TOC article: Proposed Reform Party-SDA alliance comes to abrupt halt

[Hawkeye1819]

I just saw this article on TOC.

It looks quite bad on both SDA and RP. Especially with Kenneth Jeya accusing the other side of malfeasance.

Anyone has a take on this?


Proposed Reform Party-SDA alliance comes to abrupt halt

http://theonlinecitizen.com/2010/05/proposed-reform-party-sda-alliance-comes-to-abrupt-halt/


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A proposed Reform Party-SDA alliance has come to an abrupt halt barely two days after the idea was first made public.

The Reform Party had made a press announcement on Thursday indicating that it intended to form an alliance with the Singapore Democratic Alliance (SDA), and was in the process of seeking approval from its members. The story was picked up by The Online Citizen on the same day, and by the mainstream media on Friday.

But despite the Reform Party having made the first move in revealing this piece of breaking news, it appears that some additional information was disclosed to the press without Mr Kenneth Jeyaretnam’s approval.

n an interview with MediaCorp on Saturday evening after the Reform Party’s first annual conference, the party’s Secretary-General said that the proposed alliance “is off for now“. He also expressed clear unhappiness with the SDA, saying that “we won’t be conducting any further negotiations … because we’re not entering into negotiations with an organisation that leaks confidential documents to the press“.

Mr Jeyaretnam was probably referring to the list of eleven conditions that the Reform Party wanted the SDA to accede to as part of the agreement for a merger — a set of terms that was rejected by the SDA after a meeting of the SDA’s central executive committee on Friday night.

SDA’s rejection of the eleven conditions was confirmed by Mr Desmond Lim, Asst Secretary-General of the SPP and Secretary-General of the SDA, also in an interview with Mediacorp on Saturday.

The terms include compelling Mr Chiam See Tong to contest with Mr Jeyaretnam and at least two Reform Party candidates in the West Coast GRC, delegating the responsibility for writing and presenting the SDA’s televised political broadcast at the next election to Mr Jeyaretnam, and allowing the Reform Party to continue contesting under its own name in other wards of its choice.

Mr Jeyaretnam had also wanted the alliance to be billed as a partnership of equals, and for himself to be installed as either chairman or secretary-general of the alliance, despite the fact that his party is relatively new and has yet to prove itself at the polls.

Although the conditions seemed weighted heavily in favour of the Reform Party, it is understood that Mr Chiam and his wife, who is also a member of SDA’s central executive committee, had privately agreed to most of them.
Mr Jeyaretnam claims that SDA’s abrupt rejection of these conditions indicate that “Chiam did not have the agreement of the SDA when he entered into negotiations“.

On Saturday evening, the Reform Party also unveiled its first batch of candidates, many of whom were fresh faces. Standing out from the crowd was opposition veteran Abdul Rahim bin Osman, who has contested in two previous general elections under different parties.

The Reform Party also said that it aimed to contest in at least two Group Representation Constituencies and two Single Member Constituencies in the coming general elections, which will be confirmed when the electoral boundaries are released.


By Ng E-Jay

_____________________________


References:

[1] Straits Times, “Chiam, Reform Party leader eyeing alliance“, 07 May 2010.
[2] Straits Times, “Reform Party still in talks with SDA “, 08 May 2010.
[2] Channel News Asia, “Reform Party-SDA alliance off for now, says Reform Party’s Kenneth Jeyaretnam“, 08 May 2010.

 

[Royal Canin Feline 32]

Hey hey ... the article you posted ... where is it? The link seems to link to a different article. Where's the original one????

 

[elephanto]

CNA Article is here
http://www.singsupplies.com/showthread.php?t=59631

 

[Hawkeye1819]

Hey hey ... the article you posted ... where is it? The link seems to link to a different article. Where's the original one????

Oh!

I think TOC replaced the original article with a more updated version.

