Veteran opposition leader Chiam See Tong will not contest the coming general election.
The Singapore People’s Party (SPP) and Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) announced their slate of candidates for Bishan-Toa Payoh GRC on Sunday (Aug 30) morning.
Mr Chiam, 80, the SPP’s secretary-general, was excluded from the line-up in the constituency he contested in 2011 and will not stand due his age and health, according to his wife Mrs Lina Chiam.
However, Mr Chiam, who was Potong Pasir MP for 27 years, was present to give his backing to the joint team – comprising of DPP secretary-general Benjamin Pwee, 47, DPP chairman Hamim Aliyas, 55, former marketing manager Law Kim Hwee, 55, training company manager Abdillah Zamzuri, 31, and tech entrepreneur Bryan Long, 37 – that will contest under the SPP banner.
Mr Chiam said: “As you’ve seen for yourself we have a strong team here, a very good line-up. They are professionals with good experience.”
Mr Pwee and Mr Hamim, who both contested Bishan-Toa Payoh with Mr Chiam in 2011, both quit their posts in the DPP to join SPP as election rules state that candidates for a GRC team must either come from one party or consist solely of independents.
Mr Pwee will co-lead the team with Mr Long, who is making his GE debut like his fellow SPP teammates, Mr Abdillah and Mr Law.
Despite his exclusion, Mr Chiam nixed suggestions that he was retiring from politics by saying: “I’ve got a long way to go.”
At the last election, Mr Chiam’s SPP team garnered 43.1 per cent of Bishan-Toa Payoh’s votes against the People’s Action Party (PAP) team led by Dr Ng Eng Hen.
On Oct 1, something important is going to be removed in Potong Pasir.
It is a covered walkway, built in 2008, leading from Potong Pasir MRT station to Block 147 at Potong Pasir Avenue 1. It has to go because a mall and a condominium would be coming up, so residents were told. This might not seem like a big deal – except this is one particular walkway which had been talked about and argued over, even in Parliament and during elections. And is probably one of the last remaining sign of Mr Chiam See Tong’s 27 years stewardship of Potong Pasir.
The MRT walkway built by Mr Chiam See Tong at Potong Pasir. Picture taken in August 2015.
The sign by Mr Chiam’s Potong Pasir Town Council about when the MRT walkway was opened has been removed. Picture taken in August 2015.
Today, the PAP announced its candidate for Potong Pasir. Mr Sitoh Yih Pin, 51, will be defending his seat after narrowly scooping it up from Mrs Lina Chiam in 2011. Mrs Chiam is of course, the wife of Mr Chiam See Tong, who has been synonymous with Potong Pasir since he became an MP in 1984. Mr Sitoh told reporters this morning that the past four years has not been about removing Mr Chiam’s legacy, but whether intentional or not, that is what it has felt like to the residents here who, like me, have come to love the neighbourhood as it was under Mr Chiam’s charge.
When Mrs Chiam lost the Potong Pasir seat by a mere 114 votes, there were plenty of tears not just for the Chiams’ Singapore People’s Party but for what it meant for the ward’s identity. In the months following that May day, my tiny town was invaded by camera-toting Singaporeans, from as far away as Woodlands and Tampines, who wanted to see for themselves the housing estate that had withstood 27 years of wooing by the People’s Action Party.
Was it really a slum? Did Mr Chiam really conduct his Meet-The-People Sessions (MPS) in an open-air void deck? Did residents really suffer from a lack of amenities in the estate?
My constituency, where I have lived for 20 years, became a curiosity. Visitors would get off the train at Potong Pasir MRT station, and recall that it was supposed to be named Sennett, and was rumoured to stay closed even when the Northeast Line began operation in 2003.
They would walk along that walkway to Block 147 and recall how politicised this walkway became during the 2006 elections, a story involving a concrete path sheltered by trees, to having solar powered lights that was left abandoned, and that eventually became that sheltered walkway.
They would have their photograph taken in front of the ‘Welcome to Potong Pasir’ signboard, which had a a smiling Mr Chiam, before it got taken down. They would then head to Block 108, where Mr Chiam had his MPS with the residents, and marvel at the table and chairs.
‘Welcome to Potong Pasir Constituency’ Signboard. Picture taken in June 2011.
Next stop would be the coffeeshop at Block 136, which Mr Chiam makes a point of visiting after each election victory. Then visitors will walk by the river in the estate, experiencing the quiet charm of a slower paced Singapore.
This was a constituency without an NTUC Fairprice supermarket (it used to be at Block 136, but it was closed after the elections in 1984), nor a bank (POSBank used to be at Block 146, but it was closed after the elections in 1988). There was not even a Post Office (there was Promax Stationery, a Postal Agent, at block 148, which performed some postal services, but it closed in the 2000s). Potong Pasir’s lifts did not stop on every floor then.
