Vicki Yang / Benjamin Cheah /
Lina Chiam is proud of the office of the Potong Pasir Town Council. Located at Block 121 in the Single-member Constituency, it was fought for by Mr Chiam See Tong in 1984, when he first won the elections in that ward. It was only five years later that the Housing and Development Board (HDB) developed the office from the void deck area, Mrs Chiam tells The Online Citizen (TOC).
Political recognition does not come easy. Mrs Chiam will face her battle in the upcoming General Election – in the very ward which her husband has represented as MP for 27 years. .
Her credentials come in the form of 35 years of experience of supporting and helping her husband run the town and in his campaign in eight elections, beginning in 1976, when Mr Chiam contested Cairnhill seat.
This makes Mrs Chiam arguably the most experienced fresh candidate for the upcoming elections. Far from a passive bystander, Mrs Chiam has been involved in conducting door-to-door interviews, campaigning, serving on the Potong Pasir Town council as vice-chairman, and helping Mr Chiam prepare for his parliamentary sessions. When the Singapore People’s Party decided to field her as his replacement, it was almost as if her role as her husband’s successor is a natural extension of what she has been doing since the early days of Mr Chiam’s political career. In fact, as she describes, her husband and her “mirror each other”.
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Let me be the first one here to congratulate Mrs Chiam in stepping up to serve the residents of Potong Pasir.
My only regret is that I am no more residing in Potong Pasir and not able to cast my vote to support her personally.
All the best to you.
Keep it up Mrs Chiam. You and your husband well deserve the respect and admiration of all Singaporeans for your extremely good work in a difficult political environment made unfair towards alternative political parties. I will surely vote for you if I am in your constituency.
I was in the East Coast GRC but woke up one morning to discover that the gerrymanderers have sent me and my family to The Joo Chiat Constituency where greater mortal Charles Chong is hoping for another term in parliament. Too bad he WILL NOT get my family’s vote. We will simply vote for anything but the self serving, greedy PAP. The last 2 decades of bad policies from the PAP have done great damage to the country. Enough is enough!!!!!!!!!!!!
I support Mrs Chiam for Potong Pasir. We should vote her in at the coming G.E. to replace Mr Chiam who has done an excellent job there as MP.
While Mr Chiam take the stakes against the pap one step further, Mrs Chiam can be assured of the Potong Pasir residents’ support for her and the party.
Go for it, Mr and Mrs Chiam.
I am a new pte estate resident in One Leicester. Sitoh have came to our estate. Pls also come to our estate as many residents here would love to meet yourself and Mr Chiam in person.
http://blogs.straitstimes.com/2011/3/30/when-a-clean-sweep-sends-the-wrong-signal
see how an experienced player manipulating the psychology of the masses through the media subtly twists the reading of the situation.
Chua Mui Hoong once said that the last thing she’ll do is something like to keep PAP in power. it might really be her Last Thing.
In response to ‘matadorepy’, there was a Today report where Mrs Chiam was quoted as saying that when she approached the management committees of the condos in Potong Pasir to meet with the residents, she was turned away while Sitoh was welcomed. Please take this up with your management committee and pressure them to allow Mrs Chiam to visit your estate!
OL is a relatively new estate. This election, all new residents has the right to meet the incumbent MP and his successor. This is an even-level playing field. The MC don’t have the right to prevent such meeting. Even they do many families here will meet them as in our our private guests.
Ha Ha Pte Estate residents have such freedom to override suvh autocratic MC on such matter !!.
Mrs Chiam, I do not stay in Potong Pasir but you will have my support. You have proven yourself by standing beside Mr Chiam for the last 30 years.
Good luck, Mrs Chiam! I am sure the people in Potong Pasir will give you their 100%!
I really hope we could get some Opposition into parliament this time! I dont need doctors, professors, lawyers, NTUC chairmen or even ex-generals; I just want a guy that cares for everyone & a real heart to help.
Yes I hope Mrs Chiam gets in. She looks the most genuine amongst all the new candidates (PaP included).
