First Person -- Teo Ser
Luck
April 3rd, 2009
:: I-S Magazine
He helped bring the Youth Olympics to Singapore, and is
Senior Parliamentary Secretary for two ministries. However, despite
such lofty achievements, Teo Ser Luck, 40, is as down-to-earth as
ever.
I come from a humble background.
My father was a laborer and my mother a seamstress. We lived above
a provision shop in Hougang where there was no proper sanitation;
just buckets for toilets. That was the reality of life, but it
shaped my character and outlook, and I feel privileged to have gone
through it.
I have many good memories of childhood.
My parents were often busy with work, so we were on our own a lot.
My friends and I were street kids; we would loiter, catch spiders
and play in the longkang (gutter). We were too poor to afford a
football so we used to kick stones instead, using our slippers as
goal posts.
I never wanted to be a doctor or a lawyer.
My childhood ambition was to be a bus conductor. I thought it would
be cool to have a bag and punch tickets.
As a kid, I used to work in a factory that
supplied mannequins to shops and we paid 10 to 20 cents to dust and
gloss them. I remember going to collect my exam results once with
my hands stained blue from chemicals. To this day, there are ah
peks from my time at the factories who call out “Ah Luck!” to me on
the street, and it gives me a warm feeling.
I was not a teacher’s pet. I just tried to get by
without getting picked on by my teachers. My teachers didn’t really
notice me because I was quiet but that spurred me on to do better.
When I was in the top eighth percentile for PSLE, nobody expected
it.
My mother once saw me being punished by
a teacher who told her that she and my dad should speak to me in
English more. My mum bought me a bottle of Yakult to make me feel
better after school that day.
My maternal grandmother was my role model
when I was a boy. She had a very strong character; she brought up
six children single-handedly and sold bread at Farrer Park market
for 60 years. I aspired to be like her, a resilient survivor no
matter what.
I wake up at 4:30am to exercise; that’s when
I have time to myself. I usually run, swim or go cycling. I also
sign up for triathlons as a personal goal to work
towards.
I still wear shorts and running shoes to
the kopitiam. My wife reminds me about it from time to time, but
I’m no different from the people who voted for me. I want to know
how they feel and help build better policies for the
masses.
I listen to a variety of music: Chinese pop,
R&B and jazz. I like Diana Krall and George Benson. Some of my
favorite Chinese pop artistes are Zhang Dong Liang and Jiang Mei
Qi. I also like local artist Shi Xin Hui. I like it when songs have
good melodies and lyrics that they melt my worries away.
People’s smiles make me happy. I like it
when I crack a joke and my kids laugh, and also when the elderly in
my constituency are happy after I’ve helped them in some way. I’m
upset when people do things out of self-interest. That makes me
angry.
I have no regrets. I feel very blessed that
I can do something for others. It’s a win-win situation! It’s a
tough job, but it’s worth it.
My greatest fear is a fragmented Singapore.
We must help one another and close the gaps between different
classes. People who are successful must not forget about the
others. Also, we cannot afford to slow down—we may lose it all
tomorrow.—Interview by Baey Shi Chen
