The People’s Action Party’s (PAP) Teo Ho Pin will defend his Bukit Panjang seat in the coming General Election (GE).
Dr Teo, 55, was first elected as a Member of Parliament (MP) for Sembawang Group Representation Constituency (GRC) in 1997. He then served as MP for the former Holland-Bukit Panjang GRC from 2001 to 2006, before taking charge of the Bukit Panjang Single Member Constituency (SMC) from 2006.
Dr Teo is also the Mayor of the North West District and a Deputy Government Whip. Prior to entering politics, he was a lecturer at the National University of Singapore from 1985 to 1999.
(Photo: Lam Shushan)
At the last GE in 2011, Dr Teo defeated Singapore Democratic Party (SDP) candidate Alec Tok with 66.27 per cent of the vote. This time, the SDP has declared it will contest the Bukit Panjang seat once again.
Here is a new series where Yahoo Singapore speaks to potential candidates for the upcoming General Election. Members of Singapore’s various political paties have been invited to participate. First up: Dennis Tan of the Workers Party, who was interviewed Friday, 14 August.
Shipping lawyer Dennis Tan, 44, cuts a somewhat nervous figure when we meet at the Yahoo Singapore office. Vice-chair of the media team for the Workers’ Party, Tan, who is married without children, also sits on the party’s central executive committee.
Tan has come to 60 Anson Road to be profiled as one of the many new faces in the upcoming General Election, though he stresses that Workers Party’s candidates will only be officially unveiled on Nomination Day.
Perhaps he seems ill at ease because he will be on camera in a one-on-one interview, and also because party members have strict guidelines on speaking to the media. “Discipline is very important for us. It’s important that party members are seen to be behaving in a responsible and disciplined way, and I think people respect that a lot,” says Tan.
But the diffident and mild-mannered Tan begins to loosen up when asked about the issues close to his heart, in particular multi-party democracy, and the adequacy of retirement schemes.
Asked what he thinks of the nine Workers Party MPs’ contributions to Parliament so far, Tan replies emphatically with a somewhat dated Carpenters reference, “As the song goes, we’ve only just begun. This is only the beginning of what we see as a First World parliament, and it will take time, given the political circumstances in Singapore.
What we look forward to, and certainly I look forward to, is a more diverse parliament with representation from different political parties. It is important that people from different ends of the political divide come together, share their ideas in parliament, debate bills and policies openly, and may policies be made as a result of such vigorous debate in parliament.”
He is also concerned about bread-and-butter issues like the Central Provident Fund (CPF), and whether Singaporeans will have enough to retire on. Tan says, “I think we have seen…in the last year, that there has been a lot of discussions, online as well as generally in the coffeeshops, about the adequacy of CPF savings for retirees in Singapore.
Clearly, with the relatively low interest rate, which is not linked to inflation, this is an issue that has really not been resolved by the ruling party.”
Tan’s education and background seem to echo that of many middle-class Singaporeans. The younger of two children spent much of his childhood in a housing estate in Telok Blangah and studied at Raffles Institution and Raffles Junior College. Tan also studied in the United Kingdom in his university days. Tan’s father used to work at the Japanese embassy, while his mother was a housewife.
He remembers being fired up on Nomination Day in 2011, when he was present as the candidate for Joo Chiat SMC was unveiled. Shortly after, he was invited by a friend to join the WP, and he gladly accepted.
“I could identify with the Workers Party leadership, with the way that they looked at politics in Singapore, the way they conducted themselves as a party,” recalls Tan. It has been a fairly rapid ascent within the party for Tan – by 2013, he was speaking at the WP rally during the Punggol East by-election.
Tan has been doing grassroots work in the Paya Lebar and Kaki Bukit divisions of Aljunied GRC for the past four years, a experience he calls “enriching and humbling”.
And while Tan declined to comment directly on the ongoing Aljunied-Hougang-Punggol East Town Council (AHPETC) saga, his words seem to reflect the party’s wariness of mainstream media outlets.
Asked how ground sentiment in Aljunied GRC have changed since 2011, he says, “I think the residents of Aljunied have been very supportive of our MPs and our WP members and volunteers who are on the ground, and they have encouraged us, including at times when there were not so happy news in the mainstream media about the Workers Party, and what the PAP is trying to do.”
But perhaps the issue that gets the strongest reaction from Tan is that of elitism, and his alma mater. A recent letter by teenager and RI alumnus Russell Tan Wah Jian to The Straits Forum, had suggested that elitism can be good for society, “There is no point aiming for equality for the sake of equality, and giving up equity.”
Tan says quietly but firmly, “I am from Raffles Institution, and I’m proud of being an RI boy…and I am proud of the fact that I’m a member of the Workers Party.”
Alluding to a newspaper article from the 1980s which noted that most of the RI students at the time came from working class backgrounds, he adds, “Elitism is something that all societies recognize exist, but it is always frowned upon, especially in a school like RI where we always prided ourselves…as a school that provides equal opportunity for Singaporean children of different backgrounds.”
Perhaps Tan’s sentiments on elitism have something to do with the fact that a fair number of his peers and schoolmates are currently Members of Parliament.
He clearly has strong feelings on fairness and having a voice in the democratic process, “It is important that Singaporeans have an active say in the way that they would like to see how their country moves forward, in which direction, rather than to have any party dictating to Singaporeans, telling us what is good for us.”
