TODAY: Workers' Party eyeing East Coast?

Walkabouts in Bedok North, but party chief says election focus areas still undecided

CHRISTIE LOH
christie@newstoday.com.sg

ELECTION fever is hotting up as much ado has been made recently about where the Workers' Party (WP) - one of Singapore's biggest and oldest political affiliations - has cast its eye.

The Group Representation Constituency (GRC) of East Coast is among the names bandied about as the WP has been sighted there three times this year selling their newspaper, The Hammer.

But WP's secretary-general Low Thia Khiang, 49, is not letting up even after a "warm" response from residents of the Bedok ward yesterday morning.

Speaking to TODAY on the sidelines of a walkabout in Bedok North, he said that the WP has not firmed up its target constituencies despite last week's meeting with other opposition parties.

"The meeting was to seek mutual understanding on where each party will perhaps contest. So, if there are areas where two or three parties are interested, then we will talk it out because it is not productive (to contest the same areas),” said Mr Low, who met with his peers from the Singapore People's Party, the National Solidarity Party and the Singapore Democratic Party recently.

Currently, Mr Low is focused on getting people acquainted with the WP through the party's newspaper. As he combed Bedok North's markets and food centres for buyers, many, such as graphic designer Cheong Pui Pui, 30, readily held out a dollar.

A male Chinese fruit-seller even remarked: "Mr Low is famous and eloquent," as the MP for Hougang walked by.

But not everyone was persuaded to buy a copy.

"The topics that The Hammer addresses affect the economy at large - such as the casinos - but that's not the heartlander's voice," said Mr Goh, 31, a human resource executive.

Such sentiments, however, do not get Mr Low down.

"I ask if you would like to buy a copy, but you have a choice whether or not to buy. You've got to be able to stand rejection as a politician. If you want to serve the people, you've got to be able to respect the choice of the people," he said.

If the WP does gun for the East Coast GRC, it will be up against the People's Action Party's six-man team led by Deputy Prime Minister Professor S Jayakumar, Second Minister for Finance and Foreign Affairs Raymond Lim and Speaker of Parliament Abdullah Tarmugi.

Over in Sembawang GRC helmed by former Deputy Prime Minister Tony Tan, the WP made door-to-door visits in the Marsiling area yesterday afternoon. That was on top of the party's five outreach sessions listed on its website.

Similarly, Aljunied has been flagged as a WP target.

But until the Electoral Boundaries Review Committee releases its report, the exact battle lines are unclear.

TODAY: Battle royale in Aljunied GRC?

If a contest arises, it could be a heavyweight fight: Analysts

LEE CHING WERN
chingwern@newstoday.com.sg



GOING by the current activity in the constituency, a battle royale could be on the cards in Aljunied GRC in the elections which many believe are just around the corner.

Party bigwigs are not talking but political watchers say that if a contest does come about, a heavyweight battle is likely to be in the offing — with a PAP top-liner in the form of Foreign Affairs Minister George Yeo on one side and Workers' Party (WP) chairman Sylvia Lim on the other.

Mr Yeo heads the current GRC slate with MPs Mdm Cynthia Phua, chairman of Aljunied Town Council, Mr Yeo Guat Kwang, Mr Zainul Abidin Rasheed and Dr Ong Seh Hong.

Both corners are keeping their cards well hidden but last month Mr Yeo, who many political analysts believe is destined for bigger things in government, unveiled a five-year master plan and budget worth $160 million to upgrade the GRC.

The GRC encircles the WP stronghold of Hougang, which is like the hole in the middle of a doughnut. The influence of WP stalwart Low Thia Khiang, who holds fort in Hougang, could spread to the GRC if this geographical juxtaposition of constituencies, which have similarities in demographics, count for anything.

Political watchers, who believe that Aljunied GRC is likely to remain part of the WP's political strategy, point to the fact that WP's Ms Lim and 2nd Assistant Secretary-General James Gomez have been spotted working the ground in Aljunied GRC during weekends.

Just two weeks ago, the WP also held a public outreach session at Hougang Ave 1.

