I have friends in Woodlands, Aljunied and Tampines and all remarked that their MPs have been very busy since GE 2011 to canvass for votes.For example, my friend lives in Yishun, just next to Khoo Teck Phuat Hospital.
Their MP also goes around to visit door-to-door on an almost weekly basis to cover as much ground as possible.
In Aljunied, my friend said that recently, WP even gave them free rice to every household.
In Tampines, you can also sometimes see WP distributing and selling their newsletters around hawkers on Sundays.
For my side in Jurong, we have been relatively quite quiet.
We seldom have opposition parties and my friends all said that we have been forgotten. They said that Jurong area is a safe bet for PAP so they rather concentrate their attention in the Northern and Eastern side.
My MPs also never go door to door but then they will try their best to attend events on an ad hoc basis such as the recent Jurong Lake Run last month as well as the usual Meet the MP session etc.
Why is Jurong the Best Kept Secret for Swing Votes in GE 2016? Is it really an impenetrable fortress as my friends claims to be?
Not really. I stayed in Jurong for 10 years and studied in a school there.
Many of my friends who live in Jurong said that they are reluctant to vote for NSP or SDP because of the quality of candidates and insufficient time to know them better.
That video of Dr Chee Soon Juan acting like a lunatic and shouting at Mr Goh Chok Tong in Jurong during GE 2001 still haunts many voters until today.
As for NSP, many people are reluctant to vote for a new party. People attended NSP rallies just to see Nicole Seah but Nicole Seah was fielded in Marine Parade.
They did mention that they are also turned off by Ms Grace Fu's complaint about her pay cut on Facebook in 2012, Minister Tharman's $1000 Can Buy HDB Flat Remark in 2012 and Minister Gan Kim Yong's inability to stop the influx of PRCs and foreigners into Singapore. (Minister Gan was formerly the Ministry of Manpower before he became Health Minister).
And yet, when I attended a Reach forum on healthcare (Minister Gan is now Health Minister), I realised that Minister Gan has the highest EQ to sway people to vote for him.
He has a fatherly figure look that can sway auntie voters. And true enough, he was the best performing candidate in GE2011.
During one session, he even got the audience to applaud a retired nurse for her contribution in the healthcare industry. That is the power of a charismatic leader.
At that moment, I could have forgiven him for he letting the huge influx of foreigners into Singapore as Manpower Minister.
However, do remember that in GE 1991, PAP Dr Seet Ai Mei lost Bukit Batok. Mrs Yu-Foo Yi Shun almost narrowly won the seat in Yuhua Jurong in GE 1991 with around 57 per cent of the votes.
At that time, Dr Seet was criticised for being too rich tai tai, too aloof and did not have the connection with voters.
It took a fatherly figure Ang Mong Seng to win back the seat from SDP in 1997.
Do not underestimate Jurong. We may be Singapore's best bet for swing votes in GE 2016. We just need good quality candidates to bring about change.
CJ
TRS Contributor