Tan Poh Lai- Tan Chee Khoon's political heiress

 




Tan Poh Lai

I need to be clear to my PKR colleagues and friends. I have been a political commentator and observer since 2008. I write on these topics. At the moment, an area that stirs the interest of many people is the PKR elections. I am no exception.

In parliament I have watched the PKR people closely. I have been able to form some opinions on them. I have watched Azmin Ali, Surendren, Rafizi, Nurulizzah, Tian Chia, Zuraida Kamarudin and many others.

I wrote 3 articles on the PKR election 2014. Two of them about Azmin Ali.  They were seen by many to be favourable to Azmin. I explained my reasons why I thought and still do that Azmin is the best candidate for deputy president. I wrote a 3^rd article giving space to a counter view against Azmin. I shall write a final piece on Azmin in a short while as to why I am still convinced that he should be the PKR deputy president.

I am pleased to see that a dear friend is also contesting for a post. She is Miss Tan Poh Lai as I called her. She is a PKR wanita leader from Johor Baru. She is a mother, professional, selfless social worker and a politician. She is a dedicated social activist and also a committed political activist who has done a lot of work for PKR in JB.

She and her husband own and operate a school for special children in JB. She built this school using her own resources. If I am not mistaken, she herself is mother to such a child. We need this kind of leader who is sensitive enough to appreciate the sufferings of others.

Poh Lai is a lawyer by training. She takes part in activities connected to her profession and practises out of JB. She is a leader with adequate means who can lighten the burden of the party.

I first came to know Poh Lai in 2012. She called me up to invite me for a ceramah in Kg Majidee in JB. I came and did the ceramah with her. Kg Majidee was and still is an UMNO stronghold. To be able to hold a PKR ceramah there must have been a daunting task. Together with a few dedicated party workers, she managed to pull it off. On that occasion, Zuraida Kamarudin the present MP for Ampang and the incumbent PKR Wanita leader was also around.

It is important to have a leader who can organise and gets things done. Poh Lai is such a leader.

Not many people know Poh Lai is the daughter of the legendary Tan Chee Khoon. Tan Chee Khoon was a well-known opposition leader in the 1960s and early 1970s. Those of us who are old enough will remember an occasion in Parliament when Tunku Abdul Rahman asked, those who have not sinned, to please stand up. Tan Chee Khoon stood up, whereupon the Tunku wryly remarked- I feel sorry for you (chee khoon).

It must have been a sense of personal anguish and dejection in being sidestepped as candidate for JB. I was sure she would have made a better fighting candidate for JB at that time. But the party leadership chose an ex-army general to contest. Poh Lai didn’t sulk and continued to contribute and organise for PKR during the GE13 in JB.

She remained philosophical and stoical about that episode in her political life. I can understand the sense of frustration and injustice of being left out after having done a lot of work. When I met her in Kuala Lumpur she just shrugged it off and was busy on another political project with a few political friends. This time it was training for polling and counting agents. She got a few lawyer friends to get things goings.

In choosing a leader what qualities do we look for? We need to look at a person’s analytical abilities and this is evidenced in part by one’s education and academic qualifications. Poh Lai is a lawyer by profession and she can be said to have analytical abilities. It’s no use to support a leader whom we have to explain things repeatedly for them to understand and appreciate. We want leaders who can quickly comprehend the concept and analyse the main points of an issue.

We need leaders with CAPACITY. This means a person’s ability to analyse data quickly and learn fast, basing judgments on fact not sentiment. In Poh Lai’s case for example when she was not selected as JB parliamentary candidate- if she had been driven by sentiments, she would have done counterproductive things such as refusing to help the chosen candidate. Evaluating the facts may have revealed that the competing against the particular opponent in JB at that time requires a candidate with perceived stature. An ex general from Johor, the facts showed at that time to be more appropriate. 

The ACHIEVEMENT need has always been an important success criteria. The leader must have that drive and enthusiasm to set themselves and others challenging unambiguous targets. The challenge and unambiguous target is to kick out the BN government.  In facing up to the challenge and target, the leader must have the resilience to deliver. He or she must also have the courage and self-confidence to tackle unfamiliar problems and go against the crowd when necessary.

In a multiracial party and placed in a multi-racial environment, the leader must have RELATIONSHIPS skills. This involves among other things genuine respect and concern for people and valuing everyone regardless of culture or status.

I think, Poh Lai has all these qualities. PKR delegates and electors should consider voting in Poh Lai as naib ketua wanita.