BEING A RESPONSIBLE POLITICIAN
In his rally speech, Mr Murali also spoke about the importance of being a responsible politician.
He said that around the world, politicians are routinely ridiculed and lampooned.
“Politicians in turn, make populist promises, easy choices, they say, give the people what they want,” he said, disagreeing with such an approach.
“To me, politics means using power for the good of the people, not just for now, but for the future.”
He said that politicians should also uphold values such as honesty, integrity and responsibility.
“In life, things can go wrong, and when they go wrong, politicians should not duck. They should accept responsibility, square with Singaporeans,” said Mr Murali.
“Be transparent. Look at the problems and make the system stronger. That should be the way.”
This message came to him in “a very personal way” in November 2019, said Mr Murali, citing a fatal fire that happened in Bukit Batok.
During the firefighting efforts, SCDF found out that the wet water riser did not work as it had been accidentally switched off.
“This wet riser system is maintained by a specialist contractor of the town council. When I learned of this, I took political responsibility,” he said.
“We took care of the family as best as we could. We took care of the funeral expenses. We bought them replacement furniture. We also got them alternate accommodation. We got them lawyers to claim compensation.”
Rounding off his speech, Mr Murali said that Singapore’s founding fathers have built the nation into the metropolis that it is today by overcoming odds and being united.
“We need to rediscover our pioneering spirit, because the world order is deteriorating,” he said.
“And we can only do that, if we have the right politics, the right politicians and we remain strong and united.”
Jurong East-Bukit Batok GRC was formed from a merger of Bukit Batok SMC and parts of Jurong GRC, Yuhua SMC and Hong Kah North SMC following the latest electoral boundaries review. The GRC has 142,510 voters.
During the 2020 General Election, Mr Murali won Bukit Batok SMC with 54.8 per cent of votes, defeating Singapore Democratic Party chief Chee Soon Juan, who is now standing as a candidate for Sembawang West SMC .