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===Leaving the SDP===
===Leaving the SDP===
In 1992, Chiam recruited [[Chee Soon Juan]], a psychology lecturer at the [[National University of Singapore]], to be an SDP candidate for a by-election in the [[Marine Parade Group Representation Constituency]]. Although the SDP was unsuccessful in the by-election, the recruitment of Chee as a candidate generated considerable public interest. The following year, conflicts between Chiam and Chee emerged after Chee was expelled from his job as a lecturer from NUS for citing about the misuse of funds to pay the courier fees for his wife, and also publicly claimed that he had been the victim of a political vendetta by the governing [[People's Action Party]] (PAP).
In 1992, Chiam recruited [[Chee Soon Juan]], a psychology lecturer at the [[National University of Singapore]], to join a four-member SDP team to contest in [[Marine Parade Group Representation Constituency|Marine Parade GRC]] in the [[1992 Marine Parade by-election|1992 by-election]]. Although the SDP team lost after garnering just 24.5% against a four-member [[People's Action Party|PAP]] team led by Prime Minister [[Goh Chok Tong]],<ref name="BE 1992 results">https://www.eld.gov.sg/elections_past_by1992.html</ref> Chee's candidacy had generated considerable public interest as it was the first time that an academic from a state-run university had stood for election against the PAP.<ref>[http://www.robertamsterdam.com/2009.Nov05.Repression_of_political_freedoms_in_Singapore.CheeSoonJuan.pdf The case of opposition leader Dr Chee Soon Juan] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091122140248/http://www.robertamsterdam.com/2009.Nov05.Repression_of_political_freedoms_in_Singapore.CheeSoonJuan.pdf |date=22 November 2009 }}, robertamsterdam.com, 3 November 2009</ref> Chee subsequently became assistant secretary-general of the SDP and Chiam's protégé.<ref name="Examining Mr Chiam See Tong's legacy">https://www.todayonline.com/big-read/big-read-short-examining-mr-chiam-see-tongs-legacy</ref>


In 1993, after Chiam had a conflict with Chee and other SDP leaders, he was expelled from the SDP and had to give up his parliamentary seat under Singapore's electoral rules since he was no longer a member of the party he had contested under. However, Chiam filed a lawsuit against the SDP and won the case. The court reversed his expulsion, thus allowing him to retain his parliamentary seat until the next general election.<ref name="Examining Mr Chiam See Tong's legacy" />
Chiam wanted to censure Chee for these comments, but the party's Central Executive Committee (CEC) backed Chee. Chiam then resigned as Secretary-General of the party and proceeded to sue the party. The CEC, after convening a disciplinary hearing, voted to expel Chiam from the party (which would have cause himself to lose his Parliamentary seat) after he publicly criticised them. Chiam filed a lawsuit against the SDP and won the court case to prevent them from doing so on procedural grounds.


=== Singapore People's Party ===
===Singapore People's Party===
Chiam left the SDP in December 1996 and accepted an invitation to join the Singapore People's Party (which was formed by a breakaway faction of the SDP in 1994) and became its leader. Standing for his new party, he was re-elected as MP for Potong Pasir at the 1997 general election.<ref name="TST 9 December 2009 pg B6"/> Chiam with Low would remained the only two opposition MPs elected at all the subsequent general elections until 2011. At the [[2001 Singapore general election|2001 general election]], Chiam won Potong Pasir for the fifth time. Chiam retired from his law practice in 2002 to become a full-time Member of Parliament.<ref name="Let the People Have Him" />
Chiam left the SDP in December 1996 and joined the [[Singapore People's Party]] (SPP), which was founded by a SDP faction of pro-Chiam supporters in 1994, becoming the secretary-general of the SPP. Under the SPP banner, he contested in Potong Pasir SMC again during the [[1997 Singaporean general election|1997 general election]] and won with 55.15% of the vote against the [[People's Action Party|PAP]] candidate [[Andy Gan]].<ref name="GE 1997 results">https://www.eld.gov.sg/elections_past_parliamentary1997.html</ref><ref name="TST 9 December 2009 pg B6"/>

