13.04.2011 有人恶意中伤 也有人力挺 陈佩玲：我问心无愧
陈佩玲 said:
其实我相信新加坡人大多数是很讲理的，可以分辨什么是严肃、有实际意义的事，什么可能只是讲笑啦。有许多朋友和不认识我的人也给我留言鼓励我，所以我认为网民很多，他们虽然不讲话、不留言，可是他们都是理智的。
图：面对一连串的网络攻击，陈佩玲选择冷静、客观地对待。她认为目前最重要的是把精神专注于麦波申区的基层事务。（邬福梁摄）
郭丽娟 # 顾功垒
“最重要是自己问心无愧。”
对于真实与不实交错、难以厘清的网络世界中的批评，陈佩玲淡定地作出这样的回应。
她很清楚自己不会给负面的评语打垮，也选择冷静、客观地对待。因为她知道自己出来竞选的动力，就是想更有效地帮助别人，为社区作出一些贡献。
“当然在网上的批评我有注意到，也试着从他们的角度去想为什么他们如此地关注我和其他事情。目前，我最重要的就是把精神专注于在麦波申区做我该做的事。”
引发整个网络攻击浪潮的是她提着装有Kate Spade手提袋盒子的一张照片，而她说那是她在两三年前收到丈夫送给她的这份生日礼物后拍下的纪念照。她的丈夫很喜欢这张照片，于是把它挂上网。
其实，她很早就已意识到在网络世界应该谨慎地保护个人的隐私，并已把自己的面簿（Facebook）页面作了隐私设置，但网民还是透过其他途经，把她和丈夫的生活照给挖了出来，以此大作文章。
因为这样一张照片而受“千夫所指”，她难道不会觉得冤枉吗？
“可能因我是目前最年轻的候选人，大家也特别关注我。我年轻，这是我没有办法改变的事实。我只希望新加坡人能够给我信心，让我有机会证明自己。如果当选，我会在这五年里以实际行动在麦波申和国会里证明我是能够为人民服务的。公众的评论，我会虚心接受，也会抱着有则改之，无则加勉的态度去看待。”
这位女生的答案，比预想中来得从容，但叫她较难以接受和有些歉疚的是因为自己的缘故，身旁的亲人和好友都受到一定程度的牵连。
网上流传的另一组照片，是她与一个男生的合照，网民声称是她的前男友，而她是在认识了现在的丈夫后，才抛弃了前男友。陈佩玲从朋友口中获知这样的网上传闻后，第一反应就是觉得好笑。
其实，照片中的男子仅是她的一名朋友，也是民众联络所的职员，两人是在一位基层领袖的婚礼上拍下这组照片。
“网上的人说这是我的前男友，还给他取个名字。我心想他几时换了名字，连我都不知道。他们还说我抛弃他，因为嫌弃他胖。他从来就不是我的男朋友。因为基层里面，在乌鲁班丹、正华和整个集选区里面的人都知道这是不可能的，所以我们大家都觉得这样的传闻很好笑。”
网上还有人指她是因丈夫的关系才获选为行动党的新候选人。
对于这样扭曲事实的指责，陈佩玲在回应时流露出些许无奈。
“在我还未认识我先生之前，早已经参加行动党、参加基层、参加社区的活动。党领导人告诉我，他们决定派我上阵，是基于我对基层工作的热忱。李显龙总理是在2007年的党大会上认识我，当时我受邀在大会上发表演讲。”
李总理上星期在新加坡国立大学肯特岗部长论坛上问答学生提问时，首次谈到他对陈佩玲的看法。他当时也透露行动党是在2007年的行动党大会上发现陈佩玲，后来行动党进一步向她积极参加活动的乌鲁班丹区的负责议员迪舒沙了解她的背景，于是跟她“喝茶”、面试后，认为她是合适人选，才把她推选为新候选人。
面对网上的连串攻击，陈佩玲很庆幸他丈夫一直在身旁给予她力量，两人也抱着船到桥头自然直的心态去面对外界的风风雨雨。
“因为决定出来竞选，就一定要有心理准备。对他而言，他支持我，因为他知道我的动力是什么，我其实就是想服务社区，尽力去帮助新加坡人。他认同我这份心意，所以一直都默默地支持我，给我精神上的支持。”
水能载舟，亦能覆舟，深受网民中伤的陈佩玲却一心还想好好地运用这个平台。她不久前刚在面簿上开设新的个人网页，希望能在网络风波平息后多与网民和比较年轻的新加坡人作有意义的交流。
“其实我相信新加坡人大多数是很讲理的，可以分辨什么是严肃、有实际意义的事，什么可能只是讲笑啦。有许多朋友和不认识我的人也给我留言鼓励我，所以我认为网民很多，他们虽然不讲话、不留言，可是他们都是理智的。”
陈佩玲从政之路，一起步就崎岖难行，但像这样的磨练，肯定也是人生难得的历练，相信也加强了她的政治理念。她至今展露了积极面对及不逃避的态度，这条路也只能这么走下去。
其实我相信新加坡人大多数是很讲理的，可以分辨什么是严肃、有实际意义的事，什么可能只是讲笑啦。有许多朋友和不认识我的人也给我留言鼓励我，所以我认为网民很多，他们虽然不讲话、不留言，可是他们都是理智的。——陈佩玲
样样活动都想“轧一脚” 陈佩玲：七年基层光阴很“享受”
过去三个星期，麦波申区议员姚智带领着陈佩玲走访选区，让居民多认识这位接班人。（邬福梁摄）
小时候写作文时，想到的志愿是当老师、警察或医生，就是没想过当议员。但当议员却似乎很符合陈佩玲的性格。
