Hougang Memories, Our Singapore Story (II)

This is an update regarding the 'Hougang Memories, Our Singapore Story' project. The project's steering committee met up last Saturday (25/06/11).

It was a very good meeting, whereby workload was divided amongst members of the steering committee. This steering committee will be meeting up again tomorrow and for another session on 02/07/2011 (Sat) to finalize research questions, the approach and framework etc

The main project team will meet up again on the 09/07/2011 (Sat) for further task division. Meanwhile about 20 Hougang senior citizens have indicated to Shin Leong that they are open to share their Hougang memories :)

These 20 Hougang senior citizens may not be amongst the finalized list of interviewees selected. This is because the steering committee is still in the midst of seeking out more senior Hougang citizens to come forward to share their stories.

The team hope to present a balanced slate of interviewees, taking gender, ethnicity, social background and industry background into consideration.

Once the research questions, the approach and framework is finalized by the steering committee, the main project team would need to make personal visits to these residents armed with an interviewer's question kit to ask and to record answers provided.

If you are keen to be part of this purposeful project, you may email Shin Leong at yawsl@wp.sg. This is really a very meaningful, fun and interesting project :)

Photo 1: Steering Committee Members in a discussion

Photo 2: Map of Old Hougang (from 3rd Milestone to 7th Milestone) - Available in NAS (Circa 1970) - Courtesy of Miss Petricia Tan (Team Member, Hougang Memories, Our Singapore Story Project's Steering Committee)

Ten Years On…

Today (24th June 2011) marks the commencement of my 11th year of political activism with the Workers’ Party. Concurrently this month marks the start of heavier political responsibilities for me, both in Hougang constituency and in the Workers’ Party. Typically on this day, I will spend time to reflect, improve and share. Below is a brief sharing:

Not long after GE2011, I received a flower basket from an institutional organization. A part of the accompanying note read, ‘You are the answer to our prayers’. Although can’t help but cringed at the reading of that sentence, I recognize the expectations of many Singaporeans upon the 6 Elected + 2 NCMP WP members + 1 NCMP SPP member.

The expectations from Singaporeans must be expected, still these expectations must be viewed in the context of a ‘81 versus 9’ Parliament, whereby the incumbent party holds the overwhelming majority, a rarity in democratic parliamentary systems. Comparing with Singapore’s previous Parliament, the entry of 9 opposition members is a good progression for our country’s political development.

The next 5 years will be highly critical for the opposition movement. This is because during this period, each opposition Member of Parliament would be easily ‘shadowed’ by at least 9 other incumbent party Members of Parliament. Actually this ratio is already ‘manageable’, considering that when the late Mr. Joshua Benjamin Jeyaretnam (JBJ), (WP's Ex-Secretary General) broke the incumbent party’s absolute hegemony in parliament; it was 1 versus 74!

Personally I will continue to do my part, in consolidating & expanding the in-roads made by the opposition. However this political journey cannot be treaded just by the 9 of us. This political journey must be a collective one, made together with fellow Singaporeans, inclusive of political parties’ members, volunteers, constituents, supporters, donors, sympathizers, so on and so forth.

Most importantly, the rationale behind the need to consolidate & expand upon the opposition (particularly WP’s) in-roads in Parliament must be based on highly pro-Singapore, for-Singapore and loves-Singapore motivations.

Having journeyed with the WP for 10 years, it remains my political resolve to continue identifying, cultivating and multiplying a certain type of Singaporean, who is for Singapore, pro Singapore and loves Singapore. This certain type must be highly committed to Singapore's national development and is radically committed to serve Singapore via the Workers’ Party.

Such a Singaporean sees the critical need to invest his/ her life in identifying, cultivating and multiplying similar types. A profound sense of destiny, blind loyalty and intense passion for Singapore are the hallmarks of such an individual.

Will you join me?

Photo 1: Reciting the national pledge on 5th May 2011 WP rally @ Serangoon Stadium

Photo 2: Shin Min Daily News Report (26th June 2011)

Afternoon lunch with Hougang Cleaners

Today Hougang cleaners had a lunch date with MP Yaw Shin Leong. It was a simple affair, buffet lunch at the void deck, and the team of 40 over cleaners was invited.