The PAP have not been laggards in this aspect. Soon after the unveiling of the master plan by Mr Yeo, residents received flyers informing them of improvements that will be made to their living environment, which includes lift upgrading, security systems, adventure parks and other recreational facilities.

Roving exhibitions to obtain feedback from residents on the facelift are being held at all the housing estates. Mr Yeo has also been seen more often around the estate, residents told Today.

That the GRC has kept up with the needs of residents with the PAP at the helm can be gauged from the number of public amenities - 14 schools, 17 PAP education centres, six Community Clubs, 27 Child Care Centres, two sports halls/swimming complexes, 11 parks and three MRT stations.

In addition, the GRC can boast of being home to 11 churches, 13 temples and five mosques. And for shoppers, five malls.

"The buzz seems to be that the Workers' Party will field a strong foursome in the upcoming GE against a strong incumbent team which has been doing due diligence since winning the ward in 2001. There are signs that both sides have not rested on their political laurels, and are seeking to make an impression before the GE," said Ms Jeannie Conceicao, research fellow at the Institute of Policy Studies.

How will the $160 million carrot affect the elections, Today asked residents of Aljunied GRC?

Residents welcomed the newly announced measures and IT professional Mr CK Tan said that for supporters of the PAP, they showed the commitment of the party to the constituency.

But some differ.

Then there are the diehards. "I will vote for the party I wish to support, regardless of whether the lift stops at every floor," said Mr Wilson Aw, a 23-year-old undergraduate.

Mr Yeo, when asked if the upgrading measures were timed to garner support from voters for the GE, said: "If you ask me whether this has anything to do with serving residents, winning their support, yes, the whole idea is to serve residents, win their support and serve them better."

But will the goodwill felt for Mr Low in Hougang spill over to Aljunied GRC?

"Sentiments still play a part in how people respond to candidates and political parties. This is evident in Hougang. But whether there will be any similar effect in Aljunied is hard to say because it also depends on which particular candidates the WP fields there and not purely on Mr Low's influence," said political scientist Dr Ho Khai Leong.

While they have definitely seen the WP working the ground, many residents that Today spoke to cannot remember the names of the party members they've met.

"Unless you're someone who follows politics very closely, chances are you won't know much about them, especially the new candidates. When we have to choose between voting for a known entity or an unknown entity, the choice is quite obvious. So to convince people to switch camps, the opposition has to be very clear as to what they can offer," said resident Mr Ow.

And what does the opposition have to offer?

The WP's Ms Lim told Today: "We have to work within the resources available to us to do our outreach. Even if some voters may not know us intimately, votes for the WP could serve a variety of purposes: To effect change and to indicate support for the WP or its candidates per se, or to express dissatisfaction with the incumbent party by sending them a clear signal."

With Singaporeans largely viewing upgrading as a given and a part of the social compact between the Government and the people, the new amenities may not win over some residents.

"To be honest, all these are cosmetic add-ons. Adventure parks and CCTVs are good to have, but I don't really need them," said Mr Ow, who added he would keep an open mind and listen to what the opposition has to offer before deciding on whom to vote into office.

In the last GE in 2001, a WP team tried to contest in Aljunied GRC but was disqualified because of incomplete nomination papers.

Their supporters would be sorely disappointed if that error was repeated.

Straits Times: Fresh faces in Workers' Party

INSIGHT FRIDAY
PEOPLE & POLITICS

The Workers' Party started a new youth wing last month. As election talk hots up, the party is gearing up to appeal to younger voters. Sue-Ann Chia, Li Xueying and Peh Shing Huei talk to three young professionals on the party's central executive committee.


PHOTO: LAU FOOK KONG
YOUNG ONES: Workers' Party members, like (from left) Mr Tan Wui-Hua, 39; Mr Goh Meng Seng, 35; Mr James Gomez, 40 and Mr Chia Ti Lik, 31, hope to attract the younger voters in the next General Election. The party set up a youth wing last month and there are now between 20 and 30 members.

THE Workers' Party may have only one MP in Parliament now, but it has big plans.

The party set up a youth wing last month. There are now 20 to 30 active members, including professionals, entrepreneurs and academics.

Youth wing chairman Tan Wui-Hua, 39, believes the younger members will refresh the party with new ideas and appeal to younger voters.

