Breaking: Tan Jee Say & Ang Yong Guan to join SPP

[yellowarse]

The Chiams, Tan Jee Say and moon cakes

By Kumaran Pillai

Former presidential candidate Tan Jee Say has been invited to eat mooncakes with the Chiams. But "it is no ordinary mooncake," said one SPP member, "it is a political mooncake that is going to define politics in Singapore."

Tan in a phone interview this morning has confirmed that he will be attending the function at the invitation of Mr. and Mrs. Chiam but would not say anything more about his membership.

But party members had more to offer: One SPP member said that he had seen Tan at the SPP office on a few occasions. Tan will be joining the party in a leadership capacity and may be contesting in the general elections in 2016, he added.

The other prominent politician on the guest list is Dr Ang Yong Guan, who contested on the SDP ticket in GE 2011.

It turns out that the Chiams have been actively recruiting members into their party. Former RP Treasurer Kumar Appavoo joined the SPP late last year.

Prominent statistician and political activist Leong Sze Hian is also an active voluteer with the SPP since GE 2011. There are other new members who are going to be introduced at the party event tomorrow.

SPP has also reinvented itself after the electoral setback in GE 2011 and an unsuccessful coup led by political newcomer Benjamin Pwee at the party conference in 2012.

Pwee has since taken over the Democratic Progressive Party and is the secretary general of the party. Several ex-SPP members who contested in Bishan-Toa Payoh have joined him there. He plans to stand from Bishan-Toa Payoh in the next general election.

Non-Constituency Member of Parliament Lina Chiam has also been speaking more actively than her peers in parliament. She has championed several issues and not afraid to ask the hard questions. She has also been conducting her weekly walkabouts in Potong Pasir and Bishan-Toa Payoh.

I have personally met the Chiams on a few occasions and I must say that they are a determined lot: Mr. Chiam is still very jovial and charming despite his poor health and Mrs. Chiam, his faithful companion who stood by him against all odds, wants to preserve his legacy.

 

[jw5]

GMS leh? Boh on guest list huh? :o

 

[ray_of_hope]

Old Chiam is a good man but he has made mistakes in the choice of people who join his party (first SDP and then SPP), such as CSJ, DL, BP... and now TJS.
I am very sure that TJS is using SPP to ensure he gets to contest a single member constituency, especially since Sin Kek Tong has left. Others in the party would be eyeing that vacancy. TJS knows he will stand ZERO chance in a GRC.

Let's see whether a tussle on seat allocation ensues. !!!

 

[red amoeba]

u reckon tjs will mount a coup de tete like csj ?

 

[3_M]

If WP is seen as too mild and SDP as too radical, potential candidates may not view these 2 parties as a suitable platform to join. SPP can 'market' themselves as go-between these 2 parties and I think there is enough space for SPP to maneuver.

Having said this, I am quite wary of TJS agenda.

 

[tanwahp]

If WP is seen as too mild and SDP as too radical, potential candidates may not view these 2 parties as a suitable platform to join. SPP can 'market' themselves as go-between these 2 parties and I think there is enough space for SPP to maneuver.

Having said this, I am quite wary of TJS agenda.

This will be another one of the many worst choices in Singapore opposition history. Joining the SPP after the Chiams are gone only helps in bypassing ROS procedures of forming a new party, as SPP is as good as a new party. To join when Lina Chiam is there, I do not think the 2 will last long.

There is no reason why they will think of SDP as too radical since they were former members of SDP. For me, I don't think WP is mild since 2011, maybe before that yes.

 

[yellowarse]

TJS needs a political platform to build on his political exposure from the 2011 GE and PE if he wants to contest GE2016. NSP was his first choice, I think, but the factional struggles there probably put him off. Which leaves SPP as the best remaining vehicle for him and his buddy.

Lina is not easy to work with, true, but at this juncture where CST has effectively stepped down and Ben Pwee's departure has hollowed out the party, she needs heavyweight politicians more than they need her. She'll have to learn to compromise and share power.

