Today has something interesting. It posed the same five questions to the two Hougang candidates and published their replies. I thought it was a good attempt to try any suss out their different opinions and approaches like asking them what they personally stood for, or how they see the role of MPs in Parliament. Except that the replies are so politically correct! Only one difference on three concerns of Hougang residents, WP’s Png cited estate renewal and lift upgrading while PAP’s Choo said wages, cost of living and ageing. Seems Choo thinks national level issues will take centre-stage in Hougang?
Many moons ago, The New Paper had a similar approach to candidates for the GE but the questions were on a more personal level. This means you can’t really be politically correct in your answers so you still get an idea of what the person stood for.
Some examples: What is your favorite book and why – I remember one candidate cited the Bible while another said it was To Kill a Mockingbird. There were also these questions that I can recall: Who is your role model and why? Someone said it was his late father, another cited Lee Kuan Yew. And also what is your best childhood memory…
I think these answers give better insights into the person’s attitude and upbringing. No one had the same answer as the other. Worth thinking about for the next BE/GE/PE? Heh
An ex-journalist who can't get enough of the news after being in the business for 26 years
