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  • PPP’s Goh Meng Seng Says Lee Kuan Yew’s Death Part Of Reason For Forming Party

    PPP’s Goh Meng Seng Says Lee Kuan Yew’s Death Part Of Reason For Forming Party

    The People’s Power Party (PPP) is a newcomer for the General Election, but the man behind its inception is no stranger to politics in Singapore.

    Founder and secretary-general Goh Meng Seng has 15 years of political experience and contested in the last two general elections under two different parties.

    On Sept 11, Mr Goh will lead a PPP team to contest Choa Chu Kang GRC. His rival will be Health Minister Gan Kim Yong’s People’s Action Party (PAP) team.

    Yesterday, Mr Goh, 45, the managing director of a group of market research and linguistics companies, told The New Paper in a phone interview that he does not see the switching of parties as a weakness.

    “I’ve learnt a lot during my time in Workers’ Party (WP), which I joined in 2001, and helped contribute in the rebranding for the 2006 GE,” he said.

    Mr Goh was a member of the WP’s Central Executive Council and the party’s “A” Team, which stood and lost in Aljunied GRC in 2006, with 43.9 per cent of votes.

    Saying “my job was done”, he left the party later that year and joined the National Solidarity Party (NSP) in 2007. He said he used his knowledge to build NSP up for the 2011 GE.

    “We helped increase the profile of NSP after four years. But I felt that we needed more opposition to give rise to more political discourse,” he said.

    In July this year, the PPP was officially registered, with Mr Goh as its secretary-general.

    Mr Goh said the death of founding Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew this year was another reason behind the setting up of the new party.

    “The current system, where there is a strong concentration of power, is only viable when you have a strong philosopher behind it.

    “Now that Mr Lee is gone, there’s no one else who has such a strong political morality who can control everyone. Things can go wrong.

    “The only way to provide sustainability is when power is separated into different parties that can act as checks and balances,” he said.

    PROFILE

    WHO:
    Goh Meng Seng

    WHAT:
    Managing director of a group of market research and linguistics companies

    FAMILY:
    Married with a daughter

    POLITICAL CAREER SO FAR:
    2001: Joined Workers’ Party (WP)
    May 2006: Contested Aljunied GRC with WP
    November 2006: Quit WP
    March 2007: Joined National Solidarity Party (NSP)
    May 2011: Contested Tampines GRC with NSP
    November 2011: Quit NSP
    July 2015: Registered People’s Power Party (PPP)

    MR GOH MENG SENG ON….

    WHAT VOTERS ARE LOOKING FOR TODAY

    Gone are the bread and butter issues of the early days of Singapore’s independence.

    Instead, voters today are looking for people who can represent them, are articulate and provide intellectual political discourse.

    “I have always challenged the PAP ministers on policy debates, and they always siam (Hokkien for dodge). The only way that I can bring this debate to them is to be elected into Parliament,” he said.

    The PPP is looking to champion key issues of population growth, national identity, housing, healthcare and the Central Provident Fund (CPF), he said.

    HOW HIS PARTY WILL ATTRACT VOTERS

    As the PPP is new, Mr Goh said the party will have to rely on personalities, such as his own, to reach out to voters.

    “My party is new, but I’m not. My Facebook page, my blog and everything I’ve done, is out there on the Internet,” he said.

    So a strong online presence is essential, he said.

    “People have come up to me to tell me that they watched an online video of me speaking at the National University of Singapore Society dialogue,” he said.

    WHAT KEEPS 
HIM GOING

    Standing as an opposition candidate is a public service, Mr Goh said.

    This will give voters viable choices when they are at the polling stations and allow them to think carefully about who they wish to elect.

    “That, in turn, will create a national level of consciousness for society and the country,” he said.

    “Whether we win, or not, it is a public service,” he said.

    He is also grateful for his supporters and helpers who have stood by him over the past 15 years.