Setting up a youth wing was a milestone for the 48-year-old political party, one of the longest-surviving here.

WP chief and Hougang MP Low Thia Khiang believes the party's biggest achievement is managing to survive and renew itself, to provide voters with a choice during elections.

This is despite what he sees as the "tight political constraints and unfriendly macro environment", he tells Insight.

As part of its renewal process, the party is now in the midst of writing its manifesto for the upcoming general election. It is also updating its constitution.

Second assistant secretary-general James Gomez, 40, is working on this.

"One of the changes is to review the rhetoric to make it more contemporary and relevant," he says, adding that the constitution was still stuck in the 1950s, reflecting the outdated struggle for independence.

Party members are keeping mum about the new manifesto, saying it is still being refined.

But one hint of the line they may take comes from comments by some of them that Singaporeans would be poorer without the WP.

They reckon the WP has done its job "squeezing" the Government into giving out goodies like shares and funds for the poor.

The party's paper on the "new poor" - the middle income group who became poor when recession hit - was the foundation of its election manifesto in the 2001 polls.

Recent surveys have shown that the incomes of the bottom 20 per cent households fell in the last five years, even as average income rose across the board. The PAP government recently unveiled additional measures to help low-wage workers.

"If our observation of that phenomenon has been accurate and taken forward, the WP is happy to share that observation, and I think we look forward to working with everybody to try to resolve it," says Mr Gomez, who was a PAP member in the Telok Blangah branch in the late 1990s.

He adds: "As a party which is not in power, there's very little we can do. What we are trying to do is to grow and be in a position where we can put more members in Parliament, so we can increase the level of debate on policies."

WP chairman Sylvia Lim notes: "The younger leaders must be able to convince voters that a vote for the WP is a rational choice and good for Singapore."

sueann@sph.com.sg
xueying@sph.com.sg
shpeh@sph.com.sg

---

The outspoken one

Tan Wui-Hua
Age: 39
Role in WP: Treasurer and Youth Wing president
Occupation: Financial controller
Family: Married to a bank manager, 34. They have a 13-month-old son.

IT WAS only Mr Tan Wui-Hua's second Workers' Party meeting.

Standing up, the political rookie publicly disagreed with party veterans, including WP secretary-general and Hougang MP Low Thia Khiang.

That was three years ago.

"Too outspoken!" Mr Tan, 39, now WP's treasurer, says when asked how he differs from older WP leaders. "A lot of people have great respect for Mr Low. When I was co-opted they realised, I think for the first time, not everyone has to agree with him."

And this, he says, points to the "democratic nature" of the party. "It doesn't matter who's more senior. Logic and common sense prevail."

Mr Tan cannot recall what that debate three years ago was about. But he remains willing to depart from the party line on issues.

One: the integrated resorts. Mr Tan was the only central executive committee member in favour of a casino, albeit the "Korea model" where only foreigners are allowed entry, thus minimising social ills.

He was overruled.

Two: whether the WP should invite the People's Action Party to its 45th anniversary dinner. Other political parties were asked.

WP leaders, speaking from experience, said that PAP MPs would not turn up, so "it'd be a waste of effort", recounted Mr Tan, a financial controller.

"I feel that we should not hold back on inviting them. Whether they choose to attend, that's up to them."

It was put to a vote. The invitations were sent. The veterans were right: The PAP did not show up.

The mild-mannered holder of double degrees in economics and science and a master's in accounting, believes his outspokenness led to his appointment as president of the Workers' Party Youth Wing, set up last month. It now has 20 to 30 members, aged 18 to 40.

Asked what impact he has made on the ground, he says matter-of-factly: "Not being the elected MP, our impact has only been meaningful but not earth-shattering."

---

The Netizen

Goh Meng Seng
Age: 35
Role in WP: Assistant organising secretary
Occupation: Businessman
Family: Married to a public relations officer, 34. They have an 18-month-old daughter.

MR GOH Meng Seng, once known by his online moniker "madcow", may be well-known on the Internet, but he is not besotted with the medium.

"I will not be an Internet MP if elected," says the 35-year-old Workers' Party assistant organising secretary, who is a regular on various online forums.

