Just as a heroine has emerged in the form of Dr Lily Neo, so has a villain appeared. And she is none other than Ms Lee Bee Wah.
Ms Lee is the exact opposite of Dr Neo. Just as Dr Neo is classy, elite and poised, Ms Lee is common, crude and very emotional.
And presently, she is the locally most hated person on the net forums and the most flamed online! There are dark storms of harsh criticism for her actions and blood curdling screams for her resignation from the Singapore Table Tennis Association (STTA). She was also called a wet blanket and a party pooper by many online.
Ms Lee opened her big mouth too big, too soon and put her foot in her mouth. And now, probably under intense pressure from her "bosses/government", she had apologise in public to the public.
Before her Olympics fiasco, she was well known for her infamously crude and colourful one liner in conservative Parliament. She had then criticised the opposition's call to delay the GST hike as a case of "ai pang sai ka che jamban" (looking for a toilet only when one needs to pass motion).
Some constituents and citizens more accustomed to prim and proper, polite prose in parliament, sniffed at that pungent note she struck.
Her reputation took some beating. People forgot the real issue or what she was trying to say but could only remembered what she said about the pang sai and jamban (pass motion and toilet). People did took notice of her alright, but for all the wrong reasons.
She is what is called "New Money" as compared to "Old Money". Old money means that money or rather wealth that has been in the family for quite a few generations. Like Dr Neo.
New money has been associated with new creation of wealth and status. And the people who came across this new money and newly found importance or status did not have the experience of using them effectively and hence tends to be more flashy, vulgar and tasteless in their expressions.
Of course, the above is a very common generalization.
I dun think Ms Lee would last very long in politics. She is much too raw and too emotional. And frankly, she is just too "grassroot" and common. Some people may want someone like them to represent them in Parliament but the real society is made up of many class status, not just the grassroots.
Her Olympic fiasco outburst revealed to her "bosses" her severe weakness and lack of political capabilities.
Any other person with half a political brain or any brain for that matter, would not have acted so rashly and irrationally. If she had truly wanted to get rid of the coach and the manager, she should have waited for a few weeks or even months when the spotlight is off the Olympics, and then sacked them. No one would have known better. Gosh, she is so naive at her age.
Instead, she had to do it during the Olympics, when the country is celebrating its victory of the silver medals, when the coach and the manager were both still in China. She opened her big mouth and told a reporter that heads would roll. She did it in the public media without first informing any of the people involved. She did what is called an "executive decision", which did not exactly worked out in any body's favor. She did the worst thing anyone could do in this case, she over reacted.
And now her boss, minister Dr Vivian had to step in personally to save the day and to prevent the whole matter from escalating further and spinning out of control. In PR speak, this is called crisis management or damage control.
Ms Lee is such a rash spit fire. And I guess, her political career is about as far as it would go. I dun think her bosses would be that pleased with her performance and behaviour. And she was barely 2 months into the job.
Just take a look at the photo below of Dr Vivian looking at Ms Lee (disapprovingly). Behave! He seemed to say. He was there in the background, watching her, like an embarrassed father watching a badly behaved, naughty daughter, just in case she shot off her mouth during the apology. Well, better be safe than to be sorry.
And now she's in a spot and utterly embarrassed and totally humilated. The coaches and players of the Singapore Table Tennis Association (STTA) dun quite know what to make of her. Her bosses dun exactly trust her to make the right decisions or say the right things.
When her bosses appointed her in charge, they thought she would be a breathe of fresh air with her enthusiasm. Instead, she turned out to be such a stormy foul smell. And the whole country is in protest with that BW odour.
Who knows what kind of scandals she would cause next time she open her big mouth in public.
With what she had done, she probably is going to be some puppet in STTA with no real authoritative powers. In a matter of months, her bosses are going to find a better replacement and boot her off.
Her heart and mind may be in the right place but her mouth is obviously not. And that does not always work in politics. Besides wanting to do the right things, one should also need to say the right things and not rub people the wrong way. Saying the wrong things and offending people amounts to career suicide. And this is particularly sensitive in the political arena.
Next time she wants to open her mouth or make any important decisions, she should think over it at least twice or thrice before she open her big mouth, put her foot in and offend the country again.
Careful, Ms Lee, the bosses are watching you. So is the country and the public.
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The Straits Times
30 Aug 2008
I'm sorry, Singapore
By Lin Xinyi & Terrence Voon
'I SINCERELY apologise.'
Ms Lee Bee Wah, the president of the Singapore Table Tennis Association (STTA), had those words for the country last night. Her comments last weekend, that she would replace the Singapore table tennis team manager, unleashed a storm of criticism and calls for her resignation.
In a quavering voice, she said sorry for souring the country's brightest sporting moment in almost half a century.
Facing a throng of close to 30 journalists at a press conference last night, she said: 'It is regretful that this situation happened and turned out the way it did. 'I had made comments which had been misunderstood and had upset some Singaporeans. I sincerely apologise for causing any grievances and any stress.'
She also said: 'Our action has dampened the celebration mood of our fellow Singaporeans.' With that, she brought to a close one chapter of an episode that sparked unhappiness from all quarters.
Since last weekend Ms Lee, an MP for Ang Mo Kio GRC, has been criticised by many for spoiling the party mood after the country's first Olympic medal in 48 years.
