More than 15,000 people who attended the Workers’ Party (WP) rally last night went home impressed after hearing Chen Show Mao’s maiden speech.
Chen, who is contesting in the Aljunied constituency (GRC) along with WP chairman Low Thia Khiang, party chairperson Sylvia Lim, Pritam Singh and Faisal Abdul Manap, was given a loud round of applause by the crowd in a field along Hougang Central as he was introduced on stage.
WP’s “Star Catch” then introduced himself in Malay and Tamil before delivering his speech in English and Mandarin.
He called the crowd “brothers and sisters” and said he was heeding the call of world leaders to come home and serve the country and that “it’s good to be home.”
During his speech in English, he pointed out that wages were not growing as fast as the country’s GDP, stressing that most of the growth was coming from corporate profits and the wages of top earners.
Speaking in Mandarin, Chen urged voters to think about how they cast their vote and then consider how many “five years” they have left in their lives to choose their government.
WP Secretary-General Low, who has been Hougang’s MP for the past 20 years, also drew cheers from the crowd when he spoke of Justice and Home Affairs Minister K. Shanmugam, describing the WP as a “co-driver,” saying that Low was indispensable, especially when “the road is difficult to travel.”
To everyone’s delight, he said: “The passenger is there to slap the driver in the face if he goes off the track or falls asleep!”
Then he added: “But of course, if he’s driving responsibly, then just keep talking to him to keep him awake.”
Yaw Shin Leong, who will replace Low in Hougang and face Desmond Choo of the People’s Action Party, spoke of the “Hougang spirit” of residents and asked why they were being punished for supporting the opposition.
Towards the end of his speech, he cheered the audience as he asked them: “Will you support us?” Hougang-based accountant Marx Seet was one of the thousands who responded: “We will support you!”
Some people Yahoo! Singapore Those interviewed felt that this was a good start to WP’s electoral campaign, especially as its senior team faces a tough battle in Aljunied GRC.
“It’s the first time I’ve seen Singaporeans so passionate about something like this. But I hope the crowds will turn into votes for them,” said 28-year-old Kelvin Tey.
Others felt the WP could do more at its rallies. Deryck Chan, 25, said: “Some of the speakers could have done more to stir the emotions of the crowd.”
Juliana Yong, who was voting for the second time, added: “I am here because I want to make an informed decision and get a clearer picture of who I want to vote for when I go to the polls.”
For 36-year-old M. Ng, being at the rally was a special reason. “I came especially to hear his speech. I didn’t even eat dinner to come to this rally,” she said, before shouting “Chen Show Mao, I love you!” as he was introduced on stage.
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