Vicki Yang / Benjamin Cheah /
Lina Chiam is proud of the office of the Potong Pasir Town Council. Located at Block 121 in the Single-member Constituency, it was fought for by Mr Chiam See Tong in 1984, when he first won the elections in that ward. It was only five years later that the Housing and Development Board (HDB) developed the office from the void deck area, Mrs Chiam tells The Online Citizen (TOC).
Political recognition does not come easy. Mrs Chiam will face her battle in the upcoming General Election – in the very ward which her husband has represented as MP for 27 years. .
Her credentials come in the form of 35 years of experience of supporting and helping her husband run the town and in his campaign in eight elections, beginning in 1976, when Mr Chiam contested Cairnhill seat.
This makes Mrs Chiam arguably the most experienced fresh candidate for the upcoming elections. Far from a passive bystander, Mrs Chiam has been involved in conducting door-to-door interviews, campaigning, serving on the Potong Pasir Town council as vice-chairman, and helping Mr Chiam prepare for his parliamentary sessions. When the Singapore People’s Party decided to field her as his replacement, it was almost as if her role as her husband’s successor is a natural extension of what she has been doing since the early days of Mr Chiam’s political career. In fact, as she describes, her husband and her “mirror each other”.
Talk of nepotism is dismissed. She differentiates her position as one that would have to be democratically elected by the residents of Potong Pasir, as opposed to merely inheriting a cushy title. While exhaustively praising her husband’s conscientiousness and dedication to the constituency throughout our interview, Mrs Chiam is also quick to distinguish herself from her husband or, as she describes herself, the other “pea in the pod”.
Considering the time she has spent in Potong Pasir alongside Mr Chiam, her personal brand of politics is not unfamiliar to the residents here. She describes her style as “motherly”, “friendly”, “approachable” and credits sources of inspiration to both her husband and her nursing background. “I know people see me as a housewife. And I am a housewife,” she says.
But a more complete picture emerges with her account of her past. Prior to home-making, Mrs Chiam trained in England to be a full-time nurse in 1970s Singapore. Finding the working hours unfavourable to motherhood, she left nursing when her daughter was born. With her husband’s entry into politics, she helped out at Mr Chiam’s law firm, and later in the constituency.
“Nursing taught me discipline, and to be systematic and calm. As a nurse, you see so much,” she says.
These are perhaps her experiences that inform her convictions on certain hot-button issues, such as work-life balance and flexible working hours.
The bedrock of her political activity, however, is to address the problems faced by the marginalized and the poor. The specific issues she wants to take up: dental care for the poor, education, and government-run baby drops.
Mrs Chiam sees a need for greater support for single mothers. She shudders at the macabre solution of abandoning babies in garbage bins, by mothers who see no other ways of caring for their infants. “It’s fear that makes them do it,” she says. “You’re not a mother, you don’t know yet. As a mother, you know, giving up your baby is so hard to do already.” She pauses, evidently pained by the mere thought of a mother abandoning her child.
The predicament of single parents is also something which concerns her. Particularly the lack of state support for them.
In short, it is bread and butter issues that Mrs Chiam hopes to raise in Parliament if elected.
“It’s what Potong Pasir residents care about,” she says.
Potong Pasir has undergone significant transformation since the last election. Many new private housing developments have sprung up in the last four years or so. Enter these new (and presumably wealthier) residents into the voting equation, and it becomes clear that she will have to do more than rely on the loyalty card.
“There is nothing I can do,” she admits. “My husband has written to the management of these condominiums many years ago, but they don’t let us in. They let Sitoh Yih Pin in.”
Mr Sitoh is the expected People’s Action Party candidate in Potong Pasir for the elections. He has previously lost twice to Mrs Chiam’s husband.
But Mrs Chiam is not throwing in the towel just yet. She has been conducting her thrice-weekly visits to residents, and walkabouts in the markets and coffeeshops. She is also venturing into New Media to get her message out to voters.
When asked for her opinion about her possible opponent, Mr Sitoh, she says: “Let the people of Singapore decide.”
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March 31, 2011 at 9:05 am
“Talk of nepotism is dismissed.”
With all due respect to Mrs Chiam and TOC, just saying it doesn’t make it so. How different is this from LKY asserting that LHL’s appointment as PM is not nepotism? And let’s not use the multi-million salary red herring.
March 31, 2011 at 9:56 am
Please re-read the title: “Let the people decide”.
In this case the people of Potong Pasir.
March 31, 2011 at 10:13 am
Your statement doesn’t address my argument.
