By Lincoln Tan

FORMER Raffles Institution student Shawn Tan wants to become a New Zealand member of parliament.

The 26-year-old, who moved to New Zealand in 1996, wants to give Asians here a 'bigger voice'.

But his employer, the Engineering Printing and Manufacturing Union (EPMU), is unhappy with his wish to stand as a candidate for a right-wing opposition party, called Act, in this year's general election.

This is because the union is closely associated with the ruling Labour Party.

Last Friday, Mr Tan was suspended from his work as a union organiser after Act released its list of candidates.

Mr Tan, a qualified lawyer, told The New Paper on Sunday: 'I am totally disgusted and appalled by the actions of the union. Things like this should not happen in a country like New Zealand.'

He slammed the union as being two-faced and alleged the decision to suspend him was 'clearly politically motivated'.

He added: 'The union goes to great lengths to fight for workers' rights, and yet they do not accord their own employees the same courtesy. It is just hypocritical.'

In New Zealand, the Human Rights Act prohibits employers from discriminating against employees based on their political beliefs, except where a staff member is an adviser to parliamentary or local body politicians.

Mr Tan has come under heavy fire from netizens for his philosophical flip-flop - moving from a supporter of the union, which often has workers standing for Labour, to Act.

He had studied in Pei Chun Public School and Raffles Institution in Singapore before going to New Zealand with his parents in search of a new life.

His father, Mr Dennis Tan, was a former chief tax collector at the Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore.

The younger Mr Tan said: 'Asians are a minority here, and to have a better life, we need a bigger voice, and that is why I want to become an MP... to be their voice.'

The New Zealand parliament has only one member of parliament (MP) of Chinese ethnicity: Ms Pansy Wong.

Union president Andrew Little told New Zealand media that Mr Tan had been suspended for failing to get approval from the union's executive to stand as a candidate.

He said the union needed to decide whether it was going to give Mr Tan time off from his job to campaign for ideas it disagreed with, adding that his political shift put him in direct conflict with its core beliefs.

The union said it is no different to any other employer.

'There are requirements when an employee wants to undertake activities outside their employment that have the potential to bear upon their employment. They are required to get the approval of the employer to do that.'

Act party chief, opposition MP Rodney Hide, said the move to suspend Mr Tan showed that the Engineering Printing and Manufacturing Union was being controlled by the Government.

'This might shock the EPMU, but we think people do have rights,' Mr Hide told the New Zealand Herald.

Mr Tan said he will be meeting the union tomorrow to try and resolve the issue.

'But if I have to lose my job because of my political aspirations, then so be it,' he said.

'I will still stand in this year's election because I feel it is the right thing to do.'

This article was first published in The New Paper on Aug 24, 2008.