Late bloomer believes in second chances
The People's Action Party introduced three new candidates yesterday. They are unionist Ang Hin Kee and lawyers Vikram Nair and Edwin Tong.
By Rachel Chang
WHEN Mr Ang Hin Kee was first approached to enter politics by the People's Action Party (PAP), he did not think he was good enough to say yes.
Some friends doubted he 'fitted the model' of a PAP candidate, pointing out that he was in his 40s, that he did not go to brand-name schools, and that his career path had been less than smooth-sailing.
When he joined the job re-creation department of the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) in 2006, it was his seventh job - the latest on a twisting path that took him from the public to the private sector, from construction to the smart-card business, and through a period of retrenchment and unemployment in 2001.
But Mr Ang now sees himself as a candidate for those Singaporeans for whom success takes time to arrive.
'Not all of us were able to progress in a standard manner, able to complete everything according to a schedule, or a pre-fixed plan,' he said after his introduction as a PAP candidate yesterday.
'Some of us may be able to progress faster. In this society, I think we reward that. Some of us need to take a longer time. And I think that in this society, we provide the platform and the access to resources to help those of us who need a different pace and a different pathway.'
Mr Ang had a turbulent childhood. His parents divorced when he was young - at a time when divorce was considered a taboo topic. And for a few years, he had to live with his godparents and away from his two siblings.
He had to re-sit his O-level examinations at Bartley Secondary School, but did well enough to go on to Jurong Junior College, and then the National University of Singapore.
He found his way to the NTUC, thanks to a stint as chief executive of the Singapore Badminton Association, where he worked with labour chief Lim Swee Say, who was the association's president.
Mr Lim offered Mr Ang a chance to work on the Job Recreation Programme, an NTUC initiative to redesign jobs for low-wage workers.
He rose fast in the labour movement, becoming chief executive of the Employment and Employability Institute - NTUC's skills training institute - in 2009.
Mr Ang's difficult history has imbued in him a cautious outlook, and he takes little for granted.
Asked to name the turning point towards professional success in his life, he cited a Chinese proverb, ju an si wei, which means 'to think of danger when one is safe'.
'When you think that things are moving along fine, you should consider what are the things that may come along to change your circumstances,' he said. 'Always have that sense of anxiety and urgency.'
He has a similar outlook on national issues: Although Singapore's unemployment rate is now at a low of 2 per cent, he said one of his concerns is how to get the unemployed quick access to good jobs, and how to attract those who have lost hope back to the labour market.
'I sent out 20 curricula vitae once and didn't get a single response,' he said, referring to a period in 2001 when he was unemployed for over three months. He had been retrenched from an Internet travel company.
Asked about the perception that Singapore is not an easy place to fail in, he insisted: 'We can come back from anything. I've met people who've been to prison, who've come back from a seemingly impossible task.
'The question is, does Singapore provide the opportunity for people to recover? And secondly, does it have the compassion to accept those who are different, to let them get back on their feet again and move forward?'
His introduction as a new candidate is proof that society here provides opportunities for second, third, or even seventh chances, he said.
'There are those who may be concerned they're not following the standard path, and worry that they may get lost in the system... But take a longer-term perspective. You may not get what you want today, but (you can) work towards it.
'In due course, you'll see there are advantages, resources that will come your way to help you succeed, at least in Singapore.'
Among the questions Mr Ang was asked yesterday was one on how he fitted into the PAP mould. Responding, he used the analogy of a floral arrangement.
A: 'In a floral arrangement, you take what nature has to offer and complement it with other decorations to bring forth its most beautiful side. The PAP holds the same perspective. It brings together different talent and takes what they have, what they are, and sees how to add value to them, for them to be a greater asset. A lot of professionals are not familiar with grassroots work. Some of us are unionists and grassroots activists, but need to work on understanding policies and different issues. All of us are incomplete products, but we do possess the raw material for the party to shape.'
The People's Action Party introduced three new candidates yesterday. They are unionist Ang Hin Kee and lawyers Vikram Nair and Edwin Tong.
By Rachel Chang
WHEN Mr Ang Hin Kee was first approached to enter politics by the People's Action Party (PAP), he did not think he was good enough to say yes.
Some friends doubted he 'fitted the model' of a PAP candidate, pointing out that he was in his 40s, that he did not go to brand-name schools, and that his career path had been less than smooth-sailing.
When he joined the job re-creation department of the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) in 2006, it was his seventh job - the latest on a twisting path that took him from the public to the private sector, from construction to the smart-card business, and through a period of retrenchment and unemployment in 2001.
But Mr Ang now sees himself as a candidate for those Singaporeans for whom success takes time to arrive.
'Not all of us were able to progress in a standard manner, able to complete everything according to a schedule, or a pre-fixed plan,' he said after his introduction as a PAP candidate yesterday.
'Some of us may be able to progress faster. In this society, I think we reward that. Some of us need to take a longer time. And I think that in this society, we provide the platform and the access to resources to help those of us who need a different pace and a different pathway.'
Mr Ang had a turbulent childhood. His parents divorced when he was young - at a time when divorce was considered a taboo topic. And for a few years, he had to live with his godparents and away from his two siblings.
He had to re-sit his O-level examinations at Bartley Secondary School, but did well enough to go on to Jurong Junior College, and then the National University of Singapore.
He found his way to the NTUC, thanks to a stint as chief executive of the Singapore Badminton Association, where he worked with labour chief Lim Swee Say, who was the association's president.
Mr Lim offered Mr Ang a chance to work on the Job Recreation Programme, an NTUC initiative to redesign jobs for low-wage workers.
He rose fast in the labour movement, becoming chief executive of the Employment and Employability Institute - NTUC's skills training institute - in 2009.
Mr Ang's difficult history has imbued in him a cautious outlook, and he takes little for granted.
Asked to name the turning point towards professional success in his life, he cited a Chinese proverb, ju an si wei, which means 'to think of danger when one is safe'.
'When you think that things are moving along fine, you should consider what are the things that may come along to change your circumstances,' he said. 'Always have that sense of anxiety and urgency.'
He has a similar outlook on national issues: Although Singapore's unemployment rate is now at a low of 2 per cent, he said one of his concerns is how to get the unemployed quick access to good jobs, and how to attract those who have lost hope back to the labour market.
'I sent out 20 curricula vitae once and didn't get a single response,' he said, referring to a period in 2001 when he was unemployed for over three months. He had been retrenched from an Internet travel company.
Asked about the perception that Singapore is not an easy place to fail in, he insisted: 'We can come back from anything. I've met people who've been to prison, who've come back from a seemingly impossible task.
'The question is, does Singapore provide the opportunity for people to recover? And secondly, does it have the compassion to accept those who are different, to let them get back on their feet again and move forward?'
His introduction as a new candidate is proof that society here provides opportunities for second, third, or even seventh chances, he said.
'There are those who may be concerned they're not following the standard path, and worry that they may get lost in the system... But take a longer-term perspective. You may not get what you want today, but (you can) work towards it.
'In due course, you'll see there are advantages, resources that will come your way to help you succeed, at least in Singapore.'
Among the questions Mr Ang was asked yesterday was one on how he fitted into the PAP mould. Responding, he used the analogy of a floral arrangement.
A: 'In a floral arrangement, you take what nature has to offer and complement it with other decorations to bring forth its most beautiful side. The PAP holds the same perspective. It brings together different talent and takes what they have, what they are, and sees how to add value to them, for them to be a greater asset. A lot of professionals are not familiar with grassroots work. Some of us are unionists and grassroots activists, but need to work on understanding policies and different issues. All of us are incomplete products, but we do possess the raw material for the party to shape.'
