SINGAPORE: Words of gratitude and appreciation pour in for veteran politician Chiam See Tong as he turns 88 years old, today (Mar 12). The opposition giant’s 40 years in politics has been an unforgettable one, most of all for the people whose lives he has touched and for the people he continues to inspire today.
Mr Chiam first entered politics in 1976 and became Singapore’s second opposition politician ever to be elected to Parliament after J. B. Jeyaretnam of the Workers’ Party. Since 1976, he was re-elected to his Potong Pasir ward in each subsequent election until he left the ward to contest larger ground in 2011.
In the 2011 General Election, after 27 years of serving Potong Pasir residents, Mr Chiam led a team to contest Bishan-Toa Payoh GRC while his ever-supportive wife, Lina Chiam, stood for elections for the first time and contested Potong Pasir. The SPP lost both wards in very close fights against the People’s Action Party.
Mr Chiam did not run in the 2015 general election and retired from active politics in 2019. Mrs Chiam said at the time, “Mr Chiam has given to politics for 40 years already. It’s time for him to have a rest. I think he has given all what he can for Singaporeans, what he can do to his ability.”
And what Mr Chiam gave to Singaporeans cannot be underestimated. Aside from serving as an exemplary parliamentarian who was more than a worthy adversary for ruling party, Mr Chiam showed Singaporeans the value of having principles and sticking up for principles.
He even gave up a terrace house because of these steadfast principles, costing him “more than a million dollars.”
The story of why he did so became public in 1996, when Parliament sat to hear then-Senior Minister (SM) Lee Kuan Yew and his son then-Deputy Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong explain how they bought several condo units by Hotel Properties Limited (HPL) at pre-launch discounts.
While the purchases were eventually found to have been proper, the debate in Parliament turned to the issues of high ministerial salaries. Mr Chiam called on ministers to disclose or declare all their assets, in light of the HPL saga
Defending the policy which ties ministerial pay to the private sector, SM Lee challenged Mr Chiam, saying: “Ask yourself, Mr Chiam, be honest. We are going to have an election soon. You are an honest man… Do not deceive people.
“You say, ‘Declare this.’… Mr Chiam, would you like to declare your income, although it is known to Inland Revenue? Would you like to declare your assets?”
The founding Prime Minister of Singapore added that “no candidate would join the PAP, especially a successful one” if he has to disclose his personal assets.
Turning to Mr Low Thia Khiang, who was serving his first term as a Workers’ Party MP, the Senior Minister said: “Maybe Mr Low Thia Khiang would be prepared to do it because he has been having a pretty lean time.He has not been a lawyer. So he can show, ‘You see, how poor I am.’”
He shot at Mr Chiam, “But Mr Chiam, let us be honest, and then maybe you will still win Potong Pasir.”
Mr Chiam first responded by addressing the question of ministerial pay and said, “my perception is that salary cannot be everything.”
He added, “We want good men. Sure, we want honest people. I know it is difficult to get them… I was wondering whether if we just concentrate on the incentive of high salaries, without hoping that people would also have values with them, even without the high salary, that they can still work for Singapore.”
Turning to Mr Lee, Mr Chiam said, “Sure, I would be willing to declare what properties I bought.”
Mr Chiam then described an incident that took place when he was a teacher in Cedar Secondary School in the 1960s. He was in the Singapore Teachers Union (STU) and came to know about the Teachers’ Housing Estate project, which built terrace houses especially for teachers, many of whom were having difficulty finding affordable housing at the time.
A total of 256 double and triple-storeyed terraced houses were built and made available for purchase in the estate in 1969. The price range of the houses was between $23,000 and $25,000, which, while considered affordable at the time, still posed a significant financial burden for teachers earning between $325 and $690 monthly.
However, teachers were able to obtain loans of up to 80% of the purchase price from their schools, with interest rates as low as 6%.
Mr Chiam told Parliament, “I booked a corner unit. It was a very good unit, with a basement below. I arranged with the principal for a loan. I put out some money and I was successful in purchasing that property.”
But Mr Chiam already owned two flats at the time. He said: “I was living in one and renting out the other. I was a single person at that time, and being a bachelor I did not want to live in a terrace house all by myself. I had to rent it out.
“I asked myself what would happen if other teachers got to know. You are depriving them of one house. You are buying it to rent it out and they have a family and they do not have a house to stay in. So I gave up that purchase.”
He asserted: “That is the sort of principle that I have.”
Revealing that he probably lost “over a million dollars” by 1996 due to that decision, Mr Chiam said: “I do not know how much it costs now, but at least over a million dollars. That is the sort of values that I hope can be inculcated among Singaporeans.
“Sure, we want high salaries. We want a good living. We want money for our children to be educated. But at the same time we must have dedicated and committed people in Singapore. It is not because of the salaries that I come to serve Singapore.”
SM Lee replied to Mr Chiam, “Hear, hear!”
Choosing to let go of the terrace house in spite of the loss was not the only time Mr Chiam put his principles above high pay and profits. Recalling how he voluntarily worked in rural Malaysia with a very low salary because of his desire to serve the people, Mr Chiam told the House:
“I have given up my time and energy for 20 years to be in politics, hoping that I can contribute. I think I have contributed something to Singapore. I think I have set an example, hopefully, that others will follow me when they are in the Opposition. We have also to help Singapore grow and be strong. It is not only the duty of the Government. It is also the duty of the Opposition. We are also nation builders.”
Happy 88th birthday, Mr Chiam. Your tireless work on behalf of all Singaporeans over four decades has done more for Singapore than maybe even you thought possible.