Singapore's longest-serving opposition Member of Parliament Chiam See Tong has chalked up 25 years in office.
Speaking at a dinner bash in his Potong Pasir ward to commemorate the
occasion, Mr Chiam said his greatest contribution to promoting
democracy in Singapore is by winning elections again and again.
He also repeated his call for more opposition MPs to be elected into parliament to check on the ruling party.
Jeremy Koh tells us more :
It is clear that Mr Chiam has lost the vigour of his younger days.
He had to be supported on stage by assistants.
But his devotion to the opposition cause has never wavered.
In his 11 minute speech, Mr Chiam said the opposition cause has to be kept alive :
Let us the opposition strive for a change to win more SMCs and GRCs in
the coming election despite whatever obstacles you may encounter from
the PAP.
Mr Chiam also lauded the residents of Potong Pasir for sticking by him through the years.
He said that together, they've changed the face of politics in Singapore.
And he expressed a wish for Potong Pasir to be a powerbase and a beacon for more opposition victories.
A glaring omission in his speech, however, was any indication of his future plans.
It has been said that Mr Chiam is thinking of giving up his Potong
Pasir seat and gunning for a GRC in the next general election.
But an announcement on that might well be better suited for a different
occasion, as the dinner bash was all about celebrating Mr Chiam's many
achievements.
And significantly, the dinner brought together the who's who in the opposition.
Mr Low Thia Khiang from the Workers' Party was there, former
non-constituency MP Steve Chia was there, and even Mr Chiam's one-time
protege Dr Chee Soon Juan was there.
While they may not see eye-to-eye on every issue, for just one night, all their differences were put aside.
And together on stage, they sang the Hokkien song ai pia jia eh ya which means that one must strive in order to win.
A song that no doubt spells out the opposition's aspirations in Singapore.
--938Live
Anyone has lobang for the pictures or video for the occassion or the 11 minutes speech by Mr Chiam online
Originally posted by Seowlah:Anyone has lobang for the pictures or video for the occassion or the 11 minutes speech by Mr Chiam online
Hi Seowlah,
As requested:
http://theonlinecitizen.com/2009/12/let-potong-pasir-be-a-beacon-and-power-base-chiam/
http://www.sammyboy.com/showpost.php?p=362013&postcount=13
Cheers.