她直言她耐不住当个旁观者，只要有时间，她什么活动都想“轧一脚”，更以“享受”两字形容她七年的基层光阴。
她在乌鲁班丹区参与的基层工作主要有四个方面：鼓励青年参与活动；帮助贫困家庭儿童；帮忙老年人和青年沟通；协助义工更好地帮助居民。
圆了安娣选美梦
她曾提议为基层领袖办心理健康讲座，请专家讲解心理疾病的主要症状，好让基层领袖平时和居民交谈时，能尽早发现他们的心理状况。2007年的一个社区活动上，几名安娣（阿姨）向她建议办乐龄选美赛，第二年她就圆了她们的梦，还在往后几年把对象扩大到安哥（叔叔）们。
但最让她感触良多的是先后帮助荷兰—武吉知马集选区议员维文医生和迪舒沙，以及麦波申区议员姚智接见选民时的所见所闻。她不仅见到议员们帮居民写求情信，更看到他们亲自打电话和发电邮给市镇理事会或政府部门追踪个案，由此深受启发。
陈佩玲认为当一名好议员有两个主要责任，一是带领好基层组织，管好选区内的大小事务，为选民解决问题；二是为她向来所关注的老年和年轻人把他们的声音上达至国会及讨论国家事务。
身为行动党青年团乌鲁班丹支部主席和选区青年团执委会主席，陈佩玲多年来筹办全国青年论坛等活动，发现许多年轻人都很有爱心，都想追求公正平等，希望每个公民都有平等的机会。
有一次几名学生跟着她做家访，发现一些孩童很久没上幼儿园，就跟她说要帮他们。
“他们觉得只要有社区参与，让志愿者帮忙带这些孩子去上课，孩子们就不会被剥夺接受学前教育的机会。”
交棒陈佩玲 姚智：非常放心
一年多前，陈佩玲受行动党请去“喝茶”，经过多轮面试，她告诉自己“顺其自然做好自己的本份，当党需要我服务时，会尽我所能”。
她认为去哪里竞选是党的决定，不管是被派到集选区还是单议席选区，她都已作好准备。
三周前她被派到麦波申区向现议员姚智学习，每周三四个晚上走访居民、摊贩，以收集民意。
姚智受访时以“非常放心”四个字来对陈佩玲表示肯定，还透露她已拟好一张“长长的清单”，要和区内的志愿福利团体和基层领袖开会，讨论如何进一步改进区内设施及提升五年计划。
“佩玲在安永咨询公司做高级商业顾问，本身就得和比他年长的人打交道，所以她和区内老年人相处得很好，也很有同情心。”
麦波申居民受访时，都说陈佩玲脸蛋漂亮、笑容亲切，可以为老区注入年轻人的活力，觉得应该给她一个机会，让她用行动去证明自己的能力。
在麦波申基层服务十多年的许丽英坦言开始时对这样一个年轻候选人被派到老区服务存有疑问，但几个星期相处下来，却觉得她有潜力，待人处事也很稳重。
谈及未来和麦波申基层组织的合作，陈佩玲谦虚地表示她会尊重这里的基层领袖和义工的看法，也要不断学习如何当一名具备分析能力和判断力的领袖，并从中累积经验。
“我要特别感激姚智议员和麦波申基层领袖给予我的指导。他们拥有十分丰富的基层经验，是我的良师益友。我会在他们所建立的基础上改善麦波申的环境，为居民提供更好的服务。”
为参选延迟“做人”
大三时因父亲动心脏血管修复手术而休学半年当“咖啡妹”；现在为了参政当议员，陈佩玲决定延迟“做人计划”。
她与比自己年长13岁的丈夫结婚三年，原本想在这一两年生小孩，不过现在出来竞选，“做人计划”或要等到情况稳定下来再作打算，父母和家翁家婆也支持她的决定。
陈佩玲希望至少生两个孩子，男女都好，但她不觉得暂时不当妈妈，就无法理解年轻夫妇养育孩子的艰辛。
“虽然我还没孩子，但我愿意聆听年轻夫妇的故事，看看他们有什么样的心酸和问题。”
她说自己虽没经过他们那段旅程，还没法去感受，但最重要的是聆听和理解，然后尽量去帮忙。
“每个人并非都走过同样的路，有相同的感受，不过我曾有过为克服家庭所面临的困境，被迫休学帮忙父母亲的经验。”
念大学三年级时，因父亲入院动心脏血管修复手术，陈佩玲和妈妈得轮流打理咖啡店的生意。
她每天清晨五点起床，到咖啡店泡咖啡、端咖啡、做账，直到下午两三点才和妈妈换班，回家温习功课。过后她发现无法继续上课，而请了半年假，让爸爸把病养好。
虽然现在咖啡店已盘给别人，但陈佩玲却因要参政，又无法全心照顾两老，不免有些自责。
身为独生女，她理解父母辛苦大半辈子，有自己的愿望，而作为女儿，她觉得父母之恩报答不完。因此，当记者问她至今最大的遗憾是什么时，就下意识地反应说要带妈妈去环球影城玩儿。
“原本想在新年时去，但票售完了。现在出来从政，时间又会受影响，短期内估计不可能去了，等过一阵子再抽空一天，一定要为妈妈了却这个心愿。”
《联合早报》
（编辑：赵嘉华）
Tin Pei Ling: He's just a friend, not my boyfriend
Ms Tin Pei Ling has been the subject of netizen attacks. She broke her silence in an interview with Lianhe Zaobao on April 13.
