THE Reform Party (RP) decided that a press conference last night (April 20) at a coffee shop would be ideal.
It'll show that its members are close to the residents, it said.
Too close, said the woman running the coffee shop at Clementi Avenue 3. Ms Anne Lin, 40, complained loudly in Mandarin: "How am I supposed to do business like that? You're taking up so much space."
Gesturing to the three RP members who were attempting to station the party's banners nearby, she said the party had not made prior arrangements to "book tables".
One of the three, Mr Matthew Koh, tried to pacify her but to no avail.
Mr Koh's role was to look after the party merchandise, which included umbrellas, T-shirts and pens. The other members, including party chief Kenneth Jeyaretnam, the others had gone on a walkabout of the area, which is under West Coast GRC.
The 30-member group, led by Mr Jeyaretnam, was back at 7.30pm for the press conference.
By then, Ms Lin was nowhere to be found, probably appeased by the number of cans of drinks and cups of coffee sitting on a nearby table.
"We bought drinks, so I think that pacified the coffee shop lady," said Mr Koh.
And so the press conference proper was ready to begin, with 10 other members either standing or pulling up chairs from nearby tables. That left a few tables devoid of chairs.
In the meantime, reporters surged around Mr Jeyaretnam and his group as photographers clambered onto more chairs to get the best angle.
Mr Jeyaretnam introduced his slate of candidates for West Coast GRC: Mr Frankie Low, Mr Andy Zhu, Mr Kumar Appavoo, Ms Harn Ho and himself.
This latest move to field himself at West Coast GRC came as a surprise.
Ms Ho said of the coffee shop as a venue: "The RP is committed to staying very close to the ground. That's why (for this press conference), we're having it in West Coast itself.
"We're not having it in a hotel room or in an office. We're close to the ground. We believe in meeting the people, and we believe in staying very close to them."
But the people, well, one person, spoke and she was not happy.
It was RP's first time holding a press conference at her coffee shop.
Said Ms Lin: "If they had told me that they'd be coming, I'd have set tables up nicely for them. But they didn't inform me.
"There are only so many tables I can set up in the coffee shop. I've been fined last time for setting up more than I'm allowed to.
"Now that they're taking up so many tables, my business is affected. See, they've driven people away."
She then gestured at the empty tables at the coffee shop as her "evidence", clucking her tongue in frustration.
She said the tables are usually full at the time the press conference ended at 8.30pm.
Not last night.
Mr Koh said he didn't know it would be a problem as "other opposition parties have press conferences at coffee shops before".
Mr Jeyaretnam said: "The objective was to show that we are close to our constituents, and I think the objectives outweigh the negative side."
Ms Ho, too, shrugged off Ms Lin's reaction as an "outlier".
"I think she was an exception that proves the norm - everyone else was very happy to see us there. We can't make everyone happy," she said.
Not Ms Lin for sure.
Perhaps she supports a different party?
JUST last month, Reform Party (RP) chief Kenneth Jeyaretnam said his party had plans to contest in four single-seat wards and in two five-member Group Representation Constituencies (GRC).
Those ambitions have since been scaled down dramatically.
At a press conference to introduce his party's candidates for the General Election, RP secretary-general Jeyaretnam confirmed that RP will be contesting only West Coast GRC .
Mr Jeyaretnam, who will helm the five-man team, said his party had decided to pull out of the other constituencies to avoid a three-cornered fight.
"We have a lot of other candidates we would like to field," said Mr Jeyaretnam, 51.
"It would not be in the interest of a party to send candidates to enter into a three-cornered fight."
His West Coast GRC team includes marketing manager Ho Soak Harn, 29; real estate agent Andy Zhu, 29; businessman Kumar Appavoo, 43; and businessman Frankie Low, 51.
Mr Jeyaretnam said that Mr Low was a candidate who was "loaned" to them by the Singapore People's Party, which is led by Potong Pasir incumbent Chiam See Tong.
Before switching to West Coast GRC, Mr Jeyaretnam had said he was going to stand in the single-seat ward of Pioneer and in Radin Mas before that.
The other constituencies RP had initially planned to contest were Yuhua and Hong Kah North single-seat wards and Chua Chu Kang GRC.
The National Solidarity Party (NSP) had said it would contest in Radin Mas, Pioneer and Chua Chu Kang GRC.
On Sunday, Mr Jeyaretnam told the media that he had given way to the Singapore People's Party and Singapore Democratic Party in Hong Kah North and Yuhua.
But he did not rule out announcing another slate of candidates in the future.
"We have enough candidates to form another GRC team," said Mr Jeyaretnam.
"If (some) constituencies become free, we will send them there... We have many more candidates who could be fielded if there's a one-to-one contest."
Two months ago, RP was hit by an exodus of about 20 members, including half of the central executive committee, its chairman and potential candidates.
Earlier this month, theatre director Alec Tok, 45, announced his resignation from RP despite being named as its candidate for Radin Mas.
Morale
When asked if the exodus hurt the morale of the remaining members, RP chairman Zhu, said it had the opposite effect.
"We actually came through stronger and more united because of this," he said.
"I was surprised (it happened), but I wasn't mad or disappointed. People will come and go, and we can't force people to stay."
Miss Ho added that she is happy that some of the RP members who had left are now standing as candidates for other parties.
They include husband-and-wife team Tony Tan and Hazel Poa , both former government scholars who left RP to join NSP as candidates.
"The more opposition members run for election, the more the people of Singapore get to vote," she said.
Gone from Reform Party
Mr Jeisilan Sivalingam
Mr Alec Tok
Ms Hazel Poa
Mrs Jeannette Chong-Aruldoss
Mr Tony Tan Lay Thiam
It'll show that its members are close to the residents, it said.
