The makeshift cubicle that served as the office for Mr
Chiam's Meet The People sessions for the past 27 years
Posted by theonlinecitizen on March 25,
2011
by Andrew Loh
Seeing Mr Chiam See Tong up close is inspiring. Anyone who
thinks that age or the two strokes he suffered in recent years have
dented his spirit would be highly mistaken. The veteran opposition
politician is as stout-hearted as he has always been.
As I waited for him to end his Meet-The-People session on
Thursday at Block 121 in Potong Pasir, I was struck by the sight of
what must now be legend – that singular table sited at a corner of
the void deck, partitioned for privacy by aluminium panels into a
makeshift cubicle.
That’s where Mr Chiam has conducted his MPS for 27 years.
The ruling People’s Action Party (PAP) – that is, the Government
– has refused to provide offices for opposition Members of
Parliament (MP). PAP MPs conduct their MPS’s at the air-conditioned
offices of its PAP Community Foundation (PCF) kindergartens
premises. And since opposition parties do not have their own chain
of kindergartens and their MPs are not of the PAP, the PAP would
say it is thus not appropriate to have opposition MPs use the PCF
spaces.
Mr Chiam’s void deck cubicle is truly a symbol of how utterly
petty our politics is, as played out by the ruling PAP.
As a Singaporean, I am ashamed that we would treat an elected
Member of Parliament this way.
But Mr Chiam is unfazed.
“If a person … really wants to be an MP,” Mr Chiam says, “he can
work the ground and he can show himself to the people – that he is
hardworking and he is for the people. I think he will get elected
that way and show that he is a true representative of the
people.”
And as such, Mr Chiam does not believe in the Non-constituency
MP (NCMP) scheme. “I don’t believe in going into Parliament by the
back door,” he says. “[The] NCMP is not really elected by the
majority of Singaporeans. It is a token of the PAP.”
I was curious about what the veteran politician thought of the
six new PAP candidates unveiled so far. “They look very impressive
on paper,” Mr Chiam says. “They have to win the hearts and minds of
the voters, isn’t it? And that is a difficult task because it takes
time. You can’t [befriend] a person overnight.”
Turning to his health, I asked if he is able to withstand the
rigour and stress of an election. “Well, you must remember I was a
sportsman in my early days,” Mr Chiam says. “I was a school
swimmer. And when I say school swimmer, I mean school swimmer,” he
says with evident pride in his voice, “because I’m from ACS
(Anglo-Chinese School). It’s somebody to be a school swimmer
in ACS. You must be strong and fit.”
Those who still doubt his physical ability should visit
Bishan-Toa Payoh on Sunday where he will be conducting his
walkabout, Mr Chiam says. “Then you see whether I am fit or not,”
he added. He is expected to lead a team to contest the area in the
elections in his bid to win a Group Representation Constituency
(GRC) – something which no opposition party has achieved so
far.
Bishan-Toa Payoh GRC is helmed by Deputy Prime Minister Wong Kan
Seng. Mr Wong on Wednesday had questioned the opposition’s
intention in wanting to win a GRC. He asked if this was to satisfy
personal ambitions and questioned if the opposition winning a GRC
has anything to do with benefiting Singaporeans.
“Is it about the interest and missions of political parties or
an individual’s interest to create a legacy or to make history?” Mr
Wong asked. Mr Wong also challenged the opposition to reveal their
candidates early so voters can scrutinize them.
“Most of Singapore already know the candidates of the
opposition,” Mr Chiam says. “Opposition like to talk a lot. They
inadvertently reveal the names of their candidates. I think
everybody knows who is standing at Bishan Toa Payoh. In fact I
announced my candidacy about a year ago. How can you say that we
did not reveal?”
Mr Wong seems to have alluded particularly to Mr Chiam when he
asked if the opposition’s reasons for wanting to win a GRC was so
that its candidates could leave a legacy – a personal ego trip
rather than out of consideration for the future of Singapore.
“We are not so small-minded,” Mr Chiam says. “Our purpose is
mainly to expand the opposition. At the moment as you know
opposition only has two MPs in Parliament. PAP has 82. If the
opposition captures a GRC, that will be a big psychological blow to
the PAP. It’s no longer an impregnable fortress.”
And Mr Chiam added: “Any step that the opposition does that
dents the PAP is one step forward for the voters.”
Mr Chiam remains just as sharp as he ever was.
Perhaps Mr Wong should be more concerned about his own legacy.
Besides going down in history as the minister who let a limping
suspected terrorist escape – not once, but twice – Mr Wong has only
won in one election, despite having contested six General Elections
in total so far.
His first and only victory was at his very first election – in
Kuo Chuan SMC in 1984. After the Government introduced the GRC
system in 1988, Mr Wong has had five walkovers.
What a contrast to Mr Chiam’s six consecutive contests and
victories!
History indeed will remember Mr Chiam as one who went about
quietly in his work in serving the people, in spite of the odds and
the mountains he has had to climb, put in his way by a ruling party
which apparently holds an elected representative of the people in
little regard – if he is not of their ilk.
Mr Chiam’s legacy is, really, that of humility and steely
determination. He has contested in eight General Elections. Won six
of them – and going on his ninth. As far as I know, no other MP in
Singapore’s post-independence history has such a record of six
consecutive outright wins. Not even Minister Mentor Lee Kuan
Yew (five).
So, Mr Chiam has nothing else to prove to anyone, least of all
to Mr Wong.
He does not need to win a GRC, in my opinion, for his name to be
remembered. Indeed, his 27 years of service is testament enough.
Yet he continues to serve despite his physical condition.
But perhaps what is most inspiring to me is that Mr Chiam’s
example shows that serving the people does not have to include
multi-million dollar paychecks and posh or ostentatious
surroundings.
All it takes, really, is a bit of heart.
