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'A ball of fire and indefatigable': Colourful life of ex-MP Lee Bee Wah told in biography

SINGAPORE - It has been around two years since former MP Lee Bee Wah left politics, but she is still constantly being asked: Did she choose to retire from politics in 2020, or was she asked to step down?

After all, the news of her retirement from politics came rather unexpectedly. The Malaysia-born MP had enjoyed immense support from her constituents in Nee Soon South since 2006.

There might be those who wondered if she had to step down because of her colourful speeches in Parliament, which some described as brash and uncouth. Or if her persistent ways have ruffled feathers.

The answer to that question can be found in her biography titled Plantation To Parliament, which will be launched on June 4 at the Singapore Book Fair. The book is written by author Hong Weixi in both English and Chinese.

Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, in the foreward to the book, said that as an MP, Madam Lee was a ball of fire, indefatigable and resourceful.

In an interview on Tuesday (May 24), Madam Lee, 61, who is affectionately known as Hua Jie or Sister Flower after the last character of her Chinese name, told The Straits Times with a grin: "No spoilers, please. I would like people to read my book."

As a testament to her unwaning popularity, all 120 slots to meet the outspoken and colourful personality at the book fair were snapped up within a day, shortly after she shared about it on her Facebook on May 19.

Publisher Focus Publishing has received many inquiries for both the English and Chinese editions of the book. More than 8,500 copies have been sold even before the book launch, with 65 per cent of these being the English edition. A total of 7,500 English and 5,000 Chinese copies were printed.

The overwhelming response to the book is hardly surprising. Madam Lee still gets a warm reception wherever she goes in Singapore, and especially when she visits her former Nee Soon South ward.

"When I appear, some of them clap," she said, chuckling. "What I miss most about my political life is the residents whom I treated like family and friends."

Indeed, before her retirement, she ranked her MP duties and residents as her topmost priority. In addition to her weekly meet-the-people sessions and three-times-a-week house visits, she used to station herself at the coffee shop at Block 848 Yishun Street 81 every Sunday morning, and it soon became an informal but regular meet-the-people session too.

During the interview at the Singapore Island Country Club on Tuesday, she eagerly shared Facebook posts of her meet-ups with her former constituents, and WhatsApp messages from her "fans". Several people walked up to her to say hello during the course of the two-hour interview.

Madam Lee said she readily dishes out advice to younger MPs like Yip Hon Weng and Derrick Goh when they catch up. She said opposition members have also invited her to have coffee with them, but she has declined them all, insisting that she is "white through and through". The PAP supporter still sends feedback to ministers.

The 164-page book shares how Madam Lee, who is the oldest of eight children, had a hard childhood growing up.

The family moved from one rubber plantation to another, from Johor to Negeri Sembilan to Malacca, in search of younger trees whenever the latex started to dry up. They lived from hand to mouth.

In addition to looking after her siblings, the "Big Sister" supplemented the family's income by working in brick factories and selling snacks like goreng pisang (banana fritters) after school.

She travelled to Singapore alone at age 21with some old clothes, a pair of slippers and RM20. Her first year here was the hardest, as she was drowned in a flurry of English, which Madam Lee had a limited command of.

To pay for her tuition fees and living expenses, she depended on the Lee Foundation bursary, gave tuition, and took up an internship at OCBC Bank during the school holidays.

She completed a Bachelor of Engineering degree in Civil Engineering in 1985 at Nanyang Technological Institute, the predecessor of Nanyang Technological University.

She started her career in 1985 as a civil engineer with ST Construction and went on to work as an assistant project manager with Wing Tai in 1994.

She took a year off work to attend the University of Liverpool in England under a company scholarship and, in 1990, received a Master of Science degree in Maritime Civil Engineering. The university presented her with an honorary doctorate in 2011.

In 1996, she set up LBW Consultants, which was acquired by global engineering consultancy Meinhardt Group in 2013.

Madam Lee hopes her life story will inspire many to persevere, no matter what the circumstances are.

She is donating her book royalties to The Straits Times School Pocket Money Fund to help children from lower income families.

In the foreword of the book, PM Lee said Madam Lee was constantly on the ground, meeting residents, understanding their needs, tackling their problems and fighting for them, and had a knack for connecting with people and gaining their trust. He also noted how she spoke in Parliament from the heart, with passionate conviction, colourfully and memorably.

"On one occasion, I invited a foreign guest into the Chamber when Bee Wah happened to be speaking. She shared vivid anecdotes about her residents' problems with snakes and rats, and her dissatisfaction with the official responses she got. The speech later went viral on social media," PM Lee wrote.

He added: "It deeply impressed my guest, a former national leader not unused to robust Parliamentary debates. I suspect he thought I had specially arranged Bee Wah's speech just for him! She showed that the PAP team may all wear white and white, but we are far from monochrome in our ideas and perspectives."

In Parliament sessions, Madam Lee brought up issues such as litterbugs, second-hand cigarette smoke and pigeon woes. She fought tooth and nail for better services and amenities for her residents, to the extent of stepping on the toes of civil servants. A minister once called her a bulldog. Once she latches on, she will never let go until she gets what she wants, the minister said.

"So yeah, I'm very pesky, but as long as it is something my residents require, I am willing to pester whoever is involved to get it," she said in the book.

Her "flowery language" is well documented in the book too.

For example, many still label her as the "Jamban MP" (jamban is Malay for toilet), after she quoted a Hokkien-Malay phrase often used by her mother - "ai pang sai ka che jamban" (looking for a toilet only when one needs to defecate) - in a parliamentary debate.

In August 2008, Ms Sylvia Lim of the Workers' Party, then a Non-Constituency MP, had questioned the need to raise the goods and services tax rate when the Government had revenue from other sources. Madam Lee used the toilet analogy to emphasise that it was better to take the necessary action when the economy was flourishing (than when it was languishing).

Former Minister for Transport Khaw Boon Wan was quoted in the book as saying: "She understood the responsibilities of an MP. She would diligently reflect from the ground unfiltered views, without holding back."

Calling herself a "retiree-at-large" now, Madam Lee spends her time gardening, walking in parks and golfing. She plants vegetables at home and exchanges gardening tips with friends. She will be making frequent overseas golf trips in the months to come.

She is the school advisory committee chair at NTU's School of Civil and Environmental Engineering and is also a board member of Mandai Park Holdings and the Building and Construction Authority.

In her view, a person's time on earth can be broken down into four parts, each lasting about 20 years. She has spent the first three stages studying, working hard for her family and career, and serving the country. The final 20 years is reserved for herself and her family.

Madam Lee is married to Mr Soh Chee Hiang, 63, an electrical engineer with ST Engineering who retired in 2020 but was rehired as a consultant. Her 31-year-old daughter is a Chinese language teacher while her 28-year-old son is a bank executive.

"There is no regret in life," Madam Lee said. "You only look ahead and learn from experience."

Back to the retirement question, she said: "Heaven is so kind to me. I am enjoying my retirement now."

The Straits Times © Singapore Press Holdings Limited. Reproduced with permission.