====Singapore Democratic Alliance====
Ahead of the [[2001 Singaporean general election|2001 general election]], the SPP joined forces with three other opposition parties – [[National Solidarity Party (Singapore)|National Solidarity Party]] (NSP), [[Pertubuhan Kebangsaan Melayu Singapura]] (PKMS) and [[Singapore Justice Party]] (SJP) – to form the [[Singapore Democratic Alliance]] (SDA), with Chiam as the SDA's chairman. Chiam then contested in the general election under the SDA banner in Potong Pasir SMC and won with 52.43% of the vote against the PAP candidate [[Sitoh Yih Pin]],<ref name="GE 2001 results">https://www.eld.gov.sg/elections_past_parliamentary2001.html</ref> thus continuing for a fifth term in Parliament as the Member of Parliament for Potong Pasir SMC. He closed his law firm, Chiam & Co, in the following year to become a full-time Member of Parliament.<ref name="Let the People Have Him" />


At the [[2006 Singapore general election|2006 general election]], he won 55.82% (or 8,245) of the votes to claim his sixth term, defeating PAP's candidate, [[Sitoh Yih Pin]], who got the other 44.18% or 6,527 votes. For many, this was a surprise victory for Chiam, as the PAP had offered an S$80 million upgrading package for the residents of Potong Pasir and had brought in then-[[Senior Minister]] [[Goh Chok Tong]] to help the PAP's campaign in the constituency.<ref name="The First Wave" />
At the [[2006 Singapore general election|2006 general election]], he won 55.82% (or 8,245) of the votes to claim his sixth term, defeating PAP's candidate, [[Sitoh Yih Pin]], who got the other 44.18% or 6,527 votes. For many, this was a surprise victory for Chiam, as the PAP had offered an S$80 million upgrading package for the residents of Potong Pasir and had brought in then-[[Senior Minister]] [[Goh Chok Tong]] to help the PAP's campaign in the constituency.<ref name="The First Wave" />
Line 110: Line 113:
[http://www.todayonline.com/SingaporeVotes/EDC110325-0000100/Were-not-that-small-minded--Chiam "We're 'not that small-minded'"] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110625012430/http://www.todayonline.com/SingaporeVotes/EDC110325-0000100/Were-not-that-small-minded--Chiam |date=25 June 2011 }} 25 March 2011</ref>
[http://www.todayonline.com/SingaporeVotes/EDC110325-0000100/Were-not-that-small-minded--Chiam "We're 'not that small-minded'"] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110625012430/http://www.todayonline.com/SingaporeVotes/EDC110325-0000100/Were-not-that-small-minded--Chiam |date=25 June 2011 }} 25 March 2011</ref>


In 2009, Chiam celebrated his 25th year as MP for Potong Pasir.<ref>{{cite news |publisher=The Straits Times |date=9 December 2009 |title=Dinner bash for Chiam }}</ref> That year, he also announced that he did not plan to stand as a candidate for Potong Pasir at the next general election (due to be held in May 2011), and would instead be a candidate in a [[Group Representation Constituency]] (GRC).<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/sweingaporelocalnews/view/1024389/1/.html|title=''Channel News Asia : Chiam See Tong marks 25 years as opposition MP''}}</ref>
In 2009, Chiam celebrated his 25th year as the Member of Parliament for Potong Pasir SMC.<ref>{{cite news |publisher=The Straits Times |date=9 December 2009 |title=Dinner bash for Chiam }}</ref> That year, he also announced that he did not plan to stand as a candidate for Potong Pasir at the next general election (due to be held in May 2011), and would instead be a candidate in a [[Group Representation Constituency]] (GRC).<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/sweingaporelocalnews/view/1024389/1/.html|title=''Channel News Asia : Chiam See Tong marks 25 years as opposition MP''}}</ref>


