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Son of Coffeeshop Runner v Daughter of Coffeeshop Owner
- Thread starter dancingshoes
- Start date
This one, if voters are intelligent, should go to Bernard. He made it the hard way unlike silver spoon Tintin. Now with PS hubby, diamond spoon. Will she speak up for the down and out from the bottom of her heart? Or just action only? Will the minister pay any attention to her or to Bernard?
bernard is the man, i tend to respect pple who made it from poor family background. tin tin although hardworking as claimed in the papers, she lack the feeling of what poor is like.
Her biggest hindrance is she is handcuffed. Not by her husband when they make love but by the PAP when it comes to voting on key issues. Her presence is as good as her absence. So, the only way to progress as a nation regardless of race, language or religion, is to send Bernard to parliament.
besides, tin tin is another crony who got parachuted into parliament. i doubt she really understand what is like working as an underdog who strive to achieve.
Some old timers from the PAP grassroots also blur why their leadership chose her when surely, they have many better candidates waiting in the queue. Maybe that is why we managed a respectable 5th placing for cronyism, which imo, is another form of corruption.
Despite making a false declaration in her nomination form, she was not penalised, and was allowed to carry on with her GE2011 campaign.
Upon 'winning' GE2011, she quit her job to 'dedicate her time' to MacPherson.
However, as I have put forth earlier, a MP without a day job does not mean that the MP is spending all his/her time as MP.
He/she may be doing other stuff which are not uploaded to Facebook for your reading convenience and his/her political convenience.
E.g. TPL was pregnant for the past 10 months.
E.g. TPL completed a Masters from 2013 to 2015.
I am told that this Executive Masters programme admits executives with substantial years of experience (TPL only has 4 years of work experience at point of application), and costs around SGD185,000 (the price of a 3-room BTO HDB flat in a mature estate).
In summary, Lady Luck smiles upon TPL... alot.
Upon 'winning' GE2011, she quit her job to 'dedicate her time' to MacPherson.
However, as I have put forth earlier, a MP without a day job does not mean that the MP is spending all his/her time as MP.
He/she may be doing other stuff which are not uploaded to Facebook for your reading convenience and his/her political convenience.
E.g. TPL was pregnant for the past 10 months.
E.g. TPL completed a Masters from 2013 to 2015.
I am told that this Executive Masters programme admits executives with substantial years of experience (TPL only has 4 years of work experience at point of application), and costs around SGD185,000 (the price of a 3-room BTO HDB flat in a mature estate).
In summary, Lady Luck smiles upon TPL... alot.
[h=2]Thursday, 3 September 2015[/h] [h=3]Son of Coffeeshop Runner v Daughter of Coffeeshop Owner[/h] Labels: SINGPOL Email ThisBlogThis!Share to TwitterShare to FacebookShare to Pinterest
While I read Bernard Chen's life story, then realised that he was to be fielded in MacPherson and up against Tin Pei Ling, the stark contrast between the two candidates' backgrounds made me laugh and cry.
Their stories explain the theory of cumulative inequalities so well.
(A) We are all familiar with TPL.
Life has dealt TPL a good set of cards.
In a nutshell, TPL is the only daughter of coffee shop owners. Her arguably upper middle class family, with its concentrated resources, afforded her a stable environment to blossom in. She did well enough to move from Crescent Girls to Hwa Chong, then to NUS.
Later, because of the opportunities she has been blessed with, she met and secured her future husband, the director of the department in a government ministry during her internship. By then, he had already been PPS to Prime Minister Lee. Today, he is one of the top officers in the elite Administrative Service.
As such, in terms of household status, TPL is within the top few % in Singapore, even without taking her MP allowance into consideration. She exists amongst the elite.
In GE2011, TPL was fielded in Marine Parade GRC, even though voters couldn't tell why she should be fielded. PM Lee tried to speak up for her, saying that because she had helped out at her parents' coffee shop, that she knew poverty. O_o
Despite making a false declaration in her nomination form, she was not penalised, and was allowed to carry on with her GE2011 campaign.
Upon 'winning' GE2011, she quit her job to 'dedicate her time' to MacPherson.
However, as I have put forth earlier, a MP without a day job does not mean that the MP is spending all his/her time as MP.
He/she may be doing other stuff which are not uploaded to Facebook for your reading convenience and his/her political convenience.
E.g. TPL was pregnant for the past 10 months.
E.g. TPL completed a Masters from 2013 to 2015.
I am told that this Executive Masters programme admits executives with substantial years of experience (TPL only has 4 years of work experience at point of application), and costs around SGD185,000 (the price of a 3-room BTO HDB flat in a mature estate).
