Lim Chih Yang / Writer
An elected representative by its very name signifies one who is popularly elected by the people to represent the people’s interest. In the United States, governors, mayors, senators, presidents… etc are all elected by the people via the ballot box.
In Singapore, the people’s representatives are the Members of Parliament, elected via a General Election every five years and chosen from the results of the ballot box. No doubt Singapore practices a different type of parliamentary election with Group Representative Constituency being a unique feature of our local political scene.
Nevertheless, MPs are still popularly elected and are, I dare say, obligated in their position by the very people who elected them into office. It is therefore very disheartening to note that the MPs do not seem to be in touch with the ground swell of feelings lately.
A case in point, Parliament was in session on 17 November 2008. The hot topic of the day has to be the purported losses that PAP-run town councils had raked up with their blind foray into investing in Lehman linked structured products. Why then was there only one parliamentarian who actually asked questions pertaining to losses by PAP-run town councils? Nominated MP, Eunice Olsen, who is not aligned to any constituency or political party, was the only MP who asked Minister of State for National Development Grace Fu about the issue. Perhaps the PAP MPs do not feel it right to ask difficult and potentially embarrassing questions of their fellow party MPs.
While the PAP MPs had suffered terribly in the eyes of their constituency in not speaking up for them, the opposition MPs fare no better. Unless there was a coordinated effort to silence them and prevent their views from being aired to the public, the three oppositions MPs did not raise a single question on the losses by the town councils.
On the same issue raised in Parliament, Minister of State for National Development Grace Fu, herself an MP for Jurong GRC was quoted as saying, when questioned if the town councils were aware of the investment risk they had taken.
“We should ask the Town Council and it is something the residents should pose to their respective Town Council.” – Minister of State for National Development Grace Fu. (TODAY)
Pardon me if I did a double take on her comments but this quote, coming from a Minister of State for National Development and an MP for Jurong GRC, I would expect her to raise these questions herself to the town councils in question on behalf of her constituency. No doubt the citizens of Singapore should take the initiative and play a role in nation building by scrutinizing the books of the town councils and questioning their investments returns, yet the fact remains that the MPs as the people’s representative should play their part as well.
Going along the same route, we did not see any strong leadership in the midst of the various fiascos that have hit Singapore recently. Hands up if we had noted any leadership in the minibond saga? Or how about when DBS retrenched almost 900 staff mainly in Singapore and Hong Kong. The labour chief, Lim Swee Say, could only issue a statement of disappointment which, I dare say, did not affect DBS position one bit.
Recently, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong mentioned that change has to come but only from within the ruling party and not “between parties”. An adversarial two-party system is also deemed unsuitable for Singapore. Given the passive and silent performance of the MPs on an issue that has got many Singaporeans grumbling not seen since the days of the Mas Selamat escape, have our MPs totally lost touch with the people’s feelings? Is the current single party system effective in addressing the concerns of Singaporeans?
Unless the MPs start to show themselves more as representative of the people of Singapore and not as members of their respective parties or political alignment can we see an adequate checks and balance within the current one-party system.
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i felt sad man…
hope tat it will have a big change in next election…
jiayou,,singaporeans..
learn from western country..
If I read this article correctly, the writer is questioning why one MP does not ask another MP embarrassing question in relation to the Town Council foray into risky investment. Not even Opposition MP asked the hard question. It took an Nominated MP to pose the question.
I saw the whole situation as perfect. All elected MP are responsible for the performance of their own Town Council. Who will question why the other party house is dirty when their own house is not any better.
It takes a homeless person (Nominated MP) who have nothing to lose, to pose such a question.
I would rather focus on the topic on why it seemed that GRC are the ones who have this problem? Have our GRC grown too big and out of control? The main reason (in my mind) for GRC is to allow some Ministers more time to focus on their actual work (being minister) rather than doing some ‘unnecessary’ work (being elected representative). I believed GRC members have also took the same view. They have forgotten how to serve the people and only remember how to make more money. Sounds liked another NKF to me.
that empress dowager should be called ungracious fool! What audacity! If i am getting that reply from her…I make sure she gets an earful of my expletives! Enuff is enuff…from this bunch of “jia liao bee”
our parliamentary debates are no more aired on TV like the last time, why? are there so many shameful things that they cannot be viewed by the citizens of singapore? c’mon don’t hide things from us anymore, show your face and your guts to the singaporeans when we are your paymasters, nothing but just cowards.