In 2010, Chiam tried to bring the [[Reform Party (Singapore)|Reform Party]] into the SDA. He reportedly accepted the conditions the Reform Party set out for joining the alliance, however the terms of entry were opposed by other members of the SDA's Council who blocked the move. In 2010 and early-2011, it was also reported that some members of the SDA's Council felt that Chiam was unable to properly fulfil his role of Chairman of the alliance, after he had cut back his political activities following his stroke in 2008. On 28 February 2011, the SDA's Council voted to relieve Chiam of his role as chairman, however the Council stressed that they still hoped to field Chiam as a candidate at the next general election. But two days later, on 2 March 2011, Chiam announced that the Singapore People's Party was withdrawing from the SDA, and that he would stand under the banner of the SPP instead of the SDA at the next general election.<ref>[http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/1113966/1/.html GE: SDA says Chiam pulling SPP out of alliance] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110305035304/http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/1113966/1/.html |date=5 March 2011 }}, channelnewsasia.com, 2 March 2011</ref><ref>[http://www.todayonline.com/Singapore/EDC110303-0000259/Chiam-pulls-party-out-of-alliance Chiam pulls party out of alliance] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110306133237/http://www.todayonline.com/Singapore/EDC110303-0000259/Chiam-pulls-party-out-of-alliance |date=6 March 2011 }}, ''Today'', 3 March 2011</ref>
In 2010, Chiam tried to bring the [[Reform Party (Singapore)|Reform Party]] into the SDA. He reportedly accepted the conditions the Reform Party set out for joining the alliance, however the terms of entry were opposed by other members of the SDA's Council who blocked the move. In 2010 and early-2011, it was also reported that some members of the SDA's Council felt that Chiam was unable to properly fulfil his role of Chairman of the alliance, after he had cut back his political activities following his stroke in 2008. On 28 February 2011, the SDA's Council voted to relieve Chiam of his role as chairman, however the Council stressed that they still hoped to field Chiam as a candidate at the next general election. But two days later, on 2 March 2011, Chiam announced that the Singapore People's Party was withdrawing from the SDA, and that he would stand under the banner of the SPP instead of the SDA at the next general election.<ref>[http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/1113966/1/.html GE: SDA says Chiam pulling SPP out of alliance] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110305035304/http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/1113966/1/.html |date=5 March 2011 }}, channelnewsasia.com, 2 March 2011</ref><ref>[http://www.todayonline.com/Singapore/EDC110303-0000259/Chiam-pulls-party-out-of-alliance Chiam pulls party out of alliance] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110306133237/http://www.todayonline.com/Singapore/EDC110303-0000259/Chiam-pulls-party-out-of-alliance |date=6 March 2011 }}, ''Today'', 3 March 2011</ref>


====2011 general election====
For the [[2011 Singaporean general election|2011 general election]], Chiam's wife, Lina Loh Woon Lee (sometimes referred to as [[Lina Chiam]]), the SPP candidate in Potong Pasir. Chiam himself became a candidate in the [[Bishan–Toa Payoh Group Representation Constituency]]. Chiam's team in [[Bishan–Toa Payoh GRC]] finished with 43% of the votes, and was defeated by the PAP team led by then-Deputy Prime Minister [[Wong Kan Seng]]. His wife [[Lina Chiam]] (Lina Loh) failed to retain his old Potong Pasir seat and was defeated by his opponent in the last two elections, the PAP's [[Sitoh Yih Pin]], by a margin of 114 votes (0.72%). A week later, the [[Singapore People's Party]] (SPP) announced that [[Lina Chiam]] would accept an offer to become a [[Non-Constituency Member of Parliament]] as one of the best-performing losing opposition candidates.
For the [[2011 Singaporean general election|2011 general election]], Chiam's wife, Lina Loh Woon Lee (sometimes referred to as [[Lina Chiam]]), the SPP candidate in Potong Pasir. Chiam himself became a candidate in the [[Bishan–Toa Payoh Group Representation Constituency]]. Chiam's team in [[Bishan–Toa Payoh GRC]] finished with 43% of the votes, and was defeated by the PAP team led by then-Deputy Prime Minister [[Wong Kan Seng]]. His wife [[Lina Chiam]] (Lina Loh) failed to retain his old Potong Pasir seat and was defeated by his opponent in the last two elections, the PAP's [[Sitoh Yih Pin]], by a margin of 114 votes (0.72%). A week later, the [[Singapore People's Party]] (SPP) announced that [[Lina Chiam]] would accept an offer to become a [[Non-Constituency Member of Parliament]] as one of the best-performing losing opposition candidates.


