Reform Party 90% sure about contesting Punggol East by—election

SINGAPORE: Secretary—General of the opposition Reform Party Kenneth Jeyaretnam said there is a 90 per cent chance now of the party contesting in the Punggol East by—election.

Speaking to reporters during a walkabout on Sunday, Mr Jeyaratnam indicated that he is going full steam ahead in the preparation of posters and fliers.

The Reform Party has been pounding the ground hard even before Nomination Day.

It is a sign of how serious the party wants to contest in the by—election.

In the last four days, it managed to do house—to—house visits in some four blocks of flats.

Mr Jeyaratnam added he has been in talks with the other opposition parties to try and reach an agreement on who should be fielded.

He had earlier made a proposal to the Workers’ Party (WP) similar to the offer made by the Singapore Democratic Party last Friday.

In the joint—campaign, the plan is for the WP to field Mr Jeyeratnam as its candidate and if he wins, the WP would manage the town council.

He remains unfazed about the possibility of a multi—cornered fight citing saying that this is part of democracy.

Mr Jeyaretnam: "We’re talking to others about finding the best possible candidates, but there’s very little that would stop us at this stage. Punggol East used to be a part of Cheng San which JBJ (Joshua Benjamin Jeyaretnam) contested in 1997. We certainly can lay claim to the Anson spirit which we hope will be rekindled here."

— CNA/fa