31/05/2016

Rid Of A Stiff Neck In 10 Seconds

10秒で肩こりが消失 それって本当なの?

The 10 second therapy - It’s Incredibly Effective

People all around the world are suffering from stiffness in their neck and persistent severe pain. Most usually the stiffness is caused by stress, tension and severe weather conditions. The neck is sensitive to these factors and that’s why they’re causing us problems.

30/05/2016

7 Ways To Control High Blood Pressure Naturally

Medication is the recommended treatment for hypertension or high blood pressure to keep your blood pressure in check. However, high blood pressure medicines invariably have unwanted side effects just like most other drugs.

If you have been diagnosed with hypertension, you should consider making positive changes in your lifestyle .

These changes can significantly reduce your dependency on medication, and maybe even able to totally do away with medication completely.
 Lose Extra Weight And Control Your Waistline
Exercise Regularly
Reduce Sodium Intake
Eat More Fruits, Vegetables, Whole grains, And Low-Fat Dairy Products
Maintain A Food Diary
Increase The Intake of Potassium
Read The Food Labels When Shopping

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29/05/2016

Turmeric Milk Benefits

Why Should You Have This Golden Drink

Touted as one of the most potent and powerful spices used in Indian cooking, turmeric is also a storehouse of healthy properties. This ancient root has found its way into the age-old books of Ayurveda. Turmeric, popularly known as haldi in India, has much more to offer that it is usually known for. Its health benefits go way beyond wound healing.

Traditionally, some of the most common benefits associated with turmeric consumption or its topical application would include strengthening your 
immunity, internal healing, curing wounds and improving virility. Indian cooking rests heavily on the addition of turmeric. Besides being used as a spice, turmeric juice and an even more popular - what can possibly be termed as the desi energy drink - haldi doodh (turmeric milk) has been recommended by our grannies as a remedy for almost all possible ailments.


"What makes turmeric so special and beneficial to human health is the presence of a chemical compound known as curcumin," noted Dr. Ashutosh Gautam, Clinical Operations and Coordination Manager at Baidyanath. But how does adding turmeric in milk help? "It is because curcumin has the ability to get absorbed in the fat and tissues of our body and that is how it benefits the body. Milk becomes a smooth medium through which curcumin travels better and speedier to those fats and tissues facilitating its better absorption," clarified Dr. Gautam.

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Health Benefits of Turmeric
A pinch of turmeric a day keeps the memory loss away

Eating a single gram of turmeric each day could cause short-term memory improvements in people predisposed to memory loss, according to a study conducted by researchers from Monash University in Melbourne, Australia, and several Taiwanese research institutes, and published in the Asia Pacific Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

"Our findings with turmeric are consistent with these observations, insofar as they appear to influence cognitive function where there is disordered energy metabolism and insulin resistance," researcher Mark Wahlqvist said.

Turmeric root has been used as a spice and medicine for thousands of years and is still an important component in traditional Asian cooking and medicinal systems. It is a critical component of curry powders, giving them their yellow color. That yellow color itself comes from a trio of chemicals known as "curcuminoids," the most commonly known being curcumin. In recent years, much research has focused on the antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and other health-promoting benefits of curcumin.

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28/05/2016

Gout Attack Explained


If not yourself, you likely know someone who has experienced an intensely painful gout attack. The word attack suggests this is no laughing matter. What exactly goes on during a gout attack?

"Gout attacks cause sudden severe joint pain, sometimes with redness, swelling, and tenderness of the joint. Although an attack typically affects a single joint, some people develop a few inflamed joints at the same time. The pain and inflammation are worst within several hours, and generally improve completely over a few days to several weeks, even if untreated. It is not clear how the body "turns off" a gout attack."

The first gout attack you will experience typically follows years of asymptomatic hyperuricemia (high blood uric acid level). Meaning, a gout attack occurs when excess uric acid accumulates in the body and deposits as crystals in and around joints. The big toe is often the first joint affected. But, what exactly triggers a gout attack in this setting is still unknown.

Related
Don't Ignore Signs and Symptoms of Gout
Understanding Basic Facts About Gout
If You Suffer from Painful Gout, There Are Treatments
The 10 Most Important Facts About Gout

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27/05/2016

The forested "vice havens" of Woodlands

It’s Friday, how about some jungle sex?