'I sincerely apologise for causing any grievances, any stress.' - Ms Lee Bee Wah, acknowledging that the episode spoilt the celebratory mood after Singapore won its first Olympic medal in 48 years.
'I can announce quite categorically that the crisis is over.' - Sports Minister Vivian Balakrishnan, who said he spent the week in numerous meetings with all concerned to sort out the problem. -- ST PHOTO: TERENCE TAN
Just five days after the women's table tennis team took silver at the Beijing Games, she revealed that team manager Antony Lee's services were no longer needed, and that national head coach Liu Guodong's fate would be decided by a coaching committee.
She had been angry after Singapore No. 1 Gao Ning found himself with no coach for his third-round men's singles match and crashed out to a much lower-ranked Croatian.
Ms Lee took over as table tennis chief barely two months ago, on July 4. Though many called for her to step down, Minister for Community Development, Youth and Sports Vivian Balakrishnan made it clear last night that she will stay, but she needs some time to get results.
Last night's press conference, held at the STTA's headquarters in Toa Payoh, also made clear that head coach Liu is in talks with Ms Lee to negotiate a new contract.
But team manager Lee will leave the STTA. His secondment from the Singapore Sports Council to the association will be extended by three months beyond the end of this month. He will then join the Singapore National Olympic Council.
Dr Balakrishnan said: 'He's gained a lot of experience in dealing in international sports, and I want to leverage on that as we go on in our preparations for the Youth Olympics as well as London 2012.'
There was no question of Mr Lee being sacked, he said. The minister began the press conference by saying: 'Categorically, the crisis is over.'
He acknowledged more than once that the table tennis controversy had soured the celebratory mood of many Singaporeans rejoicing over the Olympic medal win. 'There have been some mistakes made, there was a lack of communication, there were certainly some misunderstandings, there was some overreaction,' he said.
He described the timing of Ms Lee's comments as ill-conceived, and said he had received many reactions to them.
Flanked by a sombre-looking Ms Lee to his right, and by Senior Parliamentary Secretary (Community Development, Youth and Sports) Teo Ser Luck and chairman of Project 0812 Ng Ser Miang on the left, Dr Balakrishnan said: 'Over the past four days, both Ser Luck and myself - we've met all the players, the coaches, all the key officials. I've had numerous meetings with the senior management and committee of the STTA.'
Also present were glum-faced silver medallists Li Jiawei, Wang Yuegu and Feng Tianwei, as well as the head coach, team manager, Gao Ning and other members of the men's team. They were a sombre group, who said little when called upon to answer reporters' questions.
Dr Balakrishnan praised them all for doing their best in Beijing. Looking ahead, he urged Singaporeans to trust in what the association was doing. He and Ms Lee said the table tennis team had a bright future - its immediate challenge is the Volkswagen Women's World Cup in Kuala Lumpur starting next Saturday.
He said: 'This is a team which I believe has great potential for the future.'
Added Ms Lee: 'We assure Singaporeans we will work harder to achieve greater heights, and I hope for their support.'
The next step? Said Mr Ng, a Singapore International Olympic Committee executive board member: 'Let's go back to our celebration.'
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Today Online
30 Aug 2008
No amputation as ping pong row ends
Tan Yo-Hinn and Low lin fhoong
THE eight days that shook Singapore sports ended on Friday with the good doctor saying: “We have concluded that this was a patient that did not need an amputation.”
Instead, Dr Vivian Balakrishnan announced that:
• Liu Guodong will remain table tennis coach;
• Antony Lee will continue as team manager for three months, after which he will be seconded to the Singapore National Olympic Council (SNOC); and
• Lee Bee Wah will remain as the president of the Singapore Table Tennis Association (STTA).
The Minister for Community Development, Youth and Sports said at a conference to bring the table tennis controversy to a close: “Over the past four days, Teo Ser Luck, myself, all the players, coaches and key officials of the association have met and I’m happy to announce categorically that the crisis is over.
“Yes, some mistakes were made, there were misunderstandings and some over reactions.
“STTA president Lee Bee Wah was dedicated to achieving organisational excellence. She’s very passionate, and sometimes a bit impatient to achieve a good system for the players. Mistakes were made, the question is how we respond to it and minimise it, how to maintain team unity.
Ms Lee, who was visibly tired, apologised and said: “The Beijing Olympics were very emotional for all of us and I made some comments that were misunderstood and upset some Singaporeans. I sincerely apologise for any grievances and stress (that was caused). On behalf of STTA, coaches and team manager, I convey my apologies to Singaporeans. Our actions have dampened the celebrations of all Singaporeans. I hope this will bring about a closure.”
It was Ms Lee’s comments — that action will be taken against those responsible for the absence of a coach during player Gao Ning’s Olympics Games match in Beijing — that kicked off a storm of protests among Singaporeans. Their main point of contention was that Ms Lee’s public outburst spoilt the party for a nation celebrating a silver medal in Olympics, its first in 48 years.
Since the team’s return from the Beijing Olympic Games on Monday, several rounds of meetings with players, coaches and team officials were held with Dr Balakrishnan and Senior Parliamentary Secretary (MCYS) Teo Ser Luck.
It is understood that the players, coaches and team officials had frank discussions and patched up their differences.
