Polling day! I was assigned to cover one of the polling stations in Hougang Central. When I arrived, there were quite a number of people from the press around the blocks facing the polling stations, but nobody was shooting. Soon, I realized that the polling agents were prohibiting any form of photography/videography at the polling stations, meaning that we can’t even point our cameras in that direction. Not wanting to be hauled up for questioning, I loitered around the neighbourhood and somehow got into a conversation with some of the residents at the Elderly corner.  They are really nice people, funny at some point.

Voters of  Hougang go to the polls. Everyone.

A voter fresh from the polling station.

I couldn’t get a shot of the polling station at Hougang Central because the authorities refused to let us point our camera anywhere near it. So I loitered around the area and had a chat with some happy voters. Many of them have been staying in Hougang for ages.

Mr Png Eng Huat from Worker’s Party leaving the polling station after a brief inspection. Guess who’s at the back? Felix!! I shot his ROM afew years back and he called me when he saw me snooping around the polling station, trying to get a shot of Mr Png.

Back at the PAP HQ, Mr Desmond Choo talking to supporter before leaving for the polling stations in the rain.

The “Elderly Corner” under Block 831. After spending some time talking to the folks who finished voting, they asked me which news agency I was from, which I replied I was helping out a web publication. Then he asked if I could help him ask why their requests for toilets at Block 831’s elderly corner are not approved over so many years. He pointed out that this corner was put in place in 2002 (see date above TV) and their MP told them that their requests have repeatedly been denied.  Yet, the block right opposite the road, Block 513 has a toilet. The difference was that Block 513 was under Aljunied GRC back then when the toilets were built. I can’t help but feel sorry for them. While the place doesn’t look like it has had a makeover, it was pretty well maintained, but without a toilet, an elderly corner is like a house without a roof. I can imagine the kind of inconvenience when you desperately need to answer the calls of nature while having a chat with friends.

Now that the polls are over, I hope both parties work together and give the elderly residents at Block 831 a decent toilet. It’s not that hard to have it approved, or is it?

The tale of two constituencies (pre-GE11).

This is the final rally for the By Election for Hougang SMC. I completely forgot about the cooling off day restrictions until the folks from TOC told me that it would be nice if I can give them some pictures before 1130pm so they can post them before midnight. The rally ended around 1030pm and from there, it was a race against time. I was happy to get afew out to them in time. After all that madness, I just thought to myself, it’s pretty tough to be a press photographer, especially when you have to rush photos for next day publications. The appeal of being a press photographer faded overnight.

The rally was pretty charged up, much more than the previous one. The crowd seem to respond to the speakers right from the start, unlike Tuesday’s rally where they took quite awhile to warm up. I enjoyed this rally alot more than the last. As for the rain I hoped for, it came the moment the last member left the stage. While walking back, I heard a conversation between two old folks.  Loosely translated,

A: It’s raining…

B: Ya, rained right after the rally.

A: It’s like “ang huay chui” (flower water, typically used to “wash” away bad luck) for the party

B: Yes! Wishing everyone good health! Huat ah!

Hougang reminded me of my childhood here (after all, I spent a considerable number of years schooling here) and in some ways the “kampung spirit” which we’ve been desperately trying to find seems to be present here. As WP’s Low Thia Khiang said, although Hougang doesn’t have the best amenities compared to other constituencies, but it has the charm of a “cosy village” (that’s my translation:D). I often complained that Singapore does not put in much effort in preserving history, tearing down every single old building that is standing on “expensive land” and “facelifting” anything that looks aged. Hougang is probably one of the last piece of land that still looked the same 20 years ago.  Taking a walk in Hougang is like a walk down memory lane. Like fine wine, it aged gracefully.

And yes! Finally tonight I’ll be at PAP domain. Hopefully I’ll be able to get some nice pictures there. Camera set… +2 EV.

The pre-rally cheer leading.

I saw this chap in the last rally and he came empty handed. But this time, he shouted, “I came with all my “家私” (meaning, props)”!

And he found a cheer mate.

One of his many “家私”. He asked Pauline (the other TOC photographer) if he wrote everything correctly. And yes he did.

The front row folks. Most if not all of them were very nice to photographers.

So it begins…

A fiery hokkien speech to start the rally rolling!

Today, we get 2 guys blowing the trumpet. The guy in red is the apprentice.

One of the few I caught out of 50 odd attempts. It pretty much sums up this rally.

Folks watching the rally from the block. It took me a long time to get up there because the lift stops at every single level. But it was well worth it to see what the crowd was like from 12 floors above.

It’s gotta be “HUAT AH!”

One of things that WP said they agree with the government was the budget which was “inclusive”. Mr Low said they do not oppose for the sake of opposing.

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Elections are round the corner again. This time, voters in Hougang SMC gets to choose the person to represent them in Parliament. Last year, I was standing near the front row with my friends to watch the rally. I saw people from the media within the compound and as a photographer myself, I wondered how it was like to be in there. I didn’t have to wait 5 years for that opportunity. Many thanks to theonlinecitizen for this opportunity and also the folks from WP for making this happen. Special thanks to the WP staff/volunteer who offered me his umbrella when it started pouring. I hope I will get to cover PAP rally one day. For now, this is WP for you. As they say, Hammer Time!:)

Drumming up support. Pretty effective.

The crowd coming in after dinner. And I missed mine… adrenaline took over:)

The catchphrase for Hougang this month. It kinda dominated afew weddings that I’ve shot too:D

These ladies have been here since early afternoon. They asked if I was from 联合早报. I said no, I’m from “网报”… because I have no idea how to translate The Online Citizen.

As for her, she said she’s been here since morning. I was like… “what?” Especially if you know how scorching hot it was that day.

Pritam Singh meeting the people. He’s quite popular with the supporters.

And so the Rally begins…

Chairman of WP, Sylvia Lim. She must be wondering, who’s this new guy?:D

I salute this.

MIB: Man in Blue

Glenda Han!! I like her, because she talks about HDB for singles and she’s pretty and single too. But hey, that’s a serious topic. We get penalized like single travelers.

Pritam Singh. The crowd favourite. He has a good sense of humour, a little like Russell Peters.

WP heavyweight Chen Show Mao. His chinese speech delivery was awesome.

The crowd going crazy when the next speaker was announced.

The “pause”. It’s as powerful as the speech itself.

And the rain got heavier as he spoke.

And all the scripts got wet. I wonder what ink they used, it seems to hold up well. Good thing Chen Show Mao’s turn was over, otherwise his Ipad would’ve been Iwet.

She said “HUAT AH!”

Sylvia Lim took the stage.

Hammer time!

Hougang candidate Mr Png Eng Huat laughing heartily at the chants of HUAT AH!

A nice moment between the party members in the rain.

A quiet moment for Png Eng Huat.

Png Eng Huat acknowledging cheers from the crowd.

Party Secretary Mr Low Thia Khiang closing the rally. Rain or Shine…

The supporters.

Will Hougang be united? We’ll see on 26th May 2012