Channel NewsAsia: 32-year-old lawyer among candidates introduced by Workers' Party

SINGAPORE VOTES 2006

By Farah Abdul Rahim



SINGAPORE : Two new faces from the post-independence generation were unveiled by the Workers' Party (WP) on Saturday for the upcoming General Election.

They are 32-year-old lawyer Chia Ti Lik and 36-year-old businessman Goh Meng Seng.

Mr Chia is a partner with Chia Ngee Thuang & Company and Vice-President of the party's Youth Wing.

He is married with no children and received his law degree from the National University of Singapore.

A former Young PAP member before joining the Workers' Party, Mr Chia has been leading walkabouts in East Coast GRC.

Mr Chia said: "Since what you are seeking to do in the Young PAP cannot be done within the framework and, in the present circumstances cannot be fulfilled by my contributions to Young PAP, then it would be better to do the right thing, and if the right thing is to join the opposition, then I join the opposition."

Mr Goh is also a Council Member with the party's Youth Wing.

He is married with one daughter, and graduated with an arts degree from the National University of Singapore.

Introduced as one of the WP's bi-cultural candidates by party leader Low Thia Khiang, Mr Goh has been working the ground in Aljunied and Ang Mo Kio Group Representation Constituencies, as well as the single-seat ward of Nee Soon Central.

But he remained tight-lipped on where he would be fielded.

Mr Goh said: "Whether you are bicultural or monocultural, you have to represent the people in certain ways - their aspirations, their views. I think culture is part of it, one small part of it...The most important thing is, you must be able to walk the ground, feel the people, what their concerns are; empathy is above cultural setting."

Mr Goh said the current generation of younger opposition leaders like himself are different from the older generation.

He said: "We are here to talk about policies, not about individual's vengeance - that's past our generation. We don't want to talk about lawsuits, talk bad about people, that's not what younger Singaporeans want to see. They want to see a healthy, active engagement of ideas and what we can offer."

Two other candidates were also introduced - party veterans 66-year-old Abdul Rahim Abdul Rahman, who has been active in East Coast GRC, and former party chairman Dr Tan Bin Seng, who is 54.

Both men have contested previous elections.

Altogether, 20 candidates will be introduced by the WP before Nomination Day.

With four candidates under 41 years old so far, the WP is in the process of passing the baton of leadership from the older to younger generation of leaders, said the party's Secretary-General Low Thia Khiang.

He said the party has been engaged in self-renewal since the 2001 General Election, and more than half its current Central Executive Committee made up of younger members.

He was speaking to the media as he introduced more candidates to contest the election.

"The renewal process is not only to attract the younger generation, it also serves as a connection between the party and the younger voters. The younger population is different in their thinking, perception and expectations. And yes, I hope the younger generation will respond to the call," said Low Thia Khiang, Secretary-General, Workers' Party. - CNA/ch/ls

Weekend TODAY: WP's simple message to Singaporeans

General Election 2006

Low Thia Khiang asks that party be given a chance; says taking polls seriously

TOR CHING LI
chingli@newstoday.com.sg



WORKERS' Party (WP) chief Low Thia Khiang has a simple message for all Singaporeans: You have a choice. Now, give us a chance.

Flanked by three first-time WP candidates being introduced for the May 6 polls, Mr Low said: "The real challenge is not standing for the election, but when you are elected. If people want to know how good we are, give us a chance.

"The People's Action Party will come and contest the next election anyway. If the opposition candidates are given a chance and not performing, then they will be out by the next election."

WP supporters at the press conference - the first of a daily series running up to Nomination Day next Thursday - applauded as Mr Low introduced party chairman Sylvia Lim, youth wing executive committee member Yaw Shin Leong and banker Eric Tan.

Mr Low stressed: "I assure all Singaporeans that we are not taking the election lightly, neither are we just fielding anyone we come across. There were people who wished to be candidates on the WP platform but unfortunately we had to reject them. We are mindful of the expectations and responsibility of the party to Singapore."

He said all 20 of WP's candidates were chosen based on three 'C's and two 'P's: Credibility of the person, capability to run a town council as an MP, balance of character, passion for politics and public spiritedness.

While the WP does not have the resources of the Government to check the skeletons in one's closet, Mr Low said all candidates have to sign a declaration form in his presence.

"Based on the due diligence that the WP has done, I believe all our candidates (can stand up to scrutiny)," Mr Low told TODAY.

In response to Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong's remark that the Opposition was playing a "cat and mouse game" by not confirming their full slate of candidates sooner, Mr Low said: "This is no cat and mouse game. This is the election. And candidates from WP, we are no 'mouse'. We are candidates, we are human beings."