"The ground is more real. The Internet is just a very small representation of the population. You can get some views from it, but you must always double check to see if people really feel that way."

The businessman who owns two computer retail shops in Tampines and Ang Mo Kio, spends much of his spare time online.

"It's a habit since my university days," says the National University of Singapore economics honours graduate, who has an 18-month-old daughter. He was elected to the WP central executive committee in May, after joining the party during the 2001 General Election.

"We used to talk about serious matters online. Now, it's just mostly mud-slinging."

While frowning on personal attacks online, he does not shy away from biting comments when talking about the People's Action Party.

"It's up to the people to decide," he says, sporting two large jade rings on his middle fingers.

"Either they give the PAP the mandate to squeeze them, or they give us the mandate to squeeze the PAP. The PAP can't squeeze themselves."

He reckons that it is the opposition's "squeezing" that has forced the Government to dish out goodies like the ComCare fund to help the poor, and the Economic Restructuring Shares.

And he says that in places where the the WP operates, "the PAP works hard".

"Residents get free breakfast and shark's fin soup for $1," he says, referring to two programmes started by PAP grassroots advisers in opposition-held Hougang and Potong Pasir.

---

New poster boy?

Chia Ti Lik
Age: 31
Role in WP: Assistant organising secretary and Youth Wing vice-president
Occupation: Litigation lawyer
Family: Married to a 24-year-old business management graduate.

WHEN lawyer Chia Ti Lik was with the Young PAP (YP), he thought the party was out of touch. He had joined its youth wing in 2000, helping out at the Fengshan branch.

By the time elections were held in November 2001, he concluded that the party was "out of touch" on issues such as the cost of living and foreign talent.

He thought he knew better. He wanted to form an independent party to challenge the People's Action Party and asked some of his YP friends to join him in his crusade. His goal: win a GRC.

But it was "heresy" to his YP mates, he said. They dissuaded him, saying it was easier to change the system from within. His non-YP friends were not keen either.

But he pressed on and met some opposition groups.

He spent "1,000 nights ruminating upon the heavens and stars" before making the switch from the YP to the Workers' Party. He said he was drawn to the WP by its reputation for putting up strong electoral fights.

But when he finally signed up with it last year, he kept his previous political affiliation under wraps.

"I didn't want to alarm them unnecessarily," he says with a laugh.

He was "exposed" after two months, but WP members did not question his intentions.

Now, the clean-shaven man with a crew cut hopes to be a poster boy for the opposition. He wants to inspire other politically minded young Singaporeans to do what he did, and join the opposition.

But they must be prepared for a hard fight as it is the only way to tip the balance in a Parliament dominated by the PAP, he said.

"We want to remind the PAP that if you do not look after the people, there will always be people like us who will be there to challenge you.

"Nothing beats a good and hard challenge to the PAP for them to take note of what is happening and what are the concerns and grouses of the people."

New Paper: Wrong to make me sign a form

Sick with dengue fever, Workers' Party MP chose to wait at an emergency ward though it was full. He was then asked to sign an indemnity form.

By Clarence Chang
clarence@sph.com.sg


They said if you want us to treat you, you must sign. Otherwise you'll be turned away. I was very sick, so I said 'OK lah, whatever.'
- Mr Low on having to sign TTSH's indemnity form
Picture: BERITA HARIAN

IT'S 3am.

You're burning up.

The thermometer reads 40 deg C.

Your worried spouse rushes you to the nearest hospital.

The first response as soon as you get there: Sorry, we're full. You'll need to go somewhere else.

No, you protest. I'm here, and I'm sick. I'll wait.

Well, if you insist on staying, the hospital says, you must sign an indemnity form which clears them of any fault if something happens to you.

Eventually, you relent.

This was what happened to Hougang MP Low Thia Khiang one night in mid-June.

The hospital: Tan Tock Seng (TTSH), Singapore's second largest.

The time: Yes, 3am.

Mr Low told The New Paper he'd come down with a 40-degree fever that evening.

So his wife accompanied him to TTSH's Accident and Emergency department to see if he needed to be "admitted".

Problem was, despite the late hour, hundreds of other patients were also waiting.

