RP now and PR tomorrow

PR here stands for Permanently Resigned, i.e, no longer RP member after brief joining. what could be wrong with RP after grandmaster JBJ's death? could it be like what was alleged about KJ's difficult persona?

frankly most of opp parties kungfu masters were quite similar in such lofty i-say-u-follow attitude. if that were to continue, losing GE would be inevitable. even if wards were to be won, internal conflict and strife might still persist and make their victory a mockery and a great disappointment to the voters.

the opp masters and their disciples had just got to get their act right and in tandem. sadly, this is easier said than done. a strong reliable and respectful leadership appeared to be missing in the opp clans.

The past few days were sheer torture as I was caught up by the political turmoil in Reform Party. Many people have already knew that I have joined Reform Party then and equally shocked to learn that I have left them only after a few weeks.

For the record, I have left Reform Party on my own accord and did so before the news broke out for the departure of the other nine members. I was not influenced in any way by their infamous departure.

I have never thought that my short encounter with politics would be that colourful and eventful and I am only into my second month! My learning curve in politics has taken on a fourth gear ride…

Never in my wildest dream would I imagine myself to join a political party and quitting it a few weeks later…it was a personal setback to say the least.

I actually took a few days off to clear my head and hope to make a come back soon given that my political ambition is still very much alive. The episode though disappointing has also allowed me to fast-track on my political learning curve.

I have heard that politics can be difficult and taxing but could never fathom that the emotional stress can be that overwhelming especially when something went that awry. I must be on every major newspaper and socio-political sites by now.

I joined the party after speaking with Kenneth – Reform Party’s Secretary General – on the first week of February. I took a week to think through before making up my mind to join them.

Before that, we have a few email exchange while I was still residing in Sydney. It was all very cordial but superficial.

We met up in Starbucks Orchard and though it was only an hour of chat, I knew that this guy is serious in what he is doing and more importantly very driven.

Nevertheless, despite his (Kenneth Jeyaretnam's) mesmerizing presence, he also came across as somewhat detached and rather aloof. He hardly smiles and if he does, it is artificial and almost unnoticeable.

I was caught in a dilemma as though I like the party’s mandate and his overwhelming presence, I am rather uncomfortable with his persona.

I knew that if you could not work well with the party’s secretary general, you will be in for a rough time. The many unpleasant incidents that I read from the press involving opposite parties have really put me on my guard.

After deliberating between Reform Party (RP) and National Solidarity Party (NSP), I took the calculated risk of joining RP – knowing fully that my decision could be wrong. It was one of those decision that you knew you have to do despite the fact that it may carry some form of risk.

I preferred to take some calculated risk than err on the side of caution. My adventure with life has somewhat geared me to do that and having live abroad for a while, I guess I am more risk-taking and battled than most people when it comes to handling adversity.

Walk-abouts and questions

I went for a few rounds of walk-abouts with the team and realized that they have a lot of youth joining them. I have never seen so many youth coming out on a week day doing something that is so meaningful and life-exchanging and it was a very motivational moment for me.

If this group of youth can come out of their busy schedule to knock on doors for Singapore without any personal agenda on a week day, how can I not come out and do the same if I want to stand up as a political candidate during the next election?

Nevertheless, the nagging question remained: Where is Tony and Hazel and why are most of the walk-abouts dominated by the youth? Where are all the adults or potential candidates? It is perplexing and no one is willing to talk about such matter with me.

Though I don’t really know Tony and Hazel well enough, we have exchanged several facebook messages last year and they struck me as decent people who believed in what they are doing. They have also spoken well of Reform Party then and have asked me to join them if I returned to Singapore.

We lost contact for the whole of last year and I reckoned that they must be busy with work and other matters.

I have also never contacted them at all when I deliberated on whether to join Reform Party or not. I felt that such decision is best made by myself independently and I don’t like to be unduly influenced by anyone.

Moreover, Kenneth seems to be the main man in the party and despite repeated denials, one could not help but believe that ultimately he will call the shots when it comes to the shove. The gnawing fear that this is yet another one-man party is undeniably strong.

After a few rounds of walk-abouts and casual chats with Kenneth, I felt that indeed I have real difficulty connecting with him.

He is rather introverted in nature though I knew that he tried his very best to connect with the people around him. We chatted casually a few times and it was mostly very official and on party’s matters. My heart sank as I would prefer a more than cordial relationship with the party’s secretary-general if possible. At least, I would want to see the SG to be someone who is approachable and forthcoming.

