[h=2]In Focus: Yee Jenn Jong[/h] Published by The Online Citizen on July 20, 2012
By Kumaran Pillai -
Yee Jenn Jong, a soft spoken and bespectacled politician from the Workers’ Party joined politics two months before the 2011 General Elections and succeeded in securing a seat in parliament as a Non Constituency Member of Parliament (NCMP). He attributes his success to his party branding and the overall position of the effective “First World Parliament” campaign of WP. Though soft spoken, he is steadfast in his views – he has his finger on the pulse of the electorate and he timed his entry well and has been making inroads quietly into the many facets of politics. The team at TOC caught up with him to find out more about his political journey, his wishes, his ambitions and where he thinks he will be in the years ahead. Speaking to him, I realized that Jenn Jong has had a good winning streak. If success was all about timing, this is one man, who can be consulted on how to time oneself for success.
KP: Can you tell me about your political journey, how did you get here? And what inspired you to enter opposition politics? JJ: I first started writing for the forum pages during the first presidential elections. That's when I got interested in current affairs. I have also travelled the world extensively and began to develop a more global perspective of things. Progressively, I started writing more and started giving alternate views. I guess, it didn't happen overnight, I somehow grew into the greater political consciousness of Singapore. I believe in competition and I thought the time was right for me to step forward, and so I contested in the last GE and now I'm a NCMP.
KP: How are you coping with your work, politics & family?
JJ: Life has been exciting and I'm glad I took the stand and joined opposition politics. I have learnt new skills, such as doing research before I speak in parliament. I get my family involved in my work, so it's not too bad – I have a good work life balance. They get involved in the grassroots activities. At party level, I'm the treasurer now and there are additional duties and I need to take care of those aspects. And I still run my own business and so I can balance work, family and politics.
KP: What were you doing before joining politics?
JJ: I started my career as an academician, then worked in Trade Development Board (TDB), worked as GM in a local education group and started on my own at the end of 1999. It was just months before the dotcom bust, so I wasn't able to raise much venture capital funding. But, was fortunate to receive the support of my friends and relatives. Grew the business to a 150 person outfit; sold to a Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) company in 2007. Ikwas still working for another two years and left the company in 2009. I have started other education based ventures after that.
KP: Do you do grassroots activities in Joo Chiat, the constituency that you contested-in for GE2011? JJ: No. I just help out whoever contacts me. I live in that area and I know the people there very well and I help raise awareness of local issues by writing in to the government agencies and they are very effective. By and large, there is a MP for that area and he is supposed to do the job. I don't want to really duplicate too much of that effort. At some point in time, we'll be a bit more active in our door to door activities. I am not just restricted to Joo Chiat, at the moment, I also help out with the MPS at Hougang and Aljunied whenever the MPs are away and I help out with their duties.
KP: What is your message to your supporters?
JJ: I am very grateful to my supporters for having voted for me with only two months of campaigning! So, I want to do justice to them for having voted for me. Thank you.
http://theonlinecitizen.com/2012/07/in-focus-yee-jenn-jong/
