The Reform Party’s Rocky Road

I had been away from the computer for a couple of days (Wednesday 23rd to Friday 25th) doing some part-time work. And guess what? News of mass “resignations” from the Reform Party and then denial by their Sec-Gen grabbed the headlines on Wednesday. Unsurprisingly the Electoral boundaries were released the very next day. Pure coincidence? I’m afraid not.

An opposition party member suggested that the PM probably had the Electoral Boundaries report on his desk for some time, pending last minute changes within the opposition camp; sure, when the Electoral Commission is under the PM’s purvue, such rumours are unsurprising. The bigwigs in the People’s Action Party were probably holding out until they really had to call for an election. Hats off to Lee Hsien Loong on this one; he has certainly timed his release to maximize the infliction of damage and the achievement of electoral victory. But the pressing concern here is the recent Reform Party fallout: what caused it and what will happen to those who quit.

Kenneth, the RP20 and the Fallout

I wrote a Facebook note quite a while back ago titled “Hail, Kenneth Jeyaretnam?”. I wrote this back then because i felt that Kenneth’s entry into Singapore politics was a promising one, given his intellect and credentials as an economist as well as his eagerness to serve. Two years later, almost to the public’s surprise and frustration, Kenneth’s Reform Party has imploded not once but twice. The less severe implosion of the party took place after Kenneth was co-opted into the CEC and took up the vacant post of Secretary-General. Back then, the RP chairman Ng Teck Siong and several others (including Sgpolitics blogger Ng E-Jay) left that party for good. This time round is a double whammy, with the party losing three of its candidates, Tony Tan, Hazel Poa and Jeisilan Sivalingan, Chairman Mr Tan Tee Seng as well 18 other members inclusive of its Youth Wing chief and other CEC members. Something clearly went wrong somewhere.

Much has to be said about the Reform Party’s leader. According to many admirers, Kenneth is articulate, polite, intelligent and serious about Singapore politics. But there is, of course, a darker side of things. I figured Wednesday’s massive walkout from the Reform Party underscores a significant problem with most parties in Singapore today, that is, the inevitability of following the path of personality cum brand-name politics. Firstly, brand-name. Jeyaretnam has long been a brand name in Singapore, but so is Wijeysingha. Nevertheless, the latter son of a prominent Raffles Institution Principal chose to earn his stripes as an ordinary member of the Singapore Democratic Party instead of bamboozling his way into a Secretary-General position. It was perhaps the mistake of several CEC members, including the much maligned Balraj Naidu back in 2009 to support his election as Sec-Gen, the unintended consequences of which we have seen in late April 2009 and in late February 2011. Secondly, Kenneth seems to be heading the way his father used to head the Workers’ Party, that is, a political party based on one single personality who is unable to engage others in building a broader opposition coalition. He certainly has the family name, and may have outdone his father in many other undesirable traits. More on this below.

Several accounts from bloggers and Facebook users seem to indicate that Kenneth is an aloof person, rude, authoritarian, has low EQ, ignores people, backstabs others (within his own party as well as other parties) and has no time for people who do not follow his world-view. Now this may all be true and are clear symptoms of Kenneth’s ego, political inexperience and naivety, no doubt the most important factors in the straining of relationships between Kenneth and the rest of the group. It’s a fact that Kenneth has the least political experience amongst all the Opposition Party Secretary-Generals in Singapore. He has not even gone through an electoral battle unlike Goh Meng Seng, Chia Ti Lik, Desmond Lim, Chiam See Tong, Low Thia Kiang and Chee Soon Juan. Furthermore, Kenneth has also not earned his political stripes the way Ti Lik and Chee have, and yet at times, word has it that he has been labeling some of their work as “militant politics”. As a Sec-Gen with the least experience of the lot, one would expect him to possess the eagerness to listen to others and to be a team player amongst his greenhorns, as he seeks to build a team to contest in the General Elections. Unfortunately not, as it seems, judging from everyone’s experience. I am sure Kenneth still has some time to overcome his political naievity, and of course, earn his political stripes. But if he carries on the way he’s doing now, it won’t be long before a third or fourth round of resignations take place. He has to reform his own Reform Party to make sure it’s ready for the elections, or it’s finished.

Part of the blame (albeit a smaller part) lies with the some of these other former members too. Most of these guys who joined the Reform Party were, as i have noted above, greenhorns like Kenneth. They probably had their own ideas on how the party should be run, and sure, this is all normal. It is heartening that they all gave great input for RP: Hazel with her analysis on the HDB prices, Tony on income tax, and the rest of them with the party’s walkabouts, House-to House work as well as their Picnic in the Park etc etc. Unfortunately it’s also true that in any political party, these heads do clash against each other from time to time, mistakes are made (e.g. the Ang Pao incident) and patience can run thin. In this case, the inevitable solution was just to walk out on the Secretary-General. Certainly, they have every right to walk out from this relationship, but had they been more politically-savvy, they could have avoided this unfortunate parting of ways and harming their own electoral chances (more on this in the following paragraph). But the very least i can say is, these 20 or so who had left had not really burnt their bridges with Kenneth Jeyaretnam; rather, Kenneth is the bigger devil when it comes to burning his own relationships with others through poor statements bitterly slamming those who leave. He may very well regret his actions and words in future.

Where now for the Former RP Members?

The biggest issue for these 20 or so former members is the lack of a political party. Do note that they have indicated their current interest for this upcoming GE, and they are quite well thought-of in many circles. Some options thrown up by writers and political observers include (1) Setting up a new party to contest in GE 2011, (2) all 20 joining an existing party or if they decide not to work with each other (3) going their separate ways and joining different parties. Now, this may not be much of a problem had they left months ago, but the electoral boundaries are out and GE preparations are heating up. Option (1) will not be possible for these 20 or so individuals, as registration time for a new party will take a couple of months, causing them to miss GE 2011 in the process. Option (2) and (3) are possible but are also very difficult. Consider Option (2), that is, all 20 join an existing party. Whichever party they apply to join will be very cautions, given their recent spat with KJ and the worry of whether these 20 people can integrate into their party without making a mess of their already tedious team dynamics. Option (3) would also be a more probable option for these members if they’ve alreadly made some friends with other party members, but then again, team dynamics come into play. Whether it’s 3 or 20, some former potential RP candidates (Tony and Hazel) within a party like the SDP could prove fatal if that party has already decided on its slate of candidates. It may be best for all parties to not to consider these scenarios lightly.

[EDIT] – What we could really see is the fading of some of these members into oblivion, while some others could (4) potentially join as volunteers (not members) and help out in the election hustings. Furthermore, there is also option (5), that is, running together as independents on a joint-list in a GRC with the support of some of those who have resigned. I see Options (4) and (5) as attractive options for some of these former RP members. Option (4) would not require them to be fully involved in a sapping campaign after a traumatic exit from their former party. By going through the election hustings with more experienced members of other parties, these 20 or so members would be able to gain experience whilst not formally with any party. However, by taking option (5) Tony, Hazel and others wouldn’t be seen to have wasted their much hyped political potential if they can come together as a team with a small but dedicated pool of volunteers, but (and it’s a big but) this depends on how they can get other dozen odd former RP members to contribute. In all seriousness, if they do seriously want to contest in an election, i’d say their best bet is 2016/7 rather than 2011. For now, i favour option (5) where the team has to get back to the nitty-gritty hard work of politics after a sad departure from being at the top. But who knows what’ll happen? That’s the exciting part of politics after all.