Marginalised Politicians, Wasted Potential?

[CPT (NS) BRANDON]

If you look at some of these names, many of them once had potential, but their personalities and egos have left them marginalised and without any proper platform, thereby making it almost impossible to attain any sort of political breakthrough. Wasted potential?

1) Kenneth Jeyaretnam - was once the fresh new face of the political scene. Sterling qualifications, strong career credentials, family pedigree (father was regarded as a freedom fighter). He managed to attract high calibre people like Hazel Poa, Tony Tan (Hazel's husband), Nicole Seah and Jeannette Chong Aruldoss but all resigned from RP and joined NSP. Alec Tok, who is lesser known but who is a good speaker with charisma, resigned from RP to join SDP. Kenneth had a great chance but he blew it, and now no one is willing to associate themselves with him. Yet he stubbornly plods on and continues to bang his head against the wall. How long before he is made irrelevant?


2) Goh Meng Seng - was once a member of the WP's Aljunied team. Had he stuck it out for 5 more years he would be an MP by now. Instead his place was taken by Pritam Singh and Faisal Abdul Manap. He then became the leader of NSP and had a very credible line-up, but poor strategy and tactics led to his failure to win a single seat despite having the star appeal of Nicole Seah and other credible candidates. He had a great chance to defeat Mah Bow Tan in Tampines in 2011, as he was easily the most unpopular minister. But he blew his chance, and now Tampines is helmed by Heng Swee Keat - who most people agree is doing a good job. Suddenly Tampines has become a PAP stronghold when it was once considered to be a marginal seat. Had Goh Meng Seng fielded a strong team in Tampines with Nicole, Jeannette, Hazel and Tony (like WP did in Aljunied), I dare say he would have won. Instead, he spread his resources and spent most of his own time trying to disturb Goh Chok Tong in Marine Parade.


3) Chia Ti Lik - once a member of WP's East Coast team and was a fresh young face, good speaker, decent credentials. Despite rumours of extra-marital affairs he still remains highly electable, unfortunately he now has no platform.

4) Benjamin Pwee - another good speaker, decent credentials, former scholar. He had a credible debut in Bishan-Toa Payoh in 2011 alongside Chiam See Tong. He is now meandering around in the wilderness and recently took over the defunct DPP. He is not going to go anywhere with a platform like that. He should have stayed with Chiam in SPP or tried to broker a merger between SPP and one of the smaller parties (such as RP - perhaps with Chiam as Chairman and Kenneth as Sec-Gen).

5) Desmond Lim - had he remained loyal to Chiam, he might have been fielded in Potong Pasir in 2011 - which would have given him a real shot at being an MP. Instead, he was booted out (due to trying to pull a CSJ on Chiam) and Mrs Lina Chiam was unable to hold the seat. Now Desmond Lim is in the wilderness, he can't even get 5% of the votes despite being a party secretary-general. All he can do is cry about others taking his "turf".

 

[CPT (NS) BRANDON]

6) Tan Jee Say - he should have stayed with SDP slightly longer, and should certainly NOT have taken part in the Presidential Election. Once considered the jewel in the opposition's crown, he is now regarded as an egomaniac, a spoiler, and the person who is responsible for Tony Tan being in the Istana. Three months in SDP is not enough time for anyone (even with Tan Jee Say's profile) to strike it out on his own and try and form his own party or become an independent. He should have stayed, and maybe tried to wrest SDP from Dr Chee alongside Dr Ang, Dr Tambyah and Dr Vincent Wijeysingha. That would have instantly turned SDP into a credible platform with a realistic chance for all four of them to get into Parliament through a GRC win. Now, TJS is basically finished - he will never see Parliament in his lifetime unless something miraculous happens. Such wasted potential.


All the above examples show one thing.. in politics, a person must learn to control his EGO.

 

[tualingong]

I wonder if Hakka lee regime has got anything to do with all of their failures.

 

[scroobal]

TS

Nothing to do with Ego. Every successful political leader has a healthy dose of it. They cannot cut it for various reasons and these have nothing to do with egos. Some of them are charlatans, some have little or no substance, others do not have political acumen, a few don't even know that engaging the voters is single most important factor. Ben Pwee has too short a time to prove his credentials.

 

[andyfisher]

Brandon: insightful analysis.

the new ones rearing their head are VW and PT, wonder how far they can go, but they must let go CSJ who is not thinking smart and is becoming a liability.

KJ is a decent enuf bloke, a bit of the westminster style, like his old man. Hope he controls his ego and gives a good of things.

As for the substance, the proof is in the pudding and until they get a platform to showcase their convictions, its hard to gauge them on it.

 

[QXD]

Feel the same way as you do about TJS.