Here's the latest. This one appears to be quite pro-Reform Party. I think TOC is trying to play nice guys here and soften the news, which sounded rather damaging to the opposition when it was first released on Channel news asia:

—Breaking News—


The following is the latest statement by the Chairman of the Singapore Democratic Alliance, Mr Chiam See Tong:


“My feelings on the meeting between Singapore Democratic Alliance and The Reform Party are that the talks are still ongoing, and should not be construed as a deadlock between our parties. I believe that there is much constructive discussion ahead, which will demonstrate that common sense and goodwill amongst the Opposition parties will prevail. Ultimately, our objective is to unite the Opposition in Singapore.”

———————-

The Reform Party (RP) has kicked into high gear by unveiling five new candidates who will be standing in the upcoming elections even as talks of an alliance with the Singapore Democratic Alliance (SDA) hit a roadbump.


At a press conference on Friday, the RP unveiled its slate which included former Singapore Armed Forces scholar Mr Tony Tan and wife former Public Service Commission Overseas Merit scholar and onetime Assistant Deputy Director at the Ministry of Finance Ms Hazel Poa.


In an earlier interview with TOC, Mr Tan told TOC that he went into politics to “make a difference to the people in the street however small it is” and that his views on the need for poverty reduction were shaped by being raised by a single mother with his three brothers and three sisters.


Also introduced at the press conference were Mr Alec Tok, artistic director for a New York-based theatre company and Mr Jeisilan Sivalingam, a process improvement manager at a multi-national company.


Mr Tok is a Master’s degree holder from Yale, while Mr Sivalingam holds a BSC from the University of Southern Australia.


A New York based actress who has worked with Alec before described him to TOC as “one of the most effectively bilingual people I’ve met…and someone who knows precisely what he wants from his actors on stage and sets very high standards while still managing to be understanding”.


Mr Abdul Rahim Bin Osman was the only opposition veteran to be unveiled as a candidate at the press conference on Friday. He has experience contesting two previous general elections.


The RP said that it aimed to contest in at least two Group Representation Constituencies and two Single Member Constituencies in the coming general elections, which will be confirmed when the electoral boundaries are released. The party has already been doing walkabouts in several constituencies in the last few months.



Alliance talks on hold

However, a proposed Reform Party-SDA alliance came to a temporary standstill.


In an interview with MediaCorp on Saturday evening after the Reform Party’s first annual conference, the party’s Secretary-General said that the proposed alliance “is off for now“. He also expressed dissatisfaction with a leak of negotiation proposals, saying that “we won’t be conducting any further negotiations … because we’re not entering into negotiations with an organisation that leaks confidential documents to the press“.


Mr Jeyaretnam was referring to a list of eleven conditions that the Reform Party wanted the SDA to accede to as part of the agreement for an alliance — a set of terms that was rejected by the SDA after a meeting of the SDA’s central executive committee on Friday night.


SDA’s rejection of the eleven conditions was confirmed by Mr Desmond Lim, Asst Secretary-General of the SPP and Secretary-General of the SDA, also in an interview with Mediacorp on Saturday.


Mr Jeyaretnam had wanted the alliance to be billed as a partnership of equals, and for himself to be installed as either chairman or secretary-general of the alliance.


Additionally, the terms included Mr Chiam See Tong contesting with Mr Jeyaretnam and at least two Reform Party candidates in the West Coast GRC, delegating the responsibility for writing and presenting the SDA’s televised political broadcast at the next election to Mr Jeyaretnam, and allowing the Reform Party to continue contesting under its own name in other wards of its choice.


It is understood that Mr Chiam and his wife, who is also a member of SDA’s central executive committee, had privately agreed to most of them.
In his comments to the press, Mr Jeyaretnam claimed that SDA’s rejection of the conditions indicate that “Chiam did not have the agreement of the SDA when he entered into negotiations“.



Talks not foreclosed

Despite the leak of the negotiation positions, Mr Jeyaretnam noted on the SDA Facebook page that talks were still possible on the condition that the source of the leak was identified and that a singular SDA negotiating position was achieved. The RP will be meeting this coming month to discuss whether, and if so, how to move ahead with talks.