The cleaners, dressed in their yellow and blue uniform, gathered enthusiastically to meet the new MP for Hougang at noon.

Prior to this, the four supervisors of the team had shortlisted 12 individuals to be honoured for their outstanding dedication and commitment in keeping Hougang clean.

Mr Yaw held a simple award giving ceremony, awarding each of the 12 individuals a certificate of excellence. Thank you folks for keeping Hougang clean.

View more photos here.

Exploring Humanitarian Youth Expeditions in Sabah

Earlier this morning both Pritam & Shin Leong met their Malaysian friends from Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR). The PKR delegation included:

1)Mr Darell Leiking (PKR Deputy Secretary-General & PKR Sabah State’s Penampang Division Chief),

2)Mr Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad (PKR Selangor State Assemblyman for Seri Setia & PKR Communications Director),

3)Mr Ryan Soo (PKR Sabah State Youth Exco Chief)

4)Dr Natassa Sarah (PKR Sabah State Youth Exco)

Pritam & Shin Leong hosted their friends to a kopi-&-toast session at Eunos Division, Aljunied GRC. It was a friendly meeting with frank exchanges of thoughts, political updates and collaboration opportunities. The group of friends agreed to strengthen the 'P2P' (People To People) ties between our two countries.

For instance, the six friends are all very excited by the possibility of youths from Hougang SMC, Eunos Division and Sabah State coming together for a good cause, such as participating in PKR spearheaded humanitarian expeditions to the rural interior of Sabah where indigenous tribes reside.

Are you a youth (below 40 years or anyone who is ‘young’ at heart!) residing in Hougang SMC or Eunos Division (Aljunied GRC)? If you are keen to be part of a humanitarian expedition to Sabah’s rural interior, please email of your interest to both Pritam (pritam.singh@wp.sg) & Shin Leong (yawsl@wp.sg).

While nothing concrete has been decided, yet when like-minded Malaysian & Singaporean youths gather for a good purpose, the positive possibilities are boundless!

Informal Chat with Christopher Neo

This evening I caught up with Christopher Neo Ting Wei, the Vice President of National Solidarity Party (NSP) over dinner. It is our first meet up after GE2011.

Typically Chris & I will meet up from time to time to exchange partisan news, candid viewpoints and forward strategies regarding Singapore's political development.

It is always good to hear Chris share his frank thoughts on the opposition movement.

Hougang Residents to Unite At Jusco

On this coming 26th June 2011 (Sunday), many Hougang residents have already signed up for one of the two '1-Day tour'' options available.

The first tour option is to be organized by the PAP-affiliated Hougang CCC Senior Citizens Executive Committee (& the RCs). This tour is known as the ‘Durian Fragrant Festival 1 Day Tour’.

The second tour option is to be organized by the WP-affiliated Hougang Constituency Committee. This tour is known as the ‘1 Day Malaysia Tour’.

Interestingly the visit to Jusco was added to the first tour option’s itinerary (scribbled in ink). This means both tour groups are set to meet at Jusco @ Tebrau City Megamall on that day.

Hougang residents are looking forward to a great shopping experience there :)

Photo 1: HGCC & RC posters

Photo 2: Shin Min Daily News Report

Esprit de Corps of Team HGCC

The newly re-formed Hougang Constituency Committee (HGCC), Workers' Party grassroots organizing arm for Hougang SMC held its second meeting last evening (14th June 2011).

HGCC Chairman, Yaw Shin Leong & fellow committee members warmly welcomed Kathleen Choo into team. Team HGCC vetted and passed through the minutes of its first meeting (20th May 2011). The agenda for the second meeting was then circulated and discussions commenced.