TALK about putting the “wood” in Woodlands. Just between Woodlands Avenue 4 and 9, there’s a small forest clearing where men pay women to have sex. It’s known as the “jungle brothel”, apparently in and out of business for the last 14 years and recently experiencing a, uhm, revival.

Lianhe Wanbao reporters in a recent stakeout saw more than 30 men enter the brothel, some alone, others in groups, over a half hour. Apparently, there’s a makeshift room with canvas sheets held up by wooden poles, and a mattress on the ground.

Hundreds of condoms and condom wrappers are strewn all about. See the story in TNP.

read more


Residents worried about Woodlands jungle brothel

Call it a 'rubber plantation', if you will.

In one corner of a small jungle in Woodlands, there are used condoms and condom wrappers strewn all over the ground.

The hundreds of condoms are a by-product of a jungle brothel that has been in and out of business for the past 14 yrs.

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Woodlands is hiding a steamy little secret — a makeshift jungle brothel

Nestled in one corner of a small jungle in Woodlands lies a shoddily put-together brothel. If you ever find yourself traipsing through the clandestine site (for whatever reason), you'll probably end up knee deep in used condoms and wrappers.

Okay, we exaggerate. But you get the point: the grounds are littered with rubbers — hundreds of them. It's no surprise, given the red-light forest district has been operating sporadically near the junction of Woodlands Avenue 4 and 9 for the last 14 years.

The dirty discovery was first made by The New Paper in May 2004, and when Lianhe Wanbao paid it a visit the other night, business was booming. After the women (mostly foreign workers) arrived in cabs, 30 men were spotted strolling into the area — allegedly from the surrounding dormitories — in the space of 30 minutes.

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Forested area near HDB blocks in Woodlands becomes den of prostitutes

Despite being raided multiple times since the year 2007, the forested area around Woodlands Ave 4 and Woodlands Ave 9, continue to be a den for vice activities. The area is nestled in the vicinity of the Woodlands Industrial Estate.

The Chinese newspaper Wanbao has reported that the recent police raids has not deterred the sex workers who frequent the den in the forest. It reported that in just half an hour, it saw 30 men going into the forested area.

When the newspaper reporters probed further, they found thousands of condoms in an area the size of three basketball courts.

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SPF RAIDS FAIL TO STEM RAMPANT PROSTITUTION IN WOODLANDS FOREST

Following a series of raids into the forested "vice havens" of Woodlands, residents breathed a sigh of relief as the rampant underground prostitution taking place appeared to be slowing down.

The respite was short lived however, as prostitution gangs returned swiftly to the forested area between Woodlands Avenue 4 and 9 within a matter of days since the last police raid.

An unnamed resident revealed that most of the activity usually takes place after nightfall, with scores of men taking taxis to the area with a scantily dressed companion in tow. They would then enter into the area concealed by the forest and do the deed. When they finished, the duo would go their separate ways, with the customers leaving first

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Here’s A Dirty Secret You Never Knew Existed In SG – The Thriving Makeshift Brothel In Woodlands Jungle
The jungles in Woodlands hide a dirty secret come nightfall

In a stakeout yesterday (17 Mar), Chinese evening daily Lianhe Wanbao visited a small jungle in Woodlands along Woodlands Avenue 9 and Woodlands Avenue 4 that functions as an informal brothel.

The otherwise inconspicuous area is covered by hundreds of condoms left on the ground since it has been in business for the past 14 years.

By nightfall, groups of men were seen walking into the jungle. As much as 30 men were seen walking into the area within half an hour, as reported by The New Paper.

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半小时30男光顾 兀兰丛林淫窟'套'留满地

警方“扫”不怕,“春”风吹又生!曾多次被警方扫荡的兀兰丛林淫窟,沉寂一时后死灰复燃,本报两度现场观察,第一次短短半小时内目睹约30男子进丛林;第二次直探销魂窝,发现丛林深处别有洞天,三个篮球场般大小的销魂窝,数以千计避孕套丢得满地都是。

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26/05/2016

This is why plane toilets have ashtrays

Even though smoking is banned

We all know you’re not allowed to smoke on planes but why do modern planes still have ashtrays in their bathrooms?

Well, there’s actually a very credible explanation.

What if a sneaky passenger decided to try and have a cheeky smoke in the toilet?

They’d need somewhere to dispose of the butt and that place has to be safe.

