|
Thursday May 15,
2008
Victorious living after electoral defeat
By LIM CHIA
YING
It has been more
than two months since the March 8 general election. People
are curious to know what the defeated incumbents are now
doing. StarMetro speaks to some former elected
representatives in the Klang Valley on what keeps them busy
nowadays and their lives post-election.
Loh Seng Kok,
former MP for Kelana Jaya:
Loh said he has
been reading a lot lately. His latest book is an account of
British politician and philanthropist William Wilberforce
(born 1759) who was a social reformer of various causes, the
most outstanding being the abolition of slavery in the
British Empire.
Loh said the book
was most inspiring to him as reading about Wilberforce’s
experiences has taught him about patience and perseverance
through the hardships of life.
 Catching
up: Loh has been doing a lot of reading lately and he
also has more time to spend with his children.
“Wilberforce
persevered for 44 years to see the act that gave freedom to
all slaves in the British Empire being passed. As an MP, he
used his power to campaign endlessly against the slave trade
and slavery and his efforts came through just days before
his passing,” Loh said.
“It gives me hope
that the rights of people I’ve previously fought for will
turn out in the end. Maybe what I’m encountering is nothing
compared to the 44 years Wilberforce had to go through
fighting for a cause he believed in,” he said.
Reading aside, Loh
said much of his time was now dedicated to his family, which
he described as his strongest pillar of support.
“I do not have a
job now but am exploring some business opportunities,” Loh
said.
“My three children
are still schooling and I still need to provide for the
family and pay the bills. So far, I’m setting up
appointments every day and am making calls to people to see
if there’s anything that I can work out with them,” he said.
“I’m going through
the job advertisements too. Nothing specific. I’m just
keeping my options open to employers who may have something
suitable for me,” he said.
Loh said he was
appreciative of a very understanding and good wife who had
resigned from her job when their second child was born just
to be there for the children when he’s away on his busy
schedule as a full-time politician then.
“I’m grateful to
my wife for her devotion and commitment to the upbringing of
our children. They were taught to be thrifty from young so
they have no problem adjusting to a thriftier lifestyle now,
since we have to be more prudent with our spending,” he
said.
“While I need to
think twice now about taking my family for an overseas trip,
my best holiday is just being at home with them,” Loh said.
Loh said that he
and his wife had just started attending the Alpha marriage
course that was aimed at imparting family values to married
couples.
“The seven-week
course is conduced once a week on Sundays. Through it we are
learning to appreciate each other more. I also read a lot to
my children now, and while previously my son had to wait to
play chess with me, now it’s my turn to wait for a game with
him,” he said.
“But there’s no
giving up. I’m hopeful things will turn out for me
eventually, and hopefully for the better,” Loh said.
|