Revision as of 15:51, 10 November 2021

In this Chinese name, the family name is Chiam.
Chiam See Tong
詹时中
Chiam speaking at an election rally in 2006
2nd Secretary-General of the Singapore People's Party
In office
December 1996 – 16 October 2019[1]
Prime Minister
ChairmanLina Loh
Preceded bySin Kek Tong
Succeeded bySteve Chia
Member of the Singapore Parliament
for Potong Pasir SMC
In office
22 December 1984 – 19 April 2011
Preceded byHowe Yoon Chong (PAP)
Succeeded bySitoh Yih Pin (PAP)
ConstituencyPotong Pasir SMC
Majority1,718 (11.6%)
6th and 8th Leader of the Opposition (de facto)
In office
26 May 1997 – 20 April 2006
Preceded byLing How Doong (SDP)
Succeeded byLow Thia Khiang (WP)
ConstituencyPotong Pasir SMC
In office
10 November 1986 – 17 May 1993
Preceded byJ. B. Jeyaretnam (WP)
Succeeded byLing How Doong (SDP)
ConstituencyPotong Pasir SMC
1st Secretary-General of the Singapore Democratic Party
In office
6 August 1980 – 17 May 1993
Preceded byPosition established
Succeeded byChee Soon Juan
Personal details
Born (1935-03-12) 12 March 1935 (age 89)[2]
Singapore
Other political
affiliations		SPP
(since 1996)
SDP
(1980–1996)
SDA
(2001-2011)
Spouse
​
(m. 1975)​
ChildrenCamilla Chiam (daughter)
OccupationPolitician, Lawyer
Chiam See Tong
Simplified Chinese詹时中
Traditional Chinese詹時中
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu PinyinZhān Shízhōng

Chiam See Tong (born 12 March 1935)[2] is a Singaporean retired politician. Formerly the secretary-general of the Singapore People's Party (SPP), he had been a Member of Parliament representing Potong Pasir Single Member Constituency (SMC) from 1984 to 2011, and had been the second longest-serving opposition Member of Parliament after Workers' Party former secretary-general Low Thia Khiang. Chiam retired after 39 years in politics at the age of 80 prior to the 2015 general election, citing health reasons.[3][4][5] At the time of his retirement from politics, Chiam was the longest-serving de facto Leader of the Opposition until Low surpassed his record in 2018.[6]

Formerly a lawyer, Chiam entered politics during the 1976 general election when he contested in Cairnhill SMC as an independent candidate, but did not win.[7][2] He stood for election in Potong Pasir SMC in the 1979 by-elections as an independent but lost to the PAP candidate Howe Yoon Chong.[8] In 1980, he founded the Singapore Democratic Party (SDP) and became its secretary-general, contesting in Potong Pasir SMC again in the general election that year but lost again to Howe.[9] In the 1984 general election, he had his first electoral victory in Potong Pasir SMC after garnering 60.28% of the vote against the PAP's Mah Bow Tan,[10] joining the Workers' Party's J. B. Jeyaretnam as the second of only two opposition Members of Parliament. Since then, he had retained his parliamentary seat in Potong Pasir SMC after winning every general election from 1988 to 2006. In 1996, he left the SDP after a falling-out with his protégé Chee Soon Juan and joined the Singapore People's Party (SPP).[11] In 2001, Chiam convinced three other opposition parties (NSP, PKMS and SJP) to join the SPP in forming the Singapore Democratic Alliance (SDA), and served as the SDA's chairman from 2001 to 2011.[12]