Hi Chih Yang,
It’s quite interesting parsing PM’s comments, especially if you consider the comparison he made to Japan’s LDP, albeit using it as a negative example of weak leadership.
When his father passes on, and he eventually hands over the reins, it will be hard to find unanimous consensus among the PAP as to who is to lead next.
The comparison to the LDP is perhaps a glimpse into how he views the future of the PAP: factional politics under a one party banner, but with a stronger grip than the LDP.
Dear Chih Yang,
I feel your comments on the opposition is not very fair. Both the opposition-held Town Councils (Hougang and Potong Pasir) had already declared that they have not been investing on risky assets or investments. In a way, they have “accounted” to their constituency. To question other Town Council doesn’t make sense, as they have fulfilled their obligations to their electorate.
On the contrary, the PAP MPs are dissappointing to the core. My impression is that they are all out to protect the a** of each other. Such behaviour tells me that having just one dorminant party is NEVER they way to go. If nobody has squealed on the Town Council funds, I shudder to think what catastrophy would result when everything is kept under wraps be covering each other’s a**.
birds of feather flocked together indeed, unfortunately ours are black ones, so no matter how white they paint themselves into, the inner is still black.
No point writing so much crap. Just vote for the right thing when the time comes
interesting. grace fu’s reply seems to suggest that mps are elected so that they can lord over the peasants.
if peasants have any concerns about the gahmen, pls approach the relevant authorities in their individual capacity.
i didn’t know there were fat cats in our parliament too.
Hi it seems the weather is kinda of cold these days and I am planning to hibernate for the next few years…. maybe come out in 2010 for a meet and greet and then vanish …..please note i have limited time for shaking hands, taking pics and carring babies…. so please make it snappy.
Hip Hop Hurray!!!
Why is it that we vote for a white elephant sitting by the closet and doing nothing. In fact, we paid for a useless diamond or a ton of crude oil. Are they worth our affirmation and doing their job as speakers for the common people or are they just in for the money and get on with life. I don’t see the point of them in the wayang government.
if it’s all a case of mutual benefits among the different town councils, pap or opposition, perhaps it is wise to keep everyone’s mouths shut.
so who really should be asking those questions? the press?
hmm.
how come no voice from the 2 opposition mps & most nominated mps (understand 1 of them is a very senior officer in pwc)?
sad
Err… have they even touched the ground before?
I am still concern that the TCs keep $$BB in reserve. What is the purpose????????
our dear elites will touch the ground now only if there is $12m there for them to pick up. Otherwise please dun even try bothering them.
Ya, I am not at all surprised that with such huge monetary resources at the town councils disposal, a NKF fiasco is indeed possible. I daresay no town council will ever dare to give a guarantee or assurance to Singaporeans that their funds are managed well and above board. Is there really not one black sheep among its many merry-men that is dishonest? Is there anyone out there – Ministers or MPs – who can vouch that everything is in order? It is time an independent audit be conducted to ensure everything is spick and span.
““We should ask the Town Council and it is something the residents should pose to their respective Town Council.” – Minister of State for National Development Grace Fu. (TODAY)”
Isn’t this the same tactic when Woody ask the investors to seek the FI who mislead them in the first place ? Guess what will be the majority of answer to these investors ? PUshing responsibility to the “little people” is always the practice of our gahmen. Why are we paying so much for these clowns which don’t even do their role and job ?
Let look at the tactic as applies to this scenario:
A female is raped by a gang of rapists, and the female report to the police. The police says it is not their job to approve and disapprove on the action of rape, but to register that the incident happen, and if the female want to seek justice, she should just go back to the rapists to seek complaints and injustice. Now if female want justice, she should risk getting rape again, or otherwise she should STFU.
Why do the female ask the police in the first place ? Obviously, it is because the police has the power and authority to arrest the rapist !
Why do citizen ask Grace Fu to ask the Town Council on behalf of citizen. Obviously because Grace Fu has the authority and influence to check on the Town Council and authorise investigation, and that is why she is made a million dollars minister. Do you think the TC will give a bloody damn to the curious citizen who is powerless and helpless ? In the same same way, do you think the rapists will even care about their rape victim who is helpless and desperate ?
Farting nonsense and tactics from the gahmen again and again.