One key decision made during this meeting was the re-conceptualization of ‘Team MIO’ which was meant to play an advisory role in HGCC’s organization of community-specific grassroots functions such as ‘Deepavali Nite’, ‘Hari Raya Aidilfitri Nite’ & ‘Children X’mas Party’

The outcome of the re-conceptualization witnessed the birth of ‘Hougang Cultural Committee’ (HCC). The new HCC will now advise and assist HGCC in the organization of all community-specific grassroots functions such as ‘Lantern Parade’, ‘Deepavali Nite’, ‘Hari Raya Aidilfitri Nite’, ‘Children X’mas Party’ & ‘Lunar New Year Dinner’

Each HGCC member will be an in-charge (IC) or overseer (O/S) for a specific HGCC committee or network:

Hougang Welfare Committee (HWC IC: Benny Chua, 2IC: Christine Ong),
Hougang Cultural Committee (HCC IC: Manja, 2IC: Pam Chae),
Hougang Football Network (HFN O/S: Dios Chae),
Hougang Women Support Network (HWSN O/S: Kathleen Choo),
Hougang Social-Entrepreneurs Network (HSEN O/S: Eric Sim),
Hougang Memories Project (HMP O/S: Md Fairoz),
Hougang Youth Mentorship Programme (HYMP O/S: Edmund Soh)
Hougang Cabbies Network (HCN O/S: Zafran Coelho)

1st Photo: Team HGCC (L to R): Fairoz, Zafran, Pam, Christine, Benny, Chris, Shin Leong, Eric, Wang Lin, Edumund, Kathleen, Dios & Manja

2nd Photo: Hougang Cultural Committee

3rd Photo: Several HGCC members having prata at Jalan Kayu!

Hougang Memories & Our Singapore Story

Last Saturday, Shin Leong met up with several Singaporeans interested to play their part in the capturing the memories of a selected group of 10-odd Singaporeans who has ever lived (or are still living) in the old geographical area known as Hougang. Hougang in earlier Singapore’s modern history included the area that stretches from:

1) Third milestone (Hougang Sa Ko Jiok), referring to Bendemeer Road area (Former Upper Serangoon Fire Station)
2) Fourth milestone (Hougang Si Ko Jiok), referring to Potong Pasir area
3) Fifth milestone (Hougang Gor Ko Jiok), starting from Upper Serangoon & junction of Boundary Road, near Lor Ah Soo/ Lor Liew Lian.
4) Sixth milestone (Hougang Lak Ko Jiok), referring to Kovan area
5) Seven milestone (Hougang Qi Ko Jiok), referring to the area of Upper Serangoon Road & Tampines Road.

This project came about after a chance meeting between Shin Leong, a Member of Parliament for Hougang & his constituent, Mr Shu Liang Cheng, 81 years of age who in his younger days was a member of the Malayan Peoples’ Anti-Japanese Army (MPAJA) based in Johor. That sharing intrigued Shin Leong who wanted to find out more about Mr Shu’s story.

Another constituent bluntly put it to Shin Leong that he has to act fast, because we won’t have much time left. That comment motivated Shin Leong to assemble a small team of writers to put together a book that captures the oral histories of Hougang Singaporeans like Mr Shu who has directly & indirectly played a part in our Singapore story.

Shin Leong blogged about his encounter with Mr Shu via the blog post ‘War Hero in Hougang’ and called for like-minded Singaporeans to join him in a project to capture the ‘oral histories’ of elderly Singaporeans. Several individuals responded to the call and the tentative project name ‘Hougang Memories & Our Singapore Story’ was born.

During the Saturday meeting, Shin Leong shared his heartbeat to the team that this must be a ‘pro-Singapore, for-Singapore and loves-Singapore’ project. It must also be a de-politized project that transcends beyond partisan lines. In fact within the project team itself, there are members across political affiliations :)

If you know of any elderly Singaporean relatives, neighbors or friends who had ever lived in the old geographical area of Hougang, please let us know. Do email us a brief summary of this person. Potentially this person could be selected to be featured in this book project. Please email the summary to hgcc@wp.sg. If you are keen to be a writer for this project, please email yawsl@wp.sg. Thank you.

Photo: Project Team Members behind 'Hougang Memories & Our Singapore Story'

Discussions With Canine Activists

This evening Shin Leong held informal discussions with a group of canine activists (dogs’ rescuers/ lovers), including 2 veteran canine activists residing in Hougang SMC. They updated Shin Leong with the latest issues, their concerns and ideas surrounding dog welfare, including the following:

1) How would the permitting of keeping mongrels (mixed-breed dogs) in HDB flats positively contribute to the issue of reducing community dogs’ (usually known as strays) population in Singapore.