Feng Tianwei, the 21-year-old who was one of the stars of the national women’s team silver medal feat, said: “We had discussions about this over the past few days and we’re all satisfied with the outcome.”
Her team-mates Li Jiawei and Wang Yuegu added they would abide by whatever plans the STTA had for them.
Gao Ning, the player at the centre of the storm, said: “For me, it’s over, and I’m focused on getting back to training and competing, which is what I do. I want to do my best as an athlete.”
Also present at Friday night’s press conference were Lee, Teo, International Olympic Committee executive board member and SNOC vice-president Ng Ser Miang, team manager Lee, and members of both the men’s and women’s teams.
Dr Balakrishnan added that the sport could learn from this incident, and hoped that it would spur them on.
“Sports is a reflection of life and there are very few things in life that unify all of us on the same platform. There may be criticism about what we have done but the vast majority of Singaporeans is happy,” he said.
“I would like to urge the public: Trust us and trust the team to get on with the process. Increasing interest in the sport — that must be the ultimate harvest and I hope it can show parents that a career in sports is possible. Let’s give her (Lee Bee Wah) some time to put her plans into place.”
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Today Online
30 Aug 2008
A LADY who’s UP FOR A FIGHT
IF YOU knew a little about Ms Lee Bee Wah’s background, you would want to offer her a shoulder to cry on. Not that she will take kindly to that offer.
The big boss of Singapore ping pong is known to be hiong (Hokkien for fierce). Fiercely independent and overtly rebellious, she can also be deliciously pugnacious. These qualities made her defy her rubber-tapper parents in Malaysia, use colourful Hokkien language in Parliament, and finally, become a party pooper in Singapore’s coming-out Olympics party.
Ms Lee — who took over as president of the Singapore Table Tennis Association (STTA) just one month before the Beijing Olympics — found herself in the news for all the wrong reasons recently when she publicly chastised the table-tennis team coaches and manager after Singapore’s top male player Gao Ning was left teary-eyed as he lost his Olympics match without a coach by his side.
Expressing her disappointment to the Singapore media over the incident in Beijing, Ms Lee, 47, added: “Someone will have to be accountable for this.”
She kept her word. A few days later, she shocked Singapore by announcing that the services of team manager Antony Lee were not needed any more.
“I have a new team and will have a new CEO and technical director. It is best that the manager is chosen by them. Antony is welcome to apply for the position when we ask for applications,” saidMs Lee, who captained her varsity table-tennis team.
Ms Lee had earlier made known her intention to steer the STTA away from its heavy-reliance on imported sporting talents to developing home-grown ones. But her latest proclamation sent shock waves not just through the table tennis fraternity but ordinary Singaporeans swept up in the Olympics euphoria.
Letters — mostly criticising her action with a handful supporting her tough stance — flooded newsrooms. The Internet was buzzing with reactions as well. A public tit-for-tat ensued as the head coach and the team manager decided to air their views, too.
Ms Lee subsequently tried to clarify that the review of the team hierarchy was already on the cards before the Beijing Olympics — but the damage was done.
In the words of Community Development, Youth and Sports Minister,Dr Vivian Balakrishnan: “Egos have been bruised, emotional tears and sweat have been shed.”
Ms Lee, a first-term Member ofParliament for Ang Mo Kio GRC, maintained that she did not think “there was anything wrong” with what she did, though she regretted speaking to the media as it caused her intention to be “blown out of proportion”.
A WAY WITH WORDS
Yet, this is not the first time that Ms Lee’s public comments — in particular her colourful language and combative oratorical style in Parliament — have caused a stir.
Flashback to February last year: Referring to the Thai decision to cancel an ongoing exchange programme between civil servants amid diplomatic tensions between the two countries, Ms Lee said: “Shouldn’t the ministry cancel all such programmes and channel the money to better use, such as, for example, expediting the lift upgrading programme in Nee Soon South?”
A few weeks later, within thehallowed halls of Parliament, she criticised the opposition’s call to delay the GST hike, slated for July last year, as a case of ai pang sai ka che jamban (Hokkien phrase meaning looking for a toilet only when one needs to defecate).
Her comments earned polite rebukes within the House and were frowned upon by mainstream media political commentators. When interviewed then, Ms Lee, who runs her own engineering consultancy firm, shrugged off the reactions to her use of unrefined language in Parliament.
“This is who I am and that is the way I talk. When I speak, I like to inject some humour. The phrase came naturally and I didn’t expect it to have such an impact.” “It’s not necessary to always use statistics and figures to make your point. We should make it more interesting so that people can remember,” saidMs Lee, adding that she felt she had an important point to make.
OVERCOMING THE ODDS
Throughout her life so far, Ms Lee — whose story is a classic rags to riches one — has always had a point to prove.
Born in Malacca, her parents asked her to quit school when she was 11 years old, to find work and help make ends meet. She refused.
“After that I had to take on all sorts of part-time jobs, including selling pisang goreng (banana fritters) to factory workers, to show I could study and work at the same time,” Ms Lee said in a media interview shortly after she was unveiled as a People’s Action Party candidate for the 2006 elections.
Arriving in Singapore in 1981 with RM20 in her pocket, she paid her way through university by giving tuition.
And that defiance and determination were needed even in her professional life in a male-dominated construction industry. Recalling how a potential client refused to work with her because he did not like female engineers, she said: “I have had to work hard to prove myself to some of those in the industry.”
