THE cameras loved her.
As one of PAP’s new candidates for the coming general election, Ms Tin Pei Ling did everything right at her first meet-and-greet with reporters.
Her poise was remarkable considering her age. At 27 years old, she is the youngest candidate among the total of 12 new faces introduced so far to the public this month.
Not since former PAP MP Ng Kah Ting was fielded in 1963 at the age of 23 has anyone so young yet been given a chance to bat in the big league.
Dressed in party whites, back-straight, and with her long hair combed neatly, Ms Tin appeared before reporters at the party HQ on Monday looking fresh – yet dignified.
She spoke with ease and certainty, answering reporters who wanted to know everything about her – from her ambition in politics to details of her personal life.
She neither ducked nor flubbered – and served up her talking points fluently in two languages: English and Mandarin.
Asked why she joined politics, she said that the well-being of her country was “the most important thing to her – after her family”.
She said she wanted to “bring the youth perspective” to Parliament, while noting her passion for elderly care because they reminded her of her parents and grandparents.
“I want to be connected to all segments of society,” she asserted. “I have what it takes to do a good job.”
Ms Tin’s adult appearance on Monday was perhaps her answer to her critics, who have recently gone online to make an issue of her relative youth.
Presumably, the charge was that anyone so young cannot have the experience needed to run a country.
A video posted on Youtube of her apparently looking embarrassed about hosting a party had viewers wondering if she had the necessary gravitas to represent voters in Parliament.
All this will be hard to know – Ms Tin, after all, despite her seven years of volunteering at the grassroots level, is still ultimately a rookie politician. But if her performance before the media is any indication, she can ably hold her own.
If anything, if Ms Tin’s youth is to count as a strike against her, it would not be because she wasn’t serious enough.
It would be because she came across as taking herself a bit too seriously.
On Monday, juxtaposed against two other, more senior candidates – Mr Gan Thiam Poh, 48; and Mr Zainal Sapari, 46 – Ms Tin seemed over-eager to prove herself.
The two men talked easily, like friends sharing a round of drinks at the kopitiam. They made self-deprecating jokes.
Mr Zainal was queried about his six young children. Asked if he could give other Singaporeans tips on child-bearing practices, he quipped: “You know, making babies... it’s not rocket science.”
Ms Tin, on the other hand, appeared entirely focused on being the grown-up in the room.
When reporters asked her what her strengths were, she listed them with no hesitation: “I don’t give up easily; I am a person of resilience and persistence.
“I can empathise with a lot of people. I am a good listener.”
Asked about her weaknesses, she offered one – her own high expectations of herself, concluding: “My weakness is also my strength.”
Her first outing on Monday in front of reporters may be a good summary of her potential appeal with voters.
There will be those who will appreciate her as a confident young lady who can bring a breath of fresh air to the incumbent party. She clearly has drive, ideas and energy to match. If she did take herself too seriously, that is a trait not unusual in people her age.
At the same time however, there may be those who will see her unambiguous confidence as evidence of her youth – and attempt to write her off.
They shouldn’t.
Whichever group is bigger, one thing, at least, is clear now. This young lady will be worth watching in the coming months.
http://blogs.straitstimes.com/2011/3/30/tin-pei-ling-s-the-one-to-watch
As one of PAP’s new candidates for the coming general election, Ms Tin Pei Ling did everything right at her first meet-and-greet with reporters.
Her poise was remarkable considering her age. At 27 years old, she is the youngest candidate among the total of 12 new faces introduced so far to the public this month.
Not since former PAP MP Ng Kah Ting was fielded in 1963 at the age of 23 has anyone so young yet been given a chance to bat in the big league.
Dressed in party whites, back-straight, and with her long hair combed neatly, Ms Tin appeared before reporters at the party HQ on Monday looking fresh – yet dignified.
She spoke with ease and certainty, answering reporters who wanted to know everything about her – from her ambition in politics to details of her personal life.
She neither ducked nor flubbered – and served up her talking points fluently in two languages: English and Mandarin.
Asked why she joined politics, she said that the well-being of her country was “the most important thing to her – after her family”.
She said she wanted to “bring the youth perspective” to Parliament, while noting her passion for elderly care because they reminded her of her parents and grandparents.
“I want to be connected to all segments of society,” she asserted. “I have what it takes to do a good job.”
Ms Tin’s adult appearance on Monday was perhaps her answer to her critics, who have recently gone online to make an issue of her relative youth.
Presumably, the charge was that anyone so young cannot have the experience needed to run a country.
A video posted on Youtube of her apparently looking embarrassed about hosting a party had viewers wondering if she had the necessary gravitas to represent voters in Parliament.
All this will be hard to know – Ms Tin, after all, despite her seven years of volunteering at the grassroots level, is still ultimately a rookie politician. But if her performance before the media is any indication, she can ably hold her own.
If anything, if Ms Tin’s youth is to count as a strike against her, it would not be because she wasn’t serious enough.
It would be because she came across as taking herself a bit too seriously.
On Monday, juxtaposed against two other, more senior candidates – Mr Gan Thiam Poh, 48; and Mr Zainal Sapari, 46 – Ms Tin seemed over-eager to prove herself.
The two men talked easily, like friends sharing a round of drinks at the kopitiam. They made self-deprecating jokes.
Mr Zainal was queried about his six young children. Asked if he could give other Singaporeans tips on child-bearing practices, he quipped: “You know, making babies... it’s not rocket science.”
Ms Tin, on the other hand, appeared entirely focused on being the grown-up in the room.
When reporters asked her what her strengths were, she listed them with no hesitation: “I don’t give up easily; I am a person of resilience and persistence.
“I can empathise with a lot of people. I am a good listener.”
Asked about her weaknesses, she offered one – her own high expectations of herself, concluding: “My weakness is also my strength.”
Her first outing on Monday in front of reporters may be a good summary of her potential appeal with voters.
There will be those who will appreciate her as a confident young lady who can bring a breath of fresh air to the incumbent party. She clearly has drive, ideas and energy to match. If she did take herself too seriously, that is a trait not unusual in people her age.
At the same time however, there may be those who will see her unambiguous confidence as evidence of her youth – and attempt to write her off.
They shouldn’t.
Whichever group is bigger, one thing, at least, is clear now. This young lady will be worth watching in the coming months.
http://blogs.straitstimes.com/2011/3/30/tin-pei-ling-s-the-one-to-watch
