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Chiam See Tong

Chiam See Tong (b. 12 March 1935, Singapore - ) is a veteran figure in Singapore's political landscape. He is one of Singapore's longest standing and most iconic opposition figures and has been the member of parliament (MP) for the Potong Pasir constituency since 1984. With his belief in the need for opposition politics to check the possible abuse of power in a one-party system, he founded the Singapore Democratic Party (SDP) in 1980. After leaving the SDP in 1995, he founded the Singapore People's Party (SPP), and later the Singapore Democratic Alliance (SDA), of which he is chairman.

Early Life and Career
After completing his 'A' levels in Anglo-Chinese School in 1955 and subsequently earning his Bachelor of Science in Canterbury University and Victoria University in New Zealand in 1961, Chiam became a teacher at the age of 27. He taught at Mahmud Secondary School in Raub, Pahang, Malaysia from 1962 to 1963, and at Cedar Girls' Secondary School, Singapore from 1964 to 1972. During this time, he studied at the Teachers' Training College and attained his Certificate in Education in 1967.

He later decided to make a career switch from teaching to law. Between 1972 and 1974, he studied at Inner Temple in London, United Kingdom, where he became a Barrister-at-Law. Back in Singapore, he worked at Philip Wong & Co (Advocates & Solicitors) from 1974 to 1976 before setting up his own private practice Chiam & Co in 1976. However in 2002, he closed his law firm to become a full-time MP.

Ideology and Thought
Chiam has said many times that he does not believe in opposing for opposition's sake, or opposing to topple the dominant People's Action Party (PAP). Rather, he believes political opposition exists in order for a true democracy to flourish, since an effective opposition can act as a check on a one-party system. Accordingly, he adopts a non-adversarial, non-destructive style of politics and has consistently advocated a responsible and credible opposition. Chiam himself has never run afoul of the law and has never been sued by PAP politicians for defamation, unlike some other opposition figures.

Another of his political tenets is that of the solidarity of the opposition, as manifested in some of his actions. For example, in the 1981 Anson by-election, he withdrew the SDP candidate to support the Workers' Party (WP) candidate, J. B. Jeyaretnam, who later won. His founding of the SDA in 2001 to bring four opposition parties together under one banner also demonstrates his belief in the need for a united and common platform for the political opposition in Singapore.

Political Career
Chiam's first foray into politics was in 1976, at the age of 41. He ran, and lost, as an independent candidate for Cairnhill but garnered a not inconsiderable 31.8% of the votes. He ran again as an independent candidate in 1979, in the Potong Pasir by-election, where he gained 33.15% of the votes. The SDP was founded on 6 August 1980, predicated on the safeguarding of parliamentary democracy. In the 1980 general election (GE), Chiam contested in Potong Pasir under the SDP banner and lost, but he managed to garner 41% of the votes.

In 1981, an unprecedented libel suit took place - Chiam became the only opposition member ever to receive a public apology and out-of-court damages from a PAP leader. He had sued then foreign minister S. Dhanabalan for undermining his professional ability and competence at an election rally. Then defence minister Howe Yoon Chong, Chiam's opponent in Potong Pasir, also made amends for having made similar remarks.

Chiam saw his first political victory in 1984. With 60.3% of the votes, he won the Potong Pasir seat in parliament. His party also did well as a whole, gaining 45.2% of the votes in wards which it contested - this was not just the highest number among the opposition parties, but also a huge increase from the 30.1% it achieved in the previous election. Chiam's victory in Potong Pasir was replicated in the 1988 election, where he got 63.1% of the votes and was the only opposition candidate to win that year. The SDP saw resounding success in the next GE, held in 1991 - it took a total of three seats in parliament, including Chiam's win in Potong Pasir.

However, Chiam found himself at the centre of intra-party strife in the mid-1990s. In 1995, after much internal turmoil and a shake-up of the SDP's leadership, he left the party he had created. He founded the SPP in the following year and won again in Potong Pasir in the 1997 election. Soon after the SDA was set up in 2001, he contested as an SDA candidate in that year's election and took home his fifth consecutive win in the Potong Pasir constituency. The 2006 GE saw him win in Potong Pasir again, gaining 55.8% of the votes.

On 6 February 2008, Chiam suffered a mild stroke. However, this has not deterred him from serving his ward or continuing his political career. Just two weeks after the stroke, he resumed his weekly meet-the-people sessions. He has even voiced his intention of running for a GRC next.

Chiam's down-to-earth and approachable demeanour is noted not just by his voters, but in popular discourse as well, such as in newspaper interviews. His hard work and dedication is also clear. Nonetheless, he has been criticised for his oratorical ability. For example, he has presented inaccurate information in parliament before, such as when he delivered wrong statistical information to back his argument about Singapore's foreign reserves in 1984.

Family
Chiam is married to Lina Loh Woon See. Loh is known to be Chiam's closest political confidante and right-hand man. They have a daughter, Camilla.



Author
Sara Siew



References
Da Cunha, D. (1997). The price of victory: The 1997 Singapore general election and beyond. Singapore: Institute of Southeast Asian Studies.
(Call no.: RSING 324.95957 DAC)

4 schools of opposition politics. (2008, June 14). The Straits Times, Insight. Retrieved June 30, 2009, from LexisNexis Academic database.

Hussin Mutalib. (2004). Parties and politics: A study of opposition parties and the PAP in Singapore. Singapore: Marshall Cavendish Academic.
(Call no.: RSING 324.25957 HUS)

Kor, K. B. (2008, October 2). Outpouring of love and respect for JBJ. The Straits Times. Retrieved June 30, 2009, from LexisNexis Academic database.

Lam, D. (c2006). Days of being wild: GE2006, walking the line with the opposition. Singapore: Ethos Books.
(Call no.: RSING 324.95957 LAM)

Low, A., et al. (2009, March 14). Opposition plans battle formation. The Straits Times, Insight. Retrieved June 30, 2009, from LexisNexis Academic database.

Mauzy, D. K. (2002). Singapore politics under the People's Action Party. London; New York, N.Y.: Routledge.
(Call no.: RSING 320.95957 MAU)

Nur Dianah Suhaimi. (2009, February 8). Recovering from stroke but Chiam is sharp and lucid. The Straits Times. Retrieved June 30, 2009, from LexisNexis Academic database.

Opposition parties start getting ready to do battle. (2009, March 14). The Straits Times, Insight. Retrieved June 30, 2009, from LexisNexis Academic database.

Parliament of Singapore. (2008). Curriculum vitae of Chiam See Tong. Retrieved May 23, 2009, from http://www.parliament.gov.sg/AboutUs/Org-MP-CV-ChiamSeeTong.htm

Peh, S. H. (2008, February 29). The partitioning of the opposition. The Straits Times, Insight. Retrieved June 30, 2009, from LexisNexis Academic database.

Singh, B. (1992). Whither PAP's dominance? An analysis of Singapore's 1991 general elections. Petaling Jaya: Pelanduk Publications.
(Call no.: RSING 324.95957 BIL)



The information in this article is valid as at 2009 and correct as far as we are able to ascertain from our sources. It is not intended to be an exhaustive or complete history of the subject. Please contact the Library for further reading materials on the topic.

Subject
Personalities>>Biographies>>Political Leaders
Chiam, See Tong, 1935-
Politicians--Singapore--Biography
Law and government>>Political process>>Leadership

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