It lacked amenities, yes, and this lack contributed to the laid-back, kampung feel of Potong Pasir. Without an NTUC, you would have to patronise the estate’s wet market at Block 148, or the neighbourhood dry-goods uncle’s shop at Block 137, or the 24-hour neighbourhood supermarket at Block 136. The shopkeepers and stall holders will always have time to banter with you.
New stage area built between Blk 136 and 140 at Potong Pasir. Picture taken in August 2015.
The iconic walkway with a pavilion in the centre that was completed in July 2000. It has been demolished in the recent upgrading. Picture taken on 4 Jan 2013, by Matthew Ang.
Residents find it painful to use the stairs because lifts do not stop at every floor, yes, but this meant that they had more time to chat with each other while waiting at lift landings. Helping an elderly aunty lugging her grocery up the stairs became the norm.
While there wasn’t a Post Office or a bank, there was the facility-filled, ever-bustling Toa Payoh Hub, a short bus ride away on the only bus service in Potong Pasir (there was another bus service serving the estate, but it was rerouted after the elections in 1991). And when Serangoon Nex opened its doors in 2010, it was an even shorter train ride away.
One Potong Pasir quirk was the signs by the Town Council showing when amenities and improvements were installed. They were everywhere: in playgrounds, parks, and even on trees planted by Mr Chiam.
Tree planting sign board, during Mr Chiam’s stewardship at Potong Pasir. Picture taken in May 2011.
Almost all have been replaced or removed because of the intense upgrading programme Mr Sitoh Yih Pin, the PAP MP, has embarked upon since 2011. Potong Pasir is being made over. You see it – the “keep out” hoardings. You hear it – the pounding of construction equipment.
Since 2011, an NTUC Fairprice supermarket, a Post Office, a bank, and even a gym has come up. We have lifts that stop on all floors save for eight blocks in the estate. We have more sheltered walkways being constructed, and a beautiful riverside park newly opened for residents. A new street soccer court has been built beside Block 109, as there are plans to reuse the space of the street soccer court built by Mr Chiam. We also have more family service centres at void decks serving the residents.
The new futsal court in Potong Pasir that was built by Mr Sitoh Yih Pin. Picture taken in August 2015.
The old futsal court in Potong Pasir that was built by Mr Chiam See Tong. Picture taken in August 2015.
Progress comes at a price. A few of our old-time shops have closed down, and I don’t know where uncle has gone. The supermarket and the bank bring more non-residents into our estate. Our coffeeshops are now so crowded and I have to ‘ta-bao’ my family dinner instead of having my family eat there. It is now more difficult to linger and catch up with people in the estate you know.
I dread the upcoming mall and condominium. I have an inkling that it would be like going to Nex at Serangoon. You find yourself swept in a shifting sea of people, able to only wave a ‘Hi!’ to a familiar face before being pressed on. My in-laws already complain about the lack of parking spaces in their carpark that is just next to the NTUC supermarket.
Sometimes, I wonder if all this infrastructural ‘upgrading’ is just to show activity and money spent. If something is upgraded or new, does it follow that it must be good? All the busy-ness is hurting the connections that residents have built up over time. Soon, the new, shiny Potong Pasir will be just like any other PAP ward with no sign left of Mr Chiam’s struggles to maintain the estate for 27 years – and the residents’ efforts to be self-reliant.
I intend to snap several pictures of the walkway to keep the memories of this undaunted little place alive.
Former National Solidarity Party (NSP) secretary-general and lawyer Tan Lam Siong has declared that he will be running in Potong Pasir SMC as an independent candidate in the coming elections.
Speaking to reporters on Saturday (01/08) at the sidelines of a Singapore Democratic Alliance (SDA) walkabout in Sengkang that he was there to show support for, Mr Tan said he made the decision after regular visits to Potong Pasir in recent weeks to speak with residents.
“I’ve been going down to Potong Pasir and Toa Payoh frequently in the last few weeks, especially after Whampoa was absorbed, and residents tell me they want a choice,” he said. “I will be running there, and I won’t be donning any colours this time around.”
Mr Tan had previously expressed interest in running in Whampoa, where he had been working the ground and where he said he had become familiar with the residents there. But the SMC was merged with the reconstituted Jalan Besar GRC in the electoral boundaries report that was released last week.
Potong Pasir, which the People’s Action Party’s (PAP) Sitoh Yih Pin won over from the Singapore People’s Party (SPP) in 2011 with a wafer-thin 114 votes, had already looked set to be a battleground, with the SPP and the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) both having declared their interest to contest the ward.
