meiling hawkers remember gohmengseng!

[leetahbar]

was pleasantly surprised that my li'l brother leetahsar was plagued today by hawkers at mei ling hawker centre. no, they weren't after his fat arse or plotting to take turn bashing him up. initially i was startled, when the kopi boy who brought LTS's teh-c siew dai (tea with cream n less sugar) sat down and started asking him about the current happening of his evil twin gohmengseng.

kopiboy was surprised that gms had called it quit after failing to win a ward after the GE and he began asking LTS why. gms once patronised mei ling hc with his NSP gang and LTS was there to welcome him for kopi, tea or me thingy so many of the hawkers there knew the fat orange T's boy sitting with LTS was gohmengseng. who could miss him now? gms is such a regular appearing almost daily in the chinese paper. his quitting fr NSP was big time news to all the lesser mortals.

what puzzled many hawkers and LTS and me included was why did gms pledge to help tan kin lian in his quest for presidency? the hawkers may like and admire gms for what he had done but most of them frowned upon tkl - again for what he shouldn't ve done! LOL!!

one memorable lame incident was NTUC INCOME once tried to by-passed commission fo their agents by encouraging clients to buy direct fr NTUC. true or not, well, that was what most hawkers knew so it must have been true as some of their children were NTUC INCOME insurance agent who quit due to that betrayal of ethical code. tan kin lian was the overlord then and hence became the notorious infamous one.

among other things shared during the gradual building up of audience, tkl was infamously known to be quite a glutton. those who sat with him in the same dinner table would definitely lose out. true or not? well, i couldn't be bothered.

finally one wise senior hawker summed up the whole perspective of tan kin lian and gohmengseng which calls for everyone's subjective view.

he said gohmengseng after failing his quest for MP title now seek the alternative. he was ganging up with tan kian lian for the presidency hopeful. hence his close association with tkl and aiding him exploiting the minibond issues and whatever advantages voluntary works both of them had coerced b4.

as for tkl, he could be certain to be 100% failure with or without gms' aid or involvement. the reason was very clear. being the ex-ceo of NTUC INCOME, he would hv much exposed public relation with many walks of life. if he was a good and sincere man, supports should voluntarily be pouring towards him. but according to the paper, that seemed to be lacking.

on the contrary, tkl claimed to be quite well-off, so why should he be pleading for donations? to aggravate matter, tkl now pushed the blame to the FEAR FACTOR that supporters were quite withdrawn to donate for fear of being "marked" by the gov. this is preposterous!! and no difference fr the same lame excuses frequently used by chee soon juan.

strangely, that didn't make tan kin lian much different from chee. both were just good pusher of excuses and conveniently put the blame on gov for anything they might fail.

and for that, tan kin lian shall fail. the hawkers were concerned that gohmengseng who now instilled such good impression on the heartlanders might mar his reputation for mixing up with tan kin lian. the hawkers were now confused whether gohmengseng was benefitting fr tan and in return tan was exploiting gms' current baskful of media exposure and popularity to gain some sympathetic supports.

such a symbiosis could end up a lose-lose situation for both incumbents especially gms. tan kin lian already loses even b4 the really polling starts. as for gohmengseng, he may stand to lose every credibility that he painfully builds up through all his effort. it could be good effort put to waste.

the hawkers in mei ling had spoken their hearts. it's now up to gohmengseng to think hard about the outcome. whether it's all worthwhile, he has to decide and tread carefully.

sgp president though is just a decorative figurehead but still, it commands the million $ pay and the fake honor attached to it. but such faked honor would be further enhanced if such highest title of the country lands on another dubious or faked character.

 

[leetahbar]

the more we need to shield, protect and defend gohmengseng who is a good man thoroughly misunderstood. who would look after your demised brother's family? well, gohmengseng has pledged that and one of his reason of quitting NSP is just to do that. he needs to support 2 families now: his and his dead elder brother's.

if that's not a good man, then who is?

i m writing this as a reminder to what he could be facing if he get mixed up with others who might adversely affect him. just like chiatilik who mixed up with lamei faces downhill all the way which was a very unfortunate and ill-fated illicit liasion.

more here:

http://sammyboy.com/showthread.php?87735-the-more-we-need-to-shield-gohmengseng.....

