Amid the character chatter, Murali pitches a co-op

IN SPITE of a rally-less day in Bukit Batok SMC, campaigning between took a clear divide yesterday: while the PAP party leadership have engaged SDP’s Dr Chee Soon Juan in a back and forth about character, PAP’s candidate Murali Pillai ducks out of the fray to pitch grassroots schemes like a health cooperative. The proposed cooperative will be in partnership with The Good Life Cooperative, run by geriatrician and fellow PAP member Dr Carol Tan and aims to provide affordable healthcare and health education for the sandwich-class elderly. They hope that they can sign up enough paying members to provide services in Bukit Batok.

And if Murali doesn’t win? Dr Tan said that they “will work with the leader we believe will be able to drive the program.” PAP’s belief in Dr Chee can’t be very high. Dr Chee will run on a platform of being a full-time MP, running the Town Council well and executing social programmes on a municipal level. Few details of his plans have emerged over the slanging match over character – Dr Chee’s, Mr David Ong’s, the PAP’s and even PM Lee’s character’s got a mention, sometimes in the backhanded “mention by saying I don’t want to mention” method.

On that note: not say I want to say, but Australian Craig Wright has claimed that he is Bitcoin’s mysterious and legendary inventor, referred to publicly as “Satoshi Nakamoto”. Wired magazine named Mr Wright as a probable creator of Bitcoin in 2015 and The Economist says that he “could well be” Nakamoto but Mr Wright said he doesn’t want money, fame or adoration: he just wants “to be left alone”. So why the claim to fame?

Speaking of claims – one worker’s wage claim has ended in a significant judgement. TSMP Law Corporation represented Bangladeshi worker Islam Md Ohidul in a $1,900 claim against his former employer SATS. The work done by TSMP was pro bono and they won the High Court case after SATS appealed an earlier decision. The Labour Court ordered SATS to pay $6,000 to TSMP for legal costs. Judicial Commissioner Debbie Ong, who presided over the case, said that the courts have the discretion to award costs and that her judgement does not amount to champerty – and arrangement where a client pays his lawyer only if he wins the case.

So is pro bono legal work rewarding? Yes, but not for the money. TSMP Law Corporation will donate the costs awarded to migrant worker charity HOME.

 

Featured Image by TMG File.

If you like this article, Like The Middle Ground‘s Facebook Page as well!

For breaking news, you can talk to us via email.

The post Amid the character chatter, Murali pitches a co-op appeared first on The Middle Ground.

- The Middle Ground