Speaking to the media about Singaporean residents placing items in common corridors, PAP MP for Tanjong Pagar GRC Melvin Yong said that going to house visits is like clearing an obstacle course to him:
“Sometimes we go for house visits, and it’s like an obstacle course — we must walk around things. It’s not safe when you put a lot of things along the corridor. If there’s an emergency, it’s difficult to go through.”
The former Assistant Police Commissioner was at a People’s Association event campaigning on anti-littering messages. Although Tanjong Pagar GRC ranks well for estate cleanliness in the ruling party-published Town Council Management Report, the area is one of the dirtiest precincts in Singapore next to Little India.
In May 2016, a bacterial outbreak occurred in Tanjong Pagar GRC’s Pek Kio Market and Food Centre led to over 180 cases of gastric flu. The cause of the disease spread was unknown but it ended after the town council closed the market for 2 days of sterilization and cleaning. The MP-in-charge then was Melvin Yong and he had no comment over the Pek Kio food poisoning incident.