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GE2015: Chiam See Tong, the people's politician

Former Opposition MP Chiam See Tong at a nomination centre ahead of the 2015 Singapore General Elections.

For the first time since 1976, Singapore People’s Party (SPP) Secretary-General Chiam See Tong, 80, will not be contesting an election.

But he remains the symbolic face of the SPP, albeit in a more removed role away from centrestage. For example, he has endorsed the joint SPP-Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) that is contesting the Bishan-Toa Payoh Group Representation Constituency (GRC), under the SPP banner.

He was also present on Nomination Day (1 September) at Kong Hwa School to support his wife, Non-Constituency Member of Parliament (NCMP) Lina Chiam. Mrs Chiam will be contesting her husband’s old seat in Potong Pasir again, where she lost by just 114 votes in 2011.

But though he has reduced his public appearances in recent years due to health issues, Chiam has not quite made overt indications of passing the baton on just yet. The former teacher and lawyer told the media, “I’ve got a long way to go.”

Down but not out

Chiam’s political journey has been defined by sweeping arcs and falls inherent in the trajectory of a career that has spanned almost forty years. He has borne witness to the evolving political landscape in Singapore, and been an integral part of shaping it.

The statesman made his maiden foray into the political arena in 1976, making the bold move of taking on then-Minister for Communications and National Development Lim Kim San as an independent candidate in Cairnhill constituency. Coincidentally, Lim was friends with Chiam’s late mother Lily in his younger days.

Three years later in the 1979 by-election, Chiam contested the Potong Pasir seat for the first time, again as an independent candidate. In the process, he obtained more than a third of the votes against the People’s Action Party (PAP). Chiam then founded the Singapore Democratic Party (SDP) in 1980.

He contested Potong Pasir again in 1980, against Defence Minister Howe Yoon Chong, and lost once more. But Chiam was getting closer and closer – his vote share increased from 33 to 41 per cent.

Why Chiam See Tong’s 1984 Campaign Is Still Relevant Today
Why Chiam See Tong’s 1984 Campaign Is Still Relevant Today



In 1984, Chiam was finally elected to parliament on his fourth attempt, garnering just over 60 per cent of the vote. His opponent – neophyte People’s Action Party candidate Mah Bow Tan, who went on to become a Cabinet minister. During the campaign, Chiam suffered the ignominy of having his ‘O’-levels results compared unfavourably to that of Mah’s, by then-Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew.

The people’s politician

This marked the beginning of an almost 30-year career in Parliament, where Chiam became Singapore’s longest-serving opposition MP. Alongside JB Jeyaratnam of the Workers’ Party, he was one of only two opposition MPs in parliament. But Chiam did not shy away from raising national issues, being especially vocal on the subjects of the Group Representation Constituency and the elected presidency.

In 1996, following a fallout with the party’s central executive committee, Chiam joined the Singapore People’s Party (SPP). Thereafter, he spearheaded the formation of the Singapore Democratic Alliance in 2001, retaining his role as Chairman till 2011.

In 2011, Chiam stepped out of Potong Pasir to lead an SPP team that contested Bishan-Toa Payoh GRC at the General Election that year. The team won 43.1 per cent of the vote, but still lost to the PAP team led by former Home Affairs Minister Wong Kan Seng.

Face of a movement

Chiam’s story is the quintessential tale of the everyman; the proverbial David taking on the formidable Goliath of the PAP in the more vitriolic and impassioned political arena of the 80s.

In the first part of a two-part biography on Chiam, it was revealed that his grandfather Chiam Seng Poh was a revolutionary who aided pioneer Sun Yat-sen in overthrowing the Qing dynasty. The lineage seems befitting, as Chiam is viewed as the keeper of the flame, even to this day.

His role in the upcoming elections – although relatively removed at this time – will also likely be integral to the success of the SPP’s campaign.