PAP introduces three more candidates for upcoming
General Election
By May Wong, Channel NewsAsia
SINGAPORE : The People's Action Party has introduced its next 3
candidates for the upcoming General Election - among them, a former
civil servant with a strong bi-cultural background.
Two of them were familiar with Singapore's constant drive to stay
ahead of the competition.
This brings to 18 the total number of candidates introduced so far.
And more will be introduced at another news conference next
Tuesday.
A former civil servant, 35-year-old Baey Yam Keng is familiar with
Singapore's drive to promote economic investments as well as the
arts scene.
That's because Mr Baey, a father of 3, was with the Economic
Development Board, before joining the Information, Communications
and the Arts Ministry.
This avid theatre buff has also tried his hand at theatre
productions.
Mr Baey said the Singapore system has enabled him to progress,
achieving different milestones in life.
He said: "Of course in the journey, some will run faster, some will
be left behind. I view that it's the role of the government to let
those who can run fast, to run as fast as they can but for those
who are lagging behind, to give a helping hand.
"And we should also be looking at ways of different measures of
success, of achievement in life, whether it's academic
qualification, or a certain raw talent, or maybe just a simple
belief.
"I think the government should really provide that environment for
all these different diversities and differences to flourish in this
society and that's how the society would move on and
progress."
And helping the society progress through education and economic
growth is what 42-year-old Grace Fu wants to do.
The mother of three is PSA International's Chief Executive Officer
for Southeast Asia and Japan.
She feels strongly that every child should be given equal education
opportunities.
But to have that, she says, there must be good policies to drive
the economy in this competitive global environment - one she
experienced personally when PSA had to retrench its staff to stay
agile.
And she understands why certain decisions - like the development of
the integrated resorts - have to be taken.
She said: "The IR is a very hotly debated topic and it probably cut
through the hearts of many Singaporeans but personally from a part
of a business community, the way I look at it, it shows the
flexibility. It shows the flexibility on the government front, as I
say, to seize the opportunities that come our way.
"I think that's very important. In this world, the momentum of
change is increasing. And really the world will pass us by if we do
not seize the moment. I think in the longer run, that's what we'll
need.
"We'll need very quick decisions, carefully considered but it has
to be done quickly and we must be nimble. We must question our
policies, our regulations, what we can do better. Personally from
the business community's perspective, I think there's still a lot
can be done on the cost of doing business in Singapore."
The third candidate is 36-year-old Lam Pin Min.
The father of two girls is an eye surgeon and consultant at the KK
Women's and Children's Hospital.
Dr Lam was involved in many humanitarian missions like leading a
medical contingent to East Timor and has been active in community
work for the past 5 years.
The experience, he says, opened his eyes to the plight of poorer
Singaporeans.
He said: "All of us come from different backgrounds, diverse
backgrounds. And when the party look for potential candidates, they
have to assess the candidates very carefully, in terms of certain
qualities, virtues.
"You don't just select somebody who is different so that you can
answer to the voters, 'oh, we have someone different', but whether
this fellow can contribute to the Singapore society.
"What has he done? What can he contribute? What can he do in the
future for Singaporeans? I think that's important. It's not just
doing something different so you can answer to voters'
criticism."
Aside from being active in community work in Radin Mas, Dr Lam is
also a Councillor on the Central Singapore Community Development
Council.
And he is a founding member and director of Compass Welfare
Foundation, a voluntary welfare organisation set up to look after
the welfare and needs of the sick and elderly poor.
The medical graduate from the National University of Singapore also
has a Master in Ophthalmology. - CNA/ch
