Post by twodogs on May 16, 2006 12:27:42 GMT 7
Mr Chua Kian Meng, 49, was the campaign manager of Mr Sitoh Yih Pin, the defeated People's Action Party (PAP) candidate in Potong Pasir.
Popularly known as 'Ah Chua', he is also chairman of the Citizens' Consultative Committee (CCC) there.
After serving Potong Pasir residents for five years, at times digging up money from his own pocket to help those in need, he says the time has come to move on.
Though Mr Chua would not say so in so many words, it appeared that his decision had a lot to do with Mr Sitoh's loss to Mr Chiam See Tong of the Singapore Democratic Alliance in the recent election.
Mr Chua, an old boy of Anglo-Chinese School, is a stock trader and senior vice-president at Kim Eng Securities.
NO MORE DINNER TOGETHER
Five years ago, when Mr Chua told his wife, Ms Agnes Teo, that he was taking up grassroots work in Potong Pasir, she said: 'I guess I won't have to count you in for dinner from now on.'
He had been approached by Mr Sitoh to help in the ward - held since 1984 by Mr Chiam.
Soon after, he was appointed by the People's Association as chairman of the Potong Pasir CCC.
Last Thursday, he told The New Paper: 'My wife knows me very well. When I do something, I go all the way.'
Helping Mr Sitoh to work the ground in Potong Pasir meant answering phone calls from residents, meeting grassroots leaders and conductingwalkabouts in the small estate of more than 15,000 voters.
He cooked and served up some 4,000 bowls of shark's fin soup over the past five years, helped to give out bowls of abalone porridge and solemnised more than 100 marriages.
In an earlier interview, Mr Sitoh had said: 'It's my luck to have a person like Chua. When residents with problems fail to locate me, they will look for Chua, and vice versa.'
But on 6 May, 55 per cent of residents voted to retain Mr Chiam as MP.
According to one resident, one person whom Mr Chua had helped was among the flag-wavers at Mr Chiam's victory parade.
Mr Chua said: 'Five years, the prime years of my life, I spent in Potong Pasir. Now it is time to move on, and rethink my priorities.
'I am a Buddhist and I believe that good begets good. But maybe not in politics!'
Still, he doesn't count the time spent in Potong Pasir as wasted, as he says his work was never about winning votes.
'It was about making a difference to the people. I wanted to share what I have, to help where I can and I don't expect anything back,' he said.
Grassroots leaders said that when residents were facing some hardship, he sometimes dug into his own pocket.
But he brushed this aside.
'It is small money, and we have donors and patrons who help. The more important thing is the heart and the ideas that we have come up with,' he said.
One of his ideas was the popular Makan Fiesta, which has been held yearly since the National Day celebrations in 2002.
This is where high-quality shark's fin soup was sold at $1 per bowl.
Mr Chua cooked the soup himself.
'Cooking is my hobby, and when one of my grassroots leaders found out that I can cook reasonably well, she suggested I do the cooking myself,' he said.
The high point, he said, was in 2004, when he won National Day honours. Residents said he truly deserved the PBM (pingat bakti masyarakat, the public service medal).
They took out an advertisement in the newspapers - two full pages.
The message said, 'Congratulations Ah Chua! On your conferment of PBM' and signed off, 'From your friends at Potong Pasir Constituency'.
More than 2,700 signatures were added to this.
During last week's interview with The New Paper, he was continually interrupted by Potong Pasir residents calling him on his handphone.
After excusing himself to answer the calls, he said he tells residents he is 'planning for retirement'.
'I am very sorry to my family, my business associates and my company.
'Kim Eng has been very good, leaving me alone most of the time. But there has been a bull in the market for the past six months and I have missed out on it all. Now it is time to do some real deals,' he said.
Last Wednesday night was the first time he took his wife out for dinner in five years, to a Chinese restaurant at Forum Galleria.
He said: 'After so many years of fish ball noodles and stir fry at the hawker stall, I looked at the menu and was also a bit blur.
'But it made my wife very happy.