"The first thing they showed me was a notice saying 'Full House'. My feeling was: I could have dengue," recounted Mr Low.

"But they thought I probably only had a bad flu, so they discharged me."

The TTSH doctor, however, did refer him to the Communicable Diseases Centre for a follow-up test two days later.

After a second round of checks, his worst fears came true. It was dengue.

STAYED FOR FEW DAYS

Mr Low was immediately admitted to TTSH, where he stayed for "a few days".

Thankfully, less than a week later, the Workers' Party Secretary-General had recovered well enough to go home.

"The CEO (of TTSH) Dr Lim Suet Wun even sent me a bouquet of flowers," Mr Low recalled, stressing that he had "no personal complaints" against the hospital.

But while he was there, people who recognised him related their concerns to him about overcrowding, he told The New Paper.

"Some who remembered they saw me there, even e-mailed me! Their feedback confirmed my own observations."

Observations which led Mr Low to file three "public interest" questions in Parliament yesterday on TTSH's bed shortage, its A&E department's standard of care, and his biggest bugbear - those dreaded indemnity forms.

DIDN'T SEEM RIGHT

"I've never seen it before," he told The New Paper.

"I was puzzled. It didn't seem quite right.

"They said if you want us to treat you, you must sign. Otherwise you'll be turned away.

"I was very sick, so I said 'OK lah, whatever'."

Before the House, Mr Low read out the words from the very form he'd signed when he went to TTSH for the first time: "I hereby confirm that I have chosen to seek medical attention at TTSH, despite having been informed that TTSH is currently experiencing a full house situation.

"Therefore I will not hold TTSH or any of its employees, servants or agents liable in any way whatsoever for any loss, bodily injury, mishap, accident, loss of life or property, arising directly or indirectly as a result or in connection with my consultation or treatment with TTSH."

New Paper: Too late or right time?

Workers' Party's Youth Drive

By Clarence Chang
clarence@sph.com.sg


Picture: CHOO CHWEE HUA
WP Youth Wing exco members: From left, Mr Melvin Tan, Mr Chia Ti Lik, Mr Tan Wui Hua (in white shirt), Mr Goh Meng Seng, Ms Ng Swee Bee and Ms Glenda Han.

BETTER late than never?

Or a calculated move to create maximum visibility as possible year-end elections draw near?

Whatever the reason, 48 years after it was formed, the Workers' Party (WP) finally has a youth wing to call its own.

In fact, if you had taken the train to the Padang for Tuesday's National Day Parade, you might have spotted its members in blue polo shirts hovering around MRT stations from Hougang to City Hall, brandishing 1,000 mini Singapore flags. You might even have taken a free flag from one of them.

Yup, it was the WP Youth Wing's first official acitivity and its first public foray since its launch last month.

Its president, Mr Tan Wui Hua, 39, chief financial officer at Lend Lease Real Estate Investments, said: "Politically, we may be the opposition. But we're still proud citizens of Singapore, and our independence is a cause for celebration."

You could say, with rumblings of an early election, it's an ingenious move to tap voter sentiments.

Mr Tan, who is also WP Treasurer, added: "It's our way of saying let's celebrate, be happy, but let's not be conceited. We'd still like to push democracy here to a higher level."

He had joined WP in mid-2001, and is expected to contest in Aljunied GRC at the next polls. He now heads the new Youth Wing which boasts a nine-member Executive Committee ranging in age from 25 to 39.

The new team - seven men and two women - seem fired up.

"I believe in political competition," said sales executive Melvin Tan, 31.

"Why sit around and fret when you can do something about things?" asked entrepreneur Glenda Han, 29.

"It's time our youths stand up and step forth because it's their future and their country," added lawyer Chia Ti Lik, 32.

PLAYING CATCH-UP

Other Exco members include an IT consultant, an assistant engineer and even a pre-school teacher. And despite their youth, four of them sit on WP's central executive council.

Although setting up its own youth recruitment arm is a milestone for WP, it's clearly playing catch-up - since Young PAP and the Singapore Democratic Party's Young Democrats already have a headstart.

"We're still in our infancy, so we want to raise our profile first," admitted Mr Tan.

