From time to time, one sees letters in Straits Times Forum Page that make you go 'Hear, hear!' or make you wish that you have written it yourself. Below is one such letter:
Incumbent MP Chiam deserves respect
I REFER to the criticism levelled on Mr Chiam See Tong, MP for Potong Pasir, by Mr Chan Mia Lee in his letter, 'Chiam should focus on bonding with residents' (ST, Oct 26).
Let me first state that I am not a resident of Potong Pasir. Neither do I know Mr Chiam personally, nor am I an opposition supporter. As a matter of fact, I have always voted for the PAP candidate.
But I have great respect for Mr Chiam. Here is a man who has risen against all odds to win a seat to represent Potong Pasir. As an opposition MP, he has been an honourable Member of Parliament. He does not oppose for opposition's sake.
For him to be re-elected in Potong Pasir for five consecutive terms says a lot about the level of support he enjoys from his constituents.
But here is also a Member of Parliament who is not the adviser to grassroots organisations in his own backyard. Instead, Mr Sitoh Yih Pin, who has repeatedly failed to wrest the constituency from him, is the adviser.
In every PAP ward, the elected representative is the adviser to the grassroots organisations. Why is this not the case in Potong Pasir?
Grassroots organisations are not part of any political party. Neither should they have any political affiliation. If that is the case, why is Mr Chiam not the adviser to the grassroots organisations in his ward?
I do not think Mr Chiam is paranoid and insecure just because a crooner sang praises of his rival at a National Day dinner.
A National Day dinner is not a political-party event. The crooner has no business to be singing praises of Mr Sitoh and urging the diners to vote for him.
This is outright disrespectful of the incumbent MP. Imagine if the same incident were to take place in the Prime Minister's ward. Would the Prime Minister laugh off the incident?
More likely than not, the crooner would be hauled up for interfering in local politics. The organiser would also be hauled up for turning the dinner into a political event without a permit.
Representing a constituency as an MP is a serious undertaking. It is not a beauty parade or a karaoke contest.
Did Mr Sitoh apply for a permit to hold a political rally during the dinner? If not, would he not have broken the law when the crooner urged diners to vote for him?
Under election rules, shouldn't there be no campaigning outside of the election period? Should the police not investigate the matter and take appropriate action against the organiser and the crooner?
Mr Chiam has repeatedly shown that he is a gentleman, even though he is an opposition member. Even Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew and Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong have openly praised him for his gentlemanliness and said good things about him.
Why can't Mr Sitoh and his supporters reciprocate by respecting Mr Chiam as the incumbent MP? Sure, fight him if you must in the next election and may the better man win. But, until then, Mr Chiam is the elected representative of Potong Pasir and deserves the respect and support that should be accorded to every MP.
In disrespecting an honourable Member of Parliament, Mr Sitoh and his supporters are showing disrespect to Parliament.
Patrick Tan Siong Kuan
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Incumbent MP Chiam deserves respect
I REFER to the criticism levelled on Mr Chiam See Tong, MP for Potong Pasir, by Mr Chan Mia Lee in his letter, 'Chiam should focus on bonding with residents' (ST, Oct 26).
Let me first state that I am not a resident of Potong Pasir. Neither do I know Mr Chiam personally, nor am I an opposition supporter. As a matter of fact, I have always voted for the PAP candidate.
But I have great respect for Mr Chiam. Here is a man who has risen against all odds to win a seat to represent Potong Pasir. As an opposition MP, he has been an honourable Member of Parliament. He does not oppose for opposition's sake.
For him to be re-elected in Potong Pasir for five consecutive terms says a lot about the level of support he enjoys from his constituents.
But here is also a Member of Parliament who is not the adviser to grassroots organisations in his own backyard. Instead, Mr Sitoh Yih Pin, who has repeatedly failed to wrest the constituency from him, is the adviser.
In every PAP ward, the elected representative is the adviser to the grassroots organisations. Why is this not the case in Potong Pasir?
Grassroots organisations are not part of any political party. Neither should they have any political affiliation. If that is the case, why is Mr Chiam not the adviser to the grassroots organisations in his ward?
I do not think Mr Chiam is paranoid and insecure just because a crooner sang praises of his rival at a National Day dinner.
A National Day dinner is not a political-party event. The crooner has no business to be singing praises of Mr Sitoh and urging the diners to vote for him.
This is outright disrespectful of the incumbent MP. Imagine if the same incident were to take place in the Prime Minister's ward. Would the Prime Minister laugh off the incident?
More likely than not, the crooner would be hauled up for interfering in local politics. The organiser would also be hauled up for turning the dinner into a political event without a permit.
Representing a constituency as an MP is a serious undertaking. It is not a beauty parade or a karaoke contest.
Did Mr Sitoh apply for a permit to hold a political rally during the dinner? If not, would he not have broken the law when the crooner urged diners to vote for him?
Under election rules, shouldn't there be no campaigning outside of the election period? Should the police not investigate the matter and take appropriate action against the organiser and the crooner?
Mr Chiam has repeatedly shown that he is a gentleman, even though he is an opposition member. Even Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew and Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong have openly praised him for his gentlemanliness and said good things about him.
Why can't Mr Sitoh and his supporters reciprocate by respecting Mr Chiam as the incumbent MP? Sure, fight him if you must in the next election and may the better man win. But, until then, Mr Chiam is the elected representative of Potong Pasir and deserves the respect and support that should be accorded to every MP.
In disrespecting an honourable Member of Parliament, Mr Sitoh and his supporters are showing disrespect to Parliament.
Patrick Tan Siong Kuan
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