Her grit has certainly broughtMs Lee, who is married with two teenage children, a long way. She was recently elected as the president of the Institution of Engineers — making her the first woman to head the national body representing the engineering profession in its 42-year history.
Her first foray into political work began in 2000, when her friend from university and now fellow Ang Mo Kio GRC MP Inderjit Singh dissuaded her from becoming a Nominated MP and instead, roped her in as a grassroots activist in his constituency.
And she has since carved a reputation as an all-action MP who is willing to “fight” — a word Ms Lee frequently uses to describe her political work — for her Nee Soon South residents. She also offered to adopt a stray mongrel in her ward after residents petitioned for it not to be put to sleep.
A grassroots leader in Ang Mo Kio GRC told Weekend Xtra that Ms Lee was “very patient” with residents, and would not hesitate to fire off letters to the authorities to air her residents’ grievances. Commenting on the table-tennis fiasco, he added: “Maybe she was a bit impulsive, her words were a bit too harsh ... but it was done on the spur of the moment.”
In her last few public appearances, Ms Lee has refused to comment further on the incident that had dominated the headlines for a week, stressing that the STTA committee will work behind the scenes to resolve the controversy.
Behind the scenes. That’s one phrase that Ms Lee will surely remember for a long time.
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The Straits Times
28 Feb 2007
"Ah Huay" MP on her Hokkien humour
Newcomer Lee Bee Wah shrugs off criticism of her remark in Parliament, saying she was making an important point in an interesting manner. -ST
By Peh Sing Huei
NEARLY a week after uttering the Hokkien word for defecation, Member of Parliament Lee Bee Wah is finding it hard to live it down.
"People are still talking about it," she said in mock exasperation on Friday. "They forgot all about the contents of my speech."
That is perhaps not surprising. Given the prim and proper tradition of Parliament, Ms Lee caused a ripple of incredulous laughter when she criticised the opposition's call to delay the GST hike as a case of ai pang sai ka che jamban (looking for a toilet only when one needs to pass motion).
She felt she had an important point to make.
Non-Constituency MP Sylvia Lim of the Workers' Party had questioned the need to raise the goods and services tax (GST) rate while public coffers were still flush with funds.
Ms Lee, unconvinced, wanted to argue that it was better to do the needful while the economy was doing well, and not when things take a turn for the worse. Her pungent Hokkien-Malay analogy was later declared "colourful" by Second Finance Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam.
Even before that, she had drawn riotous laughter when she prefaced her verbal tussle with Ms Lim by saying she did not mean it to be an "Ah Huay versus Ah Lian debate", playing on their Chinese names (Lin Rui Lian for Ms Lim) and (Li Mei Hua for Ms Lee).
"I still had to deliver my last paragraph but I nearly couldn't do it because everyone was still laughing," said Ms Lee, a People's Action Party (PAP) MP for Ang Mo Kio GRC.
One of her constituents, businessman Poh Phien Seah, 60, told The Sunday Times that he just loved the remark: "It's not too crude or rude. It's perfectly all right."
But not everyone took to her remarks kindly. She admitted that some people told her that they were shocked by such language. As another resident, housewife Tan Chor Hoong, 55, remarked: "It's Parliament. Shouldn't the language be a little more refined?"
Some, said Ms Lee, also wondered if the civil engineer with her coiffed fringe did it just to achieve notoriety.
Even her PAP comrade, Senior Parliamentary Secretary (Education) Masagos Zulkifli, told the House that there might be a more "elegant" way to make the point.
But Ms Lee, 46, and a mother of two, told The Sunday Times that she has no regrets. She readily admits that she is a chu ren (Mandarin for rough person). "This is who I am and that is the way I talk. When I speak, I like to inject some humour. The phrase came naturally and I didn't expect it to have such an impact," she said.
She also does not think it is inappropriate for Parliament. "It's not necessary to always use statistics and figures to make your point. We should make it more interesting so that people can remember. "My colleagues said that it's a good thing. I used to be called 'auntie'; now I am younger, I'm Ah Huay," she said with a laugh.
After her maiden Parliament speech last November, The Straits Times tagged her as an "auntie" who bites: She had launched blistering attacks on utilities and transport companies.
Indeed, despite just five months in the House, she has already gained a reputation as a straight-talking first-term MP always fiercely on a lookout for her constituents. For example, she said last month that since the Thais had cancelled civil service exchanges with Singapore, the money would be better spent on lift upgrading for her residents.
She also offered to adopt a stray mongrel, Blackie, in her ward, after residents petitioned for it not to be put to sleep. She said: "We are waiting to see if any residents want to adopt it. If not, I will. I don't have a dog. It will make my residents happy."
Perhaps a new "grassroots" MP in the making?
Thus far, none of the rookies has taken up the mantle of PAP MPs such as the likes of Mr Ong Ah Heng of Nee Soon Central - better known for their easy connection with working-class Singaporeans than their technocratic mastery of policy issues.
Ms Lee, who arrived here from Malaysia in 1981 with RM20 (about S$9 at today's rates) in her pocket and paid her way through university by giving tuition, has no problems being branded as such. She said most of the topics she raised in Parliament were first brought up by her residents - who are mostly HDB heartlanders.