Below is an edited translation:
HE WAS never my boyfriend.
Netizens had posted a picture of Ms Tin Pei Ling, People's Action Party’s youngest candidate in about 40 years, standing next to a man.
They claimed the man was once her boyfriend and that she had dumped him to marry her husband, Mr Ng How Yue, 40, principal private secretary to Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.
Ms Tin, 27, said she learnt of the rumours from a friend.
She added: "The person in the photo is just my friend. He works for a community club. We took that photo during one of the grassroots leaders' wedding.
"Netizens said that he was my boyfriend and even made up a name for him. I was thinking to myself, when did he change his name without me knowing about it?
"They even said that I dumped him because I thought he was too fat.
"He was never my boyfriend. I find the episode extremely funny."
Political pundits expected some reaction, mostly because of her age, when Ms Tin was introduced as a candidate at the end of last month.
But the scale caught them by surprise.
Netizens trawled online and, having found pictures of her, attached unfounded stories.
Ms Tin said she remains stoic despite the online attacks. She said she would rather focus on her motivation for joining the PAP – to help others effectively and do her part for society.
She said: "The most important thing is that my conscience is clear. I have read what people are saying about me online.
"I have also tried to see where they are coming from and why they say certain things about me."
It wasn’t just the "ex-boyfriend" picture.
She was accused of acting cute after a picture of her holding a Kate Spade box and doing a "kawaii" pose appeared online.
Ms Tin said: "I took the photo for keepsake when my husband gave me the handbag for my birthday two or three years ago.
"He liked the photo very much and so I decided to upload the photo online (onto her Facebook account)."
She said she saw the need to protect her privacy and made her personal photo album on Facebook private.
