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Dec 21, 2010
SCCCI gets 12 new faces in its council
For the first time, voting is based on merit and not clan affiliation
By Leong Weng Kam, Senior Writer
THE boss of the Sheng Siong supermarket chain, the owner of the Jumbo group of seafood restaurants, the group president of public-listed Sembcorp Industries, and the chief executive of ARA Asset Management, one of Asia's largest fund managers.
They are among 12 new faces in the new 55-member council of the Singapore Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCCI).
They were elected at the end of the third and final stage of elections held at the chamber's Hill Street premises yesterday. The elections began two months ago.
More significantly, the four - Sheng Siong's managing director Lim Hock Chee, 50; Jumbo's Ang Kiam Meng, 48, who is also president of the Restaurant Association of Singapore; Sembcorp's Tang Kin Fei, 59; and ARA's CEO John Lim, 54 - do not belong to any Chinese clan associations.
Their election was made possible because, for the first time, voting was based on merit and not clan affiliations.
Also for the first time in more than 100 years, no seats were reserved for dialect or clan groups in the SCCCI's council.
The seven seats reserved for founding dialect-clan groups - Hokkien, Teochew, Cantonese, Hainanese, Sanjiang, Meixian and Dapu - were abolished following the chamber's last annual general meeting in May.
The clan-based representation system had been in place since the chamber's 1906 beginnings.
The SCCCI represents 4,000 Chinese corporations and individuals, and 133 trade associations.
'Now I don't have to bother about the dialect group a potential candidate belongs to. This gives me a wider range of people to choose our leaders from,' said SCCCI president Teo Siong Seng.
This, he added, could be seen in the composition of the new 56th council, with members coming from very diverse backgrounds and industries.
The new faces include representatives from the chemical and pharmaceutical industries, information technology, freight services and chinaware.
Mr Tan Choon Boon, 60, the managing director of kitchen equipment company Sia Huat and president of the Singapore Chinaware Merchants Association, said: 'I represent dealers in porcelain wares in Singapore. With my being in the council, I hope to create better business opportunities for them.'
Prior to the abolition of the clan-based representation system, which began incrementally in 1993, all council members were elected along dialect and clan lines. Their numbers in the council were in proportion to the respective clan's strength in the chamber.
Other changes introduced this year included a reduction in the size of the council from 65 to 55; and capping at 70 the age of those who can serve on the council.
As a result, four members who will turn 70 before the new council is installed next March were required to step down before the latest elections.
'The council's size may be reduced, but with more younger, capable leaders who are willing to serve the Chinese business community, we can still make a difference,' said Mr Teo.
[email protected]
SCCCI gets 12 new faces in its council
For the first time, voting is based on merit and not clan affiliation
By Leong Weng Kam, Senior Writer
THE boss of the Sheng Siong supermarket chain, the owner of the Jumbo group of seafood restaurants, the group president of public-listed Sembcorp Industries, and the chief executive of ARA Asset Management, one of Asia's largest fund managers.
They are among 12 new faces in the new 55-member council of the Singapore Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCCI).
They were elected at the end of the third and final stage of elections held at the chamber's Hill Street premises yesterday. The elections began two months ago.
More significantly, the four - Sheng Siong's managing director Lim Hock Chee, 50; Jumbo's Ang Kiam Meng, 48, who is also president of the Restaurant Association of Singapore; Sembcorp's Tang Kin Fei, 59; and ARA's CEO John Lim, 54 - do not belong to any Chinese clan associations.
Their election was made possible because, for the first time, voting was based on merit and not clan affiliations.
Also for the first time in more than 100 years, no seats were reserved for dialect or clan groups in the SCCCI's council.
The seven seats reserved for founding dialect-clan groups - Hokkien, Teochew, Cantonese, Hainanese, Sanjiang, Meixian and Dapu - were abolished following the chamber's last annual general meeting in May.
The clan-based representation system had been in place since the chamber's 1906 beginnings.
The SCCCI represents 4,000 Chinese corporations and individuals, and 133 trade associations.
'Now I don't have to bother about the dialect group a potential candidate belongs to. This gives me a wider range of people to choose our leaders from,' said SCCCI president Teo Siong Seng.
This, he added, could be seen in the composition of the new 56th council, with members coming from very diverse backgrounds and industries.
The new faces include representatives from the chemical and pharmaceutical industries, information technology, freight services and chinaware.
Mr Tan Choon Boon, 60, the managing director of kitchen equipment company Sia Huat and president of the Singapore Chinaware Merchants Association, said: 'I represent dealers in porcelain wares in Singapore. With my being in the council, I hope to create better business opportunities for them.'
Prior to the abolition of the clan-based representation system, which began incrementally in 1993, all council members were elected along dialect and clan lines. Their numbers in the council were in proportion to the respective clan's strength in the chamber.
Other changes introduced this year included a reduction in the size of the council from 65 to 55; and capping at 70 the age of those who can serve on the council.
As a result, four members who will turn 70 before the new council is installed next March were required to step down before the latest elections.
'The council's size may be reduced, but with more younger, capable leaders who are willing to serve the Chinese business community, we can still make a difference,' said Mr Teo.
[email protected]