April 1, 2011 at 3:10 pm
Your Argument is flawed and your question is invalid. How can there be nepotism when it is put thru an election ?
Unless u r talking about Mr Chiam not running in another Constituency and supporting his wife which is not the case. He is also rumored to be leading a team to tackle a GRC.
So that’s that dude
April 2, 2011 at 11:54 am
You are forgetting one important factor; she hasn’t been put through an election ‘yet’. Once she has won an election, then the statement “talk of nepotism is dismissed” (not the words ‘is dismissed’) might be valid. Till now, in its present form, just saying it does not make it so.
And with regard to Mr Chiam supporting his wife, he ‘is’ with her for all her walkabouts, y’know. Heck, that’s perfectly fine, though. After all, he is still their elected MP.
April 3, 2011 at 8:20 pm
What nepotism are you even arguing about? Did CST appoint Lina to be the MP for Potong Pasir? Or is that going to be “Let the people decide?” If she wins the election, how can that be nepotism?
Or are you unhappy that the party appointed her to be the candidate because they feel that she would be the best candidate to field? Bear in mind that this is a high stakes gamble for them, would they commit because of “nepotism”?
And then again look at LKY and LHL, what did LHL really do to deserve his appointment?
Really.
April 3, 2011 at 10:13 pm
Until she gets elected by the people of PP, the writer should not have dismissed nepotism with just a statement like ‘talk of nepotism is dismissed’. Heck, since I have not met her before, I will not cast any judgement on her capabilities. The Saturday debate did that enough.
FYI, LHL did indeed enter Parliament after successfully contesting Teck Ghee with 80% of the vote.
April 4, 2011 at 10:33 am
Dan
Her virgin performance on TV was indeed found to be lacking.
Like most of the points brought up, how can it be nepotism since CST did not appoint Lina to be MP? She is merely a candidate. Her candidacy is determined by her party who would have gone through their due consideration.
While LHL contested and won in a ward, that was for the MP appointment. Are there any less deserving or capable person in Parliament that would have been more suited for the PM appointment instead?
If a kamikaze pilot were to appoint his son to take over his duty after he passes on, nepotism would be the last thing on anyone’s mind.
Are you able to view from the perspective of those who are peeved with the ruling party yet?
April 5, 2011 at 12:21 am
Hi all,
This is just a clarification. When we said ‘talk of nepotism is dismissed’, we meant that she dismissed these allegations in her reply. TOC isn’t dismissing those allegations; we’re just reporting her reply.
Because this is an interview, we aren’t putting in our thoughts on any issues here. We’re just reporting what she said, and letting you decide what she means by her words.
March 31, 2011 at 9:53 am
Potong Pasir is the singapore story… VICTORY AGAINST ALL ODDS! and the sotry continues!
March 31, 2011 at 10:04 am
The article reads like a litany of excuses; from defensively fending off the “nepotism” title to weak sounding claims that the PAP lackey Sitoh has access to condominiums whereas the elected Member of Parliament for the constituency does not.
And above all, the article does not have any new insights as to why she never mentions having any fresh ideas or why electing her would be any improvement over having elected Mr Chiam. Repeated ad nauseam over the past months is this self proclaimed “ah soh” or housewife continuously hitching her name to the CST name.
That smacks mostly of nepotism if any. Kinda like how Kenneth started out when he took over Reform Party out of nowhere and how LHL was anointed the successor years in advance even when GCT assumed the PM seat.
April 3, 2011 at 8:24 pm
And what sort of fresh ideas have the PAP candidate Sitoh introduced?
Abalone porridge? Shark’s fin? Lit walkways?
April 2, 2011 at 11:36 pm
Never having seen Mrs Chiam at the grassroots level, I dare not comment on her ability to serve her constituents. But whatever the case is, I know that she will be a disaster in Parliament! She has a terribly simplistic view of national issues – in fact she can’t even identify the issue, let alone put forth a reasoned argument on them. She thinks that the major reason for higher cost of living is the demise of wet markets! Supermarkets have economies of scale, so things are cheaper or the same price! And she described it as ‘privatisation’ of wet markets, which is totally inaccurate. And she can’t even tell us what her party’s stand is! She is such a disgrace to the opposition. I would never want someone as mentally slow as her representing me.
If Potong Pasir’s demographic has indeed changed in the manner described above, the opposition is going to lose the ward. Chiam See Tong had better think twice about having her as a successor.
