Mr Chiam See Tong celebrates 25 years as Member of Parliament

Yesterday evening, I attended a dinner to celebrate Mr Chiam's 25 years as an MP for Potong Pasir. My whole extended family lived in the squatters of Potong Pasir more than 30yrs ago and I had very vague memories of the zinc-roofed house with a large square well in front of it. We had moved out to Ang Mo Kio and I believe when I was about 9 years old, that was about the time Mr Chiam 1st became the Member of Parliament for Potong Pasir(and for 6 consecutive elections).

Workers' Party had at least a table for the event,but I went with my family members. I was there early and by the time I entered the function's location at 7.30pm,most of the more than 1000 seats at dinner tables were filled up.

There were the traditional Lion & Dragon dancers and also Malay dancers awaiting patiently for Mr Chiam's arrival. Initially there was a false alarm and everyone behind stood up to try to get a glimpse of Mr Chiam when they thought he had arrived.
As the minutes trickled past 8pm, my sense of anticipation grew and I could not sit still at my table anymore. Instead, I decided to go join the crowd that had formed up at the cul-de-sac to welcome the MP. Every vehicle that drove past was subjected to the full scrutiny of the crowd who were expecting to see a Volkswagen Beetle. The surprise for me came when I was told Mr Chiam was walking over. I can see a group approaching from about 300 metres from where I was standing and I just ran forward..

I was feeling a few mixed emotions when I saw the above scene:

Unlike other MPs who usually turn up at functions late in their posh cars,this MP made me feel like its worth the wait.

Unlike the moment when I saw him won the Potong Pasir seat when I was about 9 yrs old, now at 74 years of age, Mr Chiam looks older than his age..the 25 years on my dinner ticket is not just a mere number.

Unlike other MPs who may need to surround themselves grassroots people in case of kerosene attack(s), all Mr Chiam requires is his wife to hold his hand and walk the way with him..I also feel at that moment that should there be any crazy fellow approaching with kerosene,he'll have to talk to my fists 1st..

I felt like part of a paparazzi team when I squeezed the shutter amongst the many other photographers..but I made very sure that he got ample space to walk freely while I took the photos.

As Mr Chiam approached the cul-de-sac,the crowd of awaiting residents rushed forward to give him a warm welcome. This was also the moment the Lions & Dragon and dancers roared to live under the furious beats of drums. The whole situation just reminded me of a rally on the night before the last election day where his supporters followed him all the way from the rally to Potong Pasir Town Council chanting his name.

Since most of the guests are residents of Potong Pasir, you can feel how much love and respect the residents have for their MP for the past 25 years.

When he gave a 10 minute speech on the stage, what I was most impressed with was that he started thanking everybody,including the cooks in the kitchen preparing food for all the guests..For what he said,I went behind to the kitchen to snap a photo. Mr Chiam may be physically weaker and unable to express himself as fluently like when he was younger, but the residents and supporters who have seen the legacy he had built are willing to strain their ears to listen closer to him when he speaks.
The next highlight for the evening was when Mr Chiam invited the rest of the opposition leaders present amongst his guests on stage for a toast.
The celebration, besides the events I had described was in co-operated with a concert where Mr Chiam sang a segment of the song "Rong Shu Xia" to the applause of many present.

At one point in time, two younger friends of mine came by my table and commented that the programmes are quite boring.. I pondered for a while wondering why I did not feel the same? Am I really growing older than I think I had?

To me,the concert was just a backdrop. The subject of celebration was Mr Chiam and the past 25 years with him in my Singaporean life has been an exciting roller coaster of passionate, fiery display of concern for the political well-being of Singaporeans.

To those who were bored during the celebration, it's just a night out of the past 25 years..enjoy the moment.

To those who commented that Mr Chiam could not speak properly..I hope you don't grow old or suffer a stroke while you are at it.

To Mr Chiam, thank you for your selfless contribution to our nation for the past 25 years and thank you for still trying your best. I wish you the best of health and will power to carry on the fight!