Bangladeshis, buildings, & the Bukit Batok by-election

BANGLADESHIS are back in the headlines with the announcement yesterday (May 3) that eight were detained last month under the Internal Security Act for plotting terror attacks.

The Ministry of Home Affairs said there was no evidence of Singapore as a target but the group’s leader Rahman Mizanur, a 31-year-old S-pass holder in construction, had said he would not rule out attacking the Republic if instructed by ISIS to do so. Another five Bangladeshis found not linked to the group but to be supporting armed violence “in pursuit of a religious cause” were deported several days ago and arrested in Dhaka yesterday.

Buildings in Singapore have been ramping up its security against possible terror strikes but developers of new buildings will soon also have to consider a different sort of upgrade: facilities for bicycle parking lots, shower rooms and lockers.

Called the Walking and Cycling Plan, the new regulation aimed to help pedestrians and cyclists get around was announced yesterday as part of the G’s initiative for residents to go “car-lite”, or to rely less on cars for their daily commute. The changes will apply to new commercial developments, such as shopping centres and offices, and to major redevelopments of existing buildings.

Building developers have two more months before the new rule kicks in from July, but for the two men in the Bukit Batok by-election race, the clock is ticking with only two more days of campaigning before Cooling-Off Day on Friday. Polling Day is on Saturday, May 7.

Both parties spent yesterday trying to clear the air on some of the negative comments being circulated since the campaign period started last Wednesday. At last night’s rally, Dr Chee Soon Juan made his strongest statement yet on such negative campaigning, saying: “If I have to play dirty, to be so destructive and tear down my opponent so badly in order to win, then no, leave me out of it. Then, I don’t want to win.”

Actress Neo Swee Lin also made a guest appearance at the rally and read an open letter, signed by other artistes, denouncing “gutter politics” in the by-election.

Dr Chee, 53, is contesting against the People’s Action Party’s (PAP) Murali Pillai, 48, a lawyer who made his first appearance as a party candidate for Aljunied Group Representation Constituency (GRC) in the last General Election.

The party yesterday responded to a Facebook post by Mr Ridhuan Abdullah, who said that a PAP volunteer had told him not to support Dr Chee because he was unemployed and “worthless”. Dr Chee’s unemployment was brought up by Ms Grace Fu during a PAP rally last Friday.

PAP’s executive director Alex Yam said the post was a lie: “We have checked with the volunteers present and confirmed that no such incident took place, and the alleged remarks are fictitious.”

Both parties are expected to hold their final rallies tomorrow night.

 

Featured image from TMG file. 

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