In 2011, after the SPP withdrew from the SDA, Chiam left Potong Pasir SMC to join four other SPP members to contest in Bishan–Toa Payoh GRC during the 2011 general election. The SPP team ultimately lost the PAP team, garnering 43.07% of the vote.[13][14] Chiam's wife, Lina Loh, who had contested as a SPP candidate in Potong Pasir SMC, also lost to the PAP candidate Sitoh Yih Pin with 49.64% of the vote,[13] but later served as a Non-constituency Member of Parliament from 2011 to 2015.[15]

Education and early career

Chiam studied at Anglo-Chinese School (ACS), where he was a competitive swimmer who enjoyed swimming 200 metres freestyle and was part of the ACS relay team of star swimmers.[16] He took the GCE Advanced Level examinations in 1955 before moving on the Victoria University of Wellington, from which he graduated in 1961 with a Bachelor of Science. After that, he worked as a teacher at Mahmud Secondary School in Raub, Pahang from 1962 to 1963, and later at Cedar Girls' Secondary School in Singapore from 1964 to 1972. During this time, he underwent training at the Teachers' Training College and obtained a Certificate in Education in 1967.[2]

Chiam decided to have a change of career so he read law at the Inner Temple and qualified as a barrister-at-law in 1974. When he returned to Singapore, he was called to the bar as an advocate and solicitor. He worked at Philip Wong & Co from 1974 and 1976 before leaving to set up his own law firm, Chiam & Co, in 1976. He closed Chiam & Co in 2002 to serve as a full-time Member of Parliament.[2]

Political career

Chiam first entered politics in the 1976 general election when he contested as an independent candidate in Cairnhill SMC against Lim Kim San, a candidate from the governing People's Action Party (PAP) who had been a Cabinet minister since 1965. He lost after garnering 31.83% of the vote against Lim's 68.17%.[7]

During the 1979 by-elections, Chiam contested in Potong Pasir SMC as an independent candidate against Howe Yoon Chong, then a new PAP candidate. However, he lost to Howe after garnering 33.15% of the vote against Howe's 66.85%.[8][5]

Singapore Democratic Party

Chiam founded the Singapore Democratic Party (SDP) on 6 August 1980, ahead of the general election on 23 December 1980, and served as the party's secretary-general. He contested in the 1980 general election as a SDP candidate in Potong Pasir SMC, but lost to Howe Yoon Chong again with 40.95% of the vote against Howe's 59.05%.[9]

Lawsuits against Howe and Dhanabalan

In 1981, Chiam sued Defence Minister Howe Yoon Chong and Foreign Affairs Minister S. Dhanabalan for slandering him during the speeches they made in 1980. Howe had called Chiam a "twice unsuccessful lawyer" and "a lawyer who is not even very good at law", while Dhanabalan had called Chiam "a two-bit lawyer orchestrating a three-piece band whose members only appear once every four or five years". J. B. Jeyaretnam, a lawyer who was also a Member of Parliament from the opposition Workers' Party, represented Chiam in filing a writ in the High Court seeking damages from Howe and Dhanabalan.[2][17][18]

Dhanabalan eventually publicly apologised to Chiam,[17] while Howe publicly withdrew his imputations against Chiam's professional capacity and competence and offered compensation. Chiam accepted their apologies and withdrew the lawsuits against them.[2][18]

Member of Parliament

During the 1984 general election, Chiam contested as a SDP candidate in Potong Pasir SMC again, this time against a new PAP candidate Mah Bow Tan. In the lead-up to the election, PAP secretary-general Lee Kuan Yew compared Chiam and Mah's GCE Ordinary Level results in a rally speech: "Mah Bow Tan, age 16, took his 'O' Levels - six distinctions, two credits. Mr Chiam, age 18 - six credits, one pass." The Prime Minister's Office later conveyed an apology from Lee for making an error about Chiam's results; Chiam had actually gotten seven credits.[2] Chiam eventually won the election with 60.28% of the vote against Mah's 39.72%,[10][5] and became the Member of Parliament representing Potong Pasir SMC. He retained his parliamentary seat in Potong Pasir SMC following the 1988 and 1991 general elections after garnering 63.13% and 69.64% of the vote in those two elections against PAP candidates Kenneth Chen and Andy Gan respectively.[19][20]

