A political party at St James

PAP Women's Wing celebrates 20th anniversary with bash

IT IS your 20th and you're having a party at a hip club.

WOMEN IN WHITE: Miss Chloe Khoo (right) and Mrs Serene Wong of the PAP Women's Wing, decked out for a catwalk during the party.

How stressful can it be?

The Women's Wing of the People's Action Party (PAP) decided on the theme of 'hot white' with 'red hot accessories for women'.

But having fun isn't always painless.

'I had a lot of e-mails from the male PAP members about the dress code,' recalled MsIndranee Rajah, the organising chairman, with a chuckle. She's also a Member of Parliament for Tanjong Pagar GRC.

The dress code was her brainchild.

'I replied saying they have to look hot in their white and white, but more than they usually do, of course!' she said, laughing.

Their reaction?

'They all seemed very pained, but to their credit, they were all very sporting and turned up looking hot in white,' she said.

But why the addition of 'hot' to the standard white?

'We wanted to move away from the perceived conservative image for ladies and show that we know when to be serious, and when to have fun,' she explained.

'We wanted the party to be something happening, not the usual sit-down dinner at a hotel. This venue could accommodate our 1,000 guests and naturally, we wanted the dress code to match the venue.'

But she pointed out that while giving the colour for the dress code, she had deliberately left it generic and open to interpretation.

SMILES ALL AROUND: (From left) Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean sharing a laugh with Ms Indranee Rajah , Ms Lim Hwee Hua, Mrs Josephine Teo and Ms Diana Pang

Anyhow interpret? That can be stressful.

Take Ms Diana Pang, a party member and party goer yesterday.

With less than four hours to the event, MsPang, an organising committee member, had to sprint through the shops at VivoCity to buy a white dress in 15 minutes.

Three days earlier, she had picked out the perfect outfit to suit the dress code but then, horrors.

Yesterday morning, she packed it in a bag, intending to change into it later, as she had to be at the venue from 10am to oversee the final preparations for the party.

To her dismay, at 1pm when Ms Pang wanted to change into her outfit, she realised she had left her bag at home. She may have been red-faced but there was no white dress.

'I panicked because I had been reminding everyone about the dress code and I was wearing a T-shirt and jeans with no dress to wear,' said Ms Pang.

She quickly ran across to VivoCity in the hope of finding something suitable.

ROSE AMONG THE THORNS: MP Jessica Tan (centre) with MPs (from left) Lim Wee Kiak, Baey Yam Keng, Abdullah Tarmugi and Michael Palmer. --TNP PICTURES: KUA CHEE SIONG

'It was a nightmare. I went to three shops and none of them sold all-white dresses without prints,' she said.

But she breathed a huge sigh of relief when she found one at the fourth store.

'I was very lucky and even more so because the dress was on sale,' she said with a laugh.

She wasn't the only one who took 'white' so seriously.

'White hot'

Mrs Josephine Chew, secretary of the executive committee of the Women's Wing said of theme:

'When coal is at the highest burning point, it is white, hot. That for me, symbolises our passion and commitment.

'It is good that we have a party like this because it shows that the PAP is not inflexible, unchanging and rigid. We are open to new ideas.

'The dress code allows individual women to express themselves according to their own interpretation, but at the same time there is a cohesion as we are all in white.'

So serious. Ask about party theme and get party manifesto.

Maybe the younger ones know it's okay to not talk shop.

A new member of the Women's Wing, undergraduate Chloe Khoo, 22, gushed:

'The fact that they chose this venue shows that they are helping the younger generation and new blood feel integrated and welcome.'

Then she added: 'When the female politicians dress fashionably like today, it catches the younger crowd's attention. It shows us that we can have principles, yet be hip at the same time.'

Maybe the men are different.

Of the party theme, Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean said: 'We think that white is plain, but it can also be exciting and creative.

'The dress code for this party reflects that we can maintain our key values while moving with the times.'

Just goes to show. Parties for this party mean fun taken seriously.

BEACH, (having a) BALL, BABES

987FM's Life's A Beach party draws 10,000 of all ages, including families

FOR many youngsters, this was their first opportunity to take part in a beach party.