In summary, Lady Luck smiles upon TPL... alot.
(B) What about Bernard Chen?
Bernard, on the other hand, is the son of a coffee shop runner and a part-time cleaner.
Life has dealt him a lousy set of cards.
He is a Male Chinese Singaporean from a lower income family. And he ain't pretty.
In sum, he has very very limited options.
When you are not privileged, you cannot afford to make mistakes.
In a competitive society, such as Singapore, how does someone like Bernard navigate his way out of his social class?
Answer: You just have to work doubly or triply harder than anyone else.
Even then, sometimes you see fruits, sometimes you don't.
Though Bernard made it to junior college from his neighbourhood secondary school, he did badly for his A levels at Tampines Junior College.
So he went to Poly.
He then worked very hard and started to do well.
Bernard later gained entry into NUS Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, and majored in history. While he studied and graduated with honours, he also took on the role of President of the NUS History Society, and was the Leader of the Opposition in Singapore's Model Parliament in 2013.
He then obtained a Tan Kah Kee Foundation Scholarship to read a Masters in Global and Imperial History at St. Catherine's College, Oxford University. I've been told that this scholarship does not cover all the costs. So he's had to find other sources of funding.
Bernard is not just a geek.
Parallel to his studies, Bernard was the Legislative Assistant for Low Thia Khiang from 2010 to 2012, then Legislative Assistant for Muhamad Faisal bin Abdul Manap at Kaki Bukit (Aljunied) from 2012 till now.
Yes...
After all that, a good story would be that Bernard's luck has now changed.
That he now works in a MNC/bank, draws a great salary, and is able to provide for his parents and sister comfortably.
But the theory of cumulative inequality says, amongst others,
Bernard now works as a researcher with the Ang Chin Moh Foundation, studying the problems and sustainability of the funeral industry in Singapore.
While drafting this post, I got really frustrated with Bernard's life story.
I need a happy ending, dammit!
But does Bernard give up?
Apart from his day job and time spent in WP, Bernard also excels in National Service.
In his latest reservist stint at 742 SIR in early August this year, he was awarded the Commanding Officer's Coin for exceptional performance.
(C) Inequality Can Be Corrected
Some people have been impressed with TPL's work in MacPherson in the past few years. I shan't go into her 'achievements', and how valid they are.
But most importantly, lest we forget, TPL was given a chance BEFORE she had proven herself to the voters. She was given a chance because of her good fortune in life.
I think she has had her go at it, and that's mighty enough.
On the other hand, Bernard has proven that, even without the best of support/resources, he doesn't give up. I am sure he can connect with the folks (because he is 'em folk), set up a fund, look out for estate problems, attend all Parliament sessions, speak out for residents etc.
He just needs a chance.
And this inequality can be corrected. YOU can correct this.
In GE2015, give Bernard a chance, so that he can speak in Parliament on behalf of all those who have been dealt with bad cards, and are struggling to get out of it.
Posted by Blinkymummy Lee @ 9/03/2015 11:05:00 a.m.
While I read Bernard Chen's life story, then realised that he was to be fielded in MacPherson and up against Tin Pei Ling, the stark contrast between the two candidates' backgrounds made me laugh and cry.
Their stories explain the theory of cumulative inequalities so well.
(A) We are all familiar with TPL.
Life has dealt TPL a good set of cards.
In a nutshell, TPL is the only daughter of coffee shop owners. Her arguably upper middle class family, with its concentrated resources, afforded her a stable environment to blossom in. She did well enough to move from Crescent Girls to Hwa Chong, then to NUS.
Later, because of the opportunities she has been blessed with, she met and secured her future husband, the director of the department in a government ministry during her internship. By then, he had already been PPS to Prime Minister Lee. Today, he is one of the top officers in the elite Administrative Service.
As such, in terms of household status, TPL is within the top few % in Singapore, even without taking her MP allowance into consideration. She exists amongst the elite.
In GE2011, TPL was fielded in Marine Parade GRC, even though voters couldn't tell why she should be fielded. PM Lee tried to speak up for her, saying that because she had helped out at her parents' coffee shop, that she knew poverty. O_o
Despite making a false declaration in her nomination form, she was not penalised, and was allowed to carry on with her GE2011 campaign.
Upon 'winning' GE2011, she quit her job to 'dedicate her time' to MacPherson.
However, as I have put forth earlier, a MP without a day job does not mean that the MP is spending all his/her time as MP.
He/she may be doing other stuff which are not uploaded to Facebook for your reading convenience and his/her political convenience.