6) Tan Jee Say - he should have stayed with SDP slightly longer, and should certainly NOT have taken part in the Presidential Election. Once considered the jewel in the opposition's crown, he is now regarded as an egomaniac, a spoiler, and the person who is responsible for Tony Tan being in the Istana. Three months in SDP is not enough time for anyone (even with Tan Jee Say's profile) to strike it out on his own and try and form his own party or become an independent. He should have stayed, and maybe tried to wrest SDP from Dr Chee alongside Dr Ang, Dr Tambyah and Dr Vincent Wijeysingha. That would have instantly turned SDP into a credible platform with a realistic chance for all four of them to get into Parliament through a GRC win. Now, TJS is basically finished - he will never see Parliament in his lifetime unless something miraculous happens. Such wasted potential.


All the above examples show one thing.. in politics, a person must learn to control his EGO.

 

[ray_of_hope]

How many have walked the ground spending many hours doing grunge work in-between elections instead of sitting behind a desk writing long treatises attacking govt policies that no one reads?

 

[elephanto]

TS

Nothing to do with Ego. Every successful political leader has a healthy dose of it. They cannot cut it for various reasons and these have nothing to do with egos. Some of them are charlatans, some have little or no substance, others do not have political acumen, a few don't even know that engaging the voters is single most important factor. Ben Pwee has too short a time to prove his credentials.

Correction, Scroo - it is always EGO. in different degrees, detract from their intelligence to learn, improve & derive truth from facts.

Sure, strong ego is a must - not that's different from EGO AS LARGE AS ALL OUTDOORS.

TS, good take, original thread, my 2 cents to add on to your sharing :

-KJ ....... alas genetic, like Dad, thinking CAUSE driven is everything

- GMS ...... good man, good intentions, reasonably good analysis alas can't analyse himself with wisdom, again EGO - thinking too highly of himself and lack rigorous self-reflection

-Chia Ti Lik : lack resolve & depth in character

- Ben Pwee : Impatient, acumen yet to be honed further

- Desmond Lim : typical Oppo figure, ego leads him to be blind to the fact that his ability lags behind his ambition

- Tan Jee Say : one on one with him, he strikes me as 'too clever by half' , also impatient, thinking credibility even if needed to be earned, can be earned in double quick time through smarts

- Vincent Wijey : interesting, good brain, good heart, but like his School Master Dad, chip off the old block ... likeability seems to be an element that is beneath him - he gives me this impression

- Dr Paul Thamby : genuine, courageous but political MAJ/COL calibre not LG/MG class

 

[wwabbit]

I think it's more of an issue with POLITICAL NAIVETY than an issue with EGO.

These people have big ideas, and they think that by simply present their ideas to the people, they can rally the people around themselves and win big. They look at examples of this kind of things happening around the world and get their inspiration from there. However, they do not read the real sentiments on the ground and do not adapt to suit their needs and the wishes.

 

[elephanto]

Yes, that too. Political naive? Very valid
Yet almost all will deny & disagree .... That's why I come ack to ego.

take Meng Seng. He i am sure consider himself political astute and insightful.

the rare times if he admit to political naïveté, he would then wear it as a badge of honor:

yes, I naive - so? I am principled & objective and always selfless & democratic...

 

[SgParent]

What about Bro Eric Tan? He got impatient. Probably also thinks too highly of himself/ego.

 

[cass888]

Goh Meng Seng and Chia Ti Lik are dead losses. Chia Ti Lik has been in PAP, WP, SDP and now Barisan Socialis.

Ben Pwee did the right thing, pulling along all the strong members he brought into the SPP. Auntie Lina was not going to let people look better than Uncle Chiam (no excuse however to the MONGREL who bit his masters' hands LOUDHAILER chee soon juan).

Desmond Lim was never going anywhere with Auntie Lina holding on to power for Uncle Chiam.

If you look at some of these names, many of them once had potential, but their personalities and egos have left them marginalised and without any proper platform, thereby making it almost impossible to attain any sort of political breakthrough. Wasted potential?

1) Kenneth Jeyaretnam - was once the fresh new face of the political scene. Sterling qualifications, strong career credentials, family pedigree (father was regarded as a freedom fighter). He managed to attract high calibre people like Hazel Poa, Tony Tan (Hazel's husband), Nicole Seah and Jeannette Chong Aruldoss but all resigned from RP and joined NSP. Alec Tok, who is lesser known but who is a good speaker with charisma, resigned from RP to join SDP. Kenneth had a great chance but he blew it, and now no one is willing to associate themselves with him. Yet he stubbornly plods on and continues to bang his head against the wall. How long before he is made irrelevant?


