Former ruling party parliamentarians Goh Chok Tong and Amrin Amin quipped about “involuntary” retirement after having lunch together on Sept 7. Mr Goh retired from politics after 44 years as an MP ahead of the 2020 general election while Mr Amrin was ousted from Parliament during the election.
Mr Amrin was elected to Parliament in the 2015 general election and represented Sembawang GRC from 2015 to 2020. Making a name for himself as grassroots MP, Mr Amrin also served as Parliamentary Secretary of the Ministry of Home Affairs and the Ministry of Health.
Well-liked by Singaporeans on both sides of the political divide, Mr Amrin was widely seen as one of the PAP’s rising stars and was tipped to be the establishment’s pick to take over the Malay Affairs portfolio among the fourth-generation (4G) cohort of People’s Action Party (PAP) leaders.
During the latest election, Mr Amrin was moved from Sembawang GRC to the four-member Sengkang GRC – which was newly carved out ahead of the election. In a stunning upset, the PAP team was defeated by the Worker’s Party team which won the election with over 52 per cent of votes.
The result was momentous – it was only the second instance in Singapore’s history in which the PAP behemoth lost a multi-member ward to the opposition. The outcome was also significant since three political office-holders were unseated. Mr Amrin, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office Ng Chee Meng and Senior Minister of State Lam Pin Min were all denied the chance to return to Parliament.
Mr Amrin, a lawyer, has decided to join the tech sector after his defeat at the polls. He has been appointed strategy director at Platform for Bots and Automation (PBA) and as a non-executive adviser at ADERA Global and will join both firms officially on 14 Sept.
The former MP met up with Mr Goh for lunch today. Revealing on social media that they both reminisced about their time in Parliament, Mr Goh – who is Singapore’s former Prime Minister – pointed out how he is a voluntary retired MP while Mr Amrin had an “involuntary” retirement from politics.
Sharing photos from their lunch meeting, Mr Goh wrote on Facebook: “Two retired MPs – one voluntary, the other involuntary – reminiscing over lunch. Thanks, Amrin Amin.”
Mr Amrin also quipped about how his meeting with Mr Goh was a “retirees lunch”. He wrote on his personal Facebook page: “I had a lovely lunch with ESM Goh Chok Tong today. Thank you, ESM. We had a good chat about GE2020 and my new tech corporate career. As he cheekily puts it, reminiscing over retirees lunch. One voluntarily retired, the other involuntary. Haha.”
Mr Amrin added: “We should always see the light side of things. We can’t always control the outcome, but we can decide how to respond.”
I had a lovely lunch with ESM Goh Chok Tong today. Thank you, ESM. We had a good chat about GE2020 and my new tech…
Posted by Amrin Amin on Monday, 7 September 2020
Two retired MPs – one voluntary, the other involuntary – reminiscing over lunch. Thanks, Amrin Amin. — gct
Posted by MParader on Sunday, 6 September 2020
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