Chiam See Tong
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This is a Chinese name; the family name is Chiam.
Chiam See Tong (Chinese: 詹时中; pinyin: Zhān Shízhōng; born 12 March 1935) is a politician and lawyer from Singapore. He is the country's longest-serving opposition Member of Parliament (MP). Since 1984, he has represented the constituency of Potong Pasir in Singapore's Parliament,[1][2] where he is currently one of only two elected opposition MPs.
In 2008, Chiam suffered a stroke [2]. In 2011, Chiam said "there's still remnants of the stroke which I suffered". [3]
Chiam was a member of the Singapore Democratic Party (SDP) up to 1996, when he left the party to join the Singapore People's Party (SPP). He subsequently spearheaded the formation of the Singapore Democratic Alliance (SDA), and was its Chairman and de facto leader from 2001 to 2011. However in March 2011 he announced that he was withdrawing the SPP from the SDA grouping, and would contest the next general election under the SPP banner
Political careerChiam first entered politics in 1976 when he contested as an independent candidate in Cairnhill constituency, where he lost to the then-Minister for Communications and National Development, Lim Kim San. In the 1979 by-election, Chiam contested the Potong Pasir seat for the first time, again as an independent. He got 33% of the votes against the then-Defence Minister Howe Yoon Chong.[2]
Chiam founded the Singapore Democratic Party in 1980, and was the party's Secretary-General (leader) until 1993. He contested the Potong Pasir seat again in 1980 and lost to Howe again, but his vote share increased to 41%. In 1984, Chiam contested the seat against Mah Bow Tan, and won with 60.3% of the votes, on a swing of 19 percent against the PAP.[2]
In his subsequent five elections, Chiam continued to fend off challengers from the ruling People's Action Party. His winning margin reached a peak of 69.6% in the 1991 polls but has since fallen below 60% in most recent elections.[2]
When Chiam was first elected to Parliament in 1984, he was only the second opposition politician ever to be elected to Singapore's Parliament after J.B. Jeyaretnam of the Workers' Party, in 1981. After Jeyaretnam was expelled from Parliament in 1986, Chiam was Singapore's sole elected opposition MP until 1991.
At the 1991 general elections, two other SDP members, Ling How Doong and Cheo Chai Chen, were also elected to Parliament. Low Thia Khiang of the Worker's Party was also elected, making a total of four opposition MPs, with Chiam effectively the leader of the opposition.
In 1992, Chiam recruited Dr Chee Soon Juan, a psychology lecturer at the National University of Singapore, to be an SDP candidate for a by-election in the Marine Parade Group Representation Constituency. Although the SDP was unsuccessful in the by-election, the recruitment of Chee as a candidate generated considerable public interest. However differences between Chiam and Chee soon emerged. Chee was sacked from his job as a university lecturer in 1993, and publicly claimed that he had been the victim of a political vendetta by the governing People's Action Party (PAP). Chiam wanted to censure Chee for these comments, but the party's Central Executive Committee (CEC) backed Chee. Chiam then resigned as Secretary-General of the party, and was replaced by Chee. The CEC attempted to expel Chiam from the party after he publicly criticised them, but he won a court case to prevent them from doing so on procedural grounds. However the CEC appointed Ling How Doong to replace Chiam as the party's parliamentary leader.
Chiam and Ling were involved in an incident in Parliament in 1996 when Chiam whispered something into Ling's ear during a debate, to which Ling loudly responded "Don't talk cock!" (a Singlish phrase meaning "that's nonsense"). Ling was formally censured by Parliament for using unparliamentary language in the chamber as a result.
Chiam left the SDP at the end of 1996 and accepted an invitation to join the Singapore People's Party (which was formed by a breakaway faction of the SDP in 1994) and became its Chairman. Standing for his new party, he was re-elected as MP for Potong Pasir in the 1997 General Election.[2] The negative publicity generated by the disputes with Chiam affected the SDP's electoral prospects, and both Ling and Cheo lost their seats, leaving Chiam and Low Thia Khiang as the only two elected opposition MPs. Chiam and Low have remained the only two opposition MPs elected at all subsequent general elections to date. In the 2001 General Election, Chiam won Potong Pasir for the fifth time. In the 2006 General Election, he won 55.82% of the votes to claim his sixth term, defeating the PAP's Sitoh Yih Pin. He had secured 8,245 votes against 6,527 for Sitoh. For many, this was a surprise victory for Chiam, as the PAP had offered an S$80 million upgrading package for the residents of Potong Pasir and had brought in Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong to help the PAP's campaign in the constituency.