When Chiam was first elected to Parliament in 1984, he was only one of two opposition Members of Parliament, the other being J. B. Jeyaretnam, the Workers' Party secretary-general. After Jeyaretnam lost his parliamentary seat in 1986, Chiam remained the sole elected opposition Member of Parliament until after the 1991 general election, which saw three other opposition politicians becoming elected Members of Parliament: Ling How Doong and Cheo Chai Chen of the SDP, and Low Thia Khiang of the Workers' Party.[20] Chiam was the de facto Leader of the Opposition. At the time of the 1991 general election, the SDP had its best electoral results (having all nine candidates polled in the top 10), scoring 48.6% of the party's popular vote, including Chiam's personal best electoral result at 69.64%.[20][5]

Leaving the SDP

In 1992, Chiam recruited Chee Soon Juan, a psychology lecturer at the National University of Singapore, to join a four-member SDP team to contest in Marine Parade GRC in the 1992 by-election. Although the SDP team lost after garnering just 24.5% against a four-member PAP team led by Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong,[21] Chee's candidacy had generated considerable public interest as it was the first time that an academic from a state-run university had stood for election against the PAP.[22] Chee subsequently became assistant secretary-general of the SDP and Chiam's protégé.[23]

In 1993, after Chiam had a conflict with Chee and other SDP leaders, he was expelled from the SDP and had to give up his parliamentary seat under Singapore's electoral rules since he was no longer a member of the party he had contested under. However, Chiam filed a lawsuit against the SDP and won the case. The court reversed his expulsion, thus allowing him to retain his parliamentary seat until the next general election.[23]

Singapore People's Party

Chiam left the SDP in December 1996 and joined the Singapore People's Party (SPP), which was founded by a SDP faction of pro-Chiam supporters in 1994, becoming the secretary-general of the SPP. Under the SPP banner, he contested in Potong Pasir SMC again during the 1997 general election and won with 55.15% of the vote against the PAP candidate Andy Gan.[24][5]

Singapore Democratic Alliance

Ahead of the 2001 general election, the SPP joined forces with three other opposition parties – National Solidarity Party (NSP), Pertubuhan Kebangsaan Melayu Singapura (PKMS) and Singapore Justice Party (SJP) – to form the Singapore Democratic Alliance (SDA), with Chiam as the SDA's chairman. Chiam then contested in the general election under the SDA banner in Potong Pasir SMC and won with 52.43% of the vote against the PAP candidate Sitoh Yih Pin,[25] thus continuing for a fifth term in Parliament as the Member of Parliament for Potong Pasir SMC. He closed his law firm, Chiam & Co, in the following year to become a full-time Member of Parliament.[2]

At the 2006 general election, he won 55.82% (or 8,245) of the votes to claim his sixth term, defeating PAP's candidate, Sitoh Yih Pin, who got the other 44.18% or 6,527 votes. For many, this was a surprise victory for Chiam, as the PAP had offered an S$80 million upgrading package for the residents of Potong Pasir and had brought in then-Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong to help the PAP's campaign in the constituency.[11]

In early 2008, Chiam suffered a mild stroke[5] which led to the suspension of his 'Meet-the-People' sessions. In 2011, Chiam said "there's still remnants of the stroke which I suffered".[26]

In 2009, Chiam celebrated his 25th year as the Member of Parliament for Potong Pasir SMC.[27] That year, he also announced that he did not plan to stand as a candidate for Potong Pasir at the next general election (due to be held in May 2011), and would instead be a candidate in a Group Representation Constituency (GRC).[28]

In 2010, Chiam tried to bring the Reform Party into the SDA. He reportedly accepted the conditions the Reform Party set out for joining the alliance, however the terms of entry were opposed by other members of the SDA's Council who blocked the move. In 2010 and early-2011, it was also reported that some members of the SDA's Council felt that Chiam was unable to properly fulfil his role of Chairman of the alliance, after he had cut back his political activities following his stroke in 2008. On 28 February 2011, the SDA's Council voted to relieve Chiam of his role as chairman, however the Council stressed that they still hoped to field Chiam as a candidate at the next general election. But two days later, on 2 March 2011, Chiam announced that the Singapore People's Party was withdrawing from the SDA, and that he would stand under the banner of the SPP instead of the SDA at the next general election.[29][30]