2) The logic behind the hefty cost of rescuing dogs from AVA [#$93 impoundment fee, $200 for unlicensed dogs, $16.50 for boarding, $100 for ‘straying’] and why dog rescuers should not be financially penalized for rescuing dogs.

3) The economics & implications of commissioning contractors to catch community dogs. [*$200 per dog], that partly explain the reason behind the hefty cost of rescuing dogs from AVA.

**One of the canine activists shared with Shin Leong that according to her sources, dogs that AVA & SPCA put to sleep are being gassed instead of lethal injections. Shin Leong is of the view that it is quite improbable for AVA & SPCA to treat dogs in such inhumane manner but agreed to clarify with relevant authorities on their SOP (Standard Operating Procedures) behind each dog scheduled to put to sleep.

The group also agreed that there is a need to have in place responsible pet owner guidelines (for example, one that is mirrored after the robust Australian pets’ laws). Other ideas include best practices that require pet owners to report missing dogs to AVA/ SPCA and the idea of yearly vets’ health screening was raised.

The dog lovers had a fruitful discussion and will certainly meet again to update each other on progress & new initiatives.

Following this discussion, Shin Leong is interested to put together a feasible ‘Community Dogs Management Programme’ modeled after one of CWS (Cat Welfare Society)’s initiatives. Shin Leong is seeking out fellow dog lovers to spearhead this initiative and to join him in this humane journey.

Do email him at yawsl@wp.sg if you are interested. Thank you.

# The figure for the microchipping should be $50+gst. Not $93 as stated. This is shared by one of the canine activist who emailed me.

* The correct amount is $250, this was pointed out by another canine activist, who messaged me that this amount was confirmed by the AVA when they held a meeting with them.

** The same canine activist who informed me about the above $250 correction also shared with me that there is no gas chamber in Singapore. This activist said that SPCA do PTS (Put To Sleep) through injections and they employ vets to do that. However this activist said that it is rumored that AVA did PTS through electrocution, which this activist personally think it's quite true cos it's quite impossible to inject fearful strays which will surely bite. Accordingly to this activist, SPCA had requested AVA to allow them to witness the dog culling progress but was rejected.

Hey We Care!

It was 9am in the morning (12 June 2011) Hougang Constituency Committee (HGCC)’s welfare committee mobilised more than 10 volunteers from Hougang Women Support Network (HWSN) this day to help 2 Hougang needy families to clean their homes.

Team 1

The Welfare Committee termed the mobilization project as ‘后港爱心总动员’. The group of enthusiastic volunteers turned up early in the morning at this 1-room HDB rental flat, only to be greeted by a strange foul smell, and a grim sight. It was a small flat fully heaped with things, clothing and food from the living room, to the bedroom and the kitchen. The dwellers were 1 elderly lady, 70, with her younger sister, 60 and daughter, 46. And they were owners of 2 little dogs, despite the mess in the house.

Undaunted, the team set to work immediately, together with their MP Yaw Shin Leong who also decided to spend his Sunday together with the team for this altruistic cause. This family had been complained by their neighbours for the fire hazardous conditions in the house.

After much persuasion, they finally allowed the volunteers to clear away their unwanted stuff, from bags to clothing; most were given, bought or picked up from the streets. The team’s ‘horror’ slowly unveiled as they opened cabinets after cabinets and it reached a peak when the fridge was opened. It contained bags and bags of rotten fishes, meat and other vegetables that had been kept too long. The Town Council also gave their support by sending their team to help with the clearance of the junk, which included expired foodstuff and rotten food. They had to mobilize at least 8 ‘wheeled green bins’ to clear the junk.

Despite the ‘threat’ of huge creepy crawlers that fly - cockroaches (the pest control termed them as ‘American cockroaches, a mature breed of roaches), lizards, fleas, flies and all sorts of insects reacting to the invasion of their space, the team of volunteers worked relentlessly and stoically at the task on hand, to clean up the house so that the family can have a better home to sleep in at night. This is an underprivileged home, the family was on Public Assistance Welfare Scheme, and most of the foodstuffs were items given by welfare groups. However, a lack of ability to manage the household had resulted in lots of foodstuff going to rot. The 3 ladies were uneducated and unemployed. And the daughter’s husband was away in remand.