'She told me, 'You may have lost Potong Pasir, but I got my husband back.' '
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Maybe Sitoh will hired another better Chief instead of shark fins next up-coming dish maybe Buddha Jump Over The Wall. ;D
Popularly known as 'Ah Chua', he is also chairman of the Citizens' Consultative Committee (CCC) there.
After serving Potong Pasir residents for five years, at times digging up money from his own pocket to help those in need, he says the time has come to move on.
Though Mr Chua would not say so in so many words, it appeared that his decision had a lot to do with Mr Sitoh's loss to Mr Chiam See Tong of the Singapore Democratic Alliance in the recent election.
Mr Chua, an old boy of Anglo-Chinese School, is a stock trader and senior vice-president at Kim Eng Securities.
NO MORE DINNER TOGETHER
Five years ago, when Mr Chua told his wife, Ms Agnes Teo, that he was taking up grassroots work in Potong Pasir, she said: 'I guess I won't have to count you in for dinner from now on.'
He had been approached by Mr Sitoh to help in the ward - held since 1984 by Mr Chiam.
Soon after, he was appointed by the People's Association as chairman of the Potong Pasir CCC.
Last Thursday, he told The New Paper: 'My wife knows me very well. When I do something, I go all the way.'
Helping Mr Sitoh to work the ground in Potong Pasir meant answering phone calls from residents, meeting grassroots leaders and conductingwalkabouts in the small estate of more than 15,000 voters.
He cooked and served up some 4,000 bowls of shark's fin soup over the past five years, helped to give out bowls of abalone porridge and solemnised more than 100 marriages.
In an earlier interview, Mr Sitoh had said: 'It's my luck to have a person like Chua. When residents with problems fail to locate me, they will look for Chua, and vice versa.'
But on 6 May, 55 per cent of residents voted to retain Mr Chiam as MP.
According to one resident, one person whom Mr Chua had helped was among the flag-wavers at Mr Chiam's victory parade.
Mr Chua said: 'Five years, the prime years of my life, I spent in Potong Pasir. Now it is time to move on, and rethink my priorities.
'I am a Buddhist and I believe that good begets good. But maybe not in politics!'
Still, he doesn't count the time spent in Potong Pasir as wasted, as he says his work was never about winning votes.
'It was about making a difference to the people. I wanted to share what I have, to help where I can and I don't expect anything back,' he said.
Grassroots leaders said that when residents were facing some hardship, he sometimes dug into his own pocket.
But he brushed this aside.
'It is small money, and we have donors and patrons who help. The more important thing is the heart and the ideas that we have come up with,' he said.
One of his ideas was the popular Makan Fiesta, which has been held yearly since the National Day celebrations in 2002.
This is where high-quality shark's fin soup was sold at $1 per bowl.
Mr Chua cooked the soup himself.
'Cooking is my hobby, and when one of my grassroots leaders found out that I can cook reasonably well, she suggested I do the cooking myself,' he said.
The high point, he said, was in 2004, when he won National Day honours. Residents said he truly deserved the PBM (pingat bakti masyarakat, the public service medal).
They took out an advertisement in the newspapers - two full pages.
The message said, 'Congratulations Ah Chua! On your conferment of PBM' and signed off, 'From your friends at Potong Pasir Constituency'.
More than 2,700 signatures were added to this.
During last week's interview with The New Paper, he was continually interrupted by Potong Pasir residents calling him on his handphone.
After excusing himself to answer the calls, he said he tells residents he is 'planning for retirement'.
'I am very sorry to my family, my business associates and my company.
'Kim Eng has been very good, leaving me alone most of the time. But there has been a bull in the market for the past six months and I have missed out on it all. Now it is time to do some real deals,' he said.
Last Wednesday night was the first time he took his wife out for dinner in five years, to a Chinese restaurant at Forum Galleria.
He said: 'After so many years of fish ball noodles and stir fry at the hawker stall, I looked at the menu and was also a bit blur.
'But it made my wife very happy.
'She told me, 'You may have lost Potong Pasir, but I got my husband back.' '
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Maybe Sitoh will hired another better Chief instead of shark fins next up-coming dish maybe Buddha Jump Over The Wall. ;D
