Before I begin, I wish to pay a warm tribute to two of my former Workers’ Party colleagues, Goh Meng Seng and Chia Ti Lik, who recently submitted their resignations as members of the Party.
Through the Party, I became acquainted with them and over the years, we became close friends.
I reminisce the days where Meng Seng and I, along with other Party members, would spend long hours engaged in political discussions over cups of coffee and tea.
As one of the five candidates in the Party’s Aljunied GRC team in the 2006 General Elections, Meng Seng’s Mandarin-speaking skill was an asset and added robustness to the colourful highlights of election rallies where he made speeches.
Ti Lik and his wife are close friends of my wife and me and we would spend time chatting, in this instance more diverse subjects beyond politics, during dinners and gatherings whenever the opportunity arose.
Being the anchorman of the Party’s East Coast GRC team in the last GE, he played a pivotal role in rolling the team with a competitive edge towards a tough electoral battle.
I wish them both all the best in their future endeavours and they will be missed.
Herein ends my tribute.
In my view, although losing any member at any level is a loss per se, two resignations out of an Executive Council of 15 members is far from setting the party backward beneath recoil.
After the 2006 GE, the Party saw an influx of new members of which future potential leaders have been identified and the process continues to date.
I have faith that given some time, this will not only be more than ample to replenish the vacated spots but also new responsibilities yet to be fulfilled.
According to Meng Seng, he shares the same view; he believes he is not indispensable and the Party will continue to grow with or without him.
Far from being indignant at their resignations, I was indignant of the article in The Sunday Times (ST) dated 12 November 2006 that narrated the accounts as if there was some imminent split within Workers’ Party.
The illustration with a hammer chipping away the Party’s ring of unity was also done in bad taste, as though the “hammer” was cracking up the “unity”.
Nonetheless, I have never relented to any local media journalist and this incident reinforces my viewpoint that they are probably subjected to editorial constraints, even one who has established a “record” for being on the receiving end of an admonishment by a greying former Prime Minister for asking tough questions.
On another matter, the same news piece reported that another Party colleague, Abdul Salim Harun bought “cheng tng” for the protestors at Hong Lim Park two months ago, during the IMF meeting in Singapore.
This sound bite was picked up by Mr Seah Chiang Nee in an article in his website at Littlespeck.com.
This was acutely and grossly erroneous information that the ST should have verified before publication.
In reality, the “cheng tng” was bought by me and another Party member who helped me as my election agent in the last GE.
We bought a total number of ten bowls – five hot, five cold from the upper storey of Hong Lim hawker center and they cost $1 each, plus a pandan cake from a nearby cake shop.
Ask Salim and he will probably be clueless about the above details.
A donation of food or drinks is not by any means a declaration of support for any protest, especially not an illegal one.
Years ago when I was with Think Centre, a political non-government organisation (NGO), the management of both sides cooperated on several joint activities and I became friends with them.
I believe most people who see their friends sweltering under the hot sun and dousing under the rain would present a token gesture.
In addition, I learnt that the person who was assigned to buy dinner for them did not arrive by 8.30 pm.
To use an analogy, if a friend makes up his mind to skip an important school examination to play in a soccer tournament, one may not agree with his decision but if he buys a drink for his friend after the match to quench his thirst, it does not change the fact that he did not agree with his friend’s decision.
Salim has since written a letter to ST to clarify the matter; whether they will publish it or otherwise remains to be seen.
Finally, it is also far from the truth that Salim “received an icy reception from the WP leaders”.
If the Party leaders were indeed petty and autocratic as portrayed, I would have received an “icier” response over the matter.
I have explained fully the reasons to the key personnel of the Party’s Executive Council after the incident and they gave me their understanding.
I believe to them, it was not an issue worth raising further and it would make no sense to begrudge their own member doing a kind deed for some friends.
In my view, Workers’ Party is a progressive party and will continue to be under the present leadership.
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