If he is always seen to be putting up walls around him then it will be difficult for anyone to come and share their life with him.

Many of us have paid a great price to join opposition politics thinking that we can do something for our country. Friends and even family members may shun away from us when we join the opposition.

Some have also place their rice bowl in jeopardy and families have crossed swords with one another when their loved ones join opposition politics.

Personally, my wife has told me that she will divorce me if I join politics.

There is this fear that is so ingrained in many of us that once a person joins opposition politics, he has already sign his death certificate and he is on a journey of no happy return.

Singapore’s culture

Maybe in Singapore or Asia in general, most of us prefer a more casual working relationship with our fellow party members especially when opposition politics is seen as daunting and intimidating.

Our government’s unrelentless use of suits to knock opposition candidates down have definitely sent out a chilling message to the opposition field – its going to be a hard ride if you want to join the opposition politics. You will also rub shoulders easily the wrong way given the tension in the opposition party camp.

Of course, one could not expect the SG to bring himself so low that no one will respect him but at least he should be seen as approachable and communicative.

If possible, he should find out more about the strengths and weaknesses of his members or potential election candidates and try to provide him as large a platform for him to manovure politically as possible. More importantly, the potential candidates need time and room to move around freely so that he will find his niche and political acumen over time.

Most of us come in to serve politically after counting the cost and if we encounter too many shut-off or close-door, we may as well not join politics at all and remain as normal citizens or arm chair critics.

By the third week after joining RP, I was already feeling very edgy and uncomfortable mainly with the disappearance of my couple friend and my inability to connect well with my SG.

I called Kenneth and told him that I wanted to have a chat with him face to face. The first thing he asked me was: “Are you pulling out?” I was shocked and even exasperated and knew that the chat wasn’t going to be anything cordial.

I am someone who preferred to talk out my doubts and of course, wanted some answers if possible.

We arranged to meet and the talk deteriorated from the first minute. I am in no liberty to disclose our exchange here and I hope that readers will respect this decision of mine.

The whole issue boiled down to a lot of differences between us and
an unwillingness to be transparent with one another.

Nevertheless, my short traumatic experience has enabled me to offer a few suggestions to potential opposition party candidates and also to our various opposition parties here.

If you want to join opposition party politics, be prepared that there is no perfect party to join. Each party has it’s strengths and weaknesses and you won’t know party suits you until you join one.

Attend their walk-abouts and open-house events. Don’t jump straight into one and regret later on as it will be tricky to withdraw your membership once it is approved.

Talk to the people around you and get a feel of how they run their operations. As election time is very near, most parties will be in high gear now and this is the best time to actually go on the ground and attend their many scheduled events.

More importantly, check out the secretary general who normally will be the person to call the shots though there will always be the CEC around to act as a check.

If you sense that the SG is someone who is very highly regarded and even revered, then you have to decide whether you can accept such a party philosophy.

Sadly in Singapore, most parties are centred around one man – normally the SG and we all know that when this happens, most of the other party members will hardly have a say in the opposition party affairs. It will be sad if there is only one person who makes all the decisions for the party.
For the party’s secretary general, its always wise to allow the party members, especially if he is being identified as a potential election candidate, to go on a few rounds of walk-abouts and party events with the team. This way, he is able to get a feel of the team dynamics and more importantly judge whether he can gell with the team members or not.

Someone has told me that identifying a potential election candidate is like going on a date. You get to know one another, identify each other’s strengths and weaknesses and decide whether the marriage will still carry on.

Some may feel that the union will not last and wants to call it quit. Others will take off smoothly and the union ends up in a marriage of permanence.
Due to the shortage of abled talent in opposition politics, I urge all Singaporeans who want to make a difference, to join us.

You need not be a well-educated professional but someone who really wants to do something for the country whole-heartedly despite adversities. Of course, if you are educated, it will come in as a good bonus but it is not something that is really crucial.

You need to have a lot of steel before coming in – knowing that you will face up to a lot of pressure from your peers and family members. Its best also to count your cost as there will be a price to pay in many ways.

For one, you can’t be a private person anymore especially if you are a potential election candidate. Your life, mistakes and even your family may be up for public scrunity. Just look at my short one-month political experience and you will know what I mean.

Opposition politics is not for the weak-minded and definitely not for someone who wants to see some tangible return. There may be more sacrifices than returns of any form here.

Nevertheless, the personal satisfaction from doing something for your country is worth all the money and gold many of us are earnestly seeking out for ourselves here.