"The FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) doesn't want them to put the cigarette in the waste disposal bin where there is a risk that it could start a fire,” Dick Karp wrote on Q&A website Quora.

"Waste disposal bins on planes have their own sensor and automatic fire extinguisher as an additional form of backup protection."

Furthermore, a British Airways spokesperson said, “It is a legal requirement, under air navigation orders, to have ashtrays because while smoking is not permitted on flights, if someone were to light a cigarette on board there must be somewhere to safely extinguish it."

Well, that solves that puzzle!

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25/05/2016

Fake and Man-Made Jellyfish


Clear, crunchy and counterfeit: China's fake jellyfish
Jellyfish are a popular appetiser in China, known for its crisp but fleshy texture, often shredded and pickled in salt, vinegar and a little sugar. - AFP

A tonne of man-made "jellyfish" has been seized by China's police, adding a new ingredient to the country's long recipe of fake foods.

The marine animal is a popular appetiser in China, known for its crisp but fleshy texture, often shredded and pickled in salt, vinegar and a little sugar.

Fake "jellyfish", made from chemicals, was first found at a food market in Huzhou, in the coastal province of Zhejiang, the local government said on its website

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China Police Seize Tonnes Of Man-Made Fake Jellyfish From Huzhou


While a real alive jellyfish looks like this, what the China police found in the market was fake "jellyfish", made from chemicals.

A tonne of man-made "jellyfish" has been seized by China's police, adding a new ingredient to the country's long recipe of fake foods.

The marine animal is a popular appetiser in China, known for its crisp but fleshy texture, often shredded and pickled in salt, vinegar and a little sugar.

read more


Clear, crunchy and counterfeit: China's fake jellyfish

Jellyfish are a popular appetiser in China, known for its crisp but fleshy texture.

Fake "jellyfish", made from chemicals, was first found at a food market in Huzhou, in the coastal province of Zhejiang, the local government said on its website.

They had a high aluminium content, long term consumption of which can damage bones and nerves, and lead to memory loss and mental decline.

read more

Man-made jellyfish

Harvard bioengineers have made an artificial jellyfish by growing a single layer of rat heart muscle on a patterned sheet of polydimethylsiloxane.  As you can see from the following video, when placed between two electrodes in water, this synthetic structure can swim exactly like its living counterpart.

he rat muscle contacts when an electric field is applied across the structure, and then the elastic silicone pulls the jellyfish back to its original shape.

“Morphologically, we’ve built a jellyfish. Functionally, we’ve built a jellyfish. Genetically, this thing is a rat,” said Kit Parker, the researcher who led this project.

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What Does It Take to Make a Jellyfish?

Many jellyfish are transparent, and they have seemingly simple movements and few visible interacting parts. They should, therefore, be easy to synthesize with man-made parts, but that's not what bioengineers discovered when they recently built a jellyfish mimic from rat heart cells attached to a silicone frame.

A team of Unites States collaborators produced a structure that, when energized by an external electrical shock, flexed and moved like a jellyfish in a water tank. Nature News posted a video showing their construct in motion.

Just what hurdles did the research team overcome in order to achieve their modest results?

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Artificial jellyfish built from rat cells
A jellyfish made of silicone and rat heart cells 'swims' in water when subjected to an electric field

Bioengineers have made an artificial jellyfish using silicone and muscle cells from a rat’s heart. The synthetic creature, dubbed a medusoid, looks like a flower with eight petals. When placed in an electric field, it pulses and swims exactly like its living counterpart.

“Morphologically, we’ve built a jellyfish. Functionally, we’ve built a jellyfish. Genetically, this thing is a rat,” says Kit Parker, a biophysicist at Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts, who led the work. The project is described today in Nature Biotechnology.

Parker’s lab works on creating artificial models of human heart tissues for regenerating organs and testing drugs, and the team built the medusoid as a way of understanding the “fundamental laws of muscular pumps”. It is an engineer’s approach to basic science: prove that you have identified the right principles by building something with them.

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Artificial jellyfish created from heart cells

The swimming behaviour of the Medusoid closely mimics that of the real thing

The team members built the replica using silicone as a base on which to grow heart muscle cells that were harvested from rats.

They used an electric current to shock the Medusoid into swimming with synchronised contractions that mimic those of real jellyfish.

