How can LTK be a Chinese Chauvinist when he is surrounded in the CEC by a vociferous Indian, Malay, English educated colleagues? How can he be a Chinese Chauvinist when he started as an only Teo Chew and Mandarin speaking politician, forced himself to learn English and now only speaks English in parliament? Before using this as an excuse to play racial politics, think carefully before you speak.
15 years after JBJ brought him into the WP and after his re-election in the January 1997 elections (I can't be sure of the date and will have to check the recordings but believe it to be sometime in September/October 1997), Low Thia Khiang started showing his chauvinism, disloyalty and true colours.
The old guards in the WP were startled and alarmed to hear his chauvinistic and brazenly racist views and disparaging remarks about Singapore minorities (Malay and Indian) culture, practices and heritage and also his disdain for English educated Chinese Singaporeans (like us, the old guards) who he felt had no respect for the Chinese culture, language and heritage.
It was also about this time that LTK started his whispering campaign (in Mandarin no less!) against JBJ.
The old guards (including yours truly) realised, much to our shock and dismay, that JBJ had brought in a Chinese Chauvinist into the Workers Party. We warned JBJ and our Indian and Malay colleagues about LTK. JBJ was urged to sack Low Thia Khiang lest his racism and chauvinism affected the WP standing amongst the minority Malay and Indian communities. However, even after listening to the recordings, JBJ was loathed to do so fearing the WP would alienate the Chinese educated ground if the WP did so. JBJ also stubbornly refused to believe that Low Thia Khiang was disloyal to him, backstabbing him and was plotting behind his back to remove him. LTK even had the temerity to try convince the old guards who were intensely loyal to JBJ that JBJ's Sri Lankan Tamil heritage was a drag on the Workers Party.
It took the WP old guards 15 years (after JBJ first brought him into the WP in 1982) to discover Low Thia Khiang's well hidden racism and racial chauvinism and for him to emerge from his racial closet. Hence, I am not surprised that you and your younger WP members are still unaware of Low's sinocentric world view and how he sees and disparages Singapore's minorities, their culture and their practices through his racist and chauvinist eyes.
But rest assured, we will continue to unmask this Chinese Chauvinist. We will continue to warn our Malay and Indian brothers and sisters about the well hidden but pungent world view of this Chinese Chauvinist.