 

[BusNo64]

..............

oi cbkia bob sim kheng hwee, r u still beating ur father and scolding ur mother laucheebye? r u still taking pocket money from ur aged parents? :oIo::oIo::oIo::oIo::oIo:

 

[leetahbar]

well, well, here comes the SDP IB. did lamei invoke u to do all her dirty works? what benefits do u derive?

 

[CheesePie]

the more we need to shield, protect and defend gohmengseng who is a good man thoroughly misunderstood.

Hi Bob! How ya doin' Bob!

You still haven't explain why you log in to 3WhiteTiger to celebrate the demise of GMS brother with a pop champagne pic.

 

[leetahbar]

next rep fr SDP IB. clones included

as could be seen, SDP IB is fervently against gohmengseng. now backroll that and one would realise the trickiest initiator could be u knw who. she is one who is best in using others to do all her dirty works

 

[BusNo64]

well, well, here comes the SDP IB. did lamei invoke u to do all her dirty works? what benefits do u derive?

pls lah...wat IB...just ask u whether u still beating ur father and scolding ur mother laucheebye only wat?.....why dare not answer? still beating them issit? :olo:

 

[Jah_rastafar_I]

Bob lts is also you what do you mean your xiao didi?


Knn you have split personality?

 

[BusNo64]

well, well, here comes the SDP IB. did lamei invoke u to do all her dirty works? what benefits do u derive?

pls lah...wat IB...just ask u whether u still beating ur father and scolding ur mother laucheebye only wat?.....why dare not answer? still beating them issit? :olo:

 

[BusNo64]

Hi Bob! How ya doin' Bob!

You still haven't explain why you log in to 3WhiteTiger to celebrate the demise of GMS brother with a pop champagne pic.

dat why i say dis pappy running dog mole bob sim is sent by his pappy master baey to stir shit in this forum and create discord among opposition supporters....as leetahbar he will pretend to support fatfark GMS...then he log in as 3whitetiger to whack GMS....mofo bob sim kheng hwee is really a doubel headed snake.

 

[leetahbar]

everyone knows what this bus64 up so let's ignore

 

[leetahbar]

many write good things and tidings for gohmengseng. here's one of them:

The Truth Behind Goh Meng Seng’s Political Step-

Many must be shell shocked by National Solidarity Party’s Secretary-General (SG) Mr Goh Meng Seng’s recent decision to step down from politics to take a 2-year political sabbatical break.

He was the NSP’s SG for fifteen months and led the party in the recent 2011 General Election.

He is most likely seeking a executive director’s position in Hong Kong’s NGO so that he can spend more time with his family there.

Hazel Poa will take over the position of SG with immediate effect.

When news broke out that he quitted, many friends and NSP supporters asked me why Meng Seng made that decision – especially when he did so well at Tampines GRC as the team managed to garner 43% of the votes during the recent general election. Many also rumoured that the good result toppled Mr Mah Bow Tan from his position as Minister for National Development.

Was he taking responsibility for the collective poor showing at the polls as no one in NSP managed to win any Member of Parliament (MP) seat – not even a Non Constituency Member of Parliament (NCMP) position.

Not many SG in opposition politics took responsibility for their party’s poor showing at the polls and Meng Seng must be given credit for been the first one to do so.

Nevertheless, many people have also speculated that Meng Seng could be ousted as he is a straight talking guy and sometimes tend to step on too many toes while he discharged his duties perhaps abit too stringently.

I will not want to touch on this topic too much here as I am still a NSP Congress member and it is also a sensitive issue.

Humble Yet Proud Guy?

I first met Meng Seng three years ago – after a TOC event at Hong Lim Park. We just finished our speeches and he approached me asking whether I want to meet him for a chat on another day.

He had a ever ready smile and never seem to lose that sparkle in his eyes when he talked. It is difficult not to like this guy.

Knowing that he belonged to a political party and been rather non-partisan then, I turned him down. However, deep down inside me, I knew that I won’t be seeing this guy for the last time…

We didn’t cross path much during these past few years as I was abroad for a long while.