However, netizens were still able to somehow copy the picture.
Does Ms Tin feel victimised?
She said: "Maybe it's because I'm the youngest candidate so far, that's why people are placing more attention on me.
"But I cannot change the fact that I am so young. I just hope that Singaporeans can have confidence in me and give me the opportunity to prove myself.
"I'm prepared to face whatever comes my way."
Repeating comments she made when she was introduced as a candidate on March 28, Ms Tin said her interest in grassroots work was not influenced by her husband.
She said: "Before I got to know my husband, I was already very involved in grassroots activities.
"I was chosen because of my passion for my work at the ground level."
During the National University of Singapore (NUS) Kent Ridge Ministerial Forum last week, the Prime Minister revealed that he had first met Ms Tin during the 2007 PAP convention.
She was a "good grassroots leader" and her experience helping her parents in their family-run coffee shop showed "she knows what it is to be poor and to work hard", Mr Lee had said.
Ms Tin said she is grateful that her husband is by her side to give her strength, adding: "He supports me because he know what my motivation is.
"I want to serve society. He agrees with my views and has been giving me a lot of emotional support."
Ms Tin still believes in using social media to reach out to young Singaporeans, but added that "the same factors that help our cause can also subvert or ruin it".
She said: "I believe most Singaporeans are reasonable and discerning people.
"Many friends and people whom I don't know have stepped forward to give me words of encouragement online.
"This made me realise that there are rational netizens who remain silent and don’t comment."
Growing up, she said she never had the ambition of becoming a Member of Parliament.
For her primary school essays, Ms Tin imagined herself being a teacher, a policewoman and even a doctor. Now, Ms Tin said she's suited to be a politician, adding: "I don't like being an onlooker.
"I like participating in things and I thoroughly enjoyed my seven years as a grassroots activist."
Her work in Ulu Pandan, where she helped MP Mr Christopher de Souza, covered four aspects – encouraging youth to participate in politics, helping needy families and children, helping the young to communicate better with the old and helping social workers look after the residents.
Ms Tin believes that many young people, including students, are kind and want justice and equality in Singapore.
She related an incident while paying residents a visit with several students.
They learnt that some children had not been to kindergarten for some time.
Ms Tin added: "The students felt that people should step forward to bring these young children to kindergarten, so they will not be denied the opportunity to study and learn."
A year ago, Ms Tin was asked to attend a PAP tea session.
After many rounds of interviews, she told herself that she would "take it as it comes and, if the PAP needs her, she would do everything she could".
Ms Tin is now understudying the retiring MP, Mr Matthias Yao in MacPherson, an estate with a large share of elderly residents.
She said she speaks to residents about three or four days a week to learn more about them.
Mr Yao said he's "not worried at all" about Ms Tin and said that she has already come up with proposals to improve the infrastructure in the constituency.
He said: "Ms Tin is able to get along very well with the older folks at MacPherson. She is also very sympathetic."
Residents at MacPherson said that Ms Tin is calm, pretty and has a warm smile.
They felt that people should give her a chance to show what she is capable of.
Ms Tin said: "I am extremely grateful to the MPs for guiding me. They have a wealth of experience and are both my teachers and friends.
"I will continue to work hard and serve the residents at MacPherson well."
When Ms Tin married her husband three years ago – he's 13 years her senior - she had planned to have children this year or the next.
But now that she has been fielded as a new candidate, she wants to wait till "things are more stable" before she makes plans to have children.
Her parents and in-laws support her decision, she said.
Ms Tin hopes to have at least two children.
She said: "Although I don't have children of my own now, I am always keen to hear stories of young couples with children. I want to learn more about the kinds of problems they face."
Ms Tin also mentioned that during her third year in university, her father had cardiovascular surgery and had to rest at home.
She quit school for six months to help her mother in their family-run coffee shop by brewing coffee, serving drinks and collecting money.
An only child, she said it's impossible to fully repay what her parents have done for her.
When reporters asked her what her biggest regret was, she said: "I haven't had the opportunity to take my mother to Universal Studios. I planned to bring her during Chinese New Year, but there were no more tickets.
"Now that I am busy with my work, I don't really have the time to take her any time soon.
"But I hope that when I have time in the future, I can take my mother there and fulfil her wish."