E.g. TPL was pregnant for the past 10 months.
E.g. TPL completed a Masters from 2013 to 2015.
I am told that this Executive Masters programme admits executives with substantial years of experience (TPL only has 4 years of work experience at point of application), and costs around SGD185,000 (the price of a 3-room BTO HDB flat in a mature estate).
In summary, Lady Luck smiles upon TPL... alot.
(B) What about Bernard Chen?
Bernard, on the other hand, is the son of a coffee shop runner and a part-time cleaner.
Life has dealt him a lousy set of cards.
He is a Male Chinese Singaporean from a lower income family. And he ain't pretty.
In sum, he has very very limited options.
When you are not privileged, you cannot afford to make mistakes.
In a competitive society, such as Singapore, how does someone like Bernard navigate his way out of his social class?
Answer: You just have to work doubly or triply harder than anyone else.
Even then, sometimes you see fruits, sometimes you don't.
Though Bernard made it to junior college from his neighbourhood secondary school, he did badly for his A levels at Tampines Junior College.
So he went to Poly.
He then worked very hard and started to do well.
Bernard later gained entry into NUS Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, and majored in history. While he studied and graduated with honours, he also took on the role of President of the NUS History Society, and was the Leader of the Opposition in Singapore's Model Parliament in 2013.
He then obtained a Tan Kah Kee Foundation Scholarship to read a Masters in Global and Imperial History at St. Catherine's College, Oxford University. I've been told that this scholarship does not cover all the costs. So he's had to find other sources of funding.
Bernard is not just a geek.
Parallel to his studies, Bernard was the Legislative Assistant for Low Thia Khiang from 2010 to 2012, then Legislative Assistant for Muhamad Faisal bin Abdul Manap at Kaki Bukit (Aljunied) from 2012 till now.
Yes...
After all that, a good story would be that Bernard's luck has now changed.
That he now works in a MNC/bank, draws a great salary, and is able to provide for his parents and sister comfortably.
But the theory of cumulative inequality says, amongst others,
- Social systems generate inequality, which is manifested over the life course through demographic and developmental processes.
- Disadvantage increases exposure to risk, but advantage increases exposure to opportunity.
Bernard now works as a researcher with the Ang Chin Moh Foundation, studying the problems and sustainability of the funeral industry in Singapore.
While drafting this post, I got really frustrated with Bernard's life story.
I need a happy ending, dammit!
But does Bernard give up?
Apart from his day job and time spent in WP, Bernard also excels in National Service.
In his latest reservist stint at 742 SIR in early August this year, he was awarded the Commanding Officer's Coin for exceptional performance.
(C) Inequality Can Be Corrected
Some people have been impressed with TPL's work in MacPherson in the past few years. I shan't go into her 'achievements', and how valid they are.
But most importantly, lest we forget, TPL was given a chance BEFORE she had proven herself to the voters. She was given a chance because of her good fortune in life.
I think she has had her go at it, and that's mighty enough.
On the other hand, Bernard has proven that, even without the best of support/resources, he doesn't give up. I am sure he can connect with the folks (because he is 'em folk), set up a fund, look out for estate problems, attend all Parliament sessions, speak out for residents etc.
He just needs a chance.
And this inequality can be corrected. YOU can correct this.
In GE2015, give Bernard a chance, so that he can speak in Parliament on behalf of all those who have been dealt with bad cards, and are struggling to get out of it.
| 
| |
| Name | Bernard Chen Jiaxi 陈家喜 | Tin Pei Ling陈佩玲 |
| Political Party | Workers' Party (WP) | People’s Action Party (PAP) |
| Contesting For | MacPherson SMC | MacPherson SMC |
| Ethnicity | Chinese | Chinese |
| Age | 29 | 32 |
| Marital Status | Single | Married since 2009. Husband is Ng How Yue, 45
|
| Occupation | Researcher | N.A. |
| Education | Pasir Ris Secondary School Tampines Junior College Temasek Polytechnic Diploma in Leisure and Resort Management National University of Singapore B.Soc.Sci(Hons), History University of Oxford Masters in Global and Imperial History | Crescent Girls’ School Hwa Chong Junior College National University of Singapore B.Soc.Sci, Psychology Booth Chicago School of Business Executive Masters of Business Administration |
| Family Background | Child of coffeeshop runner and part-time cleaner. Has a sister. | Only child of coffeeshop owners |
| Sob story | Refer to above. | During her university days, she had to take a semester off to manage the coffee shop as Father had taken ill. |
Posted by Blinkymummy Lee @ 9/03/2015 11:05:00 a.m.
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