I heard that he left Workers’ Party and later joined NSP – becoming their SG shortly.

It was not surprising that he took up such a high-profiled position in opposition politics as he has a deep seated conviction about such matter.

He told me during our campaigning in Tampines GRC that his dad was in politics and it ran in his family.

He was proud to mention that he introduced opposition politics to his eldest brother, David, who later became his Principal Election Party in Tampines GRC. Unfortunately, he passed away due to a heart attack on the first day of campaigning.

While still living in Sydney last year, he emailed me asking if I am keen to join politics. I took up the challenge later when I decided to stand in the recent General Election.

When I came back to Singapore early this year, I met him up in Bishan J8 Toastbox and was surprised at his attire.

He was dressed in a kaki-coloured Bermuda and his tummy showed when he tucked in his round necked tee underneath it. His sandals seemed to complete the image of a hawker working in the coffee shop.

Though I am not expecting him to wear a tie to meet me, I was completely overwhelmed by his casual approach when he went to talk to potential election candidates.

He was relaxed, humble and easy to talk to. Compared to Kenneth Jeyeretnam whom I would be talking to in a few days’ time, Meng Seng came across as someone who is approachable and open.

I felt very comfortable around him but were still bothered by his extremely casual attire.

He didn’t really push me to join his party like Kenneth did and there was no contact from him after we spoke. Kenneth, on the other hand, did his best to bring me into the party and even asked someone from Australia – Irene, to email me daily and persuaded me to join RP.

Of course, all of you knew what happened next and I don’t want to repeat myself here.

Meng Seng would termed it my first political mistake…

Though many people saw that, on the exterior, Meng Seng seems humble and easy going, deep down he is rather obstinate and hold to his principles very well. Sometimes, it works well for him but on numerous occasions, his stubborn streak didn’t serve him well.

Perhaps, as a party leader, you can’t seem to be regularly switching stance or else people will think that you are fickle minded and inconsistent so you want to be seen as unbendable and steady.

Some have even commented that he could come across as rather proud and insisted on having his own way. He also self-praised quite a fair bit and this adds on to the notion that he may come across as being rather self-conceited.

Nevertheless, on a personal level, I felt that he is not too open to criticism and tend to hold on to his own thinking even though it could be flawed.

For example, Meng Seng always felt that the success of the election campaigning boiled down to how much exposure we have gained through the media.

Many people knew by now that there was a news black-out on Tampines GRC for NSP during the 9 days of campaigning and except for the slight reporting on David’s death, we didn’t gain any fair media coverage through the mainstream media (MSM).

We knew that was deliberate as Tampines GRC was seen as a possible upset win for the opposition party due to the Mah Bow Tan’s factor.

Sticking to his media-theme gun, Meng Seng didn’t really have a Plan B when that didn’t work and we simply campaigned without any strategy at all after that.

I could see though that his plan to use the media to his advantage eventually backfired on him badly.

Too Casual As Secretary General?

On the other hand, many have also commented that he is seen as been too casual and approachable as a secretary general.

He can be out having coffee with his volunteers laughing away heartily and many may have taken his casualness as a weakness.

It was perhaps his difficult time at the Workers’ Party that made him want to be seen as approachable and open in his leadership style.

At Workers’ Party, many members have left as they could not stand the SG Low Thian Kiang’s autocratic leadership style.

Nevertheless, on a personal level, I felt that his casual manner may have appeal to some – especially those who dislike leaders who are too dogmatic.

His consultative manner also invite people to also criticize him openly – sometimes in front of other people and slowly, people may have lose the respect for him.

Well Read

I was actually floored at how well-read Meng Seng is.

I remembered we had dinner with someone at a posh restaurant in Hotel Hyatt just after the election.

We were talking about ancient China politics in comparison with the European ones and his exposition literally made my jaw dropped.

Moreover, he is not even a political science student as he did economics in varsity. He gained a second upper honours degree and that made him quite an intelligent guy.

I learned quite a lot that day from him and he is eight years younger than me…

“Many people have told me that I am not intellectual enough in my conversation,” he later confided in me on our many trips back in his beaten-up van.

