GE, but if he has not been serving residents well all this time, any hard work now would be futile.

"I trust my residents to be able to assess my track record since I came to Tampines in 2011. Likewise, I believe voters will also look at what PPP/Goh or any parties have done in the past few years, and not just during this Golden Opportunity," Baey said.

Don't undermine volunteers by saying it's a wayang

Finally, Baey said he spoke to two residents who interacted with Goh, who supposedly said that the litter-picking effort was just "wayang."

Baey said "please do not undermine the sincerity and public-spiritedness" of the 30 volunteers who turned up to do the litter-picking.

"Serving residents is not just doing some walkabouts and making general criticism of policies. It requires long term commitment and consistency. Someone has to do the unglamorous and mundane work," Baey said.

Response to the response

In another post on March 31, Goh said that someone else whispered "wayang" and he repeated the word at a louder volume.

"I have no interest to go around telling residents about their MP going around to wayang because I believe Singaporeans have a brain to decide," he said.

Goh then produced a numbered list of six points, including the assertion that the Town Council may be "incompetent" in maintaining cleanliness such that MPs have to go around picking up rubbish.

Goh said Baey should not feel "so uneasy and insecure" just because he was in his "territory", and while some residents say he is hard-working, picking up litter is "just a bit overdoing it".

Baey's constituency work

Baey has been regularly updating about his constituency work on social media.

In a post on March 29 (i.e. before Goh's first post), Baey shared that it has been 14 years since he started Meet the People sessions in Tampines North, and reminisced about residents whom he has become familiar with, such as young children who are now adults, or elderly residents who have become "more frail."

"At various stages of their lives, they may face different challenges or their situations could have improved. It’s a blessing that my team and I have been able to be a part of our residents’ lives," he said.

On Apr. 1, Baey also shared a note from one of his residents who hoped he would not get transferred to another GRC, adding that he was still making up for "lost opportunities" during the pandemic when house visits were not allowed.