As for the SDA, Mr Desmond Lim struck a philosophically optimistic note when interviewed by TOC about the question of opposition unity:


“Unity is about unconditional love-simply acceptance and compassion-If one knows that he is an object of someone else’s affection and love, it is bound to have an impact, and this will be much appreciated”.


By: Choo Zheng Xi and Ng E-jay

 

[scroobal]

Yes, big boss Choo had to step in and re-write.

Oh!

I think TOC replaced the original article with a more updated version.

Here's the latest. This one appears to be quite pro-Reform Party. I think TOC is trying to play nice guys here and soften the news, which sounded rather damaging to the opposition when it was first released on Channel news asia:

 

[Perspective]

Seriously, nothing personal but what happened to the RP chairman?

 

[elephanto]

The vibe I am getting from their publicly reported speeches/activities/interviews so far :-

Kenneth Jeyaretnam - a seasoned & successful professional in his own domain carries the same traits into politics : brash, blunt & unsentimental.

He knows Ng Teck Siong's friendship with his late Dad, but I guess as in his hedge fund profession, he is direct in getting what he wants, when he wants & is not shy about going at it.

The way he went about taking over RP & not mincing his words in describing it as 'rudderless' - all goes to show his contempt for the riff-raff calibre of long time Opposition figures - even someone who was such a loyal supporter of his Dad.

But KJ doesn't seem to fear equally high calibre party members & can hold his own with them - people like Mr & Mrs Tony Tan - and newcomer Alec Tok, an opinionated & headstrong forthright character as well. I do not know whether we can say the same of Chiam - in all his years behaving like a soloist in both the parties he is involved in.

KJ self-assurance & go-getting character can be seen in the way the 11 conditions (that were leaked) were set. No inordinate 'face' given to the more senior Chiam or SDA - such that Ng E Jay was prompted to use descriptions like ' .. rookie... with unknown pedigree' etc

Also, the statements on 'not dealing with organizations that leaked details' & 'clear that Chiam did not get approval..' & purported demand of revealing the identity of the leaker - all seemed pretty 'high-handed' & not very diplomatic.

Was it true that Chiam & wife had agreed to RP's terms in their personal capacity & if so, why can't he get the SDA CEC to endorse his position?

From Chiam's response to KJ's 'criticism', I can see a lack of fire.
Perhaps the elder politician has remarkably placed Opposition Unity & concilliation above any slight on his leadership in appearing calm & unperturbed.

Desmond Lim, Asst Sec-Gen of SDA - who is he ?

Ironically, Sunday Times writeup of the Reform Party Press conference is less provocative than CNA's report.

Effort is made to show that RP-SDA collaboration is still ongoing despite the kinks - rather than focusing on KJ's unfriendly criticism.

I think 'merging with' or 'joining' SDA are totally unrealistic forms of cooperation now that KJ has demonstrated his forthright & no-nonsense working style.

 

[elephanto]

I do not know & have no need to know all the insider details.

Fact is, perhaps why WP was never in SDA & NSP decided to leave SDA - seem to make a lot of sense given how this episode of joint RP-SDA gunning for GRC has turned out so far.

 

[elephanto]

Seriously, nothing personal but what happened to the RP chairman?

Given the calibre of the new RP newcomers, soon Edmund Ng will resign 'for personal reasons' if he is wise enough - he is out of their league except for his boldness in standing for election as an Opposition candidate in the past.

 

[leetahbar]

both articles were written by ng ejay. lst of all, who is ng ejay?

he joined RP as a member. then quit RP as fast as he had just joined dragging along with him ng teck siong and 4 other RP members. they jumped ship over to SDP.

so who is ng ejay?

 

[leetahbar]

The vibe I am getting from their publicly reported speeches/activities/interviews so far :-

Kenneth Jeyaretnam - a seasoned & successful professional in his own domain carries the same traits into politics : brash, blunt & unsentimental.

He knows Ng Teck Siong's friendship with his late Dad, but I guess as in his hedge fund profession, he is direct in getting what he wants, when he wants & is not shy about going at it.

