Kindergarten in the 'heart' of Joo Chiat has stories to tell

Site was where notable political steps were taken by Goh Chok Tong and Teo Chee Hean

- Chin Soo Fang

Nestled in the quiet estate of Joo Chiat is a kindergarten that has played its own small role in Singapore's previous political transitions.

In 1992, then Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong called a by-election in his Marine Parade constituency, keeping a promise made at the election the previous year to give veteran opposition politician J.B. Jeyaretnam a chance for a straight fight.

With his two deputies down with cancer, the by-election was also an opportunity for Mr Goh to bring in Commodore Teo Chee Hean, a former chief of navy, to bolster the leadership ranks. Mr Teo is now Senior Minister and Coordinating Minister for National Security.

During the hustings, the humble wooden hut in 15 Lorong K Telok Kurau that was the People's Action Party's (PAP) Joo Chiat branch served as an operations centre, rest stop and a place for its Marine Parade team to meet the media.

Mr Goh's team ended up winning 72.9 per cent of valid votes, versus the 24.5 per cent secured by a Singapore Democratic Party slate led by then new face Chee Soon Juan in his first political outing. Mr Jeyaretnam did not end up contesting the by-election.

The building's rich history is something that Minister for Culture, Community and Youth Edwin Tong said he quickly learnt of when he first visited the estate in 2015, he told The Straits Times on April 28, when he officially launched the rebuilt PAP Community Foundation (PCF) Sparkletots @Joo Chiat.