"I spend time eating at coffee shops; I can talk to anybody," she said. "I don't mind being called a grassroots MP."
Ms Lee is the exact opposite of Dr Neo. Just as Dr Neo is classy, elite and poised, Ms Lee is common, crude and very emotional.
And presently, she is the locally most hated person on the net forums and the most flamed online! There are dark storms of harsh criticism for her actions and blood curdling screams for her resignation from the Singapore Table Tennis Association (STTA). She was also called a wet blanket and a party pooper by many online.
Ms Lee opened her big mouth too big, too soon and put her foot in her mouth. And now, probably under intense pressure from her "bosses/government", she had apologise in public to the public.
Before her Olympics fiasco, she was well known for her infamously crude and colourful one liner in conservative Parliament. She had then criticised the opposition's call to delay the GST hike as a case of "ai pang sai ka che jamban" (looking for a toilet only when one needs to pass motion).
Some constituents and citizens more accustomed to prim and proper, polite prose in parliament, sniffed at that pungent note she struck.
Her reputation took some beating. People forgot the real issue or what she was trying to say but could only remembered what she said about the pang sai and jamban (pass motion and toilet). People did took notice of her alright, but for all the wrong reasons.
She is what is called "New Money" as compared to "Old Money". Old money means that money or rather wealth that has been in the family for quite a few generations. Like Dr Neo.
New money has been associated with new creation of wealth and status. And the people who came across this new money and newly found importance or status did not have the experience of using them effectively and hence tends to be more flashy, vulgar and tasteless in their expressions.
Of course, the above is a very common generalization.
I dun think Ms Lee would last very long in politics. She is much too raw and too emotional. And frankly, she is just too "grassroot" and common. Some people may want someone like them to represent them in Parliament but the real society is made up of many class status, not just the grassroots.
Her Olympic fiasco outburst revealed to her "bosses" her severe weakness and lack of political capabilities.
Any other person with half a political brain or any brain for that matter, would not have acted so rashly and irrationally. If she had truly wanted to get rid of the coach and the manager, she should have waited for a few weeks or even months when the spotlight is off the Olympics, and then sacked them. No one would have known better. Gosh, she is so naive at her age.
Instead, she had to do it during the Olympics, when the country is celebrating its victory of the silver medals, when the coach and the manager were both still in China. She opened her big mouth and told a reporter that heads would roll. She did it in the public media without first informing any of the people involved. She did what is called an "executive decision", which did not exactly worked out in any body's favor. She did the worst thing anyone could do in this case, she over reacted.
And now her boss, minister Dr Vivian had to step in personally to save the day and to prevent the whole matter from escalating further and spinning out of control. In PR speak, this is called crisis management or damage control.
Ms Lee is such a rash spit fire. And I guess, her political career is about as far as it would go. I dun think her bosses would be that pleased with her performance and behaviour. And she was barely 2 months into the job.
Just take a look at the photo below of Dr Vivian looking at Ms Lee (disapprovingly). Behave! He seemed to say. He was there in the background, watching her, like an embarrassed father watching a badly behaved, naughty daughter, just in case she shot off her mouth during the apology. Well, better be safe than to be sorry.
And now she's in a spot and utterly embarrassed and totally humilated. The coaches and players of the Singapore Table Tennis Association (STTA) dun quite know what to make of her. Her bosses dun exactly trust her to make the right decisions or say the right things.
When her bosses appointed her in charge, they thought she would be a breathe of fresh air with her enthusiasm. Instead, she turned out to be such a stormy foul smell. And the whole country is in protest with that BW odour.
Who knows what kind of scandals she would cause next time she open her big mouth in public.
With what she had done, she probably is going to be some puppet in STTA with no real authoritative powers. In a matter of months, her bosses are going to find a better replacement and boot her off.
Her heart and mind may be in the right place but her mouth is obviously not. And that does not always work in politics. Besides wanting to do the right things, one should also need to say the right things and not rub people the wrong way. Saying the wrong things and offending people amounts to career suicide. And this is particularly sensitive in the political arena.
Next time she wants to open her mouth or make any important decisions, she should think over it at least twice or thrice before she open her big mouth, put her foot in and offend the country again.
Careful, Ms Lee, the bosses are watching you. So is the country and the public.
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The Straits Times
30 Aug 2008
I'm sorry, Singapore
By Lin Xinyi & Terrence Voon
'I SINCERELY apologise.'
Ms Lee Bee Wah, the president of the Singapore Table Tennis Association (STTA), had those words for the country last night. Her comments last weekend, that she would replace the Singapore table tennis team manager, unleashed a storm of criticism and calls for her resignation.
In a quavering voice, she said sorry for souring the country's brightest sporting moment in almost half a century.
Facing a throng of close to 30 journalists at a press conference last night, she said: 'It is regretful that this situation happened and turned out the way it did. 'I had made comments which had been misunderstood and had upset some Singaporeans. I sincerely apologise for causing any grievances and any stress.'
She also said: 'Our action has dampened the celebration mood of our fellow Singaporeans.' With that, she brought to a close one chapter of an episode that sparked unhappiness from all quarters.
Since last weekend Ms Lee, an MP for Ang Mo Kio GRC, has been criticised by many for spoiling the party mood after the country's first Olympic medal in 48 years.
