PAP’s Koh Poh Koon goes from ‘Son of Punggol’ to ‘Prodigal Son’.

Punggol East residents woke up this morning to find out that they will not have feeder bus services, wet markets, elder care services and community clubs in the future.

No childcare centres, integrated elder-care facilities, feeder bus services, wet markets and community clubs for Punggol.

All because the SMC declared independence from the PAP, seceded from the country and automatically became the Workers’ Party’s Republic of Punggol East after the by-election two weeks ago.

Koh Poh Koon was the candidate who ran under the PAP banner and was the self-proclaimed “Son of Punggol” who wanted to represent the people of the northeast but eventually cannot now because he suffered a landslide loss to WP’s Lee Li Lian.

Speaking about Koh Poh Koon, some residents in the estate got emotional.

Punggol East resident, Lao Bai Xin, said: “We have no son! What’s the point of having a son if he cannot do anything for us? We might as well die.”

Others though were more optimistic.

Another resident, Gong Ren Dang, said: “We might have lost a son, but we have gained a daughter. And a father figure in the form of Low Thia Khiang.”

“And a fuzzy ball Chinese man of an uncle called Pritam Singh.”

And the transformation of the “Son of Punggol” to “Prodigal Son” will not go unacknowledged.

Other residents of the areas say they intend to give Koh Poh Koon informal community sanctions, such as throwing dirty looks in his general direction, refusing to shake his hand and shouting “kar chng” whenever he is within earshot.

Mei You Yong, another resident, said: “The Prodigal Son will not return to open arms. This is not a story out of the Good Book.”