The advance, by researchers at Caltech and Harvard University, is reported in the journal Nature Biotechnology .

read more


How Man-Made Jellyfish Could Help Heart Patients
A new artificial jellyfish swims in a tank of salt water in lab. This photo's colors have been altered to make the jellyfish easier to see

A half-inch-long juvenile jellyfish pulses and swims much like any of its compatriots in oceans all over the world. The major difference? It's entirely man-made. "It's a biohybrid robot. It's part animal, it's part synthetic material," said Kevin Kit Parker, a bioengineer at Harvard University who led the jellyfish-building effort.

The ultimate aim of Parker's little jellyfish isn't to build animals, however. It's to build artificial hearts for transplants in the future . Parker, who has long studied heart cells, chose to reproduce a jellyfish first, so he could learn the basics of biological pumps. "The jellyfish was a first step in that we built a functioning pump with designer specs," he told InnovationNewsDaily. "We're going to continue to try it to ratchet it up by building harder and harder things until we're ready for the heart."

His new artificial jellyfish is made from a combination of a thin, silicone material that's used in breast implants and heart cells harvested from unborn rats. Parker and his colleagues from Harvard and the California Institute of Technology analyzed a real jellyfish to learn exactly how the proteins in its body align with each other, then reproduced those alignments in the artificial design. A computer program the researchers wrote helped them quantitatively measure of how well the artificial design matched the natural one

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Man Made Jellyfish, A Poor Imitation Of The Real One

“If man with all his ingenuity can only create a much inferior fake Jellyfish then what is the probability that blind random chance could create the much superior real one, I think we know the answer to that.”

Many jellyfish are transparent, and they have seemingly simple movements and few visible interacting parts.

They should, therefore, be easy to synthesize with man-made parts, but that’s not what bioengineers discovered when they recently built a jellyfish mimic from rat heart cells attached to a silicone frame.

read more

related:
Artificial Chin Chow 仙草 (Grass Jelly)
Durian Fraud: 10 Tricks That May Deceive You
Wine Fraud: A Vintage Crime

24/05/2016

Health Benefits of Lemon

THEY TOLD YOU THAT DRINKING HOT WATER WITH LEMON WAS GOOD, BUT THEY DIDN’T TOLD YOU THIS

Many nutritionists agree that lemon water before breakfast has great health benefits. Well, there are various reasons why you should start to drink lemon water. For example, that is the best way to keep your body hydrated and it also helps to eliminate harmful toxins.

Lemon contains nutrients such as calcium, potassium, magnesium, iron and vitamins A, C and B complex, as well as pectin fibers, proteins and carbohydrates. In addition to that, citric acid which is contained in lemon has strong antibacterial and anti viral power and it also has immune – stimulating powers that help keep us healthy.

In order to prepare lemon water squeeze ½ lemon in a glass of purified water. You can add honey for better taste.

BENEFITS OF THE LEMON!
  • Helps to lose weight
  • Cleans the skin
  • Increases the energy
  • Bad breath
  • Stimulates the immunological system
  • Balances the pH levels
  • Improves digestion
  • Cure throat infections
  • Controls high blood pressure
  • Cleans the urinary tract
read more

I drank lemon water every day for 2 weeks to see if its health benefits were true
Here’s what I learned

Humans have been experimenting with tonics since the beginning of time. From the fountain of youth to alkaline water to kale juice, we’re always searching for that magic potion that will restore health and wellness, ward off illness, and make us look and feel 10 years younger. But what if that potion isn’t so mysterious? What if it’s just… lemon water?

Lemon water has been touted as a health and wellness aid for years by some MDs, clean living advocates, and, of course, celebs like Gwyneth Paltrow. And unlike packaged juice cleanses that supposedly brighten your skin and age you backwards, lemon water won’t break the bank. It’s cheap, it’s easy, and it seems safe (as long as you don’t try to exist on lemon water alone)—but does it really work wonders?

Some proponents of lemon water claim that it aids digestion, detoxifies the liver, erases age spots, speeds up your metabolism, helps with depression and anxiety, relieves heartburn, wards off cancer, and reduces inflammation. I was sceptical that it could do all those things, but I figured if it does even a few it would be pretty great.

read more

Is drinking lemon water really good for you?

My mother likes to prepare a huge jug of warm water and lemon slices at home, and the entire family drinks from it throughout the day.