While Mr Low deflected questions on the WP's game plan for the polls, he kicked off the briefing by explaining WP's reluctance to speak to the media. "The visual media has portrayed the Opposition in a bad light and damaged substantially the image of the WP in the last elections ... I hope there will be some progress in this election," he said.

This experience with the media was why the WP has been doing "a lot of groundwork away from the eyes of the media", he said.

He also noted how the Government curbed other medium - such as the Internet - through which the party can reach out to the electorate.

Ms Lim also stressed the need for an Opposition, saying that it would act as a check on the Government and its policies.

"Of course, PAP MPs may disagree with the PAP government policy sometimes, such as in the casino debate, but there's nothing much they can do about it."

As to how long WP candidates would persist in the calling to provide a credible alternative, Ms Lim said: "We will have to look at why we lose the election if we do, and how. If we've done our part and were not supported, we have to think seriously about whether people in Singapore care about having a credible Opposition or not."

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SYLVIA IS PUTTING HER HEART AND SOUL INTO WINNING A GRC


PHOTOS BY DON WONG
PREPARED: To face all challenges, including those laid down by the PAP.

THOUGH she was unveiled as a new candidate yesterday, Ms Sylvia Lim is perhaps one of the more familiar opposition figures in Singapore.

As chairman of the Workers' Party (WP), she has been a spokesperson and a leader for her party for some years.

And true to form, the new candidate minced no words as she described the WP's plans to send a strong signal to the ruling People's Action Party (PAP) by winning a Group Representation Constituency (GRC).

Said Ms Lim: "If we want to get rid of GRCs, the only way really is to show the PAP that it can be lost. We have to put our energies towards that, and among the party members, we know what we're trying to do, and it makes sense to all of us."

The 41-year-old law lecturer at Temasek Polytechnic, who is single, did not flinch when asked if she was afraid of the PAP uncovering skeletons in her closet.

"What they dig up, we can't evade. The PAP has my file, I was a civil servant before and they've screened my friends. But they are also not perfect, and we have information about them too. I think the voters will be able to discern what is relevant and what is not," she said.

A former senior police officer, Ms Lim graduated with a Master of Laws degree from the University of London in 1989 and was called to the Singapore Bar two years later. She has been with the WP since November 2001 and also serves as a councillor at Hougang Town Council.

When asked to give an overview of the party's slate of new candidates, Ms Lim said the party was "fortunate" with the quality it has managed to attract this time around. "The electorate has changed somewhat. People think differently from their parents, and may not be so put off by the dangers of getting in Opposition. They may want to see for themselves how they can push the boundaries, so we have people like that coming to join us," she said, adding that she was one of "two to three" female candidates the WP would be fielding.

Above all, she said that for an opposition candidate to succeed, he or she had to have "very thick skin" to face all challenges, including those laid down by the PAP.

"There will always be people who are pro-PAP (and) may not see the need for Opposition, but we have met those who are very supportive. You must be prepared to face everything," she said. - LEE U-WEN

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KEEPING HIS DAY JOB TO SERVE SINGAPOREANS BETTER


HIS GOAL: Helping the 'new poor'.

REGARDLESS of whether he makes it into Parliament or not, Mr Yaw Shin Leong will not quit his day job as a business analyst with a local IT firm.

Unlike his fellow candidates Sylvia Lim and Eric Tan, who said they would resign and become full-time MPs if they are elected, Mr Yaw adopted a different stance.

"I think it's important for an MP to understand society, and I would very much like to remain within the corporate world. In this way, I will be able to serve Singapore better," he said.

Just 30 years old, the National University of Singapore graduate is the same age as Mr Christopher de Souza, the People's Action Party's (PAP) youngest new candidate.

Speaking fluently in English and Mandarin yesterday, Mr Yaw, who is married, said he wanted to be the voice for the post-independence generation of Singaporeans.

He has been involved with the Workers' Party (WP) for over five years, and now holds three posts, including executive committee member of the party's youth wing.

Before joining the WP, he volunteered at various grassroots activities in Potong Pasir, and was also involved in civil group The Think Centre.

On his goals to serve the public, he pledged to do more for what he called the "new poor" - those who are not under the poverty line but who are not rich either.

"We first brought (this issue) up in 2001, and it was dismissed by the incumbent PAP MPs. But we are seeing for ourselves that society is now at a crossroads. The 'new poor' phenomenon is still very evident in 2006," he said. - LEE U-WEN

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BANKER INSPIRED BY DEDICATION OF VETERAN LEADERS


INSPIRED: WP veterans who give Singaporeans a choice.

