sentences:  In 1979, Howe was again persuaded by then Prime Minister Lee and then-Minister for Finance Goh Keng Swee to enter politics, and he eventually agreed.In 1979, upon being named as a People's Action Party (PAP) candidate in by-elections called in seven constituencies, Howe said he hoped to serve no more than five years.After submitting his nomination papers in the by-election, Howe dismissed the opposition candidates, including independent Chiam See Tong, as "court jesters" who had come out "to provide comic relief".