Ong Ye Kung on not joining opposition like his father & regrets about his late parents not seeing him win an election
"But I would think that both he and I, we chose the same path of public service," Ong said.
Why didn't Minister for Health Ong Ye Kung join the opposition party like his father?
This was a question posed to Ong by one of the "neurodiverse journalists" on the panel of CNA's documentary The Assembly.
Ong's late father, Ong Lian Teng, was a Member of Parliament (MP) in the 1960s, representing the opposition party Barisan Sosialis.
Answering the question without missing a beat, Ong explained that his father lived in a different time when there were "very divergent positions on where Singapore was heading."
Why didn't he join opposition like his father?
Ong described how his father was particularly passionate about serving and helping the villagers back then.
He recalled how the older Ong used his MP salary to fund the construction of a bridge or a road in their village.
With that, Ong said his father has influenced his view on how to serve the society and help people.
Ong became a civil servant and "naturally [he] felt the way to serve was to join the PAP (People's Action Party)".
"But I would think that both he and I, we chose the same path of public service," Ong said.
"The parties we chose might be different, but nevertheless, I'm following my father's footsteps in many ways," he added.
ADVERTISEMENT
Scroll to continue with content
Scroll to continue with content
Did he ever feel like he had betrayed his parents by joining the PAP? Another neurodiverse journalist asked.
Ong said that he had thought about this question before and had several conversations with his parents over the years.
Ong eventually concluded that while he has chosen his own path, he is following his parents' footsteps in some ways.
His parents ultimately accepted his decision as well.
His regrets
Ong was invited to join politics in 2006, but he did not do so as his father needed time to process it.
"Because in some ways, he was torn and therefore asked for more time," Ong added.
After receiving his father's blessing and support, Ong contested in the 2011 general election as part of the Aljunied PAP team, which saw him losing to the Workers' Party.
"By then, my father had passed away, but my mother was around, and she saw me lose," he said.
When Ong won his seat in 2015, however, his mother had passed away.
"I'm sure, if they'd been around in 2015 and seen me win, they would've been proud," he reflected.
Top photos from Ong Ye Kung/Facebook
No comments:
Post a Comment