Saturday, December 10, 2005
The Buangkok MRT station is finally opening!
Kudos to MP Charles Chong and his grassroots team! They are the ones who had strived hard negotiating with the MRT operator and convincing it to use the station. It has not been an easy task for them as the Buangkok MRT saga had been under the scrutiny of the public and the police. Unknown residents had put up several white elephants as a protest a few months ago when MCYS minister Vivian Balakrishnan made a visit to the constituency. Mr Chong had not condoned the move,but it had no doubt put him under political pressure since he was then sandwiched between his political seniors and his residents. There was a "loss of face" for the party leaders. Fortunately, the minister was not offended and things turned out well. Despite that, the incident remained a very sensitive issue. Mr Chong and his team continued lobbying, backed by the good humour and two transport surveys finally to their success. This has earned much respect for Mr Chong and the Punggol South grassroots leaders. Quoting from MP Chong on his take of being a grassroots leader: " If you're here to maintain the status quo, there is no point for you to be here."
Posted by charles at 2:16 PM