    HOW THE POLITICAL SCENE HAS CHANGED

    The 2006 General Election was a turning point in Singapore’s politics, Mr Goh said, adding: “We (then Workers’ Party) opened up space, created a wow effect and showed to everyone that there was nothing wrong with the opposition.”

     

    Source: www.tnp.sg

  • Goh Meng Seng – The Ah Beng Politician

    Goh Meng Seng – The Ah Beng Politician

    Goh Meng Seng describes himself as a “street fighter”. SIX-SIX.COM caught up with the 15-year opposition politician to find out just what drives him to carry on.

    Not every politician might be flattered to be called an “Ah Beng politician,” but People’s Power Party (PPP) Secretary-General Goh Meng Seng, sees no shame in this moniker.

    “I’m still a street fighter to the core. I’m a hands-on man,” he says, highlighting his commitment to speaking to everyday Singaporeans like the Ah Ma and the Beer Uncle.

    According to him, the incumbent People’s Action Party (PAP) has lost touch with these folks due to the high salaries they earn as Ministers. There should not be such incentives to join public service, he thinks.

    If you were to go by what Goh says, this apparent materialism is akin to a malaise that has infected not just Parliament but society.

    People have lost values, he says, with severity. “We have to talk about bread and butter issues, livelihood and cost of jobs, but what about morals?”

    “Morals” and “values” are buzzwords that pop up whenever he talks about his foray into politics.

    All in the family

    Politics is “in his blood,” says Goh Meng Seng. As a boy, he would read the newspapers with his father.

    “Whenever he spotted something wrong, he will scold the government.”

    This exercise with his father sensitised him to social injustices. It seems the interest in current affairs has not just rubbed off on him but his daughter too.

    Speaking about politics at the dinner table is not rude in the Goh family and is in fact encouraged. “She likes current affairs like her father,” he says with a tinge of pride.

    However, while his daughter is quite aware about local politics, she studies in Hong Kong. Goh says he sent her there to prevent her from being “indoctrinated” by Singapore’s political system.

    Nevertheless, he gets her to travel to Singapore every now and then so that she would not lose touch with her country.

    On one of those trips back this year, his daughter had expressed scepticism over the National Day songs played repeatedly during this year’s SG50 celebrations to mark Singapore’s Golden Jubilee.

    “Papa, why do they keep repeating these songs. It’s like brainwashing,” Goh says, imitating his daughter’s tone.

    His daughter lives with his wife in Hong Kong. When asked if his political career affected his family, Goh says that his family understands.

    “I think I am blessed. I cannot sustain my political career without the support from my family.”

    The noble economist

    Goh is a Chinese-educated student who graduated with an Honours Degree in economics. His perspective on politics is informed by this background.

    He says the sacrifice one has to make for public service is rooted in Chinese values. He feels that in order for those in power to stay honest, they should serve only two terms in office before stepping down — a seeming jibe at Singapore’s Prime Ministers who have stayed longer in office than that.

    Goh considers himself a democratic socialist and uses economics jargon to explain his political goals. On the topic of maids in Singapore whose rights have been violated, he says the difficulty they face is due to the “asymmetric positioning” between them and their employers.

    He acknowledges, though, that social justice and economics do not always go hand in hand. A balance must be struck somehow, he says.

    When he is pressed about what specific policies he would like to implement to tackle such issues, he seems to dodge the questions at first, though later, he says the difficulty opposition politicians face when proposing alternative policies is the lack of figures by the government on current policies.

    On the hardship he has faced championing issues for the underdog, Goh says being a politician “is a painful process”. He then pauses for a perceptible moment before saying the “ROI (Return of Investment) is actually negative”.

    He says, though, that it’s bo pien — not a matter of choice — that he carries on in politics.

    “There are a lot of people around me who encourage me to carry on because they feel I am already in it with a certain political capital. It’s not easy to groom people (for politics) in the Singapore context.”
    *This article was corrected after Goh Meng Seng’s party affiliation was wrongly reported. We apologise for the error.

