Donaldson Tan
On 23 FEB 2011, the Straits Times reported that the Reform Party (RP) has been rocked by the mass resignation of at least nine members, including five in its top decision-making committee and a couple regarded as potential candidates for the upcoming general election. Dubbed the Gang of Nine (G9), the splinter group is led by former government scholars Mr Tony Tan Lay Thiam and his wife Madam Hazel Poa. So far, it is known that at least 30 members have already quit the Reform Party since the exodus of the G9 group.
While G9 has affirmed that it intends to participate in the coming General Election, Mr Tan and Madam Poa repeatedly stressed that they are considering all options. ‘We still want to participate in the coming election. If we are unable to stand as candidates, we would probably help out as volunteers in other parties,’ Madam Poa told the press. An insider had informed New Asia Republic last week that Mr & Mrs Tony Tan would make their decision to join the Singapore’s People’s Party (SPP) today. Should the couple joins the SPP, it is expected the entire G9 would be subsumed under the SPP banner which include key members such as former RP Organising Secretary Jeisilan Sivalingam, former RP Chairman Tan Tee Seng, former RP Treasurer James Teo and former RP Youth Chief Justin Ong and former CEC member Jeannette Aruldoss.
It is hardly surprising the SPP was an option for G9. The potential parties which the Mr & Mrs Tony Tan would join include the Worker’s Party (WP), the Singapore Democratic Party (SDP), the National Solidarity Party (NSP) and the Socialist Front (SF). Using the principle of elimination, the SPP and the NSP are the 2 likely parties that the G9 would join. Mr & Mrs Tony Tan were members of the Workers’ Party (WP) before they joined the Reform Party (RP). This eliminates WP as a choice. SF is eliminated as a possible choice because as a small party it lacks the organisational strength to mount an extensive election. campaign. In particular, the SF pledges to take control of key industries within Singapore’s economy by nationalising and running such industries and essential services. This is something particularly difficult to swallow. Last but not least, the SDP may not have the political capital to win the electorate due to its historical baggage.
The process of elimination leaves us with the SPP and NSP. The NSP, headed by Secretary-General Goh Meng Seng, describes itself as a moderate opposition. Mr Goh has a background in economics and he used to head an internal unit of the WP that evaluates public policy when he was a WP member. NSP has taken pains to shed its image as a party of Chinese towkays (businessmen in Hokkien). Perhaps its Minister-specific strategy was too successful that the Minister of National Development Mah Bow Tan was not co-opted into the ruling party’s Central Executive Committee at the 2011 PAP AGM since housing was NSP’s key platform issue when it started its election campaigning. Today, it has a Malay Bureau that focuses on Malay issues. New Asia Republic estimates that the Malay Bureau has a total of 20 members which includes 3 women.
On the other hand, the SPP is led by the 75-year-old Opposition stalwart Chiam See Tong. The SPP enjoys a parliamentary presence who is represented by Mr Chiam in Parliament for more than 25 years. A familiar brand among the people, the SPP operates from its stronghold in Potong Pasir. Despite a stroke in 2009, Mr Chiam continues to hold the fort with support from his wife. He still carries out regular Meet-the-People Session (MPS) and walkabouts. The SPP was hit with leadership rifts when news broke out that Mr Chiam wanted to introduce the Reform Party into the Singapore Democratic Alliance as the Chairman of the alliance.
Key points to note between choosing the 2 parties are:
- Tony Tan and Goh Meng Seng are of the same age – 41 years old.
- Which party can provide a better route of political advancement for the G9 key members?
- Which party has more room in its leadership to absorb key people such as Mr & Mrs Tony Tan, Jeannette Aruldoss and Jeisilan Sivalingam?
- New Asia Republic estimates member strength of G9 to be between 20 and 30. Which party can absorb the entire G9 without affecting its internal team dynamics?
The relevance of Mr Chiam See Tong this General Election is also an important question. It is understood that Mr Chiam has intended for Jeisilan Sivalingam, Mr & Mrs Tony Tan to contest with him and Mohd Hamim at the Bishan-Toapayoh GRC. New Asia Republic understands that some G9 members deem that Mr Chiam is too old and too frail for General Election although he remains an extremely important anchor point for SPP’s campaigning effort at both Potong Pasir SMC and Bishan-Toapayoh GRC. Should Mr Chiam chooses not to stand for election while remains as a key campaigner, Ms Jeannette Aruldoss is a viable replacement candidate. Ms Aruldoss is a professional lawyer and she used to run the free legal clinic for the Reform Party.
New Asia Republic understands that some G9 members had indeed encouraged Ms Aruldoss to stand for election. Unfortunately, Chiam’s absence in a GRC team would be a very difficult pill to swallow for the SPP. An alternative configuration under the SPP banner would be some G9 key members contesting at SMCs instead of Bishan-Toapayoh GRC given the risk of putting all of one’s eggs in the same basket. It is possible that either Tony Tan or Hazel Poa would not be part of the Bishan-Toapayoh GRC Team and one of them would contest as a candidate at a SMC with another G9 member filling the void in the GRC team.
Possible team configurations for NSP with G9 members are unclear as the NSP has yet to reveal the full slate of possible candidates. So far, it is understood that NSP’s Steve Chia would be contesting at Pioneer SMC while Goh Meng Seng would be leading a GRC team at Tampines GRC. The composition of Mr Goh’s GRC team remains unknown.
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Photo courtesy of the Straits Times.
