Supporters of the opposition Workers’ Party wave party flags as they gather in Hougang after the general election in 2020. Photo: AFP
SINGAPORE (SCMP): As a courtroom drama unfolds in Singapore that may affect the future of its largest opposition party, a documentary film is being released that recalls its glorious past.
On Sunday, the Workers’ Party released 后港 Hougang: The Documentary on its YouTube channel, tracing the history of its bastion of power, the single-seat constituency of the same name that it has held since 1991, and its renowned ex-leader Low Thia Khiang.
The party controls eight seats in parliament and its current secretary general, Pritam Singh, is facing two charges of lying under oath during a parliamentary committee hearing involving lies former MP Raeesah Khan told in parliament. Low, who retired from active politics in 2020, was among the witnesses called to appear before the court.
Singh could be fined up to S$7,000 (US$5,300), jailed up to three years, or both per charge. If he is fined at least S$10,000, he could lose his seat as an MP and be disqualified from standing in elections for five years.
Former Singapore MP Low Thia Khiang reflects on his electoral victory in “后港 Hougang: The Documentary”. Photo: YouTube/wpsgp
While Low had been keeping a low profile, the trial harked back to a time when he was in the limelight and crossing swords with the ruling party.
The story of Hougang as captured in the documentary is the story of the rise of the Workers’ Party under Low’s leadership and how it became the seat of opposition expansion, allowing the party to project itself into neighbouring constituencies.
In 2011, two decades after he won Hougang, Low left his ward and led a team to make a gambit for a multi-seat constituency in neighbouring Aljunied. Such wards were previously seen as impregnable fortresses.
Since then the party has gone on to win a second multi-seat constituency in Sengkang and is actively campaigning in other neighbouring wards ahead of a general election which must be held by November next year.
But the dream began in Hougang. The year was 1991, when newly appointed prime minister Goh Chok Tong called for elections to secure a mandate of his own from Singapore’s voters.
A vintage poster promoting the use of Mandarin in Singapore is seen in the trailer for “后港 Hougang: The Documentary”. Photo: YouTube/wpsgp
As he campaigned in English, Malay, and Mandarin, a small-built but determined candidate named Low Thia Khiang chose instead to connect with the residents of Hougang, in the northeast corner of the island state, by speaking in the Teochew dialect – despite the government’s push at the time for the majority ethnic Chinese community to adopt Mandarin.
Low understood that the residents of Hougang cherished their dialect and he used this knowledge to bond with voters, convincing them to choose him as their voice in parliament.
His Workers’ Party captured 52.82 per cent of the vote, creating a rare opposition stronghold in a country dominated by the People’s Action Party (PAP). Since then, the Workers’ Party’s vote share in Hougang has never dipped below that initial result.
Low’s act of linguistic defiance proved pivotal in that election campaign, resonating deeply with voters. Observers and former residents of the area noted this connection in the documentary.
Singaporeans celebrate the country’s 50th National Day in 2015. Photo: AFP
Low, now 68, reflected on his victory in the 83-minute film. “While of course I felt happy and really thankful for the support in Hougang, there was not much excitement for me because I know what is waiting for me from the way I understand how the PAP operates,” he said.
In the early months of managing the constituency and establishing a town council to attend to municipal matters, Low said he lost 10kg (22lbs) due to the pressures he faced.
At the time, the PAP was determined to reclaim opposition strongholds, enticing voters with upgrades if they supported the ruling party. Yet the residents remained steadfast.
In 2006, Goh announced a S$100 million plan to upgrade Hougang in a bid to win back the constituency. But despite the then-senior minister’s efforts, the Workers’ Party retained the seat – increasing its vote share to 62.74 per cent.
Scandal loomed when Low’s successor, Yaw Shin Leong, vacated his seat in 2012 after being expelled from the party over personal indiscretions. He was rumoured to be having an extramarital affair.
Yaw is not mentioned in the documentary, but Png Eng Huat, who won the subsequent by-election with 62.08 per cent of the vote, is featured.
The title card for “后港 Hougang: The Documentary” as seen on the Workers’ Party of Singapore’s YouTube channel. Photo: YouTube/wpsgp
“If you want to win Hougang you must win with your heart, not with your mind, not with goodies, not with promises of upgrading,” Png said in the film.
The filmmakers told This Week in Asia they originally pitched the documentary in 2020 as a feature on Low, who served as Hougang’s MP until 2011 and later led the Workers’ Party to its first multi-ward constituency victory in neighbouring Aljunied.
Having helmed the party from 2001 to 2018, Low holds the record for the longest-serving opposition MP, with 29 years of service. Although he remains on the party’s central executive committee, he did not run in the 2020 general election.
“Like all political stalwarts, [he has] a long history, a lot of anecdotes, a lot of wonderful wisdom to share with a political democracy, but we know that Mr Low is someone who doesn’t want attention on himself,” said Joe Ng, the music composer and sound engineer for the documentary.
“He wants his political message to come out but not [make it] about himself so he would never accede to a documentary about him.”
Low agreed to the project only if it centred on Hougang, the filmmakers said. Initially planned for release in 2021 to celebrate 30 years of Workers’ Party leadership in the constituency, the film was delayed due to Covid-19 restrictions, among other reasons.
A photo featured in “后港 Hougang: The Documentary” shows a fisherman living in the area. Photo: YouTube/wpsgp
The filmmakers, who are party volunteers, said they sought to uncover why Hougang voters continue to support the Workers’ Party despite the PAP’s incentives.
The documentary is divided into six parts, beginning with the story of early Teochew migrants from Guangzhou and Shantou who began settling in Hougang, near Singapore’s northern port, even before Stamford Raffles’ arrival in 1819, according to one expert interviewed for the film.
Through interviews with historians and political observers, the documentary outlines how many of these families, initially pig farmers and fishermen, were resettled into government housing after their land was acquired for redevelopment in the 1970s. This disruption sowed resentment and long-held distrust towards the establishment, the observers said.
Residents shared their experiences for their film, including frustrations over delayed upgrades to amenities such as lifts. Yet, as resident Lei Guang Quan said: “There is a certain amount of resilience in the old folks here. They will slowly climb the stairs. Even without the lifts, they have been using the stairs for decades. They say it’s good exercise for their legs.”
Low reflected on this in the documentary. “Sometimes it feels like it’s not being fair to Hougang residents,” he said. “It seemed like I was short-changing them. They elected me and that’s how the government is penalising them.”
The areas’ continued support for the opposition, despite these setbacks, illustrates their community spirit, according to former Hougang resident Willin Low. “Whether it was the realism of needing somebody who listens to their concerns on the ground or whether it was a more idealistic democracy that we need an alternative voice,” he said in the documentary. “Whatever the reason was, there was unity in that sense.”
Directors Zen Yeo and Janson Choo said that while they had expected bitterness towards the government, many Hougang residents they interviewed did not feel this way and simply valued a plurality of political views.
“The idea of having more voices in parliament, the idea of democracy is actually very important [to them],” Choo said. “These guys [Hougang residents] are your regular average folk, and may not have much education, but they understand that there’s an actual need for the plurality of voices in parliament.”
The documentary concludes with a focus on the “just do it” spirit of Hougang, exemplified by the Hougang Constituency Education Trust, established by Low in 1992 after the community club cut educational bursaries for low-income families following his electoral victory. The trust continues to provide support, with some beneficiaries later donating back to the fund.
“We hope to help the audience understand what has happened, what has transpired historically, and then how the Hougang spirit came to be what it is today,” director Yeo said. - SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST
