By his own admission, the 42-year-old partner at Harry Elias
Partnership didn’t think he fit the mould of a People
Action Party member.
But answer the call he did in 2004, after hearing
PM Lee Hsien Loong asking ordinary Singaporeans to
step up and serve the nation.
“I was hesitant at first as I knew it would take a lot of time,
and I had no experience in politics,” he told Yahoo! Singapore.
“Some of the guys from my batch are not scholars and we haven’t
served long in the grassroots. Some of us are from the private
sector but we all have different points of view,” said Palmer,
whose father was an ex-radio broadcaster and mother, an ex-office
manager.
“However, my wife and my family were very supportive and my
colleagues also felt I would make a fairly good candidate,” he
added.
Currently married to Diane, a former lawyer, with whom he
has an eight-year old son, Luke, Palmer describes his
4-year stint as an MP as a “once-in-a-lifetime” experience,
complete with memorable, yet tiring moments.
“When you manage to help someone, it’s a good feeling but
sometimes, politics takes over and you can get dejected because you
do not really want to be caught up in politics.”
Even as the former St. Andrew’s Junior College
student juggles family, work, and helping to make a difference
in his constituents’ lives, it is not all work and no play.
Playing in the Chinese orchestra and dancing to hip-hop music on
Orchard Road are among some of the unusual highlights of his PAP
career. In his own words, “You get to do things a normal person
wouldn’t get a chance to do in his lifetime.”
Turning his thoughts to the next General Election, which must be
held by February 2012, Palmer advised Singaporeans to
think long-term before casting their votes at the ballot.
Recent media reports on new GRC boundaries and schools and
voting centres being prepped have fuelled speculation that the GE
will be called sooner than the 2012 deadline.
“If the GE is next week, it (key issues) will be Mother
Tongue Language, new citizens and HDB but if we are talking about
six months down the road, then it will be another groundswell of
things,” Palmer said.
“People should decide what kind of government they want for the
next five years and not just base their votes on seasonal
topics.”
He also dispels the notion that orders are passed down
from the top during election season.
He said, “People think …that we read from a huge manual before
going into an election and end up thinking the same way. It’s not
true. This is probably one of the best examples of a collection of
like-minded individuals who think along the same lines, believe in
the same values and happen to come out with the same sort of
ideology.”
As to why Singaporeans should vote for the PAP, Palmer has
a ready answer.
“We have a tried and tested short- and long-term plan, and know
which direction we want to take Singapore to,” he said.
- Yahoo! Singapore News