 

[tanwahp]

TJS needs a political platform to build on his political exposure from the 2011 GE and PE if he wants to contest GE2016.

I give him points for starting earlier rather than wait until 2015. But no points for choosing SPP.

NSP was his first choice, I think, but the factional struggles there probably put him off. Which leaves SPP as the best remaining vehicle for him and his buddy.

I thought NSP would be his first choice too, that would be a better choice I feel. Factional struggles? I don't think it's that serious.

Lina is not easy to work with, true, but at this juncture where CST has effectively stepped down and Ben Pwee's departure has hollowed out the party, she needs heavyweight politicians more than they need her. She'll have to learn to compromise and share power.

Why did Ben Pwee depart?

Lina will compromise at the point of recruitment but not beyond that.

 

[yellowarse]

Why did Ben Pwee depart?

A failed CEC coup during the party conference last year, which led to Ben Pwee and Wilfred Leung plus 4 others leaving the party.

 

[tanwahp]

A failed CEC coup during the party conference last year, which led to Ben Pwee and Wilfred Leung plus 4 others leaving the party.

Will TJS and AYG also pull a coup? That remains to be seen.

Ironically, some people thought the coup was linked to TJS and he was closer to the DPP gang than the SPP gang. It turns out to be the opposite.

 

[ray_of_hope]

The whole thing is strange. TJS spoke to the Chiams just before GE2011 and nothing came of that. At the time, TJS was also keen on WP and NSP, but nothing was forthcoming. It seems that SDP was his 4th choice. It will be sad if the Chiams are so desperate to accept such a person.

However, I am certain that TJS' preferred choice of party is WP, but the invitation is still not forthcoming. If the invitation from WP does arrive then I will stop supporting WP. :o

 

[yellowarse]

However, I am certain that TJS' preferred choice of party is WP, but the invitation is still not forthcoming. If the invitation from WP does arrive then I will stop supporting WP. :o

There's an unwritten rule at WP: no defectors from other parties will be admitted. AFAIK, TJS did not approach WP (neither did WP offer him a place) prior to GE2011. He was in contact with SPP, RP, NSP and SDP, but not WP.

As I said, TJS's only logical choice just now is SPP. Lina must have offered him a substantial leadership position for him to have bitten. He'll be happy for Lina to continue as Chiam's symbolic heir as long he gets to call the shots.

 

[ray_of_hope]

There's an unwritten rule at WP: no defectors from other parties will be admitted. AFAIK, TJS did not approach WP (neither did WP offer him a place) prior to GE2011. He was in contact with SPP, RP, NSP and SDP, but not WP.

You are not correct on this. TJS had disclosed several times of his contact with WP just before GE2011. However, his story as to what transpired has varied. That is one reason, among others, why I cannot support this man. He had said at GE2011 that he did not wish to be part of WP as he would be going up against his friends in WP GRCs, most notably George Yeo at Aljunied. After the GE he said that he left his cellphone number with Sylvia Lim but she did not contact him (i.e. return his call). Then subsequently, he said that WP has a policy of not accepting people at short notice, or words to that effect.

Incidentally, if I am not wrong, Michelle Lee is now with WP. If that is the case then WP would be receptive to the right kind of defectors from other parties, but that does not mean that they would be election candidates. It would only mean they would be WP members until such time they proved themselves for larger things. That, to me, is fair enough.

 

[metalmickey]

I don't think there will be much problems of a power struggle with Chiam See Tong. As far as I'm concerned he's already ridden into the sunset. 2011 was absolutely the last time he could have been elected and he didn't manage that. To me TJS is just doing the same thing that Ben Pwee did: take over a shell of a party and then slotting himself in as one of the big players. To a certain extent, that is also what Hazel, Nicole and Jeanette did with NSP.

It's safe to say that if Chiam was in parliament now, none of this would have happened.

Now it will be interesting to turn to RP and see what becomes of son of a dud.

