Two Meet-the-People Session disruptions in Jalan Besar GRC similar to that in Shanmugam’s ward

[The_King]

 

 

SINGAPORE – Two incidents similar to the one that disrupted the Meet-the-People session of Law and Home Affairs Minister K. Shanmugam took place at Minister for Digital Development and Information Josephine Teo’s meeting with residents.

In a Facebook post on March 14, Mrs Teo, who is an MP for Jalan Besar GRC, said she did not want to bring up the matter publicly, but decided to do so after he posted a video of his exchange with two women on Facebook.

The People’s Action Party identified the women as being part of activist group Monday of Palestine Solidarity.

In Jalan Besar GRC, Mrs Teo said both occasions were at her Kreta Ayer-Kim Seng branch office, with the first in November 2024.

At that time, Mrs Teo, who is Second Minister for Home Affairs, said two women attended her Meet-the-People Session to voice their concerns about the Republic’s stance on the Israel-Hamas war.

Although such sessions prioritise residents, who have urgent matters that need to be addressed, she added that she was prepared to meet the women after attending to her duties.

“For nearly an hour, I listened to their concerns.

 

 

“I also offered to write to the relevant ministries on their behalf, so that the authorities could hear their feedback.”

A few weeks later, an online article appeared about their exchange, despite interactions during Meet-the-People Session being confidential and MPs typically not publicly disclosing what was discussed, she said.

“Although the article acknowledged that I had engaged the two women empathetically, it was difficult to see any reason for publishing the piece other than to spread the word that they had successfully made a move at my MPS (Meet-the-People Session),” added Mrs Teo.

More recently, in January, a resident who had attended previous Meet-the-People Sessions was accompanied by a “daughter”, purportedly seeking financial help, she said.

When it was their turn to meet Mrs Teo, however, the younger woman passed the older one a document to read out, with the contents unrelated to the financial help they said they were seeking.

This second incident was carried out by a different activist group.

Noting that it was clear they were not mother and daughter, she added that volunteers had been supporting the older woman for some time by providing monthly groceries and weekly food rations.

Mrs Teo said: “To respect her privacy, we did not question how there was suddenly a ‘daughter’ accompanying her to (the) Meet-the-People Session.”

She and her volunteers continue to help the older woman to this day, Mrs Teo added.

The PAP said the Monday of Palestine Solidarity group carried out its activities at more than 10 Meet-the-People Sessions.

The group would typically create a ruckus in the waiting area and disrupt the queue system, while also filming and raising their voices, affecting residents.

 

Volunteers would also be heckled by members of the group, added the PAP.

Mrs Teo added: “It goes without saying that my volunteers were perturbed and saddened by such incidents – especially when they respond to help-seekers with sincere intent, never expecting to be led to an ‘ambush’.”

She said these incidents make it difficult for her and her team of volunteers to let their guard down, since they do not know if they might face hostility, or be secretly recorded and featured in articles that paint them in a bad light.

While she expressed her appreciation that residents are willing to raise concerns beyond immediate ones, she added that she is saddened that the tone of Meet-the-People Sessions seems to have shifted in her nearly two decades as an MP.

“My hope is for Meet-the-People Sessions to return to their truest purpose – they are not protest platforms, but a channel for MPs to engage their residents openly and attend to their most acute needs.”

In a separate Facebook post on the same day, Mr Sharael Taha, an MP for Pasir Ris-Punggol GRC, said the actions of the women who disrupted Mr Shanmugam’s Meet-the-People Session were not representative of the Malay/Muslim community’s values.

He added that representatives from Monday of Palestine Solidarity visited a Meet-the-People Session at the Pasir Ris East constituency that he represents.

“However, their actions – including being rude to the volunteers and making hurtful comments about family – show they were never truly interested in meaningful, constructive dialogue that could genuinely help the cause.”

On March 12, two women showed up at Mr Shanmugam’s Chong Pang branch office, requesting to speak to him about Singapore’s fake news law, the Protection from Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Act.

During a tense exchange, one of the women was seen pointing her middle finger towards onlookers, with the pair – joined by a man – shouting at the minister as he walked away to return to his duties.

 

[The_King]

KNN this type make alternative party look bad. Do i agree?

 

my answer is:

the enemy of my enemy is my friend

 

so i vote