The team finally ended their operation at around 5pm. It was like a full day’s work. Most of the youthful volunteers had never experienced such humongous amount of junk, dirt and decaying food. At the end of the day, it was a fulfilling experience, to see the flat transformed into a clean, and spacious living space. The 3 dwellers looked relieved, and happy. They had long forgotten they had a sofa seater in their flat. Finally, that is a place that can be called ‘Home’.


Team 2

Team 2 started their operation at another 3 room flat in Hougang at midday. This flat was in much better condition then the other unit.

However, the bedroom was in such a state, that the owner, Mdm A, had found herself getting rashes and eczema outbreaks. She stayed alone and had difficulty clearing the junk from the bedroom herself.

The 2nd team worked relentlessly as well. The group had to persuade Mdm A to part with her ‘treasures’. As old habit of hoarding dies hard, her hoarding mentality prevented the volunteers from getting rid of the junk as she repeatedly tried to bring back the junk that were cleared.

Finally, after 5 hours of hardwork of scrubbing and clearing and cleaning, the team concluded their operation with a satisfied Mdm A. She was so pleased with the result that she ‘referred’ another neighbor who needed assistance with the house cleaning to the team.

This is likely to be the beginning of Hougang Home Cleaning Operation.

Message from the HGCC Welfare Committee (HWC)– Hey We Care.

If you are keen to volunteer with us, do write to us at hgcc@wp.sg.

Mentoring Our Youth in Hougang

An inaugural meeting was held this evening amongst core ‘I’ members of Hougang Constituency Committee (HGCC)’s Sub-Committee ‘Team MIO’ (Malays, Indians, Others).

HGCC Chairman Yaw Shin Leong welcomed the members & shared that ‘Team MIO’ plays an important advisory role in HGCC’s organization of community-specific grassroots functions in Hougang such as ‘Deepavali Nite’, ‘Hari Raya Aidilfitri Nite’ & ‘Children X’mas Party’.

However Shin Leong emphasized that it is important for each ‘Team MIO’ (& HGCC) member to increase the ‘I am a Singaporean’ mindset. He explained that a pro-Singapore, for-Singapore & love-Singapore heartbeat is a necessity and must take precedence above one’s own race, language & religion.

He encouraged the 'MIO Team' to play an active role in Hougang grassroots by joining efforts with other HGCC’s interest-specific-community-networks, such as the Hougang Women Support Network (HWSN), the Hougang Football Network (HFN) or the Hougang Welfare Committee (HWC).

Specifically Shin Leong requested the team to help him study the issue of youth-at-risk and youth street gangs in Hougang. He is of the view that it is important to understand the ground, to study the needs for the possibility of putting in place a mentoring/ friendship programme targeting at youth-at-risk in Hougang, especially those involved in street gangs’ activities.

This certainly has to be a concerted effort amongst HGCC, Inter-Governmental Agencies, Family Service Centers (FSC) and Voluntary Welfare Organizations (VWOs). If you are interested to contribute your expertise, efforts and time in the area of befriending/ mentoring youth-at-risk in Hougang, please email us today at ‘hgcc@wp.sg’. HGCC welcomes you to be part of this purposeful journey.

What Youth Want

SPEECH BY YAW SHIN LEONG, AT THE INSTITUTE OF POLICY STUDIES (IPS) FORUM TITLED “WHAT YOUTH WANT”, AT BALLROOM 3, ORCHARD HOTEL ON TUESDAY 7 JUNE 2011, AT 4.50 PM to 4.56PM

INTRODUCTION

1. It is a great privilege to be speaking at a youth-centric forum. I thank the Institute of Policy Studies for this invitation. At the age of 35, having spent the last 10 years of my youth as a partisan activist for the Workers’ Party, it has certainly shaped the ways on how I view life and my understanding of ‘what youth want’.

2. However it will not be fair to say that my understanding of what youth want is the political representation of the views of our youth. As such, I will try my best to share my views on ‘what youth want’ via the citations of some article readings, observations and personal thoughts. These will still be my subjective perspectives.

