During a brief, but detailed 10-minute speech, Mr Chiam described how lonely he was in parliament as one of the only two opposition MPs. The other MP is Workers’ Party MP Mr Low Thia Kiang. He was the only non-PAP MP in parliament between the years 1985 and 1991.
Mr Chiam bemoaned the fact that though 40 per cent of the electorate has constantly voted for the opposition, they are represented by only 2 per cent of the seats in parliament.
He said that if Singapore were to become a first world democracy like the United States and United Kingdom, it needs to have morecstdinner594 opposition MPs in parliament to check on the ruling party as a nation governed by one dominant party is uhealthy and will soon degenerate to become a dictatorship.
Mr Chiam recounted his accomplishments during his 25 years in parliament such as calling for the abolishment of the graduate mother scheme, compulsory education for all Singaporeans, reduction of the size of primary school classes, taking the government to task over the 1988 “Marxist conspiracy” and fighting for the release of former ISD detainee Chia Thye Poh.
He thanked Potong Pasir residents for voting for him consecutively for five terms since he was first elected in 1984 and praised them for their courage to keep the opposition alive in Singapore.
“Everybody knows that Potong Pasir is the heart of the opposition in Singapore,” he said to the roaring approval of the guests who were listening attentively to his speech.
In his parting short, Mr Chiam urged everybody present to vote for the opposition in the next general election to help it win a GRC for the first time in the electoral history of Singapore since the system was introduced in 1988.
Though most of the guests were Potong Pasir residents, it appeared that Mr Chiam had fans from other constituencies as well. A group of Queenstown residents prepared a board for him printed with a Chinese idiom meaning that “one would be able to achieve the impossible with collective grit and determination”.
The leaders of various opposition parties were next invited on stage to give a toast to the guests together with Mr Chiam and his wife Lina followed by the singing of a famous Hokkien song – “Ai4 Piah3 Ai4 Aye2 Yai2″ or “One can only win by slogging!”
The opposition certainly needs to slog hard to win the support of Singaporeans in the next election as they face an uphill task competing against the PAP juggernaut which has full control of the media, police, civil service, grassroots organizations and all other state institutions.
While it is heartening to see Mr Chiam still enjoying widespread support Potong Pasir residents, one cannot help wondering if his successor will be as charismatic and popular as he is.
It will be a pity if Potong Pasir, a bastion of the opposition, were to fall into the hands of the PAP in the next election should Mr Chiam decide to contest elsewhere.
Mr Chiam bemoaned the fact that though 40 per cent of the electorate has constantly voted for the opposition, they are represented by only 2 per cent of the seats in parliament.
He said that if Singapore were to become a first world democracy like the United States and United Kingdom, it needs to have morecstdinner594 opposition MPs in parliament to check on the ruling party as a nation governed by one dominant party is uhealthy and will soon degenerate to become a dictatorship.
Mr Chiam recounted his accomplishments during his 25 years in parliament such as calling for the abolishment of the graduate mother scheme, compulsory education for all Singaporeans, reduction of the size of primary school classes, taking the government to task over the 1988 “Marxist conspiracy” and fighting for the release of former ISD detainee Chia Thye Poh.
He thanked Potong Pasir residents for voting for him consecutively for five terms since he was first elected in 1984 and praised them for their courage to keep the opposition alive in Singapore.
“Everybody knows that Potong Pasir is the heart of the opposition in Singapore,” he said to the roaring approval of the guests who were listening attentively to his speech.
In his parting short, Mr Chiam urged everybody present to vote for the opposition in the next general election to help it win a GRC for the first time in the electoral history of Singapore since the system was introduced in 1988.
Though most of the guests were Potong Pasir residents, it appeared that Mr Chiam had fans from other constituencies as well. A group of Queenstown residents prepared a board for him printed with a Chinese idiom meaning that “one would be able to achieve the impossible with collective grit and determination”.
The leaders of various opposition parties were next invited on stage to give a toast to the guests together with Mr Chiam and his wife Lina followed by the singing of a famous Hokkien song – “Ai4 Piah3 Ai4 Aye2 Yai2″ or “One can only win by slogging!”
The opposition certainly needs to slog hard to win the support of Singaporeans in the next election as they face an uphill task competing against the PAP juggernaut which has full control of the media, police, civil service, grassroots organizations and all other state institutions.
While it is heartening to see Mr Chiam still enjoying widespread support Potong Pasir residents, one cannot help wondering if his successor will be as charismatic and popular as he is.
It will be a pity if Potong Pasir, a bastion of the opposition, were to fall into the hands of the PAP in the next election should Mr Chiam decide to contest elsewhere.