But Mr Tan said he was unfazed by the thought of jumping into a four-cornered contest as he wanted to give voters there “real choice” and that he would “relish the fight”.
“As an independent, I’m also not involved in the horsetrading talks between the different opposition parties,” he said. “Let the people have all the choices, rather than preselect for them.”
Opposition parties will hold their traditional pow wow session this Monday (03/08), where they are expected to divvy up the different constituencies with minimal overlap so that the opposition vote will not be split.
In a media interview today (28 July), NCMP Lina Chiam said that she will continue to contest in Potong Pasir SMC and that her party “will not budge” even if there’s a 3-cornered fight in Potong Pasir.
“The SPP will not budge and I’ll still be standing in Potong Pasir even if it’s a three-cornered fight. Because I promised the people of Potong Pasir that I’ll return and I shall return,” Mrs Chiam said.
“I’ll be continuing to do what is needed for the residents of Potong Pasir regarding feedback, whatever improvements that they want to that still needed to be done. I’ll be continuing to do the work that was left by Mr Chiam.”
Mrs Chiam lost to PAP MP Sitoh Yih Pin by just 114 votes in GE 2011.
Financial counsellor Leong Sze Hian told TRE that Mrs Chiam has been attending to residents every week even though she isn’t their elected MP. Mr Leong himself is helping Mrs Chiam in Potong Pasir by giving free financial counselling to the residents.
“I’ve been helping Mrs Chiam for a few years already. She herself has also made it a point to meet the residents every week even though she is not their MP,” Mr Leong told TRE earlier in response to NTUC Chief Chan Chun Sing’s recent remarks about opposition politicians may be contesting in elections not for the residents but only for winning elections (‘Chan to oppo parties: Your heart must be pure‘).
“In fact, we see residents from all over Singapore. We don’t turn them away just because they are not from Potong Pasir,” Mr Leong added.
DPP Pwee ‘optimistic’ about Potong Pasir
The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) has earlier indicated that they also want to contest in Potong Pasir. In fact, DPP’s secretary-general, Mr Benjamin Pwee, is optimistic regardless of how many people will be contesting.
“If we have one very strong opposition candidate that can stand up against the PAP, it will ultimately be a two-man fight and not a three-cornered fight. But definitely we feel that it would be wonderful to have a very strong alternative candidate that can stand in Potong Pasir against Sitoh Yih Pin and win Potong Pasir back from the PAP,” said Mr Pwee.
However, quite a number of netizens are not enthusiastic to see a three-cornered fight in Potong Pasir (‘DPP slammed for provoking multi-cornered fights‘). Many are quick to condemn the actions of DPP with one saying on TRE:
“Guaranteed to lose terok terok if you enter into a 3-cornered fight. Don’t tiew nian ok.”
Another said:
“Fly-by-night parties that ‘wake’ up during GEs gunning for multi-cornered fights better understand their own strength before they jump. Opposition supporters will vote for only credible and viable candidates, not the more vocal or those with dubious track record.”
The task at hand is to free Singapore from the curse of the great white sharks, or at least put up an effective check on their excesses. I do not know what your objectives are, but surely I do think that they are noble and that you have very good alternative plans for the people, and that you would be an effective voice in Parliament if you and your colleagues get voted in.
However, please be realistic at this moment in time. We are at a very crucial point in history – make or break. The stake is monumental : the taking back of Singapore from the sharks and returning it to Singaporeans.
It is not about catching rats, or building a walkway, or fighting dengue or making buses more reliable and less crowded (which not even the WP has the ability yet). Not the local neighbourhood issues. It is not about which party can serve which HDB blocks better. WE are all past there.
We are now tackling gigantic national issues which have plagued Singaporeans at all levels –
the non-stop intake of immigrants
the ever squeezing of transportation
diminishing apartment sizes (corridors shrunk to < 1.2m)
the fixation on extracting more and more money from the people
turning our PMETs into taxi drivers and security guards
refusal to let us claim our CPF at 55
Etc
Only by going 1-to-1 against the PAP do we have any hope of increasing Opposition seats in Parliament. Please work out a plan with the other parties, in a coordinated attack plan.
Despite an absence from the electoral scene for some 14 years, this is not the first time the DPP has entered into multi-cornered fights. In 1997, a 4-cornered fight in Chua Chu Kang SMC saw DPP’s Tan Soo Phuan lose his deposit with a mere 1.9% of the valid votes. This set a new record for the lowest share of popular votes until 2013 when SDA had less than 1% of the votes.
Will 2015 prove to be déjà vu for DPP?
More promises of facilities for Potong Pasir from PAP MP Sitoh if elected
Meanwhile, PAP MP Sitoh Yih Pin said more facilities are in the pipeline if he is re-elected in Potong Pasir.