When I asked her why, she cited a variety of reasons. “I like to drink lemon water because it’s a natural source of vitamin C,” said my mother Grace Yap, 56, an administrative executive. “And vitamin C helps boost my immune system, so that means protecting me from the flu. I understand it also helps make the skin look fairer and eases my thirst. Plus, it helps me feel better when I’ve had oily food.” But did she actually hear about this directly from a certified nutritionist or dietitian? She admitted, “No.”

So, we asked several dietitians and scoured the Internet to find out if the benefits of warm water and lemon is myth or fact. Here are six reasons why it’s good for you:
  • It stimulates your digestive system
  • It’s a homemade, electrolyte-filled sports drink
  • It gives you more vitamin C than any other citrus fruit, and fulfils your recommended daily vitamin C intake
  • It boosts your immune system
  • It’s a natural diuretic
  • It’s filled with antioxidants
read more

Will Drinking Lemon Water Help You Lose Weight?

Drinking lemon water is regarded by many professional nutritionists as having real and palpable weight-loss powers. Far from a weight loss myth, but, rather, a weight loss reality, drinking lemon water helps to speed up weight loss.

In addition to possessing properties that are favorable to weight loss, drinking lemon water also ensures that some of the toxins in your body are cleaned out, promotes quick bursts of energy and even cleans out some of your internal waste. If you drink lemon water in the morning especially, it will help to activate your body's detoxifying process and also its natural cleansing process. This principle works proportionally, so the more lemon water you drink, the more you ought to speed up weight loss.

Advantages to Drinking Lemon Water:
  • Cleans out Your Waste Better
  • Reduces Hunger Cravings

read more

Lemon Water For Digestion: Legit Or Quit?
Is there really a need to start your day with a big squeeze? (Photo: Getty Images/Yahoo Health)

Sometimes the biggest health trends are the smallest practices—for example, the advice proffered ubiquitously by wellness experts to drink plenty of lemon-infused water. Proponents say it promotes digestion, helps “alkalize” the body, and boosts your immunity. But can such a simple act reap all those rewards?

There are sound health reasons to imbibe lemon water, especially if you typically have a finicky digestive system. But it’s wise to take a few extra steps to save your smile:
  • “Drink it as part of a meal, not by itself, to help stimulate saliva production,” Messina advises. Saliva “washes harmful acids and food particles away from teeth and helps neutralize acid, protecting teeth from decay.” 
  • If you want to drink warm lemon water first thing in the morning, try waiting until it cools a bit, and then use a straw. This “may help to push the liquid past teeth,” Messina says. 
  • Drink lemon water before brushing your teeth, so the acid isn’t hitting enamel directly (morning tooth scuzz has purpose!). Then, “it’s best to wait a little while to brush your teeth, approximately 30 to 60 minutes,” he says. 
read more

related:
Health Benefits of Cumin Seeds
Health Benefits of Avocado
Health benefits of Cucumber
Health Benefits of Turmeric
Health Benefits of Cinnamon
Health Benefits of Gingko
Health Benefits of Ginseng
Health Benefits of Goji Berries
Health Benefits of Ginger
Health Benefits of Garlic
Health Benefits of Honey
Health Benefits of Dates
Health Benefits of Onion
Health Benefits of Spices
Health Benefits of Food
Health Benefits of Chia Seeds
Health Benefits of Bananas
Health Benefits of Lemon
Health Benefits of Apple Cider Vinegar
Health Benefits of Moringa
Health Benefits of Mushrooms

23/05/2016

Bukit Batok polls: The aftermath

Bukit Batok 2016 By-Election: Results Explained

Blackbox offers some exclusive insights from the Bukit Batok by-election. In the days leading up to last Saturday’s by-election we polled over 300 residents and examined their voting intentions and the factors influencing their choice.

Our results showed a swing to a similar magnitude as was recorded on voting day and how the contest was always going to be a tough one for the SDP to try and win (in all likelihood, this was never on the cards). Saying that, the decision by the SDP to nominate leader as the candidate clearly captured the interest of Bukit Batok voters and provided a platform for the party to showcase its own evolution since GE2015 . At the same time, the PAP appeared to use its firepower to full effect in order to avoid another calamitous by-election result.

The poll also shows that David Ong’s alleged indiscretions and resignation had minimal impact on voter perceptions.

read more

PAP won GE2015 before campaign began: Polling firm Blackbox Research
PAP supprters waiting for the polling results at Bedok Stadium on Sept 11, 2015. ST PHOTO: CAROLINE CHIA

Last September's election was won by the People's Action Party (PAP) well before the campaign began, polling company Blackbox Research said yesterday at a discussion on opinion polls and sentiment towards the Government.