     

    Source: www.six-six.com

  • Real Estate Agents Feature Prominently Among Opposition Candidates

    Real Estate Agents Feature Prominently Among Opposition Candidates

    Has the tepid property market created a new impetus for real estate agents to enter politics?

    Property agents have emerged as a noticeable group among the candidates this general election, and all are on opposition party tickets.

    At least seven agents and one legal counsel of a real estate agency are contesting, with four hailing from one single agency, PropNex.

    Two are contesting Sembawang group representation constituency (GRC), going up against National Development Minister Khaw Boon Wan, the very person in charge of housing and the property sector.

    But these agents, who have mostly been inactive in closing sales in the past year, told The Business Times that issues other than housing have been on their minds as well, such as income inequality, the use of Central Provident Fund (CPF) money and the influx of foreign talent.

    Mr Andy Zhu, 32, an agent from Vestor Realty who is standing in West Coast GRC under the Reform Party, said he hopes to focus on the elderly and healthcare. He also believes that CPF money should be returned to Singaporeans at the age of 55, without the need for the minimum sum.

    Mr Eugene Yeo, 39, associate director at Real Estate Alliance, said it is “purely coincidental” that this many property agents are standing for election – not because property transactions have come down.

    Still, the National Solidarity Party (NSP) candidate hopes to flag housing issues in Parliament if he is elected.

    He said: “Being in the election is not a cheap affair, it is pretty costly. It is not because the property market is bad that agents want to have an MP’s (Member of Parliament) salary.”

    Mr Yadzeth Hairis, who is also standing on the NSP ticket in Sembawang GRC, told BT that though he is a registered agent with Dennis Wee Realty, he has been focusing on his development business in Indonesia under PT Cass Villa.

    Another NSP candidate, Mr Choong Hon Heng, 45, who runs a one-man agency, DCA Management, is contesting Tampines GRC.

    FLIP-FLOP POLICIES

    The People’s Power Party candidate in Chua Chu Kang GRC, Mr Augustine Lee, 42, said he has a beef with what he sees as policy flip-flopping.

    Said the property agent with PropNex: “At one time, they loosen up the policies to make property prices so high. Now, they use cooling measures to revise it back. That’s very bad planning and quite disruptive.

    “Property can be a mother of all problems because it affects everyone. You have to buy or rent – everyone needs the physical space, so that is a cost to everyone and these costs translate into prices in goods and services.”

    He added that he hopes the Government will look further into reducing land prices and review HDB’s role as a developer.

    Two of his PropNex colleagues – head of legal Gurmit Singh and property agent Ron Tan – are Workers’ Party (WP) candidates in Nee Soon GRC. The WP did not respond to BT’s questions.

    PropNex agent Darren Soh, 46, who is also a taxi driver, is standing in West Coast GRC with Mr Zhu under the Reform Party. He could not be reached for a comment.

    PropNex key executive officer Lim Yong Hock, when asked to comment on his staff and agents’ involvement in politics, pointed out that besides those standing for election with opposition parties, there are others active in the People’s Action Party.

    The agency has made its position clear to full-time staff and commissioned agents, he said.

    “The fact that our agents or staff are standing for election doesn’t mean that the company supports the party they stand for,” he said.

    “We support them as long as they do not bring disrepute to the industry.”

    He noted that the three PropNex agents have not closed a single deal this year, but that in the industry generally, one in three agents is inactive.

    Mr Lee said that real estate agents bring to the table a sharpened ability to connect with the ground, having themselves come from all walks of life and having to be “creative and communicative” to close deals.

    “Good agents will always think for the best of their clients. They are quite independent in thinking and because of that, they tend to have different opinions,” he said.

    Take the trend of condominium units getting smaller and smaller, for instance. “We feel sad for ourselves and our clients.”

    The full version of this story first appeared in The Business Times’ weekend edition on Sept 5.