Asked if he has a message for voters, Tan takes a minute to compose himself, “Your vote is secret, always remember that. There’s nothing to fear. And if you cast away your fear, you can do anything that you would like to do.”
The People’s Action Party announced today (Aug 21) that first-term Members of Parliament Alex Yam and Ong Teng Koon will be contesting in new Marsiling-Yew Tee Group Representation Constituency, alongside team co-anchors Lawrence Wong and Mdm Halimah Yacob.
Mr Yam’s ward was carved out from Chua Chu Kang GRC into Marsiling-Yew Tee in the recent electoral boundaries review exercise, as was Mr Ong’s Woodgrove ward from Sembawang GRC.
Earlier last week, Mr Wong, Minister for Culture, Community and Youth, announced that he would co-anchor the team with three-term MP Halimah Yacob, who will be moving to Marsiling-Yew Tee from Jurong GRC.
Mr Wong also said the division of boundaries and finding a place for him to operate within the entire GRC may be sorted out after the election. Mr Wong himself will be new to the constituency, having moved over from West Coast GRC.
Mr Yam and Mr Ong are expected to continue helming their respective wards while Mdm Halimah is expected to take over Marsiling from Mr Hawazi Daipi, who is retiring from politics.
At a press conference held at a void deck in Marsiling to confirm the PAP’s slate of candidates, Mr Wong said his team, with two incumbent MPs and two new MPs, brings together continuity and change, and youth and experience.
Ahead of the PAP press conference, the candidates mingled with residents and served up food as musicians entertained the crowd that had gathered at the void deck of Blk 3, Marsiling Drive.
With her predecessor having spent about 14 years as Member of Parliament for her ward, Madam Rahayu Mahzam knows she has big shoes to fill.
Speaker of Parliament Halimah Yacob was elected into Jurong GRC in 2001, but will move to stand in the newly-constituted Marsiling-Yew Tee GRC in the coming General Election. Mdm Rahayu, who will take over the Bukit Batok East ward overseen by Mdm Halimah if elected, began volunteering there only recently.
“Mdm Halimah has put in a lot of hard work … and the results clearly show in the residents’ faces … They clearly adore her. It’s inspired me to maintain her high standards,” said Mdm Rahayu, 35.
As a lawyer specialising in family law and civil litigation, she has come across many disadvantaged families — a segment of society she is striving to get more help for.
“For instance, divorcing families whose problems are compounded … They don’t just face financial difficulties, but also issues with housing, and having to cope with the children,” said Mdm Rahayu at the press conference yesterday introducing the People’s Action Party’s candidates for Jurong GRC.
She added: “I’ve also seen families where both parents are incarcerated and the grandparents have to take care of the children. These are special cases and there’s always room to improve policies in this aspect.”
Mdm Rahayu has sat on the board of the Singapore Muslim Women’s Association, volunteered in legal clinics organised by Muslim Converts’ Association (Darul Arqam), and helped mentor youths as a volunteer probation officer with the Ministry of Social and Family Development.
Asked what legislative issues she would champion, she cited the Family Justice Act and Women’s Charter as laws she felt has room for improvement.
When she was approached to enter politics, her husband, who works in the Attorney-General’s Chambers, asked: “What can you do in politics that you’re not already doing now?” The question, Mdm Rahayu revealed, made her pause.
But the prospect of a bigger platform to make changes “on a larger scale” called out to her. “And because I’m with a party that has the mechanisms already in place and … a strong track record … I’m able to reach out and do more (for the community),” she said. TOH EE MING
FACT FILE: Rahayu Mahzam, 35, Partner at the law firm of Heng, Leong & Srinivasan
• Formerly a deputy registrar of the Syariah Court from 2013 to 2015
• Sits on the National Library Board, the Malay Language Council and the National Youth Fund Advisory Committee.
• Graduated from the National University of Singapore in 2003 with a Bachelor of Laws
SHE SAID: “I am passionate to help these disadvantaged families. I feel that it is important to have strong and holistic support for these families so that they can overcome their difficulties.”
Lawyer Lim Biow Chuan will stand again as the People’s Action Party’s (PAP) candidate in Mountbatten in the coming General Election (GE), the party announced on Friday (Aug 21).
Mr Lim was introduced as the candidate for Mountbatten by Minister for Social and Family Development Tan Chuan-Jin at a press conference outside the PAP branch at Old Airport Road.
Said Minister Tan on the incumbent MP: “We worked together in the town council. How you administer the sinking funds are very important. This is when you begin to realise how important financial prudence is. It’s about managing future needs.
“By understanding our people’s needs, we can think about how to meet those people’s needs at the local level, and champion them at a national level, which is what Biow Chuan has been doing. Not just the concerns of Mountbatten residents, but the concerns of all Singaporeans.”
Mr Lim, 52, was a Member of Parliament (MP) for Marine Parade Group Representation Constituency (GRC) from 2006 to 2011, before his Mountbatten ward was carved out as a Single Member Constituency (SMC) for the last GE in 2011.
Mr Lim went on to secure 58.62 per cent of the vote against fellow lawyer Jeannette Chong-Aruldoss of the National Solidarity Party (NSP).
