Workers' Party's rookie MP is turning out to be a rambunctious type with quite an attitude. After demanding of min. Shanmugam to disavow me simply because I write nice things about Singapore and its government (even though I've never met anybody from the PAP nor was asked to provide support for its electoral campaign), yesterday he barked at minister Chee Hong Tat, when discussing the issue of family offices with ties to criminal syrondicates.
When minister asked Tiong to clarify WP's stance on the issue and whether it is for a zero-risk policy or, like the government, a risk-proportionate approach in screening every application, he responded that it was a "stupid question" to ask (as some risk is always involved).
Here's the video of the incident:
While he ultimately apologised, it was a purely performative gesture, and before he buckled under pressure from the Speaker, he reiterated that the question asked by the minister was "not meaningful".
Only it was, because he himself had to admit that avoiding risk entirely is not feasible, so if we all agree that we have to balance the country's response to threats we can only then discuss whether it is currently facing outsized risks – and how they are even measured.
As min. Chee added, about 3% of applications have been rejected over the last 3 years, and the approved family offices tied to money laundering represent under 1% of all.
Just like in his dig at min. Shanmugam and the accusations of foreign interference, Kenneth Tiong simply doesn't understand the nuances of what he's trying to talk about, which is why it's hard to understand where his arrogance comes from.
“Pride comes before the fall”
This lesson from the Bible is one of the most enduringly accurate ones. Arrogance leads to excessive confidence which makes us blind to our own mistakes.
Kenneth Tiong seems to believe that he's smarter than everybody else in the parliament and, brimming with his 30-something vigour, he is there to put them in their place.
And yet, the two times he has already tried to do that, the only person shown his place was himself.
If he doesn't quickly learn from his stumbles, he's going to start hurting his party and sink his own political career in the process.
He must understand that he's not a Youtuber or a blogger, who gets to be his own man, saying whatever he wants in any way he sees fit, but a representative of thousands of regular people, most of whom do not approve of this style of doing politics in Singapore.
Pritam should hire professional recruiters
We all know it, of course, and Pritam Singh knows it too, because that's the standard established by the PAP, which the Workers' Party has successfully mimicked to become more palatable to voters over the years.
Any deviation from this behaviour is quickly punished, as Tan Cheng Bock's PSP learned painfully this year – and as all mosquito parties keep getting reminded each time there's an election.
Which is why it is weird that Pritam would repeat a recruitment mistake for a second time – only now being so sure of Tiong's quality that he attached him to Aljunied GRC, which practically guaranteed him a place in the parliament, after Faisal Manap was sent to contest Tampines.
Unlike Raeesah Khan, who became an MP following the party's somewhat unexpected victory in Sengkang GRC five years ago, placing a new name in Aljunied is the strongest vote of confidence the party leadership can offer.
It could have, after all, been Harpreet Singh or Michael Thng. But no – it was the guy now dissing PAP ministers for asking "stupid questions".
The timing couldn't be worse either – just as Pritam is appealing his conviction and yesterday had to apologise for mistakenly spreading untruths about the party's meeting with Noor Deros.
It would probably be better for WP if it didn't have more reasons to explain its members talking rubbish in the parliament, but here we are.
Next time it should probably hire professional recruiters who could spot behavioural red flags in the party's candidates before they go on a rampage trying to discipline the whole parliament on their own.
Worse than Raeesah
What may not be widely understood is the fact that it wasn't Raeesah's lie about the SPF that put Pritam Singh in court – it was his own testimony before the COP. Until he tried to claim that "your call" means something else than it actually does, he wasn't in any legal trouble.
If he hadn't been desperately trying to talk himself out of political (not legal) responsibility for the affair, nobody would have charged him with anything and the whole scandal would be long forgotten by now.
After all, even amidst the ongoing trial voters in Sengkang chose not to punish the party in the GE.
Kenneth Tiong's conduct in the parliament, however, while not illegal, is certainly controversial in ways that may cast a shadow on the entire party.
Just like affable Jamus Lim won hearts, minds and Sengkang with his friendly demeanour, Kenneth Tiong might start turning people off – especially as he gets schooled by more seasoned politicians.
I'm sure some are cheering him on, but I'm just as convinced that they are a minority – the sort that votes for one of the fringe parties frothing about the PAP on social media, while indulging crazy conspiracy theories.
WP's formula for success has thus far been fielding people who at least appeared to be able to hold their own against PAP ministers, not arrogant hotheads trying to lecture them.
If Pritam Singh can't rein Kenneth Tiong in he might soon be seen as Leong Mun Wai on steroids – and we all know where that got the PSP this year.