The way he went about taking over RP & not mincing his words in describing it as 'rudderless' - all goes to show his contempt for the riff-raff calibre of long time Opposition figures - even someone who was such a loyal supporter of his Dad.

But KJ doesn't seem to fear equally high calibre party members & can hold his own with them - people like Mr & Mrs Tony Tan - and newcomer Alec Tok, an opinionated & headstrong forthright character as well. I do not know whether we can say the same of Chiam - in all his years behaving like a soloist in both the parties he is involved in.

KJ self-assurance & go-getting character can be seen in the way the 11 conditions (that were leaked) were set. No inordinate 'face' given to the more senior Chiam or SDA - such that Ng E Jay was prompted to use descriptions like ' .. rookie... with unknown pedigree' etc

Also, the statements on 'not dealing with organizations that leaked details' & 'clear that Chiam did not get approval..' & purported demand of revealing the identity of the leaker - all seemed pretty 'high-handed' & not very diplomatic.

Was it true that Chiam & wife had agreed to RP's terms in their personal capacity & if so, why can't he get the SDA CEC to endorse his position?

From Chiam's response to KJ's 'criticism', I can see a lack of fire.
Perhaps the elder politician has remarkably placed Opposition Unity & concilliation above any slight on his leadership in appearing calm & unperturbed.

Desmond Lim, Asst Sec-Gen of SDA - who is he ?

Ironically, Sunday Times writeup of the Reform Party Press conference is less provocative than CNA's report.

Effort is made to show that RP-SDA collaboration is still ongoing despite the kinks - rather than focusing on KJ's unfriendly criticism.

I think 'merging with' or 'joining' SDA are totally unrealistic forms of cooperation now that KJ has demonstrated his forthright & no-nonsense working style.

ng teck siong claims that he was a good buddy of the late JBJ. but did JBJ ever mention that?

someone has passed a misled info to the MSM and henceforth, nts becomes "JBJ's good buddy". has anyone ever heard JBJ accredit ng teck siong as his "good buddy" or anything contributive before?

now who was the one who leaked this misleading info to the ST?

 

[Perspective]

I do not know & have no need to know all the insider details.

Fact is, perhaps why WP was never in SDA & NSP decided to leave SDA - seem to make a lot of sense given how this episode of joint RP-SDA gunning for GRC has turned out so far.

I have always believed that they all wanted to be different parties in the first place for various reasons and that is why I am one of the few (or the only one) here who would dismiss (and not waste time) with any discussion on any form of unity, be it alliance or merger.

The most the leaders will attend each other's activities and avoid 3 corner fights, but heck, I don't even need to call upon them anyway - they know how to do it themselves (except perhaps SDP which often pretends to be ostracized when they do not invite others or do not do so sincerely).

To me an opposition has to come only by each of them growing (or 1 or 2 growing) by their own virtue, the people's virtue (and maybe God's virtue if He is bothered).

 

[Perspective]

The vibe I am getting from their publicly reported speeches/activities/interviews so far :-

Kenneth Jeyaretnam - a seasoned & successful professional in his own domain carries the same traits into politics : brash, blunt & unsentimental.

He knows Ng Teck Siong's friendship with his late Dad, but I guess as in his hedge fund profession, he is direct in getting what he wants, when he wants & is not shy about going at it.

The way he went about taking over RP & not mincing his words in describing it as 'rudderless' - all goes to show his contempt for the riff-raff calibre of long time Opposition figures - even someone who was such a loyal supporter of his Dad.

But KJ doesn't seem to fear equally high calibre party members & can hold his own with them - people like Mr & Mrs Tony Tan - and newcomer Alec Tok, an opinionated & headstrong forthright character as well. I do not know whether we can say the same of Chiam - in all his years behaving like a soloist in both the parties he is involved in.

KJ self-assurance & go-getting character can be seen in the way the 11 conditions (that were leaked) were set. No inordinate 'face' given to the more senior Chiam or SDA - such that Ng E Jay was prompted to use descriptions like ' .. rookie... with unknown pedigree' etc

Also, the statements on 'not dealing with organizations that leaked details' & 'clear that Chiam did not get approval..' & purported demand of revealing the identity of the leaker - all seemed pretty 'high-handed' & not very diplomatic.