2011 general election

For the 2011 general election, Chiam's wife, Lina Loh Woon Lee (sometimes referred to as Lina Chiam), the SPP candidate in Potong Pasir. Chiam himself became a candidate in the Bishan–Toa Payoh Group Representation Constituency. Chiam's team in Bishan–Toa Payoh GRC finished with 43% of the votes, and was defeated by the PAP team led by then-Deputy Prime Minister Wong Kan Seng. His wife Lina Chiam (Lina Loh) failed to retain his old Potong Pasir seat and was defeated by his opponent in the last two elections, the PAP's Sitoh Yih Pin, by a margin of 114 votes (0.72%). A week later, the Singapore People's Party (SPP) announced that Lina Chiam would accept an offer to become a Non-Constituency Member of Parliament as one of the best-performing losing opposition candidates.

Retirement from politics

On 30 August 2015, Chiam announced that he chose not to stand in the 2015 general election.[3] At the same election, his party, SPP, lost to PAP again and with WP having the closest result instead of SPP, Lina Chiam was not offered the NCMP position, ending their presence in the parliament after 31 years.

On 4 September 2019, the SPP announced that he would step down from the secretary-general post due to declining health.[31][32] Chiam stepped down on 16 October 2019.[1] Steve Chia took his place as SPP's new Secretary-General

Personal life

Chiam's name, "See Tong" (时中; Shízhōng), which means "punctual" or "timely", was given to him by his grandfather, Chiam Seng Poh, who was a revolutionary involved in the uprisings in the final years of the Qing dynasty before the 1911 Revolution. Chiam Seng Poh had fled China with his family after one of those failed uprisings and settled in Muar, Malaya. Chiam's maternal grandfather, Lim Liang Quee, was part of the Straits Chinese elite and so anglicised in his ways of life that he gave all his children except the eldest only Western names and no Chinese names.[2] Mabel Lim, one of Chiam's maternal aunts, married Kwa Soon Siew, a brother-in-law of Singapore's first prime minister Lee Kuan Yew.[33]

Chiam's father, Chiam Heng Hong, was a businessman who dealt in commodities like rubber, pepper and sugar.[16] Chiam's mother, Lily Lim, was a founder of the 7th Singapore Company of the Girls' Brigade at Prinsep Street Presbyterian Church in the 1950s. Chiam Heng Hong and Lily Lim had two sons, Chiam See Tong and Chiam Joon Tong.[2]

Chiam met his wife, Lina Loh, in London during a London Malaysia Hall dance night in 1973.[34] Their first date was a visit to the Tomb of Karl Marx and he bought her flowers for their first Valentine's Day only because the proceeds would go to charity. They married in 1975 when Chiam was 40 and Loh was 26. They have a daughter, Camilla.[16]