A GOOD friend of Workers' Party chief Low Thia Khiang for "over 10 years", banker Eric Tan finally made the move to join the Opposition in the past two years.

In fact, the father of three teenaged girls has been on a mix of leave and no-pay leave since the electoral boundaries were revealed in March. He will be away from work until after Polling Day in May.

Mr Tan, who has a masters degree in Business Administration from the University of Michigan, said that he had been inspired to join the WP.

Said the 50-year-old: "When I look at the dedication of the veterans, who stayed against all odds to offer people a choice, their dedication impresses me. We are all driven by the conviction for a need of an opposition and for our love for our country."

Mr Tan added: "Joining the Opposition is the mother of all fears here. I hope that by joining the Opposition, we are telling people that it is okay to be different, and dispelling that fear. Fear kills creativity, which is needed to succeed in a new economy."

Mr Tan, general manager of RBC Dexia Investor Services Trust, counts among his former employers the Royal Bank of Canada, the Hong Kong and Shanghai Banking Corporation and the Ministry of Defence. - TOR CHING LI

Straits Times: GE a referendum on future of opposition, says WP

BY SUE-ANN CHIA


PHOTO: DESMOND WEE
OPPOSITION CANDIDATES: Mr Low Thia Khiang (second from right) formally introduces the Workers' Party's first three candidates (from left) Mr Yaw Shin Leong, Ms Sylvia Lim and Mr Eric Tan.

THE Workers' Party has defined this general election as a referendum on the future of opposition politics in Singapore.

In an impassioned call to voters, WP chief Low Thia Khiang said yesterday that Singaporeans must decide if they want to give the People's Action Party (PAP) a "blank cheque" or if they wanted an opposition to check and balance a PAP Government.

If they believe in a strong opposition, they should signal this clearly at the ballot box - or politicians like himself would have to question their relevance to the political system here.

"Do Singaporeans need an opposition, do they want an opposition? And if they do not want, then what am I doing here?" he said when introducing the WP's first three candidates yesterday.

He had given new candidates no illusions about opposition politics: It is a long hard slog capturing voters hearts, demoralising at times, even for him.

"My conviction is that politics is a process, you come in for a long haul and don't expect instant success, especially in the opposition," he said.

If first-timers want to win at first try, they should join the PAP and stand in a Group Representation Constituency. "But if you want to join WP, then prepare to lose."

"We are prepared to lose. We have lost before. We continue and we press on. This is the spirit and that's why we survive till today. Since 1957."

Yesterday's press conference was unprecedented for the WP, which usually announces its candidates on Nomination Day.

Reflecting its better organisational skills, the party handed out CD-ROMs to the media containing their candidates' bio-data. The three unveiled are: WP chairman Sylvia Lim, 41, a polytechnic lecturer; WP member Eric Tan, 50, a senior bank manager; and Mr Yaw Shin Leong, 29, who runs his own business consultancy and is an executive committee member of its youth wing.

Mr Low, 49, who will be defending his Hougang seat for the fourth time, made it clear that his party did not just pick "anyone", and had to turn away those who were not up to mark.

One example: Mr Tan, whom he described as a "rare find", was his friend for 10 years before he finally decided to join the party.

Mr Low said he looks for credibility, capability, character, passion and public spiritedness in his candidates. What he doesn't want: People with an axe to grind against the ruling party.

The first-timers, numbering 15 in all, may not have gone through the same battery of interviews and psychometric tests like the PAP's candidates, but they can stand up to public scrutiny.

Mr Low would not confirm that the WP will field 20 candidates, contesting three GRCs - Aljunied, East Coast and Ang Mo Kio - and four single seats, Hougang, Joo Chiat, Nee Soon East and Nee Soon Central. Nor would he say where the three would be fielded.

He also would not be drawn into specifying what would be a strong signal to the opposition, save to say he was concerned about the dipping level of support. The high point for the opposition was the 1991 polls when it won four seats and had 39 per cent share of votes. In the 2001 polls, it retained two seats, and had just 24.7 per cent share of votes.

"Do we want to continue to be like that? Do people want to give a blank cheque to the PAP to do whatever they want to do and after the election, lament... complain?" he asked.

"Or do people want to show that yes, we give you the support but we are not going giving you a blank cheque and we are prepared to allow the opposition to check and balance the government."

In a reference to the WP slogan, You Have A Choice, he said: "We provide you with a choice, value that choice."

sueann@sph.com.sg