Elections in Singapore were to provide the island with a degree of self government through a Council of Ministers that would be responsible to a predominantly elected Legislative Assembly. The Labour Party headed by David Marshall won the most number of seats and Marshall became Chief minister. Lee Kuan Yew and Lim Shin Siong also won their seats.
James was asked to stand as the PAP candidate for Farrer Park. “I told them I could not stand because I was born in a native state in India.” James was invited to Devan Nair’s house and he told Devan, “It doesn’t matter I will help you. I ‘ll work with you.” And so Devan Nair stood in Farrer Park instead of Whampoa.
“Lee [Kuan Yew] was standing in Tanjong Pagar. I was to stand in Farrer [Park] , Devan [in] Whampoa, Lim Chin Siong [in] Bukit Timah. Later, I think, Kenny Bryne introduced his friend Goh Chew Chua to stand for Tampines. So once it was clear that I could not stand, then I was nominated into the committee which was going to organise the election. I concentrated quite a lot of Devan’s constituency unsuccessfully.”
“In any Chinese constituency, Devan Nair would have won. It [Failure] was because of Devan’s chauvinism. He thought that if I campaigned for him in Farrer Park, I could make some mileage out of my Indian National Army past. The mood in the country was nothing to do with Chinese. PAP stood for something which was going to change the country.”
The election went on quite well. Chin Siong won with a big majority. Harry [Lee Kuan Yew] won with a big majority. Ahmad won with a big majority. Goh Chew Chua won. Except Devan Nair, he lost.”
James recruited Ong Pang Boon to join the PAP. “He was my close friend, though he arrested me after that. I have nothing against him. Ong Pang Boon used to live with me in Serangoon Gardens. I came to Kuala Lumpur to try to persuade him to leave the job he was doing and go home and join as Assistant Secretary-General of the PAP.”
“My memories of the 1955 election, imperfect as they are, was the meeting with Chin Siong which in many ways, I think, was one of the better associations I have had….it was a meeting that was invaluable to me. It made me a fuller man I think.”