'I sincerely apologise for causing any grievances, any stress.' - Ms Lee Bee Wah, acknowledging that the episode spoilt the celebratory mood after Singapore won its first Olympic medal in 48 years.
'I can announce quite categorically that the crisis is over.' - Sports Minister Vivian Balakrishnan, who said he spent the week in numerous meetings with all concerned to sort out the problem. -- ST PHOTO: TERENCE TAN
Just five days after the women's table tennis team took silver at the Beijing Games, she revealed that team manager Antony Lee's services were no longer needed, and that national head coach Liu Guodong's fate would be decided by a coaching committee.
She had been angry after Singapore No. 1 Gao Ning found himself with no coach for his third-round men's singles match and crashed out to a much lower-ranked Croatian.
Ms Lee took over as table tennis chief barely two months ago, on July 4. Though many called for her to step down, Minister for Community Development, Youth and Sports Vivian Balakrishnan made it clear last night that she will stay, but she needs some time to get results.
Last night's press conference, held at the STTA's headquarters in Toa Payoh, also made clear that head coach Liu is in talks with Ms Lee to negotiate a new contract.
But team manager Lee will leave the STTA. His secondment from the Singapore Sports Council to the association will be extended by three months beyond the end of this month. He will then join the Singapore National Olympic Council.
Dr Balakrishnan said: 'He's gained a lot of experience in dealing in international sports, and I want to leverage on that as we go on in our preparations for the Youth Olympics as well as London 2012.'
There was no question of Mr Lee being sacked, he said. The minister began the press conference by saying: 'Categorically, the crisis is over.'
He acknowledged more than once that the table tennis controversy had soured the celebratory mood of many Singaporeans rejoicing over the Olympic medal win. 'There have been some mistakes made, there was a lack of communication, there were certainly some misunderstandings, there was some overreaction,' he said.
He described the timing of Ms Lee's comments as ill-conceived, and said he had received many reactions to them.
Flanked by a sombre-looking Ms Lee to his right, and by Senior Parliamentary Secretary (Community Development, Youth and Sports) Teo Ser Luck and chairman of Project 0812 Ng Ser Miang on the left, Dr Balakrishnan said: 'Over the past four days, both Ser Luck and myself - we've met all the players, the coaches, all the key officials. I've had numerous meetings with the senior management and committee of the STTA.'
Also present were glum-faced silver medallists Li Jiawei, Wang Yuegu and Feng Tianwei, as well as the head coach, team manager, Gao Ning and other members of the men's team. They were a sombre group, who said little when called upon to answer reporters' questions.
Dr Balakrishnan praised them all for doing their best in Beijing. Looking ahead, he urged Singaporeans to trust in what the association was doing. He and Ms Lee said the table tennis team had a bright future - its immediate challenge is the Volkswagen Women's World Cup in Kuala Lumpur starting next Saturday.
He said: 'This is a team which I believe has great potential for the future.'
Added Ms Lee: 'We assure Singaporeans we will work harder to achieve greater heights, and I hope for their support.'
The next step? Said Mr Ng, a Singapore International Olympic Committee executive board member: 'Let's go back to our celebration.'
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Today Online
30 Aug 2008
No amputation as ping pong row ends
Tan Yo-Hinn and Low lin fhoong
THE eight days that shook Singapore sports ended on Friday with the good doctor saying: “We have concluded that this was a patient that did not need an amputation.”
Instead, Dr Vivian Balakrishnan announced that:
• Liu Guodong will remain table tennis coach;
• Antony Lee will continue as team manager for three months, after which he will be seconded to the Singapore National Olympic Council (SNOC); and
• Lee Bee Wah will remain as the president of the Singapore Table Tennis Association (STTA).
The Minister for Community Development, Youth and Sports said at a conference to bring the table tennis controversy to a close: “Over the past four days, Teo Ser Luck, myself, all the players, coaches and key officials of the association have met and I’m happy to announce categorically that the crisis is over.
“Yes, some mistakes were made, there were misunderstandings and some over reactions.
“STTA president Lee Bee Wah was dedicated to achieving organisational excellence. She’s very passionate, and sometimes a bit impatient to achieve a good system for the players. Mistakes were made, the question is how we respond to it and minimise it, how to maintain team unity.
Ms Lee, who was visibly tired, apologised and said: “The Beijing Olympics were very emotional for all of us and I made some comments that were misunderstood and upset some Singaporeans. I sincerely apologise for any grievances and stress (that was caused). On behalf of STTA, coaches and team manager, I convey my apologies to Singaporeans. Our actions have dampened the celebrations of all Singaporeans. I hope this will bring about a closure.”
It was Ms Lee’s comments — that action will be taken against those responsible for the absence of a coach during player Gao Ning’s Olympics Games match in Beijing — that kicked off a storm of protests among Singaporeans. Their main point of contention was that Ms Lee’s public outburst spoilt the party for a nation celebrating a silver medal in Olympics, its first in 48 years.
Since the team’s return from the Beijing Olympic Games on Monday, several rounds of meetings with players, coaches and team officials were held with Dr Balakrishnan and Senior Parliamentary Secretary (MCYS) Teo Ser Luck.
It is understood that the players, coaches and team officials had frank discussions and patched up their differences.
Feng Tianwei, the 21-year-old who was one of the stars of the national women’s team silver medal feat, said: “We had discussions about this over the past few days and we’re all satisfied with the outcome.”