Because of this Grace Fu should deserve of this additional prefix DIS =>
Dis Grace Fu
“We should ask the Town Council and it is something the residents should pose to their respective Town Council.” – Minister of State for National Development Grace Fu. (TODAY)
I wonder how many of our MPs stay in a HDB flat and pays S&C charges every month? If so, they should set the example as guided by the Minister of State.
We have been MIS-REPRESENTED in parliament.
This is a PAP govt that ‘MISes’ too many things.
I am sure by now we all know how powerless and aimless our elected MPs are.
The one-party politics doesn’t help them much as the buck stops at the top. Everything flows from the top and if there is a gap order passed down MPs will have to shut up or face the music. IS that what Singapore wants?
Do we want a one-party governance whereby everything goes through the top few men without representation? Even those that we elected can’t have the right to speak.
The problem is that the governance knows that you don’t elect an MP for who he is. We elect the man becasue he stands behind the lighting banner. So whatever he does is subject to the banner’s whelms and fancies. He does not truly represent the people that voted for him as they all voted for the party that puts him up for election. That’s the big difference.
Some MPs hardly even mix with the people and only attend MTP sessions and Parliament. Some of us can’t even remember the names of our MPs and that is a grave problem.
In Australia, people stood for election and of course they have a party to represent be it the Liberals, Labour, Green Party or others. He can be a aplumber, electrician, academican or a teacher but he wants to represent the voices of the people. So people go for votes and he is elected.
He will go for Parliamentary meetings, walk the ground and talk to the people to get feedback, explain policies and everything is very casual about it. Sometimes he will get stick from the ground as the govt passed down some silly policies and he will have to get to theground and explain the rationale for such implementation.
He literally has to earn the votes of the people or else he will be voted out for sure during the next election. That is people power politics in a democratic country. Ours is more of a controlled democracy where everything comes from the top. The MPs have lost much of its effect here and surely people will criticise them for doing a poor job or for doing nothing at all.
I believe Singapore will benefit from such ground-level politics than one that is so distant and official. Singapore will definitely benefit from a two-party political environment given the nature of our situation here. Power is now lodged in the hands of a few good men at the top and this is dangerous. We all know how absolute power can corrupt as there is no proper check and balances.
I like the comment No.2 by Slowdown, which said “I saw the whole situation as perfect. All elected MP are responsible for the performance of their own Town Council. Who will question why the other party house is dirty when their own house is not any better.”
However, do note that the house of opposition MP is very clean and in fact made 6% returns in their town council according to newspaper report. Surely the Opposition MP who have clean house, has full mandate to question those with dirty house? What an entire bunch of chiak liao bees we have ruling us. A great civilisation and order can be brought to destruction without proper governance and passion for the task they are charged with. Remember the Rise and Fall of the Roman Empire.
REX
Gilbert is right.
We need people in parliament who don’t give two hoots to political jargons, to financial or mathematical problems, to how bad the world is etc etc.
We need people who can relate to the people and bring the voice of the people to the table in parliament in plain, simple, understandable and as straight-to-the-face as possible language. if it takes one without an academic degree to do so, so be it.
It takes a cleaner to know a cleaner’s problem. Can an academic emphatise and understand a cleaner’s problem effectively? Vote the cleaner to help the cleaners.
We need diversity of opinions for a better and more balanced solution to our problems.
We don’t need the PAP to tell us to vote along party lines because all problems will be tackled fairly. Fairness is as deceptive as the person wearing the badge.
PAP I can understand. But it is getting a bit uncomfortable when Worker Party kept quiet. Can TOC arrange some interview with the Worker Party to check it out?
this is the FAILRUE of the GRC system. You have people who have little passion and leadership qualities wandering into the Parliament under the tailcoats of a Cabinent Minister in each GRC. But I must say that the Opposition Parties are equally as disappointing.
Dear #6 Concerned Citizen,
I do agree that the opposition MPs had fulfiled their duty to their electorate in declaring their own TC’s investment but as a opposition MPs they too hold a role of checks and balances. I am disappointed that they had not stepped into this role to check on the excesses of the ruling party. The role of opposition in a westminster system will invariably step out of the boundaries of Hougang and Potong Pasir.
At a time when anger on the ground is rising over the use of TC’s fund, the opposition should step into their role and question the ruling party when the PAP MPs are silent. By giving the initiative to a NMP, the are effecitively siging the death warrant to all opposition MPs and advertising that the NMP system is more effective. I do not believe that Singaporeans want the opposition MPs to take cheap political shots but as a representative of the people’s voice in parliament.
