My Wedding 19 Years Ago Was A By-Election Year

Come this 7 May 2011 is Singapore General Election again! It’s polling day on this Saturday and it’s probably the first time for many young residents in Marine Parade GRC too. For almost 2 decades (19 years ago) since the 1992 By-Election, the Marine Parade GRC had been a walkover. My parents in their 80s this year, who are still staying in Haig Road (under Marine Parade GRC), will be going for poll this Saturday finally.

Why was there a By-Election in 1992? The 1992 By-Election was called after Lim Chee Onn of PAP, retired from politics to return to the private sector. What’s so special about this By-Election then?

– It’s the first GRC By-Election.

– It was called by the then Prime Minister Goh C.T. At that time, both the DPMs, Mr Lee Hsien Loong and Mr Ong Teng Cheong, came down with cancer at the same time.

– To allow WP chief J. B. Jeyaretnam to contest an election upon his 10 years ban ending just after the 1991 General Election. But on nomination day, WP failed to file its nomination due to the tardiness of a candidate.

– For SDP, we saw Dr. Chee Soon Juan (30 then) first introduced to Singapore politics, while Teo Chee Hean (37 then) came into PAP Marine Parade GRC via this By-Election.

Credit : 新明日报, SPH

The PAP won that By-Election in 1992 with 48,965 votes (72.9%) against SDP, NSP and SJP. In 1991 General Election, PAP won with 51,685 votes (77.2%) against just SJP only. So how will this year 2011 General Election result be for Marine Parade GRC? It will be interesting to watch NSP vs PAP in this GRC especially with their young candidates Nicole Seah and Tin Pei Ling respectively.

Credit : 新明日报, SPH

We had our traditional wedding planned a year ago (need to book restaurant in advance, etc) and didn’t expect the By-Election to clash with our wedding. Of course we had to re-schedule and made preparation for going to the polling centre. My wife and I both had to go to a different polling centres as she was staying at Geylang Road and I was at Haig Road.

We went to my wife’s polling centre at Maha Bodhi School located at Geylang Lor 34 first.

After that, we rushed back to Block 4, Haig Road where my polling centre was;

We were then interviewed by the reporters after the voting;

Well General Election may be once every 4 or 5 years, but By-Election is not very common and to have it clash with your wedding…I think it’s really something very memorable.

What my father wrote;

“A little man may cast a great shadow”