His team, he said, intends to “continue reaching out to them” and understanding their concerns to make sure that the PAP helps them in the long term. He added the government already has initiatives in place to respond to the varying needs of different communities.
At the community centre’s basketball court, jars of pre-packaged cookies were neatly stacked on tables as volunteers loaded goodie bags into vans for distribution to families in two nearby blocks.
One of the recipients, 38-year-old Nur Deena Mardiana, expressed gratitude after being visited by Dr Maliki. “I’m thankful for the kindness. I look forward to sharing the cookies with my relatives when they visit,” she said.
The unemployed mother-of-five lives in a two-room HDB flat. Her husband “works all around the clock, doing two to three jobs” back-to-back, even on a Saturday. They hope to move to a bigger flat to help accommodate all eight family members.
Previously, she ran a food stall in a primary school canteen and received three months of support from the Community Development Welfare Fund during the school holidays when she had no income.
However, Ms Deena hopes that the government can offer her more rations, especially with her two youngest children still dependent on milk and diapers. Although she knows she can approach her MP for help, she said it is difficult to find the time as she is often rushing to pick her children up from school.
POTENTIAL CANDIDATES
In response to queries from the media about potential new politicians in East Coast GRC, Ms Chan said that it was “too early” to discuss such matters and that everything would be decided by the PAP headquarters.
“I don’t know who will be deployed here, honestly, because I haven’t been told myself either. So I just think we’ll have to wait,” she added.
Last week, the Straits Times reported that Mr Heng welcomed Minister for Culture, Community and Youth Edwin Tong into the fold during a morning walkabout at Simei Plaza last Saturday (March 15).
Mr Tong’s Joo Chiat ward was subsumed into East Coast GRC under the new electoral boundaries announced in March.
Asked about Mr Tong, Dr Maliki said he would be welcomed if designated to join the team, but the decision rests with the prime minister.
“At the end of the day, more importantly is that whoever is standing in East Coast GRC will continue to meet the needs of the residents, (as well as) present and execute the plans in the next five years if we are voted,” he said.
