Connect with us

Opinion

MP who owns Bentley strongly believes in meritocracy and still upset being denied Math prize in P5

Published

on

It was reported that the white Bentley parked at Orchid Country Club featured inside a recent viral video actually belongs to Bishan-Toa Payoh MP Chong Kee Hiong. He is currently also the President of Orchid Country Club.

It’s not known how much he paid for his Bentley of model “Continental GTC V8 4.0A (Convertible)” but a quick check online shows that it costs at least more than $600,000 for a V8 4.0.

According to information from the dealer’s website:

“The Continental GT V8 Convertible takes open top comfort to new levels and, with the roof down, lets you enjoy the V8’s exquisite mechanical symphony in full surround sound. The dominant bonnet line, prominent matrix grille and twin large inner headlamps confirm its pedigree but the Continental GT V8 Convertible has its own distinct character.

To simply call this car a convertible understates its capability. Press the start button on the advanced new 4.0 litre V8 engine and its inspiring repertoire of sounds is brought to life, from the deep V8 burble at low engine speeds to the rising growl and rasp as the car accelerates. It is both a sensational open tourer when the weather permits and a supremely comfortable year-round drive, as acoustically and thermally well insulated as a coupé, thanks to its unique, four layer roof.”

Technical Specification:

Chong still upset with school not giving him math prize in Primary 5

Chong is a strong believer of meritocracy. In 2012, before he became an MP, he was interviewed by ST (‘To be a CEO, read martial arts novels’, 13 May 2012).

In the interview, Chong told ST that he was still “disturbed” by the fact that he was denied a prize for scoring the highest marks in Mathematics when he was in Primary 5.

In the now-defunct Kim Keat Primary School when he was Primary 5, he scored the highest marks for Mathematics and Chinese in his whole cohort. But his teacher told him that since he had already garnered 2 prizes, he should perhaps give his Math prize to his fellow schoolmate, who had finished half a mark behind.

“I didn’t argue with the teacher but I was very upset,” recalled Mr Chong. “The fact that I still remember it with such clarity shows that I am still disturbed by it (till today).”

The episode went against the ideals of fair play and meritocracy, he said.

Chong, like ESM Goh, believes in rewarding people well according to their ability, “I believe we should be objective and fair by rewarding people based on the results they achieve. When people see that they are rewarded based on a fair system, they will be naturally motivated to do their best.”

He told the reporter that if one works hard, has the desire to do well and grabs opportunities given to the person, he will do well. That, he said, is the “beauty of meritocracy”. And certainly Chong didn’t lose anytime agreeing to become an MP when opportunity came knocking at his door during GE2015.

He also told the reporter that when he was a child, he read a lot of Chinese sword-fighting novels.

“In these novels, the heroes will always prevail although they have to undergo a lot of hardships first,” he said with a hearty laugh. “Also, in many of the stories, skillful pugilists and old masters would impart their skills only if the heroes showed great perseverance and sincerity, so I told myself I needed to have those qualities too.”

Being good in his studies, Chong later attended Raffles Institution and Raffles Junior College, and received 3 scholarship offers when he entered NUS.

Chong has certainly done very well for his life. During the interview 6 years ago, he told ST that he and his family lived in a semi-detached house in Bishan and drove a Mercedes convertible. He has now upgraded himself to drive a Bentley convertible colored in white, the same party color adopted by his party, the PAP.

Click to comment
Subscribe
Notify of
0 Comments
Newest
Oldest Most Voted
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments

Trending