2) Goh Meng Seng - was once a member of the WP's Aljunied team. Had he stuck it out for 5 more years he would be an MP by now. Instead his place was taken by Pritam Singh and Faisal Abdul Manap. He then became the leader of NSP and had a very credible line-up, but poor strategy and tactics led to his failure to win a single seat despite having the star appeal of Nicole Seah and other credible candidates. He had a great chance to defeat Mah Bow Tan in Tampines in 2011, as he was easily the most unpopular minister. But he blew his chance, and now Tampines is helmed by Heng Swee Keat - who most people agree is doing a good job. Suddenly Tampines has become a PAP stronghold when it was once considered to be a marginal seat. Had Goh Meng Seng fielded a strong team in Tampines with Nicole, Jeannette, Hazel and Tony (like WP did in Aljunied), I dare say he would have won. Instead, he spread his resources and spent most of his own time trying to disturb Goh Chok Tong in Marine Parade.


3) Chia Ti Lik - once a member of WP's East Coast team and was a fresh young face, good speaker, decent credentials. Despite rumours of extra-marital affairs he still remains highly electable, unfortunately he now has no platform.

4) Benjamin Pwee - another good speaker, decent credentials, former scholar. He had a credible debut in Bishan-Toa Payoh in 2011 alongside Chiam See Tong. He is now meandering around in the wilderness and recently took over the defunct DPP. He is not going to go anywhere with a platform like that. He should have stayed with Chiam in SPP or tried to broker a merger between SPP and one of the smaller parties (such as RP - perhaps with Chiam as Chairman and Kenneth as Sec-Gen).

5) Desmond Lim - had he remained loyal to Chiam, he might have been fielded in Potong Pasir in 2011 - which would have given him a real shot at being an MP. Instead, he was booted out (due to trying to pull a CSJ on Chiam) and Mrs Lina Chiam was unable to hold the seat. Now Desmond Lim is in the wilderness, he can't even get 5% of the votes despite being a party secretary-general. All he can do is cry about others taking his "turf".

 

[wwabbit]

The problem with Goh Meng Seng back then was that he couldn't handle hecklers, and ended up throwing insults and criticisms at the people who debated against him. That's not the right behavior of politicians. Now he is just a bitter man. Political naivety probably doesn't apply to him.

Eric Tan was someone who for some reason thought that he was higher than the CEC. When interviewed by the press before the NCMP announcement was made, he said that as the leader of the East Coast GRC team he would probably be the NCMP. This was a huge mistake there, everyone knows that the correct line should have been that the decision will be made by the WP CEC and he would support that decision. Perhaps he thought he can influence the CEC's decision by making that announcement but obviously that didn't work. Political naivety or ego? Not sure, probably a bit of both.

 

[cass888]

Choosing Gerald Giam over Eric Tan is simply stupid. PAP should field Eric against Gerald in a one-on-one and you will see the result.

If you hear Gerald speak in public you will know he is quite yaya papaya. Pit him in Punggol East and Desmond may actually get more votes than him.

The problem with Goh Meng Seng back then was that he couldn't handle hecklers, and ended up throwing insults and criticisms at the people who debated against him. That's not the right behavior of politicians. Now he is just a bitter man. Political naivety probably doesn't apply to him.

Eric Tan was someone who for some reason thought that he was higher than the CEC. When interviewed by the press before the NCMP announcement was made, he said that as the leader of the East Coast GRC team he would probably be the NCMP. This was a huge mistake there, everyone knows that the correct line should have been that the decision will be made by the WP CEC and he would support that decision. Perhaps he thought he can influence the CEC's decision by making that announcement but obviously that didn't work. Political naivety or ego? Not sure, probably a bit of both.

 

[metalmickey]

On one hand, the system is supposed to be set up such that if people are found incompetent, they are supposed to be fired. In a sense, this system is working well because it does manage to kick out a lot of undeserving people. We question why people like Wong Kan Seng and Mah Bow Tan are allowed to stick around in spite of their messing up the system.

On the other hand, it is a waste of opposition talent. All these people mentioned would probably go a pretty good job if they were put in a CEC of an opposition party. That is where many of them ought to be, as a part of an advisory capacity. There is a very real danger that the political strength of the opposition is growing at a faster rate than it can take in talent or move the talent up to where it is best utilised.

We will have to see all the effects of these people being shunted out. If their getting kicked out is part of the natural process whereby the older people make way for younger or more capable people to step in, then it is not so bad. If it results in a crisis where there are not enough talented people to lead the opposition, then we will have a problem.

We could add Chee Soon Juan as number 7 on this list. If that were so, then this list would have 3 (or more?) former proteges of Chiam See Tong. Then you'd wonder or not the problem is with Chiam or with his proteges. We often blame Chee Soon Juan for appealing mainly to foreigners and not locals. But we also forget that to our government, the foreigners are also an important constituency. Today we live in a political environment which is more free than say 1987. We'll never know how much of this is down to people like Chee Soon Juan.