In early 2008, Chiam suffered a mild stroke[2] which led to the suspension of his 'Meet-the-People' sessions.
In 2009, Chiam celebrated his 25th year as MP Potong Pasir.[4] That year, he also announced that he did not plan to stand as a candidate for Potong Pasir at the next general election (due to be held on May 2011), and would instead be a candidate in a Group Representation Constituency (GRC).[5]
In 2010, Chiam tried to bring the Reform Party into the SDA. He reportedly accepted the conditions the Reform Party set out for joining the alliance, however the terms of entry were opposed by other members of the SDA's Council who blocked the move. In 2010 and early-2011, it was also reported that some members of the SDA's Council felt that Chiam was unable to properly fulfil his role of Chairman of the alliance, after he had cut back his political activities following his stroke in 2008. On 28 February 2011, the SDA's Council voted to relieve Chiam of his role as Chairman, however the Council stressed that they still hoped to field Chiam as a candidate at the next general election. But two days later, on 2 March 2011, Chiam announced that the Singapore People's Party was withdrawing from the SDA, and that he would stand under the banner of the SPP instead of the SDA at the next general election.[6][7]
For the Singapore General Election 2011, Lina Loh Woon Lee (sometimes referred to as Lina Chiam), the wife of Chiam See Tong became an SPP candidate in the Potong Pasir Single Member Constituency, Chiam See Tong's former constituency. Chiam See Tong became a candidate with other SPP candidates in a Group Representation Constituency. This candidacy is a first for Lina Loh Woon Lee although she had campaigned with her husband over the years in many general elections in Singapore. In 2011, she holds the 2nd Vice Chairman post in the SPP.
Life outside politics
Chiam was educated at Anglo-Chinese School, before going on to study at the University of Canterbury and Victoria University of Wellington in New Zealand. After completing a Bachelor of Science degree, he worked as a teacher at Mahmud Secondary School in Malaysia from 1962 to 1963, and at Cedar Girls' Secondary School in Singapore from 1964 to 1972.
Chiam qualified as a barrister at the Inner Temple in London in 1974. He then joined Philip Wong and Company as a lawyer, before starting his own law firm, Chiam and Company, in 1976.
Chiam retired from his law practice in 2002 to become a full-time politician.
He is married to Lina Loh Woon Lee. The couple have one daughter.
Parliamentary Committee MembershipChiam has been a member of Parliament since 22 December 1984.
Committee of Privileges
6th Parliament, 2nd Session
7th Parliament, 1st Session
7th Parliament, 2nd Session
7th Parliament, 3rd Session
9th Parliament, 1st Session
9th Parliament, 2nd Session
10th Parliament, 1st Session
Estimates Committee
8th Parliament, 1st Session
Select Committee on the Bankruptcy Bill
8th Parliament, 2nd Session
Select Committee on the Companies (Amendment) Bill
8th Parliament, 1st Session
Select Committee on the Constitution of the Republic of Singapore (Amendment No. 21) Bill
7th Parliament, 1st Session
Select Committee on the Drug Trafficking (Confiscation of Benefits) Bill
8th Parliament, 1st Session
Select Committee on the Goods and Services Tax Bill
8th Parliament, 1st Session
Select Committee on the Interpretation (Amendment) Bill
9th Parliament, 1st Session
Select Committee on the Land Transportation Policy
7th Parliament, 1st Session
Select Committee on the Maintenance of Religious Harmony Bill
7th Parliament, 1st Session
Select Committee on the Parliamentary Elections (Amendment) Bill and Constitution of the Republic
6th Parliament, 2nd Session
Select Committee to Verify the Healthcare Subsidy of Government Polyclinics and Public Hospitals
8th Parliament, 2nd Session
Special Select Committee on Nominations for Appointment as nominated Members of Parliament
7th Parliament, 2nd Session
8th Parliament, 1st Session
Standing Orders Committee
6th Parliament, 1st Session
8th Parliament, 2nd Session
EducationDate Qualification Institution
1955 GCE 'A' Levels Anglo-Chinese School
1961 Bachelor of Science University of Canterbury & Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand
1967 Certificate in Education Teachers' Training College
1974 Barrister-at-Law Inner Temple, United Kingdom
Career
Date Workplace
1962 to 1963 Mahmud Secondary School, Raub Pahang, Malaysia
1964 to 1972 Cedar Girls' Secondary School
1974 to 1976 Philip Wong & Co (Advocates & Solicitors)
1976 Advocate & Solicitor, Chiam & Co
2002 (Advocates & Solicitors) (Retired)
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