I just moved into Potong Pasir recently. Mrs Chiam has my full support in this coming election. We need courageous people who is truly concern about Singaporeans. I feel alienated by PAP. Potong Pasir estate is probably the best run estate, it has a retro feel, lots of greenery, clean. Unlike GCT so-called model Marine Parade HDB with its upgrades and shaded walkways that look so un-cordinated and artificial
Mrs Chiam could easily retire in comfort. Being an opposition is no easy task as we have seen how unfair the playing field was. Take for example, Sitoh was allowed to visit a condo while she was not. So there is this element of fear dwelled inside the condominium management Nevertheless, for the sake of Singaporeans, she has to take on her husband role to do something good for the people. I salute her.
i think if you reduce their pay, the Chiams will still gladly run for office.
their motivation is different from the run-of-the-mill PAP candidate that requires pay pegged to private sector / rising GDP / don’t peg to falling GDP etc.
I wish her all the best. We need more women in Parliament and she seems very capable.
I wish her all the best in her campaign and may she continue to serve the residents of Potong Pasir as they have done so well in the last 27 years.
Btw, who is this Sitoh guy related to. Why field a 2-time loser for the same estate? Trying to score a turkey?
Lina Chiam is awesome. Most women get worried when their husbands enter opposition parties, and force them to quit politics. Lina Chiam has stood by him for so many years, and now she is even stepping up to take part herself. I salute you Mrs Chiam!
Mdm Chiam all the best you stand by your man,great.PP will support you.
Chiam is synonymous with Potong Pasir. This surname will forever has a place in the heart of residents there.
The people of Potong Pasir is worthy of respect by all people in Singapore for their steadfastness in electing opposition to run their estate. Though they know that the opposition does not have as much resources as PAP, they did not betray their beloved Chiam. Today they will again stand strong for his other part.
To the residents of Potong Pasir I salute.
Support Mrs. Chiam, the people of Singapore is behind you.
We love you!!
Dear Mrs Lina Chiam,my best wishes to you as you having been standing by your men in the last 30 years,kudos to you and may you win more than 95% of PP votes in your favor and god bless you and your family.
I likened her to Hillary Clinton in pre-Clinton administration. Hope she can prove her mettle if she succeeds.
yes please leave the people to decide
even amon MY kakis..some1 inside die die 1st poton pasir to disappear citin ow ole mr chiamseetong is
and i suaned him tanjon pagar leekingyou not ole mey?
this type of kakis amon us is BAD…
damn selfish B A S T A R D
that inside kakis blamed mr chiam see tong for haltin ALL the goodies dued as though mr chiam see tong hav any ministerial power to acrtivate/overide the bloomin pap rulin party
i wished mrs Chiam all the best
I loved it everytime I’m in Potong Pasir. Somehow, there’s this serenity which I cannot feel in the other estates. I guess it kinda reflect the type of people living there – quietly courageous, that is.
All the best, Mrs. Chiam!
Mrs Chiam has our respect for standing by Mr Chiam all these years he is being ‘bullied’ by PAP. Hard life and hard fight.
May both of them win by comfortable majority the coming election.
Have You Read The Truth Yet ???
http://taihonghung44.blogspot.com/
We need people who come to serve the country and it’s people not their own gains and rewards. Mr and mrs chiam serve under this difficult conditions win respect and love. Ministers should serve people with heart and brain and able to stay uncorrupted even without millions pay.
Mr Chiam has sacrificed a lot for this nation AT THE EXPENSE OF HIS LOVE FOR THE PEOPLE OF THIS COUNTRY AND NOT THE PAY PER SAY. It is a pity I am not in Potong Pasir. What the people want is NOT merchanaries with “capabilties”, what people want is someone who serves the people selflessly not for mercanary rewards rather than love for Singapore.
Perhaps the next government can consider this coming into the next TOUGH year due to geopolitical events which will inevitably affect us.
CUT THE PAY OF ALL THE CIVIL SERVANTS ACROSS THE BOARD AND DO SO IN A MEASUREABLE DEGREE. ( MAYBE 30%?- SLOWLY) , when we see those capable willing to serve with a paycut, I will gladly vote for them and pay increased taxes. Lets HONESTLY build this nation together.
we do not need a wider income gap
or
“elite”s who do not understand what is happening on the ground
take a leaf from Mr and Mrs Chiam See Tong.
This is a REAL civil SERVANT.
I support you as an future MP, keep up the good work.
This is serious business AND THIS is the way to GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO.
Mrs Chiam, you have the right attitude and cool way, so carry on and sure to be elected MP.
Ms Lina Chaim, we salut you for stepping up to the challange, and giving us a chance to vote a long serving opposition party member into parliment.
Thank you!