Her team-mates Li Jiawei and Wang Yuegu added they would abide by whatever plans the STTA had for them.
Gao Ning, the player at the centre of the storm, said: “For me, it’s over, and I’m focused on getting back to training and competing, which is what I do. I want to do my best as an athlete.”
Also present at Friday night’s press conference were Lee, Teo, International Olympic Committee executive board member and SNOC vice-president Ng Ser Miang, team manager Lee, and members of both the men’s and women’s teams.
Dr Balakrishnan added that the sport could learn from this incident, and hoped that it would spur them on.
“Sports is a reflection of life and there are very few things in life that unify all of us on the same platform. There may be criticism about what we have done but the vast majority of Singaporeans is happy,” he said.
“I would like to urge the public: Trust us and trust the team to get on with the process. Increasing interest in the sport — that must be the ultimate harvest and I hope it can show parents that a career in sports is possible. Let’s give her (Lee Bee Wah) some time to put her plans into place.”
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Today Online
30 Aug 2008
A LADY who’s UP FOR A FIGHT
IF YOU knew a little about Ms Lee Bee Wah’s background, you would want to offer her a shoulder to cry on. Not that she will take kindly to that offer.
The big boss of Singapore ping pong is known to be hiong (Hokkien for fierce). Fiercely independent and overtly rebellious, she can also be deliciously pugnacious. These qualities made her defy her rubber-tapper parents in Malaysia, use colourful Hokkien language in Parliament, and finally, become a party pooper in Singapore’s coming-out Olympics party.
Ms Lee — who took over as president of the Singapore Table Tennis Association (STTA) just one month before the Beijing Olympics — found herself in the news for all the wrong reasons recently when she publicly chastised the table-tennis team coaches and manager after Singapore’s top male player Gao Ning was left teary-eyed as he lost his Olympics match without a coach by his side.
Expressing her disappointment to the Singapore media over the incident in Beijing, Ms Lee, 47, added: “Someone will have to be accountable for this.”
She kept her word. A few days later, she shocked Singapore by announcing that the services of team manager Antony Lee were not needed any more.
“I have a new team and will have a new CEO and technical director. It is best that the manager is chosen by them. Antony is welcome to apply for the position when we ask for applications,” saidMs Lee, who captained her varsity table-tennis team.
Ms Lee had earlier made known her intention to steer the STTA away from its heavy-reliance on imported sporting talents to developing home-grown ones. But her latest proclamation sent shock waves not just through the table tennis fraternity but ordinary Singaporeans swept up in the Olympics euphoria.
Letters — mostly criticising her action with a handful supporting her tough stance — flooded newsrooms. The Internet was buzzing with reactions as well. A public tit-for-tat ensued as the head coach and the team manager decided to air their views, too.
Ms Lee subsequently tried to clarify that the review of the team hierarchy was already on the cards before the Beijing Olympics — but the damage was done.
In the words of Community Development, Youth and Sports Minister,Dr Vivian Balakrishnan: “Egos have been bruised, emotional tears and sweat have been shed.”
Ms Lee, a first-term Member ofParliament for Ang Mo Kio GRC, maintained that she did not think “there was anything wrong” with what she did, though she regretted speaking to the media as it caused her intention to be “blown out of proportion”.
A WAY WITH WORDS
Yet, this is not the first time that Ms Lee’s public comments — in particular her colourful language and combative oratorical style in Parliament — have caused a stir.
Flashback to February last year: Referring to the Thai decision to cancel an ongoing exchange programme between civil servants amid diplomatic tensions between the two countries, Ms Lee said: “Shouldn’t the ministry cancel all such programmes and channel the money to better use, such as, for example, expediting the lift upgrading programme in Nee Soon South?”
A few weeks later, within thehallowed halls of Parliament, she criticised the opposition’s call to delay the GST hike, slated for July last year, as a case of ai pang sai ka che jamban (Hokkien phrase meaning looking for a toilet only when one needs to defecate).
Her comments earned polite rebukes within the House and were frowned upon by mainstream media political commentators. When interviewed then, Ms Lee, who runs her own engineering consultancy firm, shrugged off the reactions to her use of unrefined language in Parliament.
“This is who I am and that is the way I talk. When I speak, I like to inject some humour. The phrase came naturally and I didn’t expect it to have such an impact.” “It’s not necessary to always use statistics and figures to make your point. We should make it more interesting so that people can remember,” saidMs Lee, adding that she felt she had an important point to make.
OVERCOMING THE ODDS
Throughout her life so far, Ms Lee — whose story is a classic rags to riches one — has always had a point to prove.
Born in Malacca, her parents asked her to quit school when she was 11 years old, to find work and help make ends meet. She refused.
“After that I had to take on all sorts of part-time jobs, including selling pisang goreng (banana fritters) to factory workers, to show I could study and work at the same time,” Ms Lee said in a media interview shortly after she was unveiled as a People’s Action Party candidate for the 2006 elections.
Arriving in Singapore in 1981 with RM20 in her pocket, she paid her way through university by giving tuition.
And that defiance and determination were needed even in her professional life in a male-dominated construction industry. Recalling how a potential client refused to work with her because he did not like female engineers, she said: “I have had to work hard to prove myself to some of those in the industry.”
