Ooi Boon Ewe says he'll run as independent candidate in Punggol East by-election

The man who failed in his bids to contest in the 2011 General and Presidential elections says he'll be back - as an independent candidate in the Punggol East by-election, set for January 26. 

Mr Ooi Boon Ewe, 71, was the first to show up at the Elections Department - at 10.40am on Thursday - to collect the nomination papers. 

He told reporters that he's running for the seat, as politics is in his blood. 

Mr Ooi, who lives in Sengkang and is self-employed, said he'll be a full-time Member of Parliament, if elected. 

But he acknowledged that it'll be a tough fight, and added that he's prepared for it. 

Mr Ooi said even though he's not confident because of what had happened in his past attempts, he'll continue to come up with new ideas. 

"When you're an experienced politician, you're not scared of anything. You're a fighter. So you fight," he said.

In the late afternoon, Mr Zeng Guoyan showed up at the Elections Department to collect the nomination papers. 

Mr Zeng was the only independent candidate who received the Political Donation certificate in the by-election in Hougang in May last year (2012) but did not file his nomination papers. 

Mr Zeng told reporters that he will wait to see who the other parties will unveil as their candidates before he decides on whether to file his nomination papers. 

He said he came to collect the papers on the first day to show his interest. 

When asked if he's prepared to lose the election deposit, he replied: "Maybe yes, maybe no."

The Singapore Democratic Alliance (SDA) sent a volunteer to pick up nomination papers at about 5pm. 

Mr Richard Ang told reporters that SDA chief Desmond Lim instructed him to collect four sets of papers. 

He said the SDA's candidate should be revealed within the next few days.