Chiam See Tong

Born in Singapore during British colonial rule, Chiam was educated at Anglo-Chinese School (ACS), where he was an accomplished swimmer and a member of the school's relay team. He completed his GCE Advanced Level examinations in 1955 and subsequently graduated from the Victoria University of Wellington in 1961 with a Bachelor of Science (BSc). Following his graduation, Chiam began his teaching career at Mahmud Secondary School in Raub, Pahang in British Malaya from 1962 to 1963, and later taught at Cedar Girls' Secondary School in Singapore between 1964 and 1972. During this period, he undertook training at the Teachers' Training College and received a Certificate in Education in 1967. Chiam later pursued a career in law, reading law at the Inner Temple in London and qualifying as a barrister in 1974. Upon his return to Singapore, he was admitted to the bar as an advocate and solicitor. He practised at Philip Wong & Co from 1974 to 1976 before establishing his own firm, Chiam & Co. He operated the firm until 2002, when he closed it to focus fully on his parliamentary duties. ==Political career==

Chiam made his political debut in the 1976 general election, standing as an independent candidate in Cairnhill against Lim Kim San, a veteran People's Action Party (PAP) candidate and long-serving Cabinet minister. He was defeated with 31.83 percent of the vote, while Lim secured 68.17 percent. He contested in the election for Potong Pasir again as a SDP candidate against Howe. In an election rally, Howe disparaged Chiam on his professional competence. Chiam eventually lost to Howe again with 40.95% of the vote against Howe's 59.05%. Dhanabalan later issued a public apology to Chiam, . Standing on the far left is Workers' Party (WP) member Low Thia Khiang. When Chiam was first elected into Parliament in 1984, he was one of only two opposition MPs, the other being J. B. Jeyaretnam, the Workers' Party secretary-general. After Jeyaretnam lost his parliamentary seat in 1986, Chiam remained the sole elected opposition Member of Parliament until after the 1991 general election, which saw three other opposition politicians becoming elected Members of Parliament: Ling How Doong and Cheo Chai Chen of the SDP, and Low Thia Khiang of the Workers' Party. Chee's candidacy had generated considerable public interest as it was the first time that an academic from a state-run university had stood for election against the PAP. Chee subsequently became the assistant secretary-general of the SDP and Chiam's protégé. In the same year, PAP MP Choo Wee Khiang said in a speech that when he drove to Little India one evening, he found it "pitch dark, not because there was no light, but because there were too many Indians around." Chiam was the only MP who called out Choo for his remarks. In response, Chiam resigned from his position as secretary-general on May 17, 1993. Filing a lawsuit against the SDP, Chiam obtained a court reversal of his expulsion, allowing him to retain his parliamentary seat until the next general election. Singapore Democratic Alliance (centre) and Chiam (right) at a Singapore Democratic Alliance (SDA) rally during the campaign period for the 2006 general election. Ahead of the 2001 general election, the SPP joined forces with three other opposition parties — National Solidarity Party (NSP), Pertubuhan Kebangsaan Melayu Singapura (PKMS) and Singapore Justice Party (SJP) — to form the Singapore Democratic Alliance, with Chiam as the SDA's chairman. Chiam then contested in the general election under the SDA banner in Potong Pasir SMC and won with 52.43% of the vote against the PAP candidate Sitoh Yih Pin, thus continuing for a fifth term in Parliament as the MP for Potong Pasir SMC. He closed his law firm, Chiam & Co, in the following year to become a full-time Member of Parliament. Chiam's victory was a surprise, especially since the PAP had offered a S$80 million upgrading package for Potong Pasir residents and had brought in former Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong to assist in the PAP campaign in the constituency. In 2009, Chiam celebrated his 25th year as the Member of Parliament for Potong Pasir SMC. That year, he also announced that he did not plan to contest in Potong Pasir SMC in the next general election, and would instead contest in a group representation constituency (GRC). In 2010, Chiam tried to bring the Reform Party into the SDA. He reportedly accepted the conditions the Reform Party set out for joining the SDA, but the other members of the SDA council opposed the terms of entry and blocked the move. In 2010 and early 2011, it was reported the some SDA council members felt that Chiam was unable to fulfil his role as the chairman of the party after his stroke in 2008. On 28 February 2011, the SDA council voted to relieve Chiam of his role as chairman, but stressed that they still hoped to field him as a candidate in the next general election. On 2 March 2011, Chiam announced that the SPP was withdrawing from the SDA, and that he would contest under the SPP banner in the next general election. 2011 general election . Between 1997 and 2011, Low Thia Kiang from the Workers' Party and Chiam from the SPP were the only elected opposition MPs. During the 2011 general election, Low and Chiam left their respective strongholds in Hougang and Potong Pasir SMCs to challenge the ruling People's Action Party (PAP) in group representation constituencies (GRCs). Low contested in Aljunied GRC, while Chiam contested in Bishan–Toa Payoh GRC. In so doing, Low and Chiam risked a situation where there would be no elected opposition MPs in Parliament if they lost. Chiam's team, which included Benjamin Pwee, Wilfred Leung, Jimmy Lee and Mohamad Hamim bin Aliyas, ultimately lost in Bishan–Toa Payoh GRC with 43.07% of the vote against the PAP team's 56.93%. Retirement from politics On 30 August 2015, Chiam announced that he would not be running for election in the 2015 general election due to his declining health. On 4 September 2019, the SPP announced that Chiam would be resigning from his position as the party's secretary-general due to his declining health. Chiam stepped down on 16 October 2019 and was succeeded by Steve Chia. ==Post-retirement==

On 9 March 2017, Chiam and Lina Loh launched the Chiam See Tong Sports Fund at the Old Parliament House to help needy athletes achieve their sporting dreams. Chiam and Loh are co-patrons of the organisation, which is chaired by their daughter, Camilla Chiam. ==Personal life==

Chiam's given name, "See Tong" (), which translates as "punctual" or "timely," was given upon him by his grandfather, Chiam Seng Poh. Poh was a revolutionary involved in the uprisings during the final years of the Qing dynasty preceding the 1911 Revolution. After one such uprising failed, he fled China with his family and settled in Muar, Malaya. Chiam's maternal grandfather, Lim Liang Quee, belonged to the Straits Chinese elite. Chiam's father, Chiam Heng Hong, was a businessman who traded in commodities including rubber, pepper and sugar. His mother, Lily Lim, was instrumental in founding the 7th Singapore Company of the Girls' Brigade at the Prinsep Street Presbyterian Church during the 1950s. Together, Chiam Heng Hong and Lily Lim had two sons: Chiam See Tong and Chiam Joon Tong. They married in Singapore in 1975 when Chiam was 40 and Loh was 26, making her 14 years his junior. The couple have one daughter, Camilla. ==See also==