Her grit has certainly broughtMs Lee, who is married with two teenage children, a long way. She was recently elected as the president of the Institution of Engineers — making her the first woman to head the national body representing the engineering profession in its 42-year history.
Her first foray into political work began in 2000, when her friend from university and now fellow Ang Mo Kio GRC MP Inderjit Singh dissuaded her from becoming a Nominated MP and instead, roped her in as a grassroots activist in his constituency.
And she has since carved a reputation as an all-action MP who is willing to “fight” — a word Ms Lee frequently uses to describe her political work — for her Nee Soon South residents. She also offered to adopt a stray mongrel in her ward after residents petitioned for it not to be put to sleep.
A grassroots leader in Ang Mo Kio GRC told Weekend Xtra that Ms Lee was “very patient” with residents, and would not hesitate to fire off letters to the authorities to air her residents’ grievances. Commenting on the table-tennis fiasco, he added: “Maybe she was a bit impulsive, her words were a bit too harsh ... but it was done on the spur of the moment.”
In her last few public appearances, Ms Lee has refused to comment further on the incident that had dominated the headlines for a week, stressing that the STTA committee will work behind the scenes to resolve the controversy.
Behind the scenes. That’s one phrase that Ms Lee will surely remember for a long time.
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The Straits Times
28 Feb 2007
"Ah Huay" MP on her Hokkien humour
Newcomer Lee Bee Wah shrugs off criticism of her remark in Parliament, saying she was making an important point in an interesting manner. -ST
By Peh Sing Huei
NEARLY a week after uttering the Hokkien word for defecation, Member of Parliament Lee Bee Wah is finding it hard to live it down.
"People are still talking about it," she said in mock exasperation on Friday. "They forgot all about the contents of my speech."
That is perhaps not surprising. Given the prim and proper tradition of Parliament, Ms Lee caused a ripple of incredulous laughter when she criticised the opposition's call to delay the GST hike as a case of ai pang sai ka che jamban (looking for a toilet only when one needs to pass motion).
She felt she had an important point to make.
Non-Constituency MP Sylvia Lim of the Workers' Party had questioned the need to raise the goods and services tax (GST) rate while public coffers were still flush with funds.
Ms Lee, unconvinced, wanted to argue that it was better to do the needful while the economy was doing well, and not when things take a turn for the worse. Her pungent Hokkien-Malay analogy was later declared "colourful" by Second Finance Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam.
Even before that, she had drawn riotous laughter when she prefaced her verbal tussle with Ms Lim by saying she did not mean it to be an "Ah Huay versus Ah Lian debate", playing on their Chinese names (Lin Rui Lian for Ms Lim) and (Li Mei Hua for Ms Lee).
"I still had to deliver my last paragraph but I nearly couldn't do it because everyone was still laughing," said Ms Lee, a People's Action Party (PAP) MP for Ang Mo Kio GRC.
One of her constituents, businessman Poh Phien Seah, 60, told The Sunday Times that he just loved the remark: "It's not too crude or rude. It's perfectly all right."
But not everyone took to her remarks kindly. She admitted that some people told her that they were shocked by such language. As another resident, housewife Tan Chor Hoong, 55, remarked: "It's Parliament. Shouldn't the language be a little more refined?"
Some, said Ms Lee, also wondered if the civil engineer with her coiffed fringe did it just to achieve notoriety.
Even her PAP comrade, Senior Parliamentary Secretary (Education) Masagos Zulkifli, told the House that there might be a more "elegant" way to make the point.
But Ms Lee, 46, and a mother of two, told The Sunday Times that she has no regrets. She readily admits that she is a chu ren (Mandarin for rough person). "This is who I am and that is the way I talk. When I speak, I like to inject some humour. The phrase came naturally and I didn't expect it to have such an impact," she said.
She also does not think it is inappropriate for Parliament. "It's not necessary to always use statistics and figures to make your point. We should make it more interesting so that people can remember. "My colleagues said that it's a good thing. I used to be called 'auntie'; now I am younger, I'm Ah Huay," she said with a laugh.
After her maiden Parliament speech last November, The Straits Times tagged her as an "auntie" who bites: She had launched blistering attacks on utilities and transport companies.
Indeed, despite just five months in the House, she has already gained a reputation as a straight-talking first-term MP always fiercely on a lookout for her constituents. For example, she said last month that since the Thais had cancelled civil service exchanges with Singapore, the money would be better spent on lift upgrading for her residents.
She also offered to adopt a stray mongrel, Blackie, in her ward, after residents petitioned for it not to be put to sleep. She said: "We are waiting to see if any residents want to adopt it. If not, I will. I don't have a dog. It will make my residents happy."
Perhaps a new "grassroots" MP in the making?
Thus far, none of the rookies has taken up the mantle of PAP MPs such as the likes of Mr Ong Ah Heng of Nee Soon Central - better known for their easy connection with working-class Singaporeans than their technocratic mastery of policy issues.
Ms Lee, who arrived here from Malaysia in 1981 with RM20 (about S$9 at today's rates) in her pocket and paid her way through university by giving tuition, has no problems being branded as such. She said most of the topics she raised in Parliament were first brought up by her residents - who are mostly HDB heartlanders.
"I spend time eating at coffee shops; I can talk to anybody," she said. "I don't mind being called a grassroots MP."
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