Lim Tean says PAR has 10 assentors following claim that party lacks people to vouch for Potong Pasir candidate

The People's Alliance for Reform (PAR) has apparently found themselves in an "incredulous" situation.

That was the term that former Singapore People's Party (SPP) chairman Jose Raymond used when he claimed that the party was still searching for assentors for its Potong Pasir candidate this upcoming general election.

And with Nomination Day approaching less than 48 hours away on Apr. 23, time is running out.

Assentors are people who endorse a candidate.

For an SMC like Potong Pasir, the law states that a candidate needs to find four assentors, in addition to one proposer and one seconder.

Every proposer, seconder and assentor must be registered as an elector in the constituency that the candidate is contesting.

Raymond: Situation "doesn't really augur well"

Raymond put up a Facebook post claiming that he received three requests from three PAR individuals on April 21:

"How can you claim to have worked the ground for so many years, and not have assentors to vouch for you?

That’s rather incredulous.

While I hope you get your assentors for your battle, that you don’t at this point doesn’t really augur well, does it?"

Alongside Raymond's post was this image:

Raymond wrote that even as he expects to get attacked by the party for making this exchange public, he said he felt a sense of duty to "ensure the voters of Potong Pasir continue to be served well".

He ran as a candidate in GE2020 in Potong Pasir SMC, but lost to incumbent Sitoh Yih Pin of the People's Action Party (PAP), who secured 60.67 per cent of the votes in the single-seat constituency.

Raymond retired from politics in December 2020 that year.

Lim Tean: "There are dark forces trying to derail us"

Shortly after Raymond's post went up, Lim Tean, the secretary-general of PAR issued a response.

"As Nomination Day approaches, we can expect to see wild claims and stories being flung around. PAR shall remain calm because we intend to TAKE BACK Potong Pasir for the opposition! We have always known there are dark forces trying to derail us."

Lim's party put up Facebook post asking for assentors

As it turns out, Lim's own party, Peoples Voice, put up a Facebook post on Apr 21, 4:46pm, asking for assentors.

The post was edited in the wee hours of Apr. 22, switching out the word "assentors" for "volunteers":

While PAR has announced their intention to contest Potong Pasir SMC, the alliance has not revealed which one of its 14 candidates will stand in the constituency.

The SMC is expected to see a three-cornered fight between the PAR, SPP, and the incumbent PAP.

Top images: Lim Tean/Facebook, Jose Raymond/Facebook