    FROM PROPNEX: Mr Ron Tan (above) is contesting Nee Soon GRC for Workers’ Party

    FROM PROPNEX: Mr Gurmit Singh (above) is contesting Nee Soon GRC for Workers’ Party

    FROM PROPNEX: Mr Darren Soh (above) is standing in West Coast GRC under Reform Party.

    FROM PROPNEX: Mr Augustine Lee (above) is contesting Chua Chu Kang GRC under People’s Power Party.

    FROM VESTOR REALTY: Mr Andy Zhu is standing in West Coast GRC under Reform Party.

    FROM REAL ESTATE ALLIANCE: Mr Eugene Yeo is contesting Sembawang GRC under National Solidarity Party

    FROM DCA MANAGEMENT: Mr Choong Hon Heng is contesting Tampines GRC under National Solidarity Party.

    FROM DENNIS WEE REALTY: Mr Yadzeth Hairis is standing in Sembawang GRC under National Solidarity Party

     

     

    Source: www.tnp.sg

  • PPP’s Goh Meng Seng Tries Unsucessfully To Diffuse 3-Cornered Fight In Potong Pasir SMC

    PPP’s Goh Meng Seng Tries Unsucessfully To Diffuse 3-Cornered Fight In Potong Pasir SMC

    SINGAPORE: People’s Power Party (PPP) secretary-general Goh Meng Seng has tried to persuade independent opposition candidate Tan Lam Siong to join the PPP to contest Chua Chu Kang Group Representation Constituency (GRC) instead of standing as an independent in Potong Pasir.

    Mr Goh told Channel NewsAsia his offer was a “last-ditch effort” to avoid a three-cornered fight in the Potong Pasir single seat.

    He said: “I have indeed met up with Mr Tan Lam Siong yesterday night to make the last-ditch effort to defuse the potential bomb of a three-cornered fight at Potong Pasir. I have urged Mr Tan to join my team at CCK but unfortunately I have failed to convince him to come over.”

    “Although there is seriously very little time left, we still hope Mr Tan could reconsider our proposal. Nevertheless, if Mr Tan so decides to continue his campaign at Potong Pasir, we can only hope the best candidate wins,” he added.

    Mr Goh also posted a note on Facebook alluding to his efforts. “I shall now leave it to nature to take its course. What will be will be,” he wrote.

    Mr Tan confirmed that he had met Mr Goh on Monday night but had rejected his offer. Rebutting online reports alleging that he was planning to join the PPP, he added: “I think people are just speculating because someone saw me having dinner with Mr Goh Meng Seng. But it’s not true, I’m still actively walking in Potong Paris SMC and I will definitely follow up my plans to contest as an independent candidate for Potong Pasir SMC.”

    Incumbent People’s Action Party MP Sitoh Yih Pin will defend his seat. Singapore People’s Party (SPP) chairman Lina Chiam has announced that she will contest the single seat – held previously by her husband Chiam See Tong for over 27 years – as she did in the 2011 General Election.

     

    Source: www.channelnewsasia.com

  • Goh Meng Seng: If Private Sector Can Accept Employees Wearing Tudung, Why Not The Public Sector?

    Goh Meng Seng: If Private Sector Can Accept Employees Wearing Tudung, Why Not The Public Sector?

    I do not understand why Tudung is such a difficult issue.

    I believe most Chinese like me are used to seeing our fellow Malay ladies wearing Tudung in our lives, in our working places and on the streets or neighbourhood.

    It is nothing intimidating at all and it should be a proud Heritage of our multi ethnicity and culture. Local born Singaporeans do not feel uneasy with Tudung ladies because we understand and respect their dress code. This is nothing special just like seeing our fellow Sikh brothers wearing turbans.

    So stop talking about difficulties or social acceptance of such. If private sectors have no problem about tudung why should the Government has any problem with that?

     

    Source: Goh Meng Seng