 

[3_M]

TJS needs a political platform to build on his political exposure from the 2011 GE and PE if he wants to contest GE2016. NSP was his first choice, I think, but the factional struggles there probably put him off. Which leaves SPP as the best remaining vehicle for him and his buddy.

Lina is not easy to work with, true, but at this juncture where CST has effectively stepped down and Ben Pwee's departure has hollowed out the party, she needs heavyweight politicians more than they need her. She'll have to learn to compromise and share power.

I believe CST is still the one calling the shots. TJS needs a party willing to bend their policies to suit his agenda. It interesting to see how CST and TJS can work alongside.

 

[3_M]

This will be another one of the many worst choices in Singapore opposition history. Joining the SPP after the Chiams are gone only helps in bypassing ROS procedures of forming a new party, as SPP is as good as a new party. To join when Lina Chiam is there, I do not think the 2 will last long.

There is no reason why they will think of SDP as too radical since they were former members of SDP. For me, I don't think WP is mild since 2011, maybe before that yes.

I am still wondering why all of them choose to leave SDP. I would prefer they stay in SDP rather than to jump from one party to another which is not very positive for the image of opposition. SPP survival and relevance will depend on their ability to retake back PP.

 

[ray_of_hope]

I don't think there will be much problems of a power struggle with Chiam See Tong. As far as I'm concerned he's already ridden into the sunset. 2011 was absolutely the last time he could have been elected and he didn't manage that. To me TJS is just doing the same thing that Ben Pwee did: take over a shell of a party and then slotting himself in as one of the big players. To a certain extent, that is also what Hazel, Nicole and Jeanette did with NSP.

It's safe to say that if Chiam was in parliament now, none of this would have happened.

Now it will be interesting to turn to RP and see what becomes of son of a dud.

I would not describe SPP as a "shell of a party", as it has parliamentary representation, albeit 1 NCMP.

Do you seriously think all those intellectually heavy speeches delivered by Lina Chiam were written by her? Certainly I doubt that her husband, who is really quite ill, would be able to assist much in drafting such speeches. To me, she is getting substantial input for her parliamentary speeches by people who know what they are talking about. Perhaps Leong Sze Hian, and a few others. LSH might not have any problems with TJS, but that might not be the case with a few other longstanding members who might be eyeing an SMC that SPP has claims to contest. (This is not Potong Pasir but Hong Kah North.)

 

[steffychun]

If WP is seen as too mild and SDP as too radical, potential candidates may not view these 2 parties as a suitable platform to join. SPP can 'market' themselves as go-between these 2 parties and I think there is enough space for SPP to maneuver.

Having said this, I am quite wary of TJS agenda.

am damn wary too. SPP should say no. TJS record is that of an opportunist. Next he will join every political party in Singapore

 

[tanwahp]

I am still wondering why all of them choose to leave SDP. I would prefer they stay in SDP rather than to jump from one party to another which is not very positive for the image of opposition. SPP survival and relevance will depend on their ability to retake back PP.

No one knows why they left SDP and I think this question will be popped by the media in days to come.

I don't think PP will ever be taken back by SPP, but that's my view.

 

[tanwahp]

I would not describe SPP as a "shell of a party", as it has parliamentary representation, albeit 1 NCMP.

The NCMP seat is not stable as it can be lost by the next GE if WP wins at least 9 seats which is very possible.

Do you seriously think all those intellectually heavy speeches delivered by Lina Chiam were written by her? Certainly I doubt that her husband, who is really quite ill, would be able to assist much in drafting such speeches. To me, she is getting substantial input for her parliamentary speeches by people who know what they are talking about. Perhaps Leong Sze Hian, and a few others. LSH might not have any problems with TJS, but that might not be the case with a few other longstanding members who might be eyeing an SMC that SPP has claims to contest. (This is not Potong Pasir but Hong Kah North.)

Lina has done well in some speeches but they make up a minority of her speeches which had also contained speeches that were horrible. If she had one speechwriter, that is hardly substantial. You can join NSP or SDP and they have more better speechwriters.