04:55 PM Apr 05, 2011
by Ansley Ng
SINGAPORE - Owing to their status as former civil service high flyers, Opposition candidates Tony Tan and Hazel Poa (picture) have found themselves in the public spotlight on one too many occasions - including the time when they were part of a group who quit the Reform Party (RP) abruptly.
Ironically, one of the reasons why Mr Tan was initially reluctant to step into the political arena was his disdain for the limelight.
"I am not a person who likes to appear in the newspapers," said the former Singapore Armed Forces scholar who joined RP in April 2009, eight months before his wife, Ms Poa, who was previously in the Administrative Service, joined him.
The couple, who both turn 41 this year and had attained first class honours from Cambridge University, were announced as National Solidarity Party (NSP) candidates last month - barely a month after their departures from RP made the news.
While they were reticent on the RP episode, the couple were happy to share with Today - over a chat last week - how their foray into politics did not turn out the way they had expected: They were content with volunteering in the background and giving advice gleaned from their public sector experience.
Mr Tan revealed that he finally said "yes" after much persuasion to stand for elections - in the hope that it would spur others with good credentials to come forward.
Ms Poa added: "We want to normalise Opposition politics and show people that they can have a say in serving their country and contribute to policy-making, even with alternative views."
The couple said they left the public service after they became disenchanted with it: Ms Poa, for instance, was "uncomfortable" with the direction of certain policies, especially "when the HDB upgrading started being linked to votes".
However, their entry into politics took place only after several years at the receiving end of policies - since 1999, the couple have been running a chain of tuition centres called SmartLab. "You start to realise how policies affect you," said Mr Tan.
And now, "having seen both sides of the coin", Mr Tan hopes his experiences in both the public and private sectors would allow him to contribute to the Opposition's cause "because I believe in striking a balance".
The couple, who have two sons aged four and five, have been tipped to spearhead an NSP team in the new Moulmein-Kallang Group Representation Constituency (GRC) - although reports have emerged that the team could be switched to Chua Chu Kang GRC instead.
The couple declined to confirm where they will be contesting. Several issues Ms Poa will bring up during the hustings are the cost of living, property prices and Singapore's immigration policy - and these topics are intricately linked, said the former Public Service Commission scholar.
She added: "By growing your population so fast, you very rapidly increase a lot of demand in a lot of goods and services, causing their prices to go up, and - therefore - causing property prices to go up."
One antidote would be to improve wages by tightening immigration policy to control the labour supply, Ms Poa suggested.
While his time with the army - he had attained the rank of Major - had exposed him to a "hectic" work life, Mr Tan concedes that political work comes with sacrifice. "I miss spending time with my boys," he added.
URL http://www.todayonline.com/SingaporeVotes/EDC110405-0000975/NSP-duo-want-to-normalise-Opposition-politics
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