Chiam’s Still standing
He’s survived a stroke, party infighting to set his eyes on the ‘Holy Grail’: A GRC win
Weekend ・February 28, 2009
Loh Chee Kong
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IF POLITICS could be likened to a game of chess, this grand old man of Opposition politics readily concedes that he is still a novice at disguising his next moves.
Which is why Potong Pasir MP Chiam See Tong, 73, is making extra efforts to conceal the details of what he hopes would be a fitting finale to his eventful political career — even as he declared that he already has a team in place to contest for a Group Representation Constituency (GRC) in the next General Election, due by February 2012.
During a 90-minute chat over coffee at the Botanic Gardens with Weekend Xtra recently, Mr Chiam gave precious little information away, albeit with constant reminders from his wife Lina.
Said Mr Chiam: “I’ve learnt my lesson in the 1979 by-election. I was afraid of a three-cornered fight so I made the announcement that I was going to contest in Potong Pasir. And you know who they put there? Howe Yoon Chong (the late former minister), the strongest candidate they had.”
“I already have a team. We have one doctor, one accountant, two lawyers,” he continued before Mrs Chiam interjected: “We cannot reveal everything.”
Still, Mr Chiam did reveal that the team would be mostly made up of candidates who had fought elections before. His aim, he said, is to give residents in the GRC he is eyeing “a chance to vote”.
His comments have narrowed down the potential list to five GRCs, based on the current electoral boundaries: Holland-Bukit Timah, West Coast, Jurong, Hong Kah and Bishan-Toa Payoh.
These are the five-member GRCs which were uncontested in the 2006 elections.
In past elections, the Opposition parties’ limited resources saw them contest in geographical clusters, not least to maximise their logistics during the daily hustings.
With Bishan-Toa Payoh GRC right next to his Potong Pasir single-seat ward, could Mr Chiam be setting his sights on the constituency currently helmed by two heavyweight ministers in the form of Deputy Prime Minister Wong Kan Seng and Education Minister Ng Eng Hen?
Mr Chiam shot back: “If you were me, where would you stand?”
While he does not expect elections to be held this year amid the economic downturn, Mr Chiam said he plans to air the issues of Mas Selamat’s escape, ministerial salaries, the investment losses incurred by town councils and Temasek Holdings, and the plight of the less privileged should the polls be called anytime soon.
The passage of time and ailing health have obviously blunted the aggressiveness that served him so well over the years. But the dormant fighting spirit was easily stirred.
Asked whether he was forsaking his Potong Pasir residents for the pursuit of personal glory, Mr Chiam stressed: “I’m not being selfish ... in fact I’m making a big sacrifice. But I have to do that for the sake of the Opposition in Singapore. I should get out of my comfort zone.”
When asked if he should have done it much earlier, Mr Chiam — the Singapore People’s Party secretary-general who chairs the Singapore Democratic Alliance — said he was “not as well-established as now”.
In attempting to strike a psychological blow to the People’s Action Party (PAP) by targeting what has become the Holy Grail for the Opposition, Mr Chiam feels he has “nothing to lose”.
He added: “Every fibre in my body tells me I must stand in a GRC in the next round ... maybe it’s my political instincts.”
And he is “quietly confident” of coming up tops in this high-stakes gamble — even if he is just banking on his reputation.
Having already sounded out the ground sentiments in that particular GRC, Mr Chiam is convinced the affection shown to him by Potong Pasir residents extends to other parts of Singapore. “My friend has a theory: Singapore is a small island ... what people think in one area, it’s most likely that people in other areas think so too.”
Alluding to how fresh PAP candidates “ride on the coat-tails of the ministers”, his wife said: “I believe you need an icon to win a GRC ... hopefully the Opposition can ride on the coat-tails of my husband.”
Mrs Chiam added: “A lot of people have come up to my husband, even when we are on a cruise or overseas. They tell him they are jealous of Potong Pasir residents for having the chance to vote.”
HEALTH MATTERS
With Mr Chiam’s health under the spotlight, his wife spoke out against those who doubt whether her husband could still perform his MP duties in Potong Pasir — let alone cope with the demands of running a GRC should he win one.
Pointing out that Mr Chiam has done “very well” to get back on his feet since he suffered a stroke last year, she said: “As a wife, I feel you should give the man a chance ... it takes time to recover from a stroke.”
Mr Chiam added: “Nobody has the right to ask me to step down. Only the residents have the right. If they tell me so, I will step down.”
Fellow Opposition member, National Solidarity Party president Sebastian Teo, felt Mr Chiam is the best judge of his own health. Said Mr Teo: “If his condition is getting worse, it goes without saying that he should have more time for himself. But from what I hear, he seems to be getting better.”
Former PAP MP Wang Kai Yuen pointed out that a Member of Parliament’s duty “is to the electorate”.
“It is up to the constituents to decide whether he is suitable to remain in Parliament,” said Dr Wang.
Staying in Parliament is what Mr Chiam has done for 25 uninterrupted years. The secret to his political longevity? Adapting his brand of politics to what people want, or “riding the tide” in his own words.
Mr Chiam concurred with Weekend Xtra’s perception that he has evolved from a national politician with a grand vision of a “two-party” system when he first broke onto the political scene in 1976; to a hands-on politician focusing on municipal issues; and most recently, an “underdog” politician seen as a symbol of the Opposition.
He said: “It’s not me who has changed, it’s the constituents who have. One thing I’ve learnt from my time as a politician is that what people want is a very powerful force. It’s like fashion .... it’s very difficult to change a trend.”
