Apr 17, 2011 - Sunday Times
PM Lee on the 24 new PAP candidates
IN HIS speech at the 25th anniversary celebrations of Young PAP
on Sunday, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong gave his take on the 24
new People's Action Party candidates.
Here's what he had to say:
Desmond Choo: 'He started out as a police scholar. He's no
stranger to tough battles.'
Ong Ye Kung: 'He's now the executive secretary of the NTWU
(National Transport Workers' Union) and also chairman of NTUC's
e2i, and he will work hard for workers.'
Janil Puthucheary: 'Janil grew up in Malaysia but married a
Singaporean and made Singapore his home. He's a paediatric
intensivist, which means he takes care of the sickest babies and
children in KK Hospital.'
Foo Mee Har: 'She's worked in China and Thailand other than in
Singapore so, truly an international experience.'
Desmond Lee Ti-Seng: 'He was doing very well in the legal
service, we spotted him, we asked him, he agreed to stand as a
candidate because he wanted to improve the system that he had
benefitted from.'
Steve Tan: '(His) father used to work for the PUB so he lived in
a one-room flat in PUB quarters at Woodleigh, which is in the
Potong Pasir area. Later on his parents bought an HDB flat, also in
Potong Pasir and they still live there. He still lives in Potong
Pasir too.'
Zainal Sapari: 'He knows about hard work because his father used
to hold three jobs. He was a cleaner, a security officer and also a
gardener, all at the same time, and he did this to feed the
family.'
Gan Thiam Poh: 'The father was an odd-job labourer. As a young
boy, he was going house to house selling home-made popiah. Now he
wants to give back to society.'
Tin Pei Ling: 'She may be young but I think she has steel in her
and she knows how to connect with people and that makes all the
difference on the ground.'
Vikram Nair: 'He speaks Tamil and Malayalam which is quite
useful for connecting with older residents.'
Ang Hin Kee: 'Hin Kee introduced himself as a repeat student
because he took the O levels twice but eventually he made it, he
went to NUS. So he knows what failure and disappointment means but
also how to pick himself up and succeed the second time.'
Ang Wei Neng: 'Wei Neng knows a lot about transportation because
he works in SBS Transit and manages 1,600 public buses but that's
not so hard. What is tougher is managing 3,000 staff, including
2,800 bus drivers.'
Edwin Tong: 'Very quiet and modest person but I am confident
that as an MP he will care for his residents and look after their
interests.'
Low Yen Ling: 'At first she started working in a bank, then she
left to join a start-up, the start-up didn't do well. Subsequently
she worked for EDB.'
Tan Chuan-Jin: 'He served as army attache in Jakarta for one
year, learnt Bahasa Indonesia, got in touch with the Indonesian
senior officers and later he commanded the SAF tsunami mission in
Meulaboh in Aceh, where this experience proved invaluable. When I
visited Meulaboh during the tsunami, he showed me around and he was
on top of the situation.'
Patrick Tay: 'Patrick believes in volunteering. He's been
involved in grassroots work for 25 years although he's only 40
years old and he comes highly recommended by Prof Jayakumar.'
Intan Azura Mokhtar: 'We interviewed Intan before and after her
latest baby. She was a lecturer at Abu Dhabi University so she's
quite adaptable and I'm very happy to have her in the Jalan Kayu
branch in Ang Mo Kio GRC.'
Lawrence Wong: 'Served in various ministries. In Finance, he
implemented schemes to help Singaporeans cope with restructuring.
In the Ministry of Health, he helped Khaw Boon Wan to improve the
Medishield system with the Medishield reforms. Most recently he was
CEO of the Energy Markets Authority.'
David Ong Kim Huat: 'He grew up in a two-room flat in Queenstown
but made himself a successful businessman, running his own
publishing firm.'
Alex Yam: 'Grew up in a well-to-do family but has believed in
community service from young.'
Heng Swee Keat: 'Grew up in a kampong but made it to
Cambridge.'
Ong Teng Koon: 'He introduced himself as a heartlander because
he grew up in Ang Mo Kio and still lives there with his extended
family nearby, so he's one of my reliable voters.'
Sim Ann: 'Both parents Chinese educated and herself, as you have
heard, completely bilingual and represents a new generation of
bilingual Singaporeans, like Gan Thiam Poh and Tin Pei Ling.'
Chan Chun Sing: 'Another RI boy with humble beginnings. He
preferred to join the scouts for his CCA but he hesitated because
the scouts had to pay for their uniforms whereas NPCC uniforms were
free. But finally he did become a scout and he picked up navigating
skills which proved useful when he went to NS.'
