SINGAPORE: Opposition parties are welcome to present their plans to East Coast GRC residents, just as the People’s Action Party (PAP) has done, to give voters a fair chance to decide, said East Coast MP Maliki Osman on Saturday (Mar 22).
“In (Singapore)’s democracy, we want to make sure that every citizen has the right to make choices,” added Dr Maliki, who is also Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office and the Second Minister for Education and Foreign Affairs.
Members of the opposition Workers' Party have been active on the ground in East Coast GRC and are expected to contest in the upcoming election.
Asked about the "East Coast Plan", first unveiled at the last election, Dr Maliki said that the PAP team has “strengthened three key pillars - to create a caring East Coast, green East Coast and a vibrant East Coast”.
He said over the past five years, infrastructure has been enhanced, including the completion of the new Siglap Community Club in 2023. The team has also introduced various social programmes to meet residents’ needs.
“We developed a kids’ club to respond to the needs of young families. We (also) have services for the elderly,” said Dr Maliki.
He said the team recognised that some elderly residents living in private estates faced difficulties accessing public transport, so they brought a mobile traditional Chinese medicine clinic directly to them.
Dr Maliki also acknowledged that the rising cost of living remains a key concern among residents.
“The government understands and cares for their well-being, and that’s the reason why we’ve rolled out the Assurance Packages. We have given the CDC vouchers, and these help families feel that we can alleviate the cost-of-living concerns they have,” added Dr Maliki.
Dr Maliki was speaking at the sidelines of a morning launch event in Siglap Community Club to distribute 60,000 Hari Raya cookies to 1,000 low-income Malay-Muslim families.
He was joined by fellow East Coast GRC MPs: Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat, Senior Minister of State Tan Kiat How, and Ms Cheryl Chan. Deputy Speaker of Parliament Jessica Tan was absent due to a prior engagement, according to the Siglap Constituency Office.
East Coast GRC MPs Cheryl Chan, Maliki Osman, Heng Swee Keat and Tan Kiat How (centre left to right) posing for a photo with volunteers after packing cookies for low-income Malay-Muslim households at Siglap Community Club on Mar 22, 2025. (Photo: CNA/Raj Nadarajan)
Commending the 250 volunteers from various wards who baked 60,000 cookies, Mr Tan described the initiative as a meaningful “ground-up exercise” that brought the community together to show compassion for those in need.
“That’s really a testament (to) the community spirit, where we all stand together regardless of race, language or religion. We support one another, and more importantly, find meaning and joy in doing so,” said Mr Tan.
On the issue of rising living costs, Dr Maliki said that Siglap is home to a “complex demographic”, including seniors living in landed properties and families in HDB flats.
His team, he said, intends to “continue reaching out to them” and understanding their concerns to make sure that the PAP helps them in the long term. He added the government already has initiatives in place to respond to the varying needs of different communities.
At the community centre’s basketball court, jars of pre-packaged cookies were neatly stacked on tables as volunteers loaded goodie bags into vans for distribution to families in two nearby blocks.
One of the recipients, 38-year-old Nur Deena Mardiana, expressed gratitude after being visited by Dr Maliki. “I’m thankful for the kindness. I look forward to sharing the cookies with my relatives when they visit,” she said.
The unemployed mother-of-five lives in a two-room HDB flat. Her husband “works all around the clock, doing two to three jobs” back-to-back, even on a Saturday. They hope to move to a bigger flat to help accommodate all eight family members.
Previously, she ran a food stall in a primary school canteen and received three months of support from the Community Development Welfare Fund during the school holidays when she had no income.
However, Ms Deena hopes that the government can offer her more rations, especially with her two youngest children still dependent on milk and diapers. Although she knows she can approach her MP for help, she said it is difficult to find the time as she is often rushing to pick her children up from school.
In response to queries from the media about potential new politicians in East Coast GRC, Ms Chan said that it was “too early” to discuss such matters and that everything would be decided by the PAP headquarters.
“I don’t know who will be deployed here, honestly, because I haven’t been told myself either. So I just think we’ll have to wait,” she added.
Last week, the Straits Times reported that Mr Heng welcomed Minister for Culture, Community and Youth Edwin Tong into the fold during a morning walkabout at Simei Plaza last Saturday (March 15).
Mr Tong’s Joo Chiat ward was subsumed into East Coast GRC under the new electoral boundaries announced in March.
Asked about Mr Tong, Dr Maliki said he would be welcomed if designated to join the team, but the decision rests with the prime minister.
“At the end of the day, more importantly is that whoever is standing in East Coast GRC will continue to meet the needs of the residents, (as well as) present and execute the plans in the next five years if we are voted,” he said.