Was it true that Chiam & wife had agreed to RP's terms in their personal capacity & if so, why can't he get the SDA CEC to endorse his position?

From Chiam's response to KJ's 'criticism', I can see a lack of fire.
Perhaps the elder politician has remarkably placed Opposition Unity & concilliation above any slight on his leadership in appearing calm & unperturbed.

Desmond Lim, Asst Sec-Gen of SDA - who is he ?

Ironically, Sunday Times writeup of the Reform Party Press conference is less provocative than CNA's report.

Effort is made to show that RP-SDA collaboration is still ongoing despite the kinks - rather than focusing on KJ's unfriendly criticism.

I think 'merging with' or 'joining' SDA are totally unrealistic forms of cooperation now that KJ has demonstrated his forthright & no-nonsense working style.

I would say that RP is new but when the novelty wears off, it might be a different picture. (Or it might be the same, who knows.)

A lot will depend on how it fares in the election.

One thing you have to give it to SDP - its existence won't be threatened by any electoral disappointments. (Although at the same time its chances of becoming the main opposition in years to come is zilch.)

 

[elephanto]

Oh!
As for the SDA, Mr Desmond Lim struck a philosophically optimistic note when interviewed by TOC about the question of opposition unity:
“Unity is about unconditional love-simply acceptance and compassion-If one knows that he is an object of someone else’s affection and love, it is bound to have an impact, and this will be much appreciated”.

Can anyone enlighten me as to WTF this chap is saying here ,
this para seems to come from some marital counsellor or SDU instructor or is this another of that Actor Elvin Ng 'philosophy' award acceptance speech ?

 

[scroobal]

Chiam has always been a difficult character within his own party and as autocratic as JBJ, Old man, Chee etc. I suppose part of leading in politics. If you look for consensus, you will never get off the ground.

Note that SDP CEC was not aware of Uncle Yap's role when he was sent to meet the other parties, WP CEC not aware of the publication that led to the lawsuit etc.

Both KJ and Chiam have good political acumen but all those with similar background have left Chiam long time ago because of his autocratic ways. The fact that he had veto powers for the alliance is telling. I get the impression that he is after old man and the PAP and the alliance with KJ is his last bet as there is no one in his team that can provide the benchstrength to take on GRC. Its his last fling.

I admire Chiam and what he did for Singaporeans such as the 1991 lesson given to the PAP but Singaporeans got to that they can't be overly sensitive when he comes to such leaders. If they are looking for consensus, they should join AWARE or other social groups. Note when a Political Party's CEC goes against their leader, noboby's takes individual ownership for the decision but claim that it was CEC decision.

The western nations are more professional and matured in this regard. When they want to replace a leader, they find an alternative first and there is a period of consultation.

The vibe I am getting from their publicly reported speeches/activities/interviews so far :-

Also, the statements on 'not dealing with organizations that leaked details' & 'clear that Chiam did not get approval..' & purported demand of revealing the identity of the leaker - all seemed pretty 'high-handed' & not very diplomatic.

Was it true that Chiam & wife had agreed to RP's terms in their personal capacity & if so, why can't he get the SDA CEC to endorse his position?

From Chiam's response to KJ's 'criticism', I can see a lack of fire.
Perhaps the elder politician has remarkably placed Opposition Unity & concilliation above any slight on his leadership in appearing calm & unperturbed.

Desmond Lim, Asst Sec-Gen of SDA - who is he ?

Ironically, Sunday Times writeup of the Reform Party Press conference is less provocative than CNA's report.

Effort is made to show that RP-SDA collaboration is still ongoing despite the kinks - rather than focusing on KJ's unfriendly criticism.

I think 'merging with' or 'joining' SDA are totally unrealistic forms of cooperation now that KJ has demonstrated his forthright & no-nonsense working style.