"We'll recruit along the way, but there'll be no hard sell and no internal benchmarks."

Besides helping to spread WP's platform to younger voters, like its call for more political space, its focus on the plight of the poor, and its opposition to casinos, the Youth Wing is also expected to plug the gaps in "succession planning".

In short, grooming the "next generation".

TNP understands that WP currently has about 20 active members between 18 and 40 years old - the target age group for its Youth Wing.

Young PAP, on the other hand, boasts a membership of over 6,000 with an average age of 33.

So for sure, WP will have its work cut out for it.

"We'll leave it to the younger members of our population to choose where to go and what they should do," stressed Mr Tan.

A Young PAP spokesman declined comment when TNP asked for the group's reaction.

As for WP, its Youth Wing's drawcard could well be its social and sporting activities - something its predecessor, the former Hougang Youth Action Committee, had also embarked on.

Now the group is aiming to expand nationwide, and not just confine its reach to its Hougang stronghold.

It is even prepared to take in youngsters keen on joining the Youth Wing but not the Workers' Party itself, calling them "associate members".

Desperate? Or clever?

Too little, too late?

Or right move, right time?

"This is the first time I'm hearing about them," Institute of Policy Studies political analyst Jeanne Conceicao, 40, told The New Paper.

"There doesn't seem to be much publicity. So unless elections are held only next year, there won't be enough time to make much of an impact."

Or it seems, to grow WP's overall support base.

With no clear-cut plans or targets, Ms Conceicao feels, the new unit's impact will only be felt at the "next GE", not "this" one.

Well, with the clock ticking fast to the big day, and with WP already touted as the opposition party to watch, Singaporeans can only wonder.

TODAY: Across the big divide

Voices

Ex-PAP member finds home in Workers' Party

coffee with
CHIA TI LIK
32, lawyer



WHILE most Singaporeans keep politics at arm's length, Mr Chia Ti Lik (picture), 32, has already given up one party membership and now holds an executive committee post in another. In spite of this, Mr Chia says he did not start out with political ambitions.

As a newly qualified lawyer in 1999, Mr Chia found himself recruited into the Young PAP (YP) through a toastmaster's course set up at a community club by the YP. After the 2001 elections, Mr Chia began questioning his allegiances. Mr Chia tells TOR CHING LI how his comrades at YP took his crossover, and if he's really a YP spy in the Workers' Party (WP).

You started out wanting to debate, but ended up with a political party membership. How did that happen?

The recruitment techniques of the YP are pretty advanced. Most people get into the YP through community work. From my experience, most people who join the YP are more socially conscious than politically inclined. So, they are open to the suggestion of community work, which fits in with helping out at Meet The People Sessions where you fill out forms with residents' complaints.

I know the PAP goes for lawyers, especially top lawyers who have established themselves. I suppose it is also natural for lawyers to be more interested in politics since we work closely with an organ of state, the judiciary. The nature of parliamentary work, such as the debating of bills and acts, is also closely linked to law.

Why jump ship?

In the course of listening to the people's grievances, I felt that these would be better managed if they were aired more directly to the policy-making body and the Cabinet. For this to happen, Singaporeans have to be given an alternative voice.

In a sense, the PAP is a victim of its own success as the massive grassroots assistance offered to the MP may actually cut them off from some grievances. It is inevitable that some grassroots leaders will let the MP hear what they like to hear.

The way the PAP campaigned in the election, keen to hold on to every seat, also surprised me. To me, such an imbalance is not healthy for the political situation. So after the 2001 election, I decided to leave the party. I believe that Singapore politics will be a lot healthier with a multi-party system where different voices and opinions are aired in Parliament.

As it is, views may be aired but when it comes to voting, almost all MPs have to fall in line with the PAP.

Are your YP friends still your friends?

I knew some of them before I joined the YP, so they are still my friends. If we meet, we try not to discuss politics. But they did try very strongly to dissuade me. After the 2001 elections, I tried to gather some friends to contest for a Group Representation Constituency in the next elections as independent candidates. The reason was the stigma attached to opposition politics.

