Double First In Cambridge, Yet He Cannot Find A Job In Singapore
Because His Father Is An Opposition Politician
http://www.todayonline.com/Singapore...eth-Jeyaretnam
It has been almost a year since Mr Kenneth Jeyaretnam was
persuaded to take over the leadership of the Reform Party,
following the death of its founder - his father JB Jeyaretnam
(JBJ). The 50-year-old former hedge fund manager, who gave up his
job to focus on politics full-time, says that at the time the
Opposition party was a "drifting, rudderless empty vessel". While
Mr Jeyaretnam sees his work as a continuation of his father's
lifelong mission, he also wants to be seen as "his own man" with
his own brand of "economically-competent" politics. And perhaps
having witnessed firsthand his father's costly legal battles, he
recently told LOH CHEE KONG that he wants the Reform Party to steer
clear of legal minefields. 'I've got nothing to hide' Why did you
enter politics? Was it what your father expected of you? And is the
JBJ legacy a boon or a bane to your own political career? My father
had always hoped that one of us (Kenneth or his younger brother
Philip Jeyaretnam) would follow him into politics ... My father's
legacy is not really an issue any more because I'm seen as my own
man. When we did our walkabout with the Singapore Democratic
Alliance last Sunday, I was sitting with my members at a table (at
the void deck of a block of flats) and a guy at the next table
said: "Hi Kenneth, how's it going?" People do come up and approach
me now. You had previously kept a low profile. Were you prepared
for the media scrutiny? I'm ready for any scrutiny - I've got
nothing to hide. Obviously, it's an uphill struggle to get your
message across in the mainstream media. But because of the rise of
the new media, we've been getting our message across ... but we
have to be in control of the content. One of the things I'm
concerned about is that we don't put out anything that is
potentially libellous, inflammatory or seditious, that could lead
to potential legal problems. You have spent a large part of your
life overseas. Will that count against you getting elected? Can you
relate to the average Singaporean? Let's get it straight: Do you think that
I left Singapore by choice? I couldn't get a job here. I had a
"double first" (first-class honours in two separate subjects) from
Cambridge. After I graduated in 1983 - which was two years after my
father was elected into Parliament - I wanted to return to
Singapore. The Monetary Authority of Singapore rejected my
application after one round of interviews. A lot of financial
institutions and banks also rejected my applications. Anyway, I'm
not here to whine. I've succeeded in London. I've built a
successful career in the financial sector and in hedge fund
management. It has given me a perspective of seeing
how an open, democratic society operates. People find me
approachable, proactive, capable - even though some people say I
speak with an English accent. 'The party was in a bad state' It's
been almost a year since you took over leadership of the Reform
Party. What was the experience like? When I was elected as
secretary-general, it was actually a bit of a shock because I found
the party was in quite a bad state. It was like a drifting,
rudderless empty vessel. Morale had dwindled, the number of members
had decreased and there hadn't been central executive committee
meetings for about four or five months ... But since then, the
responses I've gotten have been much more than I expected. We've
definitely created a watershed in Singapore politics. For the first
time, you've got an Opposition party that is perceived as
economically competent, credible, and proposing alternative
policies that could really make a difference or change Singapore.
With your brand of politics, are you trying to appeal to the
intelligentsia? We appeal to all sections of Singapore. I went on a
house-to-house visit in West Coast GRC recently in a low-income
area. We got a very enthusiastic response there ... there haven't
been elections there for 20 years. We appeal to the professional
classes because of our economic policies and perceived economic
competence. We definitely appeal to most Singaporeans who think
there should be more opposition in Parliament - that we need to
move towards a two-party system. Rising property prices is one area
that the Reform Party is concerned about. How would the party do
things differently from the Government? There's a conflict of
interest in the Government's role as the owner of 79 per cent of
the land and the provider of housing ... they have a vested
interest in seeing property prices rise. We've said that we would
like to see more private sector competition with the HDB in the
provision of low-cost housing. I don't think this would lead to
lower quality because first, you have a regulator to ensure that
standards are maintained. Second, competition usually leads to
higher quality. If you get into Parliament, do you see yourself as
a full-time Member of Parliament? What would your priorities be?
I'm already a full-time politician and I'll certainly devote the
major part of my time. Being an MP is not the ultimate objective,
because every political party's objective should be to get to be
the government and that's what I'll be working for. The PAP may be
against the two-party system but it's inevitable, as we have seen
in Korea, Taiwan and Indonesia. The problem with the one-party
system is not corruption - at least not in Singapore because the
Government is not corrupt - but it leads to a society closed to new
ideas, with too many "yes men". 'We are fairly united' What is your
take on the state of Opposition unity here? You can't force
Opposition unity but I think it will definitely happen. That's the
basis of our purported alliance with the SDA (Singapore Democratic
Alliance) - it would not be to just fight an election but to
coordinate our actions in Parliament. We don't all have to agree on
exactly the same policies, but we all have the same objective, so
it would be wrong to talk about Opposition disunity. We are fairly
united. If you team up with the SDA's Chiam See Tong to contest a
Group Representation Constituency, wouldn't you find yourself in
the shadow of a veteran Opposition figure? Mr Chiam is much-loved
and respected by his constituents. He has done a great job in
Potong Pasir. But let's be frank: In a democratic country, if a
party has failed for 25 years to expand its base beyond one seat in
Parliament then I think the leaders would have been voted out. Mr
Chiam and I share the same view that the purpose of a political
party is to form a government. He has spoken many times about the
Opposition forming, not at the next General Election but by the
election after that, to be in a position to be seen as an
alternative government - which is something the Reform Party has
also said. I can't comment on our election strategy. It's
completely shocking that we haven't seen the boundaries ... that is
grossly unfair to the Opposition. What do you hope Singaporeans see
Kenneth Jeyaretnam as? I hope that I'll be seen as somebody who
transformed Singapore politics - I hope that doesn't sound too
arrogant - and who made (participating in politics) seem like a
normal and patriotic duty, rather than something to be shunned or
avoided out of fear.
that's funny ..... his brother got a first class from cambridge
too, how come he didn't have any problems finding a job in
Singapore, even getting himself elected as the president of the law
society ? ......
