Catchy nicknames are hard to come by, what more for an aspiring politician. 

Progress Singapore Party (PSP) candidate Gigene Wong, who grew up poor with five siblings and whose parents separated when she was a child, told local media in a virtual press conference today (June 18) about how she got hers.

The 54-year-old said: "I was like every Singaporean. I had a dream to go to the university. But at that time, my family was very poor... and I didn't have the luxury.

"When I was 17, I worked three part-time jobs — as a production line worker, giving tuition, and also as an illegal hawker. I carried my products to sell at bus interchanges and markets, and when the [enforcement] officer came, I had to carry my stock and run away."

She added: "I earned $80 and I thought that was a lot of money. I also had a dream like everybody else to learn computers. At that time in the 1980s, computers were high-tech. I took my $80 and went to a computer centre to enrol for the course.

"The course cost $300. I didn't have the money and I was very sad."

Fatefully, in the building she came across another centre offering accounting courses. She took up a $30 course and her career thus began.

In her two decades working in China, Wong served as the Chief Executive Officer of Gulf Oil China, and also as Chief Financial Officer of Foshan Electrical and Lighting, which is listed on the Shenzhen Stock Exchange.

Because of her humble beginnings, she calls herself the "$30 listed-company CFO".

Wong was one of six in the first batch of PSP candidates introduced to the media today by secretary-general Dr Tan Cheng Bock for the upcoming General Election (GE). The rest of the candidates include Francis Yuen, 70; Hazel Poa, 50; Sri Nallakaruppan, 56; Bradley Bowyer, 53; and Taufik Supan, 40. 

In a recent interview with The Straits Times, PSP said they will be contesting West Coast GRC, with four of the five  candidates confirmed and Dr Tan leading the team.

It was not announced in the session today which constituencies the six candidates will be fielded in. 

Wong added to the media that she quit her job in China and flew back to Singapore with just a phone call from Dr Tan in March. 

Calling herself a daughter of Singapore, she spoke passionately of how she missed the country when she was overseas. Every time she returned home, the first thing she did the day after was to go to the blood bank to donate blood.

With one bag of blood, she could save three lives, she said. And with a bag of blood plasma, she could save six.

Now, she's hoping to help more people if voters give her the chance to serve.

"I would like to speak up for all Singaporeans. If you have something that worries you and you can't speak up, count on PSP. We will speak up for you," Wong said.

kwokkarpeng@asiaone.com

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