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<TABLE border=0 cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%"><TBODY><TR class=msghead><TD><TABLE border=0 cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0><TBODY><TR class=msghead vAlign=top><TD class=msgF width="1%" noWrap align=right>From: </TD><TD class=msgFname width="68%" noWrap>CPL (kojakbt22) <NOBR>
</NOBR> </TD><TD class=msgDate width="30%" noWrap align=right>8:58 pm </TD></TR><TR class=msghead><TD class=msgT height=20 width="1%" noWrap align=right>To: </TD><TD class=msgTname width="68%" noWrap>ALL <NOBR></NOBR></TD><TD class=msgNum noWrap align=right> (1 of 3) </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR><TR><TD class=msgleft rowSpan=4 width="1%"> </TD><TD class=wintiny noWrap align=right>25745.1 </TD></TR><TR><TD height=8></TD></TR><TR><TD class=msgtxt>Dec 13, 2009
Chiam pays tribute to his residents
Opposition veteran marks 25 years as Potong Pasir MP and thanks those who backed him over the years
<!-- by line -->By Kor Kian Beng, Political Correspondent
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Mr Chiam at the dinner with his daughter Camilla, wife Lina and Mr Robin Tong (with microphone), a former member of the Singapore Democratic Alliance (SDA) who contested in the 2001 election. Mr Chiam is the SDA's chairman. -- ST PHOTOS: LAU FOOK KONG
View more photos http://www.straitstimes.com/STI/STIMEDIA/image/20091213/a11-1.jpg
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Opposition veteran Chiam See Tong last night marked his 25 years as Potong Pasir Member of Parliament by thanking his residents for their support.
Describing them as 'mature, courageous and brave', Mr Chiam said Potong Pasir residents were the real heroes of his six electoral victories, the first of which was on Dec 22, 1984.
They showed courage by voting for him over the years despite being 'threatened with the withdrawal of government and HDB services, and deprivation of HDB upgrading programmes'.
In doing so, these residents made Potong Pasir the 'heart of opposition', he declared. They had acted as a check and balance on the People's Action Party's rule and 'helped change the face of politics' here, he said.
As a result, the Government is now more amenable to hearing public feedback and people are not afraid to be associated with the opposition, he added.
Mr Chiam's comments went down well with his residents, like Mr Dairen Foo, 33, a technician who has lived in Potong Pasir since 1984.
Said Mr Foo: 'I think we deserve the thank-you because we've been brave enough. Many Singaporeans complain against the Government but don't dare to vote against it.'
Mr Chiam, 74, was speaking at a dinner held near Block 119 in Potong Pasir Avenue 1 and attended by 1,000 people, mostly Potong Pasir residents.
Also at the event were other opposition leaders including Hougang MP and Workers' Party chief Low Thia Khiang, Reform Party chief Kenneth Jeyaretnam and National Solidarity Party chief Sebastian Teo.
Dr Chee Soon Juan, secretary-general of the Singapore Democratic Party (SDP), was also present. He exchanged greetings with Mr Chiam, his former mentor in the SDP in the early 1990s.
Mr Chiam, who founded the SDP in 1980, left the party in 1996 to join the Singapore People's Party, following a public spat with Dr Chee and other party leaders.
Mr Chiam arrived at the dinner last night flanked by his wife Lina Loh and daughter Camilla, the trio having walked from the town council office half a kilometre away.
At the dinner, Mr Chiam was clearly in high spirits. He even crooned a few lines of his favourite Mandarin song, 'Rong Shu Xia'.
Mr Chiam entered Parliament in 1984 after defeating Mr Mah Bow Tan, then a rookie in the PAP and now the National Development Minister.
A slideshow of photographs of Mr Chiam during the 1984 election and his work as an MP over the years took the dinner audience down memory lane.
After a standing ovation, Mr Chiam gave a 10-minute speech in English, aided on stage by his daughter.
