Soldiering on: 'I still have the drive', says Dr Tan

KUALA LUMPUR: After six terms, DAP Kepong MP Dr Tan Seng Giaw is still energetic. But his voters may be afflicted with "Seng Giaw fatigue".
Some people are saying that they want a new face, but the affable skin specialist disagrees.
"I still have the energy and drive to fulfil my promises. I still speak in parliament without fear or favour," said the 66-year-old, who made his debut in parliament in 1982.
It was a time when Kepong was notorious for its gangsterism, had many squatters and poor infrastructure.
It was common to refer to anyone from that part of the world as Jinjang Joe, a more polite way of saying someone was from the boondocks.
The 1982 elections were not easy for anyone in the opposition. A new prime minister, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, had come into office and appointed Tun Musa Hitam as his deputy. The country was fired up by the dynamic duo.
"The Chinese Assembly Hall and business associations were all supporting the government. I was young and had no money. But I won against the tide," Dr Tan recalls.
He was 40 then and won by just about 1,000 votes.
From then, Dr Tan began meeting his constituents, trying to resolve their bread-and-butter issues.
He said the biggest issue in the early 1980s was the squatters. There were about 10,000 of them then.
"Now there are only 500."
The growing affluence here and opening of new schemes brought a range of services to the heart of Kepong.
"New housing schemes, banks, fast food chains and hypermarkets mushroomed."
The law and order situation also improved tremendously.
These days, the issues in Kepong are uncollected gar-bage, lighting, traffic and clogged drains, and nobody remembers what a Jinjang Joe was like.
Dr Tan has also embraced technology, which he said makes life easier. "People had no hand phones then. They would patiently wait at the centre to voice their grievances. Nowadays, they call and fix appointments."
Dr Tan has his own blog where his speeches and views are posted. These measures might have bridged the generation gap between young voters and Dr Tan but it is still not easy for him to ensure victory, he said.
"Times have changed but one thing that remains is the fear of losing to an opponent."
Dr Tan's fear is real.
In 1999, he defeated BN candidate Ma Woei Chyi by a 5,000 majority.
In 2004, that margin against the same candidate was reduced to 1,800 votes. Ma is said to be lining up for another fight with Dr Tan.
Kepong consists of some 60,000 voters. Of this, 90 per cent are Chinese, Indians (five per cent), Malays (four per cent) and others (0.1 per cent).
How about this election?
Dr Tan has the same opinion as his national leaders -- that he feels the way he did in 1982, battling against the odds.
His opponents feel that Dr Tan is merely using this strategy, like his leaders Lim Kit Siang and Lim Guan Eng, to gain sympathy and win.
"The uphill task is for the MCA, fighting against a man who has been there 26 years and probably knows half the constituents by name," an MCA leader said.
But Dr Tan disagrees, maintaining that it will be a tight fight. "Whoever wins, it will be a slim majority," he predicts.
Despite that, Dr Tan is banking on his track record.
"I have been on the ground for 26 years. My voters know me. They know what I am capable of."

tunku : most of dr tan achievement comes from bn efforts but i have great respect for dr tan, i think he is the only one left in dap who is a sincere leader.the other one is ex dap member who is now heading plkn,tan sri lee lam thye.we need opposition like dr tan in parliament, no doubt about it.