This was, of course, difficult and I couldn't get the necessary team of six. Finally, I decided I was better off channelling my energies with the opposition. I approached the National Solidarity Party but found I fit with the Workers' Party and joined last year.

Was the WP suspicious of your intentions or think you were a possible spy?

Well, they never asked me that! But when I first met Mr Low Thia Khiang, our secretary-general, he asked me: “Why do you want to join the WP?". Then he said: "Do you know that, most of the time, even if we contest, we will lose?"

I told him I had gotten over that part of it. In contesting a general election, it is not the end if we do not win a seat. The people will be the ultimate winner of any contest if they get greater attention from one or both parties contesting the ward.

We also have nothing against the PAP distributing election goodies because this is what the people deserve. Conversely, however, if the ward is under the opposition, they should not lose their privileges as Singapore citizens.

Sunday Times: WP: Don't forget workers' sacrifices

The PAP government has been "painting a rosy picture" of Singapore's economy, but it shouldn't forget workers' sacrifices, the Workers' Party (WP) said yesterday.

In its May Day message released to the media, the opposition party called on the Government to bring down the high living costs.

"We must temper the exuberance of the People's Action Party in highlighting the statistical economic growth by reminding them of the sacrifices the workers have made through steep reductions to Central Provident Fund contribution rates," said the message, signed by second assistant secretary-general James Gomez. The WP has one MP in Parliament, Mr Low Thia Khiang (Hougang).

In his May Day message to Singaporeans yesterday, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong acknowledged the sacrifices Singaporeans had made and their contribution to last year's good growth.

"This was a result of Singaporeans working together, staying united in purpose, and accepting sacrifices together," he said.

The WP also took issue with last year's change in law exempting companies from paying staff the stipulated minimum rate for working overtime.

Apart from possible abuse by firms, the exemption - meant to help firms stay competitive and flexible - could make poorer workers worse off, warned the WP.

The party also criticised the Government for giving integrated resorts (IRs) the green light.

"The Workers' Party has no issue with IRs," it stressed, but pointed out the potential social fallout of the accompanying casinos.

New Paper on Sunday: Face of velvet Hammer?

They're young & have cushy jobs. But these newbies from the Workers' Party are going into politics

Clarence Chang
clarence@sph.com.sg


She's 26, a writer   He's 31, a lawyer   He's 35, a businessman

HE'S a legal eagle by day, a martial-arts instructor by night, and an opposition activist on weekends.

Meet 31-year-old Chia Ti Lik, an NUS-trained trial lawyer with a third-degree black belt in taekwondo.

Mr Chia switched camps from the PAP four years ago. He is one of the young professionals the Workers' Party (WP) claims is rising through its ranks.

But you'd hardly think of him as a "political animal" at first glance.

When The New Paper caught up with Mr Chia and two of his party colleagues at WP's six-month-old headquarters in Syed Alwi Road, all could've passed off easily as your typical Shenton Way yuppies. Except for their non-typical political affiliations.

Mr Chia, for starters, had signed up as a card-carrying WP member last April, and is now a coordinator for the party's youth wing.

But before the last elections in November 2001, this same man was shaking hands with residents on behalf of PAP MPs at Meet-the-People sessions, as a member of Young PAP.

HARDSHIPS

"I didn't find any motivation to add to the strength of a party that was already strong," said Mr Chia, who resigned from Young PAP after one year of membership.

Helping MPs to draft letters to residents, he said, had given him a good feel of some "real hardships on the ground".

When he crossed over to the other side, it was accompanied by the expected barrage from family and friends. "Of course, there was some resistance and some concern," he said, referring to past opposition members who got into trouble.

"But I convinced them I knew what I was doing. You can still challenge the Government intelligently without resorting to name-calling."

His most recent duty?

Speaking during WP's "public consultation exercise" yesterday on Singapore's casino debate. The party wants the casino decision to be put off till the next General Election, so that people can decide on the issue at the ballot box.

Joining Mr Chia at the podium was Mr Goh Meng Seng, 35, an IT businessman and father of one, not to mention a disgruntled "Cheng San voter".