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“In (Singapore)’s democracy, we want to make sure that every citizen has the right to make choices,” added Dr Maliki, who is also Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office and the Second Minister for Education and Foreign Affairs.
Members of the opposition Workers' Party have been active on the ground in East Coast GRC and are expected to contest in the upcoming election.
THE EAST COAST PLAN
Asked about the "East Coast Plan", first unveiled at the last election, Dr Maliki said that the PAP team has “strengthened three key pillars - to create a caring East Coast, green East Coast and a vibrant East Coast”.
He said over the past five years, infrastructure has been enhanced, including the completion of the new Siglap Community Club in 2023. The team has also introduced various social programmes to meet residents’ needs.
“We developed a kids’ club to respond to the needs of young families. We (also) have services for the elderly,” said Dr Maliki.
He said the team recognised that some elderly residents living in private estates faced difficulties accessing public transport, so they brought a mobile traditional Chinese medicine clinic directly to them.
Dr Maliki also acknowledged that the rising cost of living remains a key concern among residents.
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“The government understands and cares for their well-being, and that’s the reason why we’ve rolled out the Assurance Packages. We have given the CDC vouchers, and these help families feel that we can alleviate the cost-of-living concerns they have,” added Dr Maliki.
Dr Maliki was speaking at the sidelines of a morning launch event in Siglap Community Club to distribute 60,000 Hari Raya cookies to 1,000 low-income Malay-Muslim families.
He was joined by fellow East Coast GRC MPs: Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat, Senior Minister of State Tan Kiat How, and Ms Cheryl Chan. Deputy Speaker of Parliament Jessica Tan was absent due to a prior engagement, according to the Siglap Constituency Office.
East Coast GRC MPs Cheryl Chan, Maliki Osman, Heng Swee Keat and Tan Kiat How (centre left to right) posing for a photo with volunteers after packing cookies for low-income Malay-Muslim households at Siglap Community Club on Mar 22, 2025. (Photo: CNA/Raj Nadarajan)
COST-OF-LIVING CONCERNS
Commending the 250 volunteers from various wards who baked 60,000 cookies, Mr Tan described the initiative as a meaningful “ground-up exercise” that brought the community together to show compassion for those in need.
“That’s really a testament (to) the community spirit, where we all stand together regardless of race, language or religion. We support one another, and more importantly, find meaning and joy in doing so,” said Mr Tan.
On the issue of rising living costs, Dr Maliki said that Siglap is home to a “complex demographic”, including seniors living in landed properties and families in HDB flats.
His team, he said, intends to “continue reaching out to them” and understanding their concerns to make sure that the PAP helps them in the long term. He added the government already has initiatives in place to respond to the varying needs of different communities.
At the community centre’s basketball court, jars of pre-packaged cookies were neatly stacked on tables as volunteers loaded goodie bags into vans for distribution to families in two nearby blocks.
One of the recipients, 38-year-old Nur Deena Mardiana, expressed gratitude after being visited by Dr Maliki. “I’m thankful for the kindness. I look forward to sharing the cookies with my relatives when they visit,” she said.
The unemployed mother-of-five lives in a two-room HDB flat. Her husband “works all around the clock, doing two to three jobs” back-to-back, even on a Saturday. They hope to move to a bigger flat to help accommodate all eight family members.
Previously, she ran a food stall in a primary school canteen and received three months of support from the Community Development Welfare Fund during the school holidays when she had no income.
However, Ms Deena hopes that the government can offer her more rations, especially with her two youngest children still dependent on milk and diapers. Although she knows she can approach her MP for help, she said it is difficult to find the time as she is often rushing to pick her children up from school.
POTENTIAL CANDIDATES
In response to queries from the media about potential new politicians in East Coast GRC, Ms Chan said that it was “too early” to discuss such matters and that everything would be decided by the PAP headquarters.
“I don’t know who will be deployed here, honestly, because I haven’t been told myself either. So I just think we’ll have to wait,” she added.
Last week, the Straits Times reported that Mr Heng welcomed Minister for Culture, Community and Youth Edwin Tong into the fold during a morning walkabout at Simei Plaza last Saturday (March 15).
Mr Tong’s Joo Chiat ward was subsumed into East Coast GRC under the new electoral boundaries announced in March.
Asked about Mr Tong, Dr Maliki said he would be welcomed if designated to join the team, but the decision rests with the prime minister.
“At the end of the day, more importantly is that whoever is standing in East Coast GRC will continue to meet the needs of the residents, (as well as) present and execute the plans in the next five years if we are voted,” he said.
Related:
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