People's Power Party secretary-general Goh Meng Seng (right) and his fellow Tampines GRC candidate Peter Soh on a walkabout in Tampines Street 81 on April 27, 2025. - Photo: ST
SINGAPORE: The People’s Power Party (PPP) hopes that come May 3, more opposition parties will be voted into Parliament.
Speaking to the media on Sunday (April 27) after a walkabout at Block 826A Tampines Street 81, party secretary-general Goh Meng Seng said he hopes both the PSP and Singapore Democratic Party (SDP) are voted in.
Mentioning PSP’s Leong Mun Wai and SDP’s Dr Chee Soon Juan and Professor Paul Tambyah by name, Goh said he and they may not agree on everything, but that their diversity would result in robust debate in Parliament.
“They are all my good friends,” he said. “They are people of conviction, although we share different views and policy ideals and values.”
He added that he hopes Tampines residents will vote for the PPP, so there can be more debates than between just the PAP and WP.
The PPP team contesting in Tampines GRC consists of Goh and party chairman Derrick Sim, as well as landscaping executive Vere Nathan, green tech firm founder Peter Soh and entrepreneur Arbaah Haroun.
During the walkabout, Goh was overheard using a crass word to make his case to residents on why they should vote for opposition parties that are not the WP.
Asked about the word, which alludes to rape and violence, he said it was “local language” and that what he meant was that he wanted more diversity in Parliament, not just the PAP and WP.
Goh had criticised the WP’s move to not contest Marine Parade-Braddell Heights GRC on Nomination Day on April 23.
Responding to Goh’s comments on April 24, WP secretary-general Pritam Singh said Goh should focus on the campaign in Tampines.
Goh said later at the PPP rally the same day: “Don’t ask me about Pritam Singh again. I’m not interested in him, I’m not gay.” His comment drew laughter from spectators.
The next day, on April 25, Singh told the media: “Goh Meng Seng is Goh Meng Seng. Nothing’s going to change.”
Goh in turn told the media on April 27: “If Goh Meng Seng is not Goh Meng Seng, I may as well go and hide somewhere. But Pritam Singh will always be Pritam Singh.”
Both he and Sim also commented about Sim’s Facebook account being suddenly disabled on April 25.
Sim said he has reported the issue to Meta, which owns Facebook, and has changed his security settings.
Goh chimed in, saying the party intends to report the incident to the police, believing it to be caused by “black forces” and “powers that be”.
“This is real interference of a fair contest,” he said. “This should not be taken lightly. We have to get to the bottom of this.” - The Straits Times/ANN