Yes, that Cheng San. The hottest battleground during the January 1997 elections. Then, a five-man PAP slate, led by the then Education Minister Lee Yock Suan, eventually won by a narrow 54.8 per cent over a WP team which included former activists J B Jeyaretnam and Tang Liang Hong.

To take into account demographic changes, the Electoral Boundaries Review Committee later dissolved the GRC before the 2001 polls and subsumed it into other areas.

"Suddenly, my own constituency disappeared," said a still-smarting Mr Goh.

He's now pushing for "a better, more mature political system."

He even laid down this challenge to his political rivals: "I would welcome any chance to debate the PAP - on any issue."

Just smoke or is there true fire in their bellies?

When The New Paper asked if they'd put their money where their mouths are and contest the next elections to win a place in Parliament, their guard came up.

"It's up to the party to choose. If it decides someone else is better qualified to stand, then let that person be the candidate," said Mr Chia.

The larger goal, added another young WP member, Miss Lee Wai Leng, is simply to bring more "alternative voices" into Parliament.

Miss Lee, 26, a writer for a company newsletter, now sits on the WP's executive council. She has been active with grassroots work and youth recruitment in Hougang since joining the party in 2002.

"I never thought of myself as politically inclined," the oldest of three siblings said with a grin.

"Just before I joined, my MP, Mr Low even visited my parents to assure them everything will be okay."

"Mr Low" is none other than WP Secretary-General Low Thia Khiang, who has held his seat in Hougang since 1991.

CONFIDENT

As expected, all three WP newbies were most animated when describing their long-term "mission" to foster more "political competition" here. But, as possible fresh faces who will be held before voters to win their trust come GE time, how do they really rate their chances?

"Quietly confident," was Mr Chia's response.

About WP's electoral performance, he added.

Not his own.

For now.

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I CONVINCED THEM I KNEW WHAT I WAS DOING. YOU CAN STILL CHALLENGE THE GOVERNMENT INTELLIGENTLY WITHOUT RESORTING TO NAME-CALLING.
- Mr Chia Ti Lik, on family and friends who didn't approve of his political activism

pictures: choo chwee hua

THEY'RE KNOCKING ON YOUNG PEOPLE'S DOORS

THE name of the game: Recruiting youths.

And local political parties are playing to win, and win it well.

Young PAP, the ruling party's youth wing, now boasts a membership base of over 6,000, with average age down from 35 five years ago to the current 33. Its newly-unveiled list of events even includes its second "YP School" later this month - a two-day leadership training course to groom new blood.

In April, it's also putting together a "Recruitment Night", an "Induction Programme" and a workshop entitled "Discussion on Possible Election Issues".

What should we read into all this?

PROMISING

Well, at last December's PAP 50th anniversary rally, PM Lee had said: "I can tell you we have invited a lot of people to tea... and we've got some promising names.

"And I think when we call the election - not soon - but when we (do), you can be sure we're going to field a strong team."

Confident words.

Its opponents have sat up and taken notice.

Take the Workers' Party (WP). Whether an early election happens or not, it clearly doesn't want to be caught napping.

Since the start of this year, according to WP's website, it's revived its weekly house-to-house "public outreach" programme - something it hasn't done on a large scale since last August.

BIG LEAP

So far this year, its members have walked the ground and knocked on doors over seven separate Sundays - with the eighth to be held this morning at Hougang Avenue 8. A big leap from 2004, which saw only 22 such exercises for the entire year.

The party's targets - Aljunied, East Coast and Jalan Besar GRCs, plus the single seats of Nee Soon East and of course, Hougang.

The result?

"A significant increase in new members in their 20s and 30s joining us since the 2001 elections," party chairman Sylvia Lim, 39, told The New Paper.

She doesn't want to give absolute figures, but says that because of the youth influx, the average age of WP members has come down.

The party's Youth Action Committee also claims it has signed up more yuppies who "worked or studied overseas".

A key strategy: Using popular sports like soccer and basketball to hook the young, then talent-spotting the committed ones and channelling them into grassroots projects.

The four-party Singapore Democratic Alliance, on the other hand, declined to comment on its activities. But based on anecdotal evidence and past reports, it seems the SDA's been active in Bukit Timah, Chua Chu Kang, Potong Pasir and Tampines in recent months.