The other aspect of this is the big issue with almost all of the opposition parties today: the tension between the new kids and the old guard. If you think that this is just confined to Singapore, consider this: Tony Blair and Gordon Brown were both opposition politicians in the Labour Party. Gordon Brown thought that he was going to be the leader of Labour Party, and suddenly this new kid Tony Blair comes around and usurps him. The two man have a love hate relationship which continued when Tony Blair was the prime minister and Gordon Brown was the finance minister. There were two camps in the government who were always plotting against each other. This is a classic example of how issues with "opposition unity", if not addressed, will become big big problems when you come into power and run the government.

There are also rumours that there was a George Yeo faction and a Teo Chee Hean faction in the PAP.

I don't know Ben Pwee personally so I don't know why he took over DPP. But it seems that SPP is a sinking ship and if everybody does not want to continue being associated with it, it's either Chiam's fault or Ben Pwee being too ambitious. I say good luck to him, but he's accomplished nothing so far. Maybe Desmond Lim and Ben Pwee can come up with something together.

Kenneth Jeyaretnam would have been a good guy to have any any CEC. He has a lot of understanding of finance, he is a big name. He would have contributed greatly to - say - the CEC of NSP. But he was saddled with the stewardship of RP, which would have been JBJ's party if he were still alive. If he can eat humble pie and join another opposition party, he would still be a valuable member.

Tan Jee Say is truly a waste. Maybe he'll return to SDP after Chee is ousted. If there is a silver lining to the "unity candidate" fiasco, it will provide a good excuse to remove him as sec gen of SDP. His gunning for the presidency is ridiculous. Maybe he felt that there should have been a representative from the opposition parties. But he is such an inexperienced politician, he's hardly had time to settle into the SDP. Florida is called "God's waiting room" because old people go there to die. Similarly, the Singapore Presidency is also "God's waiting room". Tan Jee Say is way too young for the presidency.

I don't know Goh Meng Seng very well but parties losing him is not such a waste on account of his old age. He could and should have been in WP. But he couldn't follow the rules.

The other people who should be mentioned are Low Thia Khiang and Sylvia Lim. The fact that they have taken in none of these other people is also quite curious. It seems that when you put their ability to attract very talented people against the ability of those two to control the party, the latter will always win out. Everybody will have to start from the bottom and work their way up. I don't know to what extent this is good or bad, but it cannot be possible that there is only one opposition party in Singapore, and it follows this model. Because LTK and SL want to run their party along the Leninist model, there have to be other parties which allow a more fluid movement of talent.

Regarding ego, the fact is that being an opposition party member is a largely unfulfilling job unless it involves some sort of a leadership potential. the problem is if you don't have a system where people quickly rise up the ranks to the level of their ability, then it will turn off a lot of talented people who would otherwise be willing to contribute.

When you are in opposition, engaging the voters is the most important thing. When you come into power, having a good grasp of government issues becomes more important. That is the tragedy, that these two skill sets are so different. People like KJ and CSJ I have no problems getting them to be perm sec of this or that ministry. But if you ask them to be politicians, they can make you vomit blood.

 

[GOD IS MY DOG]

I wonder if Hakka lee regime has got anything to do with all of their failures.

either they were bribed or others were bribed......................

 

[sleaguepunter]

I don't know Goh Meng Seng very well but parties losing him is not such a waste on account of his old age. He could and should have been in WP. But he couldn't follow the rules.

paiseh hor, my england not that good. does the above sentence mean GMS is beri old?

strange leh, i tot he have not complete his reservist obligation lor.

he not beri old hor, he just look "chao lao".

btw, gms about same age as arsehole koh

 

[metalmickey]

paiseh hor, my england not that good. does the above sentence mean GMS is beri old?

strange leh, i tot he have not complete his reservist obligation lor.

he not beri old hor, he just look "chao lao".

btw, gms about same age as arsehole koh

Seems like you're right. Wonder why he's not with any opposition party now. He's too young to be retired.

 

[scroobal]

My take it is that you need to have a large ego just to step into politics. It goes towards confidence. My sense is that their other attributes or the lack of it that is not complimenting their progress.

And you have correctly listed those attributes.

Churchill, De Gaulle, Old man, and nearly all world leaders are renown for their ego that are huge but they have excellent attributes that gets them into office.

Correction, Scroo - it is always EGO. in different degrees, detract from their intelligence to learn, improve & derive truth from facts.

Sure, strong ego is a must - not that's different from EGO AS LARGE AS ALL OUTDOORS.


- Dr Paul Thamby : genuine, courageous but political MAJ/COL calibre not LG/MG class

 

[sleaguepunter]

Seems like you're right. Wonder why he's not with any opposition party now. He's too young to be retired.

his head too big for his shoulder.

nobody like a arrogant person.

now he full time WP basher.

i wont be surprise he already sold out.