It noted that while there was some public unhappiness in 2013 due to the Population White Paper and public transport breakdowns, policy shifts from 2014 helped win Singaporeans over again.


And the death of first prime minister Mr Lee Kuan Yew last March led to a significant uptick in support for the PAP, its polls found.

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With all the professionals that it has, did SDP misread the Blackbox poll?

Blackbox Research, a Singapore-based communications and content-research agency, conducted a telephone survey in Bukit Batok between 30 Apr and 3 May to gauge how Bukit Batok voters were feeling about the By-Election. Their poll suggested that PAP would win the by-election by getting 64.4 percent of the vote. The PAP’s eventual victory at 61.2 percent was within the poll’s error margin of -/+ 5.6 percent.

The poll said that of the 33 percent who participated in the telephone poll said that they would vote for SDP (or were leaning towards voting for it), because they felt that SDP’s candidate Dr Chee Soon Juan was a better candidate than the PAP’s Murali Pillai.

And that 67 percent who participated in the telephone poll said that they would vote for PAP (or were leaning towards voting for it) because they prefer or trust PAP more.

read more

Bukit Batok Survey Shows Dr Chee had More Pulling Power but Murali was Better Regarded

The Bukit Batok by-election was Dr Chee Soon Juan’s to lose, and this pre-election survey done by Blackbox Research shows that the PAP and its “unknown” candidate Murali Pillai were both more highly regarded than the SDP and its leader, Dr Chee Soon Juan.

Blackbox Research’s prediction of a 64.4 percent win for the PAP in Bukit Batok was fairly acurate.

It was 3.2 percent off the mark.

read more

​SURVEY: HIGHER % OF SDP VOTERS IN BB SAY CHEE BETTER CANDIDATE THAN THOSE ROOTING FOR MURALI

A pre-election survey conducted between 30 April to 3 May 2016 by Blackbox Research showed that SDP voters or those leaning towards SDP found Dr Chee Soon Juan to be the better candidate (33%) than those voting for the PAP (29%) who indicated that Mr Murali Pillai was the better candidate.

However, residents who indicated that they were inclined towards voting for the PAP rated the PAP as the preferred party (67%) to SDP (28%).

[This is a correction from the earlier version: "A pre-election survey conducted between 30 April to 3 May 2016 by Blackbox Research showed that Bukit Batok voters found SDP candidate Dr Chee Soon Juan to be the better candidate than his PAP rival Mr Murali Pillai. However, residents rated the PAP as the preferred party (67%) to SDP (28%).However, residents rated the PAP as the preferred party (67%) to SDP (28%)." We apologise for the inconvenience caused.]

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Chee reflects on the Bukit Batok by-election

With a restful past week, I have had the opportunity to reflect on the eventful election at Bukit Batok. In the midst of the many developments during the campaign, a clear pattern emerged: While the SDP focused on running a positive and forward-looking campaign, for which we take much pride, our opponents came with a different game-plan.

The PAP’s strategy was clear: envenom the nine-day campaign with as much vitriol as possible with facts sent to the mortuary.

It started off with the Chinese-language nightly, Lianhe Wanbao, which published an interview it did with me. The headlines screamed: CHEE PROUD OF HIS ‘WILD AND COLOURFUL PAST’. The not-so-small problem was that I did not say any of those words.

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Residents share thoughts on Bukit Batok by-election
PAP members canvassing for votes at Bukit Batok with Mr Murali at the background (Photo - Terry Xu)

Leading up to the Bukit Batok by-election that was held on 7 May, independent research firm Blackbox conducted a series of telephone interviews that revealed the sentiments of voters across the SMC.

While People's Action Party (PAP) candidate Murali Pillai won the Bukit Batok SMC seat by 61.2%, the Singapore Democratic Party's (SDP) Chee Soon Juan captured the votes of 38.8% of residents, the highest ever for SDP in Bukit Batok. The telephone interviews conducted by Blackbox during the lead up to Polling Day gave similar results.