Too close, said the woman running the coffee shop at Clementi Avenue 3. Ms Anne Lin, 40, complained loudly in Mandarin: "How am I supposed to do business like that? You're taking up so much space."
Gesturing to the three RP members who were attempting to station the party's banners nearby, she said the party had not made prior arrangements to "book tables".
One of the three, Mr Matthew Koh, tried to pacify her but to no avail.
Mr Koh's role was to look after the party merchandise, which included umbrellas, T-shirts and pens. The other members, including party chief Kenneth Jeyaretnam, the others had gone on a walkabout of the area, which is under West Coast GRC.
The 30-member group, led by Mr Jeyaretnam, was back at 7.30pm for the press conference.
By then, Ms Lin was nowhere to be found, probably appeased by the number of cans of drinks and cups of coffee sitting on a nearby table.
"We bought drinks, so I think that pacified the coffee shop lady," said Mr Koh.
And so the press conference proper was ready to begin, with 10 other members either standing or pulling up chairs from nearby tables. That left a few tables devoid of chairs.
In the meantime, reporters surged around Mr Jeyaretnam and his group as photographers clambered onto more chairs to get the best angle.
Mr Jeyaretnam introduced his slate of candidates for West Coast GRC: Mr Frankie Low, Mr Andy Zhu, Mr Kumar Appavoo, Ms Harn Ho and himself.
This latest move to field himself at West Coast GRC came as a surprise.
Ms Ho said of the coffee shop as a venue: "The RP is committed to staying very close to the ground. That's why (for this press conference), we're having it in West Coast itself.
"We're not having it in a hotel room or in an office. We're close to the ground. We believe in meeting the people, and we believe in staying very close to them."
But the people, well, one person, spoke and she was not happy.
It was RP's first time holding a press conference at her coffee shop.
Said Ms Lin: "If they had told me that they'd be coming, I'd have set tables up nicely for them. But they didn't inform me.
"There are only so many tables I can set up in the coffee shop. I've been fined last time for setting up more than I'm allowed to.
"Now that they're taking up so many tables, my business is affected. See, they've driven people away."
She then gestured at the empty tables at the coffee shop as her "evidence", clucking her tongue in frustration.
She said the tables are usually full at the time the press conference ended at 8.30pm.
Not last night.
Mr Koh said he didn't know it would be a problem as "other opposition parties have press conferences at coffee shops before".
Mr Jeyaretnam said: "The objective was to show that we are close to our constituents, and I think the objectives outweigh the negative side."
Ms Ho, too, shrugged off Ms Lin's reaction as an "outlier".
"I think she was an exception that proves the norm - everyone else was very happy to see us there. We can't make everyone happy," she said.
Not Ms Lin for sure.
Perhaps she supports a different party?
JUST last month, Reform Party (RP) chief Kenneth Jeyaretnam said his party had plans to contest in four single-seat wards and in two five-member Group Representation Constituencies (GRC).
Those ambitions have since been scaled down dramatically.
At a press conference to introduce his party's candidates for the General Election, RP secretary-general Jeyaretnam confirmed that RP will be contesting only West Coast GRC .
Mr Jeyaretnam, who will helm the five-man team, said his party had decided to pull out of the other constituencies to avoid a three-cornered fight.
"We have a lot of other candidates we would like to field," said Mr Jeyaretnam, 51.
"It would not be in the interest of a party to send candidates to enter into a three-cornered fight."
His West Coast GRC team includes marketing manager Ho Soak Harn, 29; real estate agent Andy Zhu, 29; businessman Kumar Appavoo, 43; and businessman Frankie Low, 51.
Mr Jeyaretnam said that Mr Low was a candidate who was "loaned" to them by the Singapore People's Party, which is led by Potong Pasir incumbent Chiam See Tong.
Before switching to West Coast GRC, Mr Jeyaretnam had said he was going to stand in the single-seat ward of Pioneer and in Radin Mas before that.
The other constituencies RP had initially planned to contest were Yuhua and Hong Kah North single-seat wards and Chua Chu Kang GRC.
The National Solidarity Party (NSP) had said it would contest in Radin Mas, Pioneer and Chua Chu Kang GRC.
On Sunday, Mr Jeyaretnam told the media that he had given way to the Singapore People's Party and Singapore Democratic Party in Hong Kah North and Yuhua.
But he did not rule out announcing another slate of candidates in the future.
"We have enough candidates to form another GRC team," said Mr Jeyaretnam.
"If (some) constituencies become free, we will send them there... We have many more candidates who could be fielded if there's a one-to-one contest."
Two months ago, RP was hit by an exodus of about 20 members, including half of the central executive committee, its chairman and potential candidates.
Earlier this month, theatre director Alec Tok, 45, announced his resignation from RP despite being named as its candidate for Radin Mas.
Morale
When asked if the exodus hurt the morale of the remaining members, RP chairman Zhu, said it had the opposite effect.
"We actually came through stronger and more united because of this," he said.
"I was surprised (it happened), but I wasn't mad or disappointed. People will come and go, and we can't force people to stay."
Miss Ho added that she is happy that some of the RP members who had left are now standing as candidates for other parties.
They include husband-and-wife team Tony Tan and Hazel Poa , both former government scholars who left RP to join NSP as candidates.
"The more opposition members run for election, the more the people of Singapore get to vote," she said.
Gone from Reform Party
Mr Jeisilan Sivalingam
Mr Alec Tok
Ms Hazel Poa
Mrs Jeannette Chong-Aruldoss
Mr Tony Tan Lay Thiam