A youthful crowd of more than 10,000 attended the 12-hour Life's A Beach party at Sentosa's Siloso Beach yesterday.

It was no ZoukOut - but that may be no bad thing.

There was no sign of any drunken antics, of partygoers so sloshed they're passed out or vomiting.

No alcohol was sold at any of the many booths at the event, which was organised by radio station 987FM and Sentosa, though if they wanted to drink they could go out to one of the nearby restaurants.

Unlike ZoukOut, which has a minimum age limit of 18 and an entrance fee, Life's A Beach was open to all ages and free.

This was clearly a more family and teenager-friendly affair.

AUDIENCE: The crowd goes wild at the concert featuring local bands. TNP PICTURES: NG XI JIE

987FM DJ Daniel Ong, 33, said they had wanted to organise a beach party for a long time, until this opportunity arrived.

They were aiming for people aged 12 to 25 years old.

He said: 'Basically, Singapore lacks a major beach festival for the younger crowd.'

And he felt there was a need for something like that.

The reason for the lack of alcohol was basically to avoid licensing problems.

Trina Lim, 17, who was with her group of 12 friends, gave two thumbs up for more youngster-friendly parties.

She rarely goes to parties as she is underaged.

FAMILY : Adam Goh with his mother, brother Aaron and father Mr Sebastian Goh. TNP PICTURES: NG XI JIE

'It's happening!' she said.

The lack of alcohol was a plus for her, as she said drinkers tend to get violent.

Highlight

Like most of the others interviewed, Trina said the highlight was the concert, which started at 5pm, and featured homegrown bands like Electrico, A Vacant Affair and The Fire Fight.

Other attractions included booths with games (like hoop toss), beach games in the afternoon, and the Siloso Hotbods 2009 contest, which featured participants in their swimwear.

FIERY SHOW: Jonathan Lai, personal trainer, demonstrating a Maori dance involving the twirling of a torch. TNP PICTURES: NG XI JIE

But does sober mean tame?

There was no shortage of babes and hunks in swimwear, and the music was suitably loud.

But for the crowd pressed against the stage with arms aloft, most of the partygoers seemed content to stand around in groups, silently enjoying the music, or sit in groups on the sand.

Mr Claudio Soares, 27, a Brazilian who teaches Brazilian martial arts here, said the event was 'quite cool'.

'But I expect that they would dance more, because if this was in Brazil, everyone would be jumping around,' he said.

Beach party first-timer Adelina Eliza, 17, a student, was screaming her lungs out - but not because she was having fun.

'We're just screaming because no one is moving,' she said.

Her friend, Nur Kamariya, 17, a student, said: 'We'd like better dancing music, like R&B, hip-hop or reggae.'

Another partygoer, Nur Khatijah, 20, a part-time student, complained that there were too many youngsters around.

'It defeats the purpose of a party. I feel there should be an age limit,' she said.

Ms Maria Kassova, 42, who has been to two ZoukOuts, said she loved the beach as a venue for dancing, and she loved Electrico.

But she was disappointed Life's A Beach wasn't as crowded as ZoukOut, which saw about 25,000 participants last year.

'It's a shame because it's a wonderful event,' she said.

Mr Sebastian Goh, 45, an IT manager, was quite glad it had no age limits.

Life's A Beach was a family event for him - he was there with his wife, and his two sons, Adam, 15, and Aaron, 10.

It was Adam who wanted to be there to listen to the music. But why go with his parents?

'Because my father wanted to come,' he said.

Said Mr Goh: 'It's a good day to get the family together, we wanted to do it together.'

Little Aaron was no less enthusiastic.

'I wanted to get autographs from the DJs,' he said.

What did he love most about the event?

'The games!' he replied.

DJ Daniel Ong said he was happy to see parents bringing their children along.

He hoped it will be an annual affair, he added, and said it will certainly happen again next year.

He's planning to bring in bigger acts, even overseas bands, and turn Life's A Beach into a international music festival.

And it will remain free, he promised.

'This is an event that's open for all. Music should be enjoyed by everyone, like how a radio station is enjoyed by everyone,' he said.

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