I have never felt that he is not intellectual enough but perhaps he lacks the clout to make people sit up and take notice when he speaks.

It is not something we all have and perhaps that is why some leaders are literally born and not make.

I always see Meng Seng more as an activist than a politician and I am sure that he can be a damn good one.

As an activist, you are also impacting lives as much as politicians do and more importantly you escape from all the dirt that politics bring.

It is also more rewarding as you touch lives without the sick feeling that there is an ultimate aim of winning their votes when you try to help them.

This has also being my constant struggle with opposition politics as people tend to perceive that you help them with a motive – to garner their votes to win the next election.

Conclusion

As Meng Seng faded into political seclusion for the next two years, let us hope that he will not take this as a set back but try to plough his massive energy into an NGO or even set up one on his own.

Many people have said that politics is always in one’s blood and when you have tasted it before , you can never leave it out completely from your life.

I am sure that there are many Meng Seng’s fans out there hoping that he will make a come back after his sabbatical.

Though we don’t really see eye to eye on some matters, we have always reserved that mutual respect for one other.

I am also gratified that you took me in after the short RP nightmarish stint and even made me a member of the Tampines GRC team. Many other candidates were eyeing for a spot within the GRC team…

I wish you all the best Meng Seng and sometimes what don’t kill us makes us stronger! After all, politics is already running in your blood and do make a comeback but in a sterner fashion…

 

[Goh Meng Seng]

Ah Leetahbar,

While some people like those insurance agents may dislike or even hate TKL for "cutting off" their commission or asking consumers going direct to Income to buy certain insurance (NOT ALL, not possible for Life Insurance and such) like Motor Vehicle Insurance through INTERNET but look at the other side of the coin, consumers actually benefited from such arrangement! The insurance becomes cheaper and it becomes more EFFICIENT for them to renew their car insurance!

I think Income, under TKL was the first to introduce such scheme and now, you basically can buy even travel insurance from internet!

The truth is, such changes in the way such basic "commodity" insurance are sold is totally inevitable with technological advances. It also good in the way that it forces insurance agent to upgrade and provide more value added services with more proficient in their other life insurance products. In fact, they moved on to financial advisers in the end, not just lower grade insurance peddlers.

Look at the bright side. Good things come out from his decision.

Goh Meng Seng

 

[leetahbar]

many insurance agents thus lost their way of living after being loyal and making tons of $ for NTUC. it's a good thing, tkl was asked to go. and we all thought that NTUC is for the benefits of workers but that isn't really so.

beside this issue, personal character of tkl is also controversial. most are bad reviews about him. just ask any insurance agents. if he wasn't a good boss; don't think he would make a good president. anyway, his chances are very slim. but having u associating and aiding him would also put u in a poor limelight. that was the puzzle those hawkers and many can't figure out.

 

[Goh Meng Seng]

Ah Leetahbar,

Look at it this way, it will cut both ways. It is a business decision which will affect some people, benefit many consumers.

Apparently, you will realize people who are affected will definitely have nothing good to say about those who they viewed as their main source of unhappiness. This is understandable.

Not that I say this decision is good or bad. Actually, it may by not be good for Income because in short term, they may benefit the consumers as well as the company but in the long term, if it ends up with no agents pushing and marketing their insurance products, it may not be good at all.

But let's see from the objective indicators; did Income suffer after such system was launched years ago?

Goh Meng Seng

many insurance agents thus lost their way of living after being loyal and making tons of $ for NTUC. it's a good thing, tkl was asked to go. and we all thought that NTUC is for the benefits of workers but that isn't really so.

beside this issue, personal character of tkl is also controversial. most are bad reviews about him. just ask any insurance agents. if he wasn't a good boss; don't think he would make a good president. anyway, his chances are very slim. but having u associating and aiding him would also put u in a poor limelight. that was the puzzle those hawkers and many can't figure out.

 

[leetahbar]

could u tell us your real ( or at least near to real) reason why u helping tan kin lian? would there be consequences especially dire ones to u should his votes get below expectation? by the way, is there a limit to warrant refund of the deposit $?

one last and most important question in everyone's mind:

what would u stand to gain or benefit should tkl be made president of sg for the next 5 yrs?