Besides thanking his residents, Mr Chiam also said Singapore has to open up and provide a level playing field that gives people a chance of voting in more opposition members, if it wants to build a democratic society and a First World country.
He also listed his key contributions over the years as an MP. These included opposing changes to the Central Provident Fund in the 1980s; fighting for compulsory education and smaller class sizes; and arguing against the graduate mothers' scheme.
But his biggest contribution, said Mr Chiam, a retired lawyer, was proving that 'it is possible for an ordinary person like me to stand for election and get elected and re-elected'.
The candidate must, however, look after his constituency, do his parliamentary work and possess traits like professionalism, honesty and integrity, he added.
[email protected]
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
Chiam pays tribute to his residents
Opposition veteran marks 25 years as Potong Pasir MP and thanks those who backed him over the years
<!-- by line -->By Kor Kian Beng, Political Correspondent
<!-- end by line -->
<!-- end left side bar -->
<!-- story content : start -->
Opposition veteran Chiam See Tong last night marked his 25 years as Potong Pasir Member of Parliament by thanking his residents for their support.
Describing them as 'mature, courageous and brave', Mr Chiam said Potong Pasir residents were the real heroes of his six electoral victories, the first of which was on Dec 22, 1984.
They showed courage by voting for him over the years despite being 'threatened with the withdrawal of government and HDB services, and deprivation of HDB upgrading programmes'.
In doing so, these residents made Potong Pasir the 'heart of opposition', he declared. They had acted as a check and balance on the People's Action Party's rule and 'helped change the face of politics' here, he said.
As a result, the Government is now more amenable to hearing public feedback and people are not afraid to be associated with the opposition, he added.
Mr Chiam's comments went down well with his residents, like Mr Dairen Foo, 33, a technician who has lived in Potong Pasir since 1984.
Said Mr Foo: 'I think we deserve the thank-you because we've been brave enough. Many Singaporeans complain against the Government but don't dare to vote against it.'
Mr Chiam, 74, was speaking at a dinner held near Block 119 in Potong Pasir Avenue 1 and attended by 1,000 people, mostly Potong Pasir residents.
Also at the event were other opposition leaders including Hougang MP and Workers' Party chief Low Thia Khiang, Reform Party chief Kenneth Jeyaretnam and National Solidarity Party chief Sebastian Teo.
Dr Chee Soon Juan, secretary-general of the Singapore Democratic Party (SDP), was also present. He exchanged greetings with Mr Chiam, his former mentor in the SDP in the early 1990s.
Mr Chiam, who founded the SDP in 1980, left the party in 1996 to join the Singapore People's Party, following a public spat with Dr Chee and other party leaders.
Mr Chiam arrived at the dinner last night flanked by his wife Lina Loh and daughter Camilla, the trio having walked from the town council office half a kilometre away.
At the dinner, Mr Chiam was clearly in high spirits. He even crooned a few lines of his favourite Mandarin song, 'Rong Shu Xia'.
Mr Chiam entered Parliament in 1984 after defeating Mr Mah Bow Tan, then a rookie in the PAP and now the National Development Minister.
A slideshow of photographs of Mr Chiam during the 1984 election and his work as an MP over the years took the dinner audience down memory lane.
After a standing ovation, Mr Chiam gave a 10-minute speech in English, aided on stage by his daughter.
Besides thanking his residents, Mr Chiam also said Singapore has to open up and provide a level playing field that gives people a chance of voting in more opposition members, if it wants to build a democratic society and a First World country.
He also listed his key contributions over the years as an MP. These included opposing changes to the Central Provident Fund in the 1980s; fighting for compulsory education and smaller class sizes; and arguing against the graduate mothers' scheme.
But his biggest contribution, said Mr Chiam, a retired lawyer, was proving that 'it is possible for an ordinary person like me to stand for election and get elected and re-elected'.
The candidate must, however, look after his constituency, do his parliamentary work and possess traits like professionalism, honesty and integrity, he added.
[email protected]
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