 

[scroobal]

They are looking for short term tactical alliance. I doubt they have even explored what they are going to do if they win. It does make sense when it comes to GRC where depth and numbers are sorely lacking. Note the Malay Chap with RP and Juffrie in the past where like frogs they jump from party to party. GRC just breaks down the the concept of democracy.

Long term alliance as you pointed is a pipe dream. One thing that KJ and Chiam can do is to make it clear that its a tactical alliance rather than talk in broad terms. No different to coalition politics.

I have always believed that they all wanted to be different parties in the first place for various reasons and that is why I am one of the few (or the only one) here who would dismiss (and not waste time) with any discussion on any form of unity, be it alliance or merger.

The most the leaders will attend each other's activities and avoid 3 corner fights, but heck, I don't even need to call upon them anyway - they know how to do it themselves (except perhaps SDP which often pretends to be ostracized when they do not invite others or do not do so sincerely).

To me an opposition has to come only by each of them growing (or 1 or 2 growing) by their own virtue, the people's virtue (and maybe God's virtue if He is bothered).

 

[scroobal]

I believe he works for one of the Govt linked property maintenance groups that looks after HDB etc. A trusted lieutenant but not politically cut out. He is supposed to take over PP but Chiam wife is expected to take over the party.

Can anyone enlighten me as to WTF this chap is saying here ,
this para seems to come from some marital counsellor or SDU instructor or is this another of that Actor Elvin Ng 'philosophy' award acceptance speech ?

 

[Perspective]

They are looking for short term tactical alliance. I doubt they have even explored what they are going to do if they win. It does make sense when it comes to GRC where depth and numbers are sorely lacking. Note the Malay Chap with RP and Juffrie in the past where like frogs they jump from party to party. GRC just breaks down the the concept of democracy.

Long term alliance as you pointed is a pipe dream. One thing that KJ and Chiam can do is to make it clear that its a tactical alliance rather than talk in broad terms. No different to coalition politics.

I believe opposition parties, being without a seat, face challenge expanding beyond CEC because only CEC has executive power and the first member not within has practically no place to contribute except at most like a paid staff who is not paid. That is why when opposition increases it does so in the form of new parties, not more members in a party. Therefore merges of 2 parties are usually out of the question because half of both CECs will be left without a role. if 3 parties, a-third of 3 parties left without a role.

When opposition(s) wins seats it is a different story as the opposition MP not in the party CEC shifts his relevance from the party to his ward as the ward's leader. From there the party as a whole grows. Problem is none except 2 parties have a seat and one each.

That is why I always believe you don't get a strong opposition to vote for opposition. You vote for an opposition to get a strong opposition.

 

[zuoom]

I believe he works for one of the Govt linked property maintenance groups that looks after HDB etc. A trusted lieutenant but not politically cut out. He is supposed to take over PP but Chiam wife is expected to take over the party.

would Chiam's wife be the correct person to take over the party?

 

[elephanto]

I have always believed that they all wanted to be different parties in the first place for various reasons

I agree with the above view.

It is purely a tactical alliance for dealing with GE especially in tackling GRCs, like what Scroo says. Akin to how DAP, PAS & PKR cooperate during M'sian GEs.

So to read SDA's version that RP is 'joining them' or to hear the idea of RP 'merging' with SDA is really unbelievable ! SDP, WP, NSP, SPP, RP should just be themselves as the efforts needed for a merger is counter-productive & unrealistic & wholly unnecessary except for a spirit of goodwill cooperation during GE.

Note that despite all that talk of 'Barisan Alternative' resulting in Pakatan Rakyat Coalition, the key figure is Anwar Ibrahim, the undisputed (?) Opposition Leader who can command the (grudging?) respect of both PAS & DAP.

There is no such personality or leader in Singapore of enjoying such overwhelming popular & consensual support. And even in Anwar's case, the unity is relative & situational.

Let the whole thing simmer down.

To all the whole spectrum of Opposition Parties:-
Be polite & civil to each other & preferably give each other space & keep each other at arms length & comments of each other to themselves.