As part of the Blackbox survey, 302 residents of voting age participated, of which 37% were voters aged 21 to 39. The remaining 63% were voters aged 40 and above.

related: Police report filed against PAP MP, Ms Rahayu Mahzam for alleged racist remarks


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Reflections on the Bukit Batok by-election

PAP’s K. Muralidharan Pillai has won in Bukit Batok, as was predicted by most political observers. However, a large part of his win can be attributed to party leaders vigorously campaigning for him. PM Lee, DPM Tharman, Minister Shanmugam, Minister Grace Fu, Speaker of Parliament Halimah Yacob, Minister of State Desmond Lee, Mayor Low Yen Ling and several others were involved in his campaign. He was not his own man during the by-election and thus the onus is on him to build bonds with residents and prove his worth in parliament over the next 4 years. Bukit Batok residents voted for the party brand instead of going for something new. Nevertheless, it is hoped that he will contribute more in parliament than the previous MP, David Ong.

The by-election also destroyed the myth that minority candidates will lose in a Chinese majority SMC when faced with a Chinese candidate, and thus the rationale for GRCs is nonsense. It is just a convenient way to get weak PAP candidates into parliament. The government should therefore reduce the number of GRCs and increase the number of SMCs to at least 20 at the next general election.

Another issue of concern is the unprofessional conduct of the SPP chairman, Lina Chiam during this by-election period. She chose to attack Dr Chee and SDP during the by-election period over a frivolous issue of a photo of Dr Chee and Mr Chiam appearing in the 2015 SDP magazine. She claimed that the photo was used without permission. Rather than keep quiet after raising the issue, Mrs Chiam continued to harp on it. Just before cooling off day, she also took issue with how the article in magazine described the meeting with Mr Chiam in 2010. She was unhappy that back then, SDP only offered to make Mr Chiam a honorary chairman and not the leader.

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3 reasons why Murali won the by-election, and what his future looks like in Bukit Batok

Murali’s 16 years in Bukit Batok, which he used to his advantage:

The humble, endearing narrative versus the brave, unrelenting attitude:

Murali’s overwhelming support from almost every established political figure in Singapore:
  1. Tharman Shanmugaratnam, Deputy Prime Minister and 2nd Assistant Secretary-General of the PAP
  2. Chan Chun Sing, Minister in Prime Minister’s Office (Secretary-General of NTUC) and Party Whip of the PAP
  3. Grace Fu, Minister of Culture, Community and Youth and member of PAP’s CEC
  4. Halimah Yacob, Speaker of Parliament and member of PAP’s CEC
  5. Low Yen Ling, Parliamentary Secretary for Ministry of Social and Family Development and Mayor of Southwest District
  6. Rahayu Mahzam, MP for Jurong GRC
  7. Lee Hsien Loong, Prime Minister and Secretary-General of the PAP
  8. Desmond Lee, Senior Minister of State for Home Affairs and National Development, and MP for Jurong GRC
  9. Ang Wei Ning, MP for Jurong GRC
  10. Tan Wu Meng, MP for Jurong GRC
  11. Alex Yam, MP for Choa Chu Kang GRC
  12. Lim Boon Heng, former Minister and former PAP Chairman
  13. Goh Chok Tong, Emeritus Senior Minister
  14. K. Shanmugam, Minister for Home Affairs and Law and Assistant Treasurer of the PAP
  15. Tan Chuan-Jin, Minister for Social and Family Development
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5 factors that worked in PAP's favour

The People's Action Party (PAP) candidate Murali Pillai on Sat (May 7) repaid his party's faith in him by winning the Bukit Batok by-election.

Mr Murali defeated Singapore Democratic Party (SDP) chief Chee Soon Juan with 61.2% of the vote share. This was a nearly 12% point drop from the 2015 General Election when the PAP won 73% in the single-seat ward.

Then again, political observers have pointed out that Mr Murali faced some challenges, including the 'by-election effect', the circumstances in which his predecessor David Ong quit (an alleged extramarital affair) and how he was a minority candidate.
  • Tharman and the Jurong family
  • Is Dr Chee really a changed man?
  • PAP's unassailable advantage
  • Bukit Batok's demographic profile
  • The PAP's track record in the West
related: 7 issues that stood out

Bukit Batok polls: The aftermath

The much-trumpeted "by-election" effect failed to work its magic for the opposition this time round.

After losing 2 previous by-elections, the People's Action Party (PAP) won Bukit Batok with 61.2 per cent of the vote on May 7.

Observers believe that in a by-election, voters are more willing to support the opposition as there is no danger of inadvertently voting the Government out of power.

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