3. My speech will be organized into 3 parts. The first part covers ‘Youth want to be happier and want to ascribe meaning to their life in what they do. The second part talks about ‘Youth want to be respected’ and finally I touch on ‘Youth want to be heard’.

YOUTH WANT TO BE HAPPIER AND WANT TO ASCRIBE MEANING TO THEIR LIFE IN WHAT THEY DO

4. For the first part, I refer to the news article: ‘Singapore workers’ ‘world’s unhappiest’ (Published in the Straits Times, on the 30th May 2011, Page B19). A poll of 4000 employee attitudes in 14 countries, across industries has ranked Singapore last in work-place happiness. Not surprisingly, this correlates to loyalty to employers, where Singapore is also ranked at the bottom.

5. In the same report, Mr Rolf Bezemer, Lumesse’s MD for Singapore, Malaysia & Australia, the company behind the poll, attributes Singapore’s poor showing due to the lack of transparency and consistency in workplaces here and an absence of stimulating jobs.

6. It was also reported that Sales Assistant Janice Lin, who is 26 this year, “job-hopped” five times before landing her current job. She said, “It is very common for young adults to try out different things for novelty’s sake. A lot of my friends do it.”

7. In another news article, ‘Shopping does not buy you happiness, but a concert may’ (Published in the Straits Times, on the 30th May 2011, Page A24). It reported that going to a concert or having a massage at a spa are seen as experiences that have a greater social value than the acquisition of material possessions.

8. In the same article, in a research on Singaporeans by the NUS business school, where they studied on material and experiential purchases. They observed that people were happier with their experiences than the material things they bought. Their findings were consistent with their past researches.

9. Regular job-hopping and finding happiness in experiences suggest that our youth want to be happy. They derive their happiness through finding meaning in the things they do. The polls also seem to suggest that there is this certain ‘restlessness’ in many young Singaporeans. I suggest that the term “anomie” coined by Sociologist Emile Durkhiem well describes this restlessness. I believe our youth are searching for a place in society, where their aspirations can be fulfilled. While this search is not something we can easily pinpoint, because everyone’s journey will be different and unique; it is still a crucial process for our youth to put their hearts and minds to pursue it.

YOUTH WANT TO BE RESPECTED

10. For the second part, on youth want to be respected. I refer to the news article: ‘KPMG gives Gen Y staffer a playground’ (Published in the Business Times, on the 4th & 5th June Weekend edition, Page 1). This playground is no less than a 5,000 sq feet clubhouse that boasts of a self-serve cafe and a bar where KPMG staff can get meals and drinks throughout the day.

11. The clubhouse boasts of a games area with table-football, a pool table, a dartboard and a Wii console. It also has stage area with band instruments for staff to get together for a jam session or even stage a performance.

12. Mr. Tham Sai Choy, Managing Partner of KPMG Singapore explained in the news article that, ‘Today’s young people expect work to be fun, even when it is serious professional work.’ He added ‘From a multi-tasking perspective, they are also catching up with people between spurts of concentration on their work’.

13. I tend to agree with the perspective of Mr. Tham. I believe youth today want to be respected for their professionalism, at the same time they want to have fun at work. Engaging our youth today would perhaps mean that employers should trust that MSN-ing or Facebooking by employees during office hours is okay because youth are responsible employees who are able to deliver what they are expected to do. Of course, respect and trust must be two-ways and must be earned.

YOUTH WANT TO BE HEARD

14. For the final part, on youth want to be heard. I will touch upon the social media phenomenon. Many youth are owners of smart phones, which allow instantaneous access to Facebook and many other social media platforms. Without any restrictions to the content they post online, this naturally becomes their platform to express thoughts and opinions freely. Quite often, we see messages, photos, or even videos becoming viral on the net.

15. The other phenomenon I noticed is, despite the lack of official regulation on the net, there exists a certain social self-policing. Often we see virtual identities dropping by online pages, leaving abusive or even offensive remarks. The term for these unknown virtual identities is known as ‘trolls’. We see netizens organizing themselves to “educate” these ‘trolls’. This reflects that our youth while they do want to be heard and to express their views freely, yet they understand that the freedom of speech must come with certain decorum. I believe this illustrates certain levels of responsibility and maturity in our youth.

