WHY IS LINA CHIAM SO FOCUSED ON ATTACKING SDP & NOT THE PAP?

Dear All Singapore Stuff,

Recently, SPP chairman Lina Chiam has been launching attacks on SDP, quarreling about events that happened long ago. Specifically, she is whining about the events that led to Chiam leaving the SDP in 1993 and the proposed reconciliation with the Chiams in 2010. She did it during the Bukit Batok by-election and she is still at it now.

The Singapore People’s Party (SPP) or rather the Singapore Chiam Museum is a political party that is focused on the personality of the decrepit former opposition MP Chiam See Tong. In GE2011, despite a strong nationwide backlash against the ruling party, SPP chairman Lina Chiam was unable to defend her husband’s parliamentary seat of Potong Pasir. All opposition parties improved their percentages at that general election but Mrs Chiam’s percentage went down, causing her to lose in the safe seat Potong Pasir. Her presentation and speeches were subpar and Potong Pasir residents doubted her ability to perform as a MP. Who in their right mind would choose an old grumpy housewife to be their voice in parliament when faced with a better, more friendly, qualified, eloquent and well educated candidate like Mr Sitoh Yih Pin? Nevertheless, she was still able to lose narrowly because of residual sympathy for Mr Chiam.

Despite the loss in the safe seat, Mrs Chiam took up the non-constituency MP (NCMP) seat instead of giving it to a younger and more capable candidate. Not surprisingly, SPP was sidelined for the next 4 years and her speeches did not receive much publicity in the mainstream media or alternative media. There was an exodus of new members from the SPP. There was no leadership renewal in that time and SPP regressed into the Singapore Chiam Museum. At GE2015, the Singapore Chiam Museum contested Potong Pasir, Mountbatten and Hong Kah North SMCs. The SPP candidates succeeded in losing all seats by huge margins. At each rally, the name Chiam See Tong was mentioned nearly a hundred times and the crippled man was wheeled onto the stage and presented to the audience, despite being unable to speak clearly and be heard.

Despite the best efforts of Mrs Chiam and other SPP members to narrate the history of Chiam See Tong and share the stories of his life, voters decided that history lessons were dull; they wanted someone who could actually do work. In Potong Pasir, voters decided that they had enough of the Chiams. While Mr Chiam had once been a good MP, he was now only good material for history books. PAP’s Mr Sitoh Yih Pin represented the future and rightfully deserved their votes. How could they not vote for him? Mr Sitoh had improved since 2011 whereas Mrs Chiam was still that same aunty from 2011. Between a hardworking man and a grumbling old aunty, the choice was obvious. Mr Sitoh easily won 67% of the votes in Potong Pasir.

On her facebook (here: https://www.facebook.com/lina.chiam.3), Mrs Chiam is still grumbling about SDP. She seems more focused on attacking SDP instead of the PAP. In her most recent complaint, she claimed that SDP Assistant Secretary General John Tan was never privy to all the discussions and proposal meetings between the Chiams and SDP in 2010. She whines that SDP only invited the legend Mr Chiam back to the SDP as a non-CEC member (a honorary member)! She insists that there were never any talks about merging the two parties and that SDP didn’t agree to the Chiams’ request for the loan of SDP candidates.

Instead of grumbling so much, shouldn’t the Singapore Chiam Museum be doing house visits and walkabouts in Potong Pasir? Despite losing the Bukit Batok by-election, SDP has resumed house visits in constituencies where they lost such as Bukit Panjang SMC and Marsiling-Yew Tee GRC. Why is Mrs Chiam grumbling so much and attacking other opposition parties instead of doing her job? Residents of Potong Pasir, take note. Five years later, the SPP is going to suddenly show up in Potong Pasir and ask for your votes.

Once again, you will have a choice between the educated Mr Sitoh Yih Pin and a grumbling aunty. SPP and Mrs Chiam will be back to tell you the history of Chiam See Tong. Thank them for the history lesson and vote for PAP again to increase Mr Sitoh’s mandate. With Mr Sitoh, you have development and progress. With Mrs Chiam, you get a lot of grumbling and history lessons. If she loses, Mrs Chiam will just come back another 5 years later, don’t worry.

Desmond
A.S.S. Contributor