On 9 March 2017, Chiam and Loh launched the Chiam See Tong Sports Foundation at the Old Parliament House to help needy athletes achieve their sporting dreams.[35][36]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b Koh, Fabian (16 October 2019). "Chiam See Tong steps down as SPP chief, ending storied political career that spanned more than four decades". The Straits Times. Archived from the original on 19 October 2019. Retrieved 17 October 2019.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Loke, Hoe Yeong (2014). Let the People Have Him: Chiam See Tong: The Early Years. Singapore: Epigram Books. ISBN 9789810791735.
  3. ^ a b Ong, Justin (30 August 2015). "SPP, DPP announce candidates for joint Bishan–Toa Payoh GRC team". Channel NewsAsia. Archived from the original on 2 September 2015. Retrieved 1 September 2015.
  4. ^ "New opposition candidate expected in Potong Pasir" Archived 4 November 2009 at the Wayback Machine. Zul Othman. Channel Newsasia. 4 November 2009.
  5. ^ a b c d e f The Straits Times (print edition) 9 December 2009, page B6.
  6. ^ "Low Thia Khiang will be the longest-serving opposition MP in Singapore's history by end of 2017". Mothership.sg. Archived from the original on 12 December 2017. Retrieved 11 December 2017.
  7. ^ a b "ELD | 1976 Parliamentary General Election Results". www.eld.gov.sg.
  8. ^ a b "ELD | 1979 Parliamentary By-election Results". www.eld.gov.sg.
  9. ^ a b "ELD | 1980 Parliamentary General Election Results". www.eld.gov.sg.
  10. ^ a b "ELD | 1984 Parliamentary General Election Results". www.eld.gov.sg.
  11. ^ a b Loke, Hoe Yeong (2019). The First Wave: JBJ, Chiam & the Opposition in Singapore. Singapore: Epigram Books. ISBN 9789814845427.
  12. ^ "Singapore Democratic Alliance is formed - Singapore History". eresources.nlb.gov.sg. Retrieved 30 May 2021.
  13. ^ a b "ELD | 2011 Parliamentary General Election Results". www.eld.gov.sg.
  14. ^ hermes (16 August 2015). "Battle for Bishan-Toa Payoh GRC". The Straits Times. Retrieved 30 May 2021.
  15. ^ "Lina Chiam to take up NCMP offer". Archived from the original on 5 November 2012. Retrieved 15 August 2012.
  16. ^ a b c Min, Chew Hui (12 March 2015). "Chiam See Tong, secretary-general of the Singapore People's Party, turns 80" – via The Straits Times.
  17. ^ a b "Dhana apologises to SDP's Chiam". eresources.nlb.gov.sg. Retrieved 20 October 2021.
  18. ^ a b "Election remarks; Chiam accepts Howe's apology". eresources.nlb.gov.sg. Retrieved 20 October 2021.
  19. ^ https://www.eld.gov.sg/elections_past_parliamentary1988.html
  20. ^ a b c https://www.eld.gov.sg/elections_past_parliamentary1991.html
  21. ^ https://www.eld.gov.sg/elections_past_by1992.html
  22. ^ The case of opposition leader Dr Chee Soon Juan Archived 22 November 2009 at the Wayback Machine, robertamsterdam.com, 3 November 2009
  23. ^ a b https://www.todayonline.com/big-read/big-read-short-examining-mr-chiam-see-tongs-legacy
  24. ^ https://www.eld.gov.sg/elections_past_parliamentary1997.html
  25. ^ https://www.eld.gov.sg/elections_past_parliamentary2001.html
  26. ^ "We're 'not that small-minded'" Archived 25 June 2011 at the Wayback Machine 25 March 2011
  27. ^ "Dinner bash for Chiam". The Straits Times. 9 December 2009.
  28. ^ "Channel News Asia : Chiam See Tong marks 25 years as opposition MP".
  29. ^ GE: SDA says Chiam pulling SPP out of alliance Archived 5 March 2011 at the Wayback Machine, channelnewsasia.com, 2 March 2011
  30. ^ Chiam pulls party out of alliance Archived 6 March 2011 at the Wayback Machine, Today, 3 March 2011
  31. ^ "Singapore People's Party". Facebook. Archived from the original on 19 September 2020. Retrieved 17 October 2019.
  32. ^ "Chiam See Tong to step down as Singapore People's Party secretary-general next month: reports". Yahoo. Archived from the original on 8 September 2019. Retrieved 17 October 2019.
  33. ^ Leong, Weng Kam (26 October 2014). "New book traces Chiam's road to Parliament". Singapore Press Holdings. The Straits Times. Archived from the original on 31 October 2014. Retrieved 29 October 2014.
  34. ^ "She held his hand, now she holds the reins". www.asiaone.com.
  35. ^ Osman, Shamir (10 March 2017). "Veteran politician Chiam sets up sports foundation". The New Paper.
  36. ^ "Chiam See Tong Sports Fund". Chiam See Tong Sports Fund.
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