Chen Show Mao – MP for Aljunied GRCĀ
“After much thought and consideration, I have decided to retire from active practice as a partner of the Davis Polk law firm with effect from July. It is quite clear to me that given my new responsibilities as MP I will not be able to continue practicing law the way I have in the last twenty years. Law is in my blood and no doubt it will be part of my life. Meanwhile, my retirement from the partnership will afford me more time for my family, to serve constituency and country, and to explore alternative work arrangements.
I wish to thank my partners for what I received over the years: their best efforts to aid my professional success and advancement, and the opportunity to use my best faculties to our common benefit. The same goes to our colleagues and clients. I have had many good years with the firm and leave with fond memories and many friendships.
On this new journey for Singapore, to everyone who has in some way extended to me encouragement, support and hope, you have my gratitude for reaffirmation. In many ways, this is as much our journey as it is my journey: let us forge our way forward for a better Singapore for all Singaporeans.
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Mr Chen was a partner in the Corporate department of the international law firm, Davis Polk & Wardwell and a managing partner of itsĀ Beijing office.
Mr Murali Pillai – MP for Bukit Batok SMC
“Many of the partners that we’ve identified who are still working with Bukit Batok residents are partners who have served us for a number of years. I still recall Dr Ong bringing in Feiyue Family Service Centre, Concern and Care, St Luke’s Hospital, and Promiseland. And these are partners brought in by Dr Ong to serve Bukit Batok’s needs, and it is this team approach that is needed to address the needs of Bukit Batok.
So if anyone has a notion that a single person working full-time, as an elected representative, would be able to address the needs of our Bukit Batok residents, I’m afraid he may have to reassess the situation. That does not accord with my own experience, having spent 16 years here, under particularly the late Ong Chit Chung, and after he passed away, under the stewardship of the other MPs of Jurong GRC.
Dr Chee has mentioned, I’m told, that it is not humanly possible to have a day job and then attend to the needs of Bukit Batok residents. I’m afraid my experience is different. PAP MPs have been doing this day in and day out. They take care of the residents’ needs, as and when it arises – it can even be in the daytime – they will prioritise the residents’ needs ahead of their own. They, of course, have MPS, but more than the Meet the People’s Sessions, they have regular house visits, regular market visits, they visit the coffeeshops, this is part and parcel of what they do, day in, day out. And this is part and parcel of what I’ve been doing for a number of years, because I was the branch chairman of the PAP Paya Lebar branch for four years, and this is what I was doing. And in Bukit Batok, after the late Dr Ong Chit Chung passed away in 2008, this was what I was doing – helping to take care of the residents’ interests.
There are a number of occasions where meet residents in Bukit Batok where they have more than one job, they have two jobs, occasionally they may even have three jobs. Many of these situations are driven by need and we must help these people where we can, through our social programmes. But if you were to ask them, are you able to cope, would you be able cope with the demands, I don’t think you’ll get a different answer. They say ‘Yes we will do it, we can do it, because we are driven by issues of need, we are driven by being passionate about service.’ So these are the kind of responses that you’d get. So I’m driven by the passion to serve our Bukit Batok residents. That is why, I want to today unequivocally say that I would also put Bukit Batok residents’ needs above my own. If there is a situation where Bukit Batok residents’ needs would compete with my own, I would always put Bukit Batok residents’ needs above mine. And this is shaped by my values of putting community above self – this is what my late father, a trade unionist, taught me and I have been abiding by it.” (source:Ā http://bit.ly/29bU1nO)
Mr Pillai is a partner of the local law Rajah & Tann’s Commercial Litigation Practice.