“Our responsibility and focus and our attention must be to the residents and the voters there. While we have done a lot in the last four-and-a-half years, both in terms of hardware and software, a lot more needs to be done in the next five years,” said Mr Sitoh.
“So when the election comes, I hope our voters can give me another opportunity to complete the journey we have started.”
In 2006 before the GE that year, Mr Sitoh was gunning for Potong Pasir. At the time, Mr Chiam was the incumbent MP and he was trying to unseat Mr Chiam then.
He also promised a lot of things as reported by ST on 5 Feb 2006 [Link]:
PAP’s Sitoh has 10-year facelift plan for Potong Pasir
THE People’s Action Party (PAP) man in Potong Pasir, Mr Sitoh Yih Pin, provided clear indications that he will contest the next election there when he spoke yesterday of his 10-year plan for the opposition-held ward.
WOULD YOU LIKE MORE?
Speaking before he helped serve abalone porridge to some 4,000 residents attending a Chinese New Year celebration he hosts annually, he said that he wants to see the constituency transformed. Through what he termed his ‘five-plus-five-year’ plan – till 2011 and 2016 – he hopes to have lifts upgraded and stopping on every floor as this will benefit the ageing population in HDB estates there.
And the Kallang River, which runs through the ward, will be given a facelift so canoeists and watersports enthusiasts can use it, while joggers and others can have activities along its banks.
Fuller details will be made known over the next two months, he said.
Mr Sitoh, who is adviser to grassroots organisations in the constituency, contested the 2001 election but lost to long-serving Potong Pasir MP Chiam See Tong of the Singapore Democratic Alliance by just 751 votes.
He has remained active there since, meeting residents and organising activities, including offering shark’s fin soup for $1 during National Day celebrations, free haircuts for senior citizens and organising $88 one-night trips to Port Dickson in Malaysia.
Although there have been rumours recently that these would be suspended if Mr Sitoh loses to Mr Chiam again, the 42-year-old accountant said that such talk was unfounded.
‘The ice-cream auntie told me people think that maybe next year, there won’t be abalone porridge any more,’ Mr Sitoh told residents, speaking in both English and Mandarin.
‘But that’s not true. We will continue to do these as long as you support us and our programmes.’
Since winning Potong Pasir in 2011, it’s not known if he still continues to dish out abalone porridge to the residents there.
Mrs Jeannette Chong-Aruldoss, 51, a lawyer, sets her eyes again on the Mountbatten Single Member Constituency (SMC) for the upcoming General Election with the blessing of her new political party.
A former secretary general of the National Solidarity Party (NSP), Mrs Chong-Aruldoss lost a bid to become NSP president in party polls held in January this year.
She subsequently left the party along with a several other members and applied to join the Singapore People’s Party (SPP) in March, helmed by veteran politician Chiam See Tong.
Mrs Chong-Aruldoss confirms that she will be contesting in the SMC in the upcoming polls which must be held by January 2017.
She said, “Yes, I am keen to make another bid to be elected as MP for Mountbatten. In the course of campaigning during the last GE, I established friendships with residents and got to know some local issues of concern to the residents there. I believe that I will be of more help to residents – and be a better candidate – if I were to have a deeper understanding of issues and closer ties with residents.
“For this reason, even after GE 2011, I have continued to and have been regularly walking the ground at Mountbatten. It has been my aim to build on the relationships which I have already established and to deepen my understanding of the issues of concern.”
Her personal campaign team has also been formed for the purpose of the upcoming election, which does not tax on the limited manpower and resources of SPP. It is said that the team has been visiting the SMC every Wednesday.
In General Elections 2011, Mrs Chong-Aruldoss contested against People’s Action Party candidate, Mr Lim Biow Chuan, under the NSP’s banner for the first time in the newly formed Mountbatten ward.
She received 41.38 per cent of the vote, which is slightly above the national average for opposition candidates.
However, Mrs Chong-Aruldoss is uncertain if the efforts of her campaigning team would bear fruit in the coming election due to Singapore’s constant changing electoral boundaries.
“Of course, all potential opposition candidates including myself, are under the heel of boundary changes. History has seen boundaries change significantly from one general election to another. What if Mountbatten is no longer a single member constituency? I don’t know.”
Despite the uncertainity she faces in the upcoming election, Mrs Chong-Aruldoss said, “For now, I will continue to walk the grounds of Mountbatten to see how best I may be able to serve its constituents, if elected.”
Apart from Singapore People’s Party which is set to contest the SMC if it is not subsumed into other constituencies or removed altogether at the next boundary changes, the NSP itself seems to have also set its eyes on contesting the ward.
This would set up a possible three-corner fight in the SMC.
