Deputy Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong made comments over Think Centre members' decision to contest the next general elections. Read the freshly-published articles from Channel NewsAsia and Straits Times Interactive websites.
CHANNEL NEWSASIA
Deputy Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong has said the Executive Director of Think Centre is free to lodge an appeal or put in a fresh application for a public entertainment licence to hold a political rally in support of Non-constituency MP J.B. Jeyaretnam.
The Ministry of Home Affairs rejected an appeal by Mr James Gomez on March 29 for several reasons, including security concerns.
Brigadier-General Lee said the matter was between Mr Gomez and the authorities.
As for Mr Gomez intentions to contest the next General Election, General Lee said he is entirely free to do so.
Brigadier-General Lee said: "It's entirely up to him, anybody can stand. He's as free as anybody. Of course if he stands, you'll have to be prepared to defend your record and your views, your background, what you have been doing, what you stand for, what you propose to do. That's the way politics work in Singapore."
STRAITS TIMES INTERACTIVE
Think Centre to field election candidates
THE Think Centre has announced that it will be fielding candidates for the upcoming election to run as a Group Representation Constituency (GRC) in Jalan Besar.
The group said on its website on Saturday that the decision by the government to gazette the centre under the Political Donations Act has prompted the move.
Mr Gomez' s plan to enter politics on Saturday received a response from the government, through Deputy Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, who was at a ceremony to appoint three new mayors.
The minister said Mr Gomez was entirely free to throw his hat in the ring. He added: 'It's entirely up to him, anybody can stand. He's as free as anybody.
'Of course, if he stands, you'll have to be prepared to defend your record and your views, your background, what you have been doing, what you stand for, what you propose to do. That's the way politics works in Singapore.'
BG Lee added that he was in fact 'astonished' that this was the first time Mr Gomez had thought of entering politics.
Earlier on Saturday, the Think Centre's web site said that Mr Gomez was also rounding up Mr Yaw Shin Leong, Mr David Foo and Mr Zulkifar Mohd Shariff to form an independent GRC team.
The statement in the web site said it was targeting the Jalan Besar GRC because Mr Gomez, team leader and executive director of the centre, has been living there for 15 years and is familiar with some of the residents' issues.
The centre said it will promote an eight-point pro-Singapore platform, including tighter regulation on foreigners working here, and a review of CPF withdrawal and contribution rates.