In addition to what you have written, smaller political parties will be reluctant to absorb G9 because they are afraid that their new additions might turn around and replace the host.
IF…
Suppose G9 joins SPP, since SPP is quite a small party (CST had not spent time growing the party), and with the recent spat with Desmond Lim in SDA, this leaves the party to be unfavorable with the political savvy voters and common voters. The only plus point is with the prestige of CST, it will work in PP, but I would doubt the impact of it outside the ward. Furthermore, SPP is being hammered by SDA, former alliance and headed by ousted SPP member Desmond Lim, an element that will hinder the survival of SPP. Maybe they G9 can rejuvenate SPP (I hope so), but doing it at the eve of a GE is deemed impossible.
THEN…
If the G9 join NSP, NSP had grown to a moderate party and will be contesting a few GRCs, more choices to where to contest compared to Bishan-TPY/PP. Although the party is big enough to accept G9 and supporters, its CEC and the key positions had been cast, making it hard to be “helicoptered” in these positions. But then G9 can always work their way up like in any other parties. Another plus point for NSP is that I heard rumors that CST is difficult to work with, if the G9 cannot accommodate KJ, what makes them think that they can work with CST? Till now I have not heard about any of the difficult leaders inside NSP.
ELSE…
Currently 3 parties are bigger than SDA, that is, NSP, SDP and WP. Since the other 2 is not within the choice for G9, joining NSP seemed like a safe bet (from SDA). I would suggest that G9 to join SPP, then persuade CST to join NSP forming a coalition party.
The advantages will be as such:
1. NSP have bigger resources and candidates pool to help SPP fight in their ward, Ms Aruldoss would be more convinced to stand when she had better candidates and choices (not to condemn CST, but CST’s disadvantage is his age and failing health). People had been discounting CST and are looking for new blood in the coming GE.
2. Under NSP umbrella, SPP can fend off attacks from PAP as well as SDA. They can even put candidates in PP without being “disturbed”.
3. SPP and G9 can make use of the time after this GE to the next to build up their party strength/image. SPP after withdrawal from SDA is weak and unstable.
In conclusion
CST had been trying to build up his team for years after his announcement to contest a GRC after the election. It is quite disappointing for me to know that he is still trying to absorb the G9 at this time so that he can fulfill his “promise”. Likewise when a group is big like G9, it is difficult to move and be accepted by a party.
It is the time now to make an impact to the PAP and Singapore, to try to wrestle a seat from the PAP, and not to dabble in petty party squabbles like this. G9 will have to decide fast.
Dexter.W
PS: To Donaldson (editors): Either leave this as a comment or put it up as a another article is fine with me. You can get to me via facebook.
Only Tony Tan was with WP for less than 2 months. Hazel Poa was never with WP. But your right that WP, SF, SDP and SDA are not options but I would include NSP as well. The G9 only has 2 options – SPP or fully independents.
The G9 could return to the PAP. With the style they are conducting themselves, they are showing PAP -type behaviour. They typically can’t be trusted to help any opposition party.
So their best bet is probably with the PAP. Welcome home moley moley moleys.
Oh, they are moles alright!
The timing and manner in which they left the RF leaves no doubts about their TRUE COLOURS. I would say the scholar couples are most probably the instigators. That the nine would desert their party en-mass smacks of a plot by the ring leaders who has been secretly cultivating and ingratiating themselves with the other party members to pull off the stunt. That the couple were surreptitiously/clandestinely plotting and recruiting RF members behind the backs of the RF leadership and obviously poisoning them about Kenneth and the rest speaks volume of their characters, purpose and objective! Would someone who is purportedly ‘generous’ and ‘friendly’ do such a thing? Would it be in character of people with such a seemingly generous disposition? This would be stranger than fiction.
I would describe those who were instigated by the couples into leaving as impressionable FOOLS. Now which opposition would want to have fools in their ranks and midst?
That they insist – as revealed by the couple – that they are a ‘all or nothing’ package is highly suspicious and tends to confirm their secret ulterior motives!
It would be a FATAL error to allow these ‘aliens’ into your midst, that is my advice to the opposition parties.
They are like the ‘suicide bombers’ waiting to initiate their charges when the time comes. BE WARNED!!!
If they cannot wrestle themselves into any existing opposition party and usurp the existing leadership for execute their malevolent intention against the opposition, there is also every possibility that they may register themselves as a party in a last minute attempt to get in the polls. This would be a litmus test whether they are moles from the ruling party. For they would be allowed to by the govt!
Should this eventuate they would take on the role as ‘SPOILERS’ by injecting themselves in crucial wards – creating 3-cornered fights to jeopardize the real opposition party’s chances against the incumbent.
There are 2 very obvious options that I failed to mention:
1) Stand as independent candidates
2) Assist political parties as campaigners
Hi Dextor,
Part of the matters we discussed last night (2011.03.08 Tue) was the most of the things you commented here.
Keep it up with your analytical mind (time-consuming) and a the same time sharpen your sense of urgency (right-on-the-dot decision).
Wish you all the best.
Hi Dextor Wong,
Actually, being helicoptered into NSP CEC is unnecessary. NSP created the Malay Bureau to ‘helicopter’ key figures of the PKMS breakaway group into leadership positions. It can also do the same for key figures of the G9 group.
@market2garden, thinking takes a lot of time and energy. No wonder chess-players takes so much time to make a move.
@Donalson, True to your point, but everyone needs time and chances to prove their worth.
Cheers
Dexter.W