April 4, 2011 at 12:58 am
Contrast her to the Josephine Teo, who became MP only by piggy-backing into the GRC in 2006.. is she better? I still don’t understand why in our country, a person can “be the voice” of the citizens without gathering a single vote.
Having been a non-elected MP for 6 years now, imo she performed really poorly on that CNA forum debate, even though she had those years of experience as an non-elected MP. Oh, and drawing her $$$$$$ each month. And what did she add to the status quo? Furthering it, that’s what.
The Chiam woman didn’t put forth her stand coherently, to convince the tv audience, much less so. But she did bring up some good points, such as wanting a more compassionate society (which I agree is a desired goal and is one that our current govt doesn’t care about) and including also the marginalised segments of the society, such as the single-mother, the poor/underpriviledged and forgotten people of this current regime.
If you hear beyond her housewife jitters and lack of polish, you hear some worthy issues raised.
Versus the Josephine Teo, beyond boring goodnight story bluff and fluff of praising status quo, it is still the same old, same old, hail the status quo.
Electorate chooses. Unless walkovers. Which is the farce that is GRC.
April 4, 2011 at 1:00 am
If Singaporeans don’t save themselves by being smarter, who will?
A true democracy is one where each person who is eligible to vote gets to vote. Nothing less.
April 4, 2011 at 2:43 pm
lina chiam. We support you. Your competition is sitoh yp . He is not suitable to run elections. As his army and reservist mate he is known to be selfish and self centred . Hip heart and focus is on his benefits. Do not worry about him.
April 5, 2011 at 2:45 pm
Please read the article by Dr Wong Wee Nam
http://theonlinecitizen.com/2011/04/mps-and-quality-control/
I fully agree with Dr Wong Wee Nam that “there is actually only one essential quality needed to make a good Member of Parliament and that is to have a heart for Singapore”.
Please decide yourself who (Lina Chiam or Sito YP) has a heart for Singapore? Think carefully and vote wisely.
April 7, 2011 at 2:17 pm
I would like to comment on mrs chiam opinions that she would like to help more single mums.
I am really shocked to hear recently from a good fren of mine that she got her baby bonus when she was married from the first relationship and bearing a child after tat.
After she divorced from the first marriage she went on to have another child in another relationship but that guy just left her like that without marrying her and she was alone coping with the costs of giving birth to her baby which she doesnt bears to abort.
And for that she cant receive any baby bonus from the govt. I am really puzzled as to why the govt will pay us singaporeans baby bobus only when we are married in lawful terms but yet single mums whom are suppose to be more in need of help financially, they are deprived of the baby bonus?!?
I would like to say this to the govt, if u wanna give then pls give, if u wanna give reluctantly then dun give. govt shld know who shld be the priority in receiving all these help.. n not trying to find ways and means to deprive all those in need of help.
I hope mrs chiam can make this change. I am supporting her even though she doesnt speaks well on tv, i am sure her heart is there to help us all singaporeans, n tat is wat it matters most.
April 7, 2011 at 11:22 pm
She does not know how articulate is good as it can be learned and improved. The cOmpassionate and abilities to compile feedbacks and misery of voters and inhabitants and big heart is more important. From her actions past years she should be consistently not that bad. Those who can talk may not work well.
I salute chiams and lows and Slyvia and jaya for holding on the democracy forts for such long times. Time to counter attack for the sake of democracy. Tight slap to the tight cOntrol and debts and locking of our funds which not sure gone to where already urgently needed…
Bless our next generations who are already debted deeply and heavily especially in expenses and housing and cars.
Time to wake up
April 9, 2011 at 2:30 pm
Mrs Chiam didn’t fare well in the live TV telecast… Seems a bit lost & not prepared.
However, I do hope her dedications & commitments will make up for it and gain the necessary votes to retain the two opp frontiers. All human errs! Jia You!
April 15, 2011 at 5:37 pm
Potong Pasirians are a group of radicals. They are real people with real hearts as we see all these years how they stand by their leader with their loyalty despite the carrots and odds against them from the ruling party.
April 20, 2011 at 5:55 pm
The people in Potong Pasir understand why Mr Chiam must lead a GRC to beat PAP heavy weight to set the trial for more opposition MPs to enter parliament under the baptism of fire. Nobody is going to help his GRC team to enter parliament under its coattail.
His wife Lina Chiam will get full support from the electorate and vote for Lina Chiam.
Mr.Chiam is a real hero. He is the light of alternative insurance in case when PAP screwed up. Even if he failed the country is proud of his crusade to fight for the opposition for a noble cause.
I wish Mr Chiam the best of luck and pray for you,