CONCLUSION

16. To conclude, I have spoken about some key points on what I believe what youth want: To be heard, to be respected and to find meaning in their life and in the things they do. Today’s youth have a different set of social needs, lifestyle and societal expectations. Unlike our parents’ generation where they had to strive for economic returns to make ends meet, our youth are not in the basic needs hierarchy, but they are seeking for self actualization, (i.e.) in accordance to Maslow’s theory on the hierarchy of needs. Youth want engagement on the issues that matter to them. They want to express themselves differently, and they want to be heard.

17. I believe this could be the one of the reasons, explaining the huge turnouts at the Workers’ Party elections rallies. For decades, our parents’ generation had been muted. They endured in silence, because they focused on working hard to bring bread to the table. Today, our youth want to be heard. They rally around causes they believe in, be it pro-opposition or pro-pap. Youth want to collectively make a difference in the society they live in. This is an important ethic of our generation, and I believe our generation can collectively make a positive difference to our society and nation building.

18. Thank you.

# Italics paragraphs were left out during the actual speech due to time constraint.

A Growing Grassroots Movement in Hougang

The new HGCC (Hougang Constituency Committee), Workers’ Party grassroots organizing arm for Hougang SMC (Single Member Constituency) is made up of 12 committee members. Today the committee has its first taste of organizing a ‘1-Day Island Tour’ for 645 Hougang residents in 15 buses.

This new committee chaired by Hougang SMC MP-elect Mr. Yaw Shin Leong was convened on the 17th May 2011. This was 10 days after GE2011 Polling Day (7th May 2011) and 1 day after the old-HGCC was dissolved by Shin Leong’s predecessor Mr. Low Thia Khiang, who is now a MP-elect for Aljunied GRC.

In 20 days, the new HGCC conceptualized and organized the ‘1 Day Island Tour’ priced at $4 pax (Hougang residents) & $7 (Non-Hougang residents). The tour was organized with very limited resources, much creativity, deep organizational-will and strong organic support from Hougang residents. The new HGCC is also very blessed to have the support of 25 volunteers, who are made up of predominantly Hougang residents.

Shin Leong is very glad to have the counsel of 5 veteran WP members, who sit in the newly formed HGCC’s advisory committee. They are Mr. Lim Ee Ping, Mr. Ng Ah Chwee, Mr. Choo Kim Ping, Mr. Henry Ho & Dr. Poh Lee Guan. These veterans have served 52 years, 23 years, 23 years, 20 years and 10 years respectively with the Workers’ Party.

During the ‘1 Day Island Tour’, the new HGCC is very honoured by the presence of Mr. Low Thia Khiang who despite his tight schedule, joined in the tour for an hour plus (at lunch point) to mingle around with his ex-constituents and to show his support for the new HGCC.

Despite the heavy downpour for almost the entire duration of the ‘1 Day Island Tour’, Hougang residents & HGCC volunteers enjoyed ourselves tremendously. At the end of tour, HGCC & volunteers held an informal post mortem to exchange experiences, amidst claps and cheers.

It was a very successful virgin attempt by the new committee. HGCC, volunteers & Hougang residents having experienced the ‘1 Day Island Tour’ is now looking forward to the next constituency outing, a ‘1-Day Malaysia Tour’ on the 26th June 2011 (Sunday).

This is indeed a growing (WP) grassroots movement!

Hougang Women Support Network (II)

A second discussion was held this evening for the volunteers of Hougang Women Support Network (HWSN), an interest-group-based-community-network, c/o the Hougang Constituency Committee (HGCC).

Several more women have stepped forward, since the first HWSN discussion to better understand, to contribute and to shape the vision, mission of the network. Several are from Hougang Constituency.

Shin Leong welcomed the group and shared about HGCC’s vision & mission. He also shared about the purpose of HWSN and expressed his desire for the group to organically shape its visions, mission and support programmes.

He cited a few examples he came across in Hougang, whereby the women folks need not just practical advises but also what that is presently lacking would be that of peer-group support, lending listening ears and emotional support etc.

Volunteers of HWSN will undergo approximately 3 - 5 sessions of training prior to be deployed. This network is expected to be soft-launched in July 2011 & will be officially launched in September 2011.