John Tan, Bryan Lim, Dr Wong Souk Yee and Damanhuri Bin Abas for Marsiling-Yew Tee GRC
MR JOHN TAN LIANG JOO (陈两裕)
John Tan is the Vice-Chairman of the Singapore Democratic Party. He is a Social Psychologist and lecturer currently teaching Psychology and Statistics for Murdoch University at Kaplan Singapore. John holds a bachelor degree from Fresno Pacific University, a Christian liberal arts university in California, and a Master’s degree from the University of Wisconsin in Madison. He has done research in intrinsic motivation and empowerment.
In his interaction with fellow Singaporeans, John is disturbed by the oft expressed sense of powerlessness, which typically comes out rhetorically as “…what to do” or “…no choice what.” One reason Singaporeans are unhappy is they feel powerless. People can only feel empowered when they have a choice, and when they have the ability to voice or exercise that choice. He says,
“People need a nurturing environment to thrive and feel empowered. It is the Government’s job to provide that environment. It is my job to ensure they do.”
This sense of powerlessness is all the more problematic when it involves issues that are weighty. John grew up in a poor family among other poor families. Over time, the nation has become rich, but many low-income families remain poor. John is abhorred by the Prime Minister’s recent attempt to justify our large income-gap by urging Singaporeans to acknowledge and accept the notion of a “natural aristocrat.” On the contrary, John wishes to close up the income-gap so as to alleviate the suffering of the poor. He believes every Singaporean deserves to live a decent life beyond mere existence.
Every young person must be viewed as a creative being and not a mere pawn in the economy. The ultimate goal of an education system must be to educate and not merely to train young people for the job market. As an educator, John is passionate about steering our education system towards this end.
As in the SDP’s policy paper on town council management, John envisages a community of the people, for the people, and by the people. It will be a community where residents can proudly take ownership of and call it their home. John has faith in the people. He now ask that Singaporeans give him the opportunity to be their Voice in Parliament.
Fighting the stressful pace in Singapore, John finds it therapeutic to cook, play board games or just chill-out with his family.
BRYAN LIM BOON HENG, 39
Bryam Lim was elected to the Central Executive Committee of the Singapore Democratic Party (SDP) in 2011 and 2013. He also heads the Party's Ground Operations unit.
He was a founding member of the Young Democrats (YD), the youth wing of the SDP, and was its vice-president from 1999 till 2000 and president in 2001. He became SDP's youngest ever candidate when he stood in the Hong Kah GRC in the 2001 General Elections.
Bryan did his secondary education in Victoria School and pursued a Diploma in Business Administration in Temasek Polytechnic. He read Business in Monash University majoring in Marketing and Management and graduated top 15 percent in his cohort, locally and internationally. He was subsequently invited to join the Golden Key International Honor Society which recognises students with academic excellence and scholastic achievements.
He is working as a Manager in a local Hospital and is married with a daughter and continues to serve his National Service as a Captain in his military reservist unit.
"I come from a humble family and stayed in a 3-room flat with my parents and 2 younger siblings. Thus, I can relate to issues which the man-in-the-street grapples with everyday, issues which I intend to bring with me to Parliament when I get elected,” Bryan says.
As a father of a young family, Bryan holds issues like population, housing and education close to his heart: “These are issues which I will be pushing for in the coming GE.
Inspired by the lyrics in one of Jon Bon Jovi's songs – 'cause I've lived life to the fullest (Blaze of Glory) – Bryan pursues his life's goals with similar passion.
Dr WONG SOUK YEE (黄淑仪博士)
Dr Wong is Adjunct Lecturer at the Centre for English Language Communication, National University of Singapore. She is single, living in Marsiling with six cats and a dog.
Dr Wong holds a PhD in Creative Writing and Literature from the University of New South Wales, Sydney; a Master of Arts (Honours) in Creative Writing from the University of Western Sydney; and a Bachelor of Accountancy from the then University of Singapore.
[Why Politics?]
I am standing in this GE because we just need more opposition MPs in Parliament. PAP MPs cannot and do not check on the actions of their own party. How many PAP MPs have the courage to vote against their party when a bill is proposed in Parliament?
Even after the celebrated 2011 elections, we have only 7 opposition MPs out of 87 seats. It is no wonder that we have a lopsided Parliament as laws are passed without any meaningful debate or challenge. It is no wonder that many people feel that Parliament is not a meaningful representation of our concerns and aspirations.
But if we want intelligent and substantive debate in Parliament, the answer is really simple, we need more opposition MPs.
Sending the SDP into Parliament will send a clear signal to the PAP government that we don't want the GST to be raised, the age of our CPF withdrawal to be further increased or our population expanded to 6.9 million.
[Why me?]
Standing as a candidate in this General Election is a kind of national service that more citizens should be doing. I am a late starter, but better late than never.
[What issues will I focus on?]
I will focus on two issues which are related: accountability and transparency.
Firstly, accountability means that the government must explain their decisions and actions to the citizens. It also means taking responsibility, for example, for the constant breakdown of our MRT trains. When problems at such a national level happen, the government must appoint an independent inquiry to find out what has gone wrong. And I stress the word, independent inquiry, not just people appointed by themselves to check on themselves.
Secondly, transparency means providing information, not just any information, but the right information, so that the public can make informed decisions about how things are run. Does the Singapore public know how much money we have in Temasek Holdings and in the GIC and how the funds are being used? Is there proper accounting?
Furthermore, many of us know that the Population White Paper projects a figure of 6.9 million by 2030. What they don’t tell us is that by 2050, that figure might rise to over 10 million. What would a population of 10 million mean in a small country like Singapore, when we are already facing serious infrastructural problems in transport and in housing?
At SDP, accountability and transparency are not just ideals, we take these practices seriously. This is why they are the foundations of our policy proposals.
Accountability and transparency also form the basis of how we will run our Town Councils. Not only will SDP MPs run them directly, without managing agents, our Town Council Board will also include residents who are elected through constituency elections. That means involving residents in the running of their own community. That means empowering people to initiate programs, to make decisions that affect their own lives.That is the kind of society we want to build.
My favorite spot/place in Singapore my home is Marsiling Drive where I share with my six cats and a dog. I also enjoy reading and writing.
MR DAMANHURI BIN ABAS (达曼胡理)
Until recently, Mr Damanhuri Bin Abas (达曼胡理) has been the Director of Muhammadiyah Islamic College. He has extensive experience in managing educational organizations, and spent over a decade teaching and training.
Married with five children, Daman holds a Bachelor degree in Architectural Study from the National University of Singapore. Thereafter, he holds a Diploma in Teaching and Training from Cambridge, UK, and a Diploma in Counseling from Kaplan, Singapore.
As a Malay Muslim, Daman is perturbed about the institutionalization of discrimination in Singapore. For example, many Malays feel that they are not being trusted to be in the arm forces. It is also easy to notice the lack of Malay students in Special Assisted School. Daman wishes to ensure that such inequality is being addressed.
He joins the Singapore Democratic Party because it is the only party that concretely spelt out a stand on the Malay issues that he can identify with. An example of the effectiveness of the SDP’s Malay policy paper can be seen in the introduction of Edusave and the recent announcement by the Government to help improve secular education in Madrasah. He hopes Singaporeans will let him be their Voice in Parliament.
Besides works, he loves to read, travel, experience the great outdoors and spend time with his family.