Dear #5 Zheng Xi,
Yes. PM Lee has in recent months seems to have a habit of using irrelevant and weak examples to support Singapore’s system. Think back his reference to Australia’s pork barrel election.
With regards to the LDP example, frankly, except for the communist party of China, Cuba…etc, I struggle to think of any country where a ruling party has stayed in power for so long. thus I believe he had used the LDP example albeit a very weak example.
Notice that not too long ago, the ST had highighted how the LDP had been weak with frequent change of PM due to a free wheeling media that trivializes politics. The ruling party’s grip on power is very strong due to a compliant media.
Is that the shape of things to come in the future? possible. But I shudder to think of it
If the PAP ever grow weak, it will be difficult to throw them out of office when you have a compliant media and a weak opposition that can neither be a checks and balance nor as a alternative party ready to take over. The future looks bleak.
The performance of the current batch of MPs is a glmpse to the future. Where the MPs are ineffective and issues get swept under the carpet.
Regards
Chih-Yang
Let’s be fair to the Opposition.
The PAP govt is doing too well for them to get involve. It will be like walking into a quagmire. I think the opposition feel it is best to keep quiet at let the PAP self-destruct.
And I think it is the right thing to do even as I had lambasted their silence before. If and should the opposition gets involve, the focus will quickly change to their utterences. The MSM will be quick to pick up the fight and the real losers will be us, the people.
So, if we think deeper, I think the opposition is doing the right thing this time. Keeping their mouth shut exposes all sorts of rubbish within the PAP and it works.
Dear PM, you need to have differing views and ideas to advocate for change. How to have change within your party when there is only one voice?
I would like to add that Lily Neo fought quite hard for the poor and old and was ridiculed in parliment. She is quite different from the other MPs, takes care of her constituents. My parents can attest to that.
Dear #29 Dan,
Yes. In that aspect I will have to agree with you on Dr Lily Neo. She is an exception. Given her background, profession and wealth, she need not serve as an MP but nevertheless work her socks off for her people. She has also questioned strongly Lim Hwee Hua in Parliament.
Sad to say, such MPs are few and far between. Can we name any other MPs like her? Dr Amy Khor was one such MP until she got drafted as a Mayor and was eerily silent.
Regards
Chih-Yang
With this kind of leadership we have, I think I would do well to vote Mas Selamat in as my MP.
Bugger showed more brains and pro-activity in engineering his escape.
And to date, he has not been found which attests to his fact that he’s either tremendously lucky (something our Tema-sick Holdings really need now) or spellbindingly brilliant (hey Hsien Loong, for all your Mathematics brilliance, you can’t triangulate his hideout?).
Yeah, my vote will go to Mas Selamat if he should decide to contest AMK.
YA there are some MPs that are way ahead of the rest:
1. Lily Neo – work among the poor and aged
2. Charles Chong – work for the Buangkok Station
3. Halimah Yaacob – work for the common workers
4. JBJ (deceased) – work for democracy and human rights
5. Amy Khor – work for the common people
6. One Teng Chong (deceased) – work for the unionists
7. Lim Hwee Wah – work for the residents in Serangoon Garden
The rest of the MPs I think work for themsleves or the party but not for the people.
But come GE time, which box are you gonna tick? The one with the lightning or the other one? Who wants to wager against the possibility of a GRC loss? Anyone? No one? Thought so….
Oh c,mon people, whether which MPs are really doing their work for the people can be seen very clearly from the way they put in their questions to the parliament, and the only way for the people to decide whether they are really working for the good of the people is to see them “live” on TV during their parliamentary debates. I am very sure that all singaporeans would want to view these debates on “live” on TV. Where the hell are these debates on air these days? or are you ruffians afraid to let the people know the TRUTH? we demand this rights to know the nothing less than the WHOLE TRUTH.
Theres a thing called MORAL COMPASS, I think they are in the bermuda triangle.
What Singaporeans can do now is to spread the word of whats happening to inform and educate.
CHANGE begins and ends with you as an individual. No point saying the REST of the masses will vote otherwise.
When it comes down to you to vote, what will you do ??
Can’t do “sheet”! No contest everytime! The only time I see a ballot paper was on tv when they showed you how to vote. Other than that, I don’t know how it looks like. But when I see others exercising their right and witnessing the results, well, what more can I say?
When DBS took over POSBank and started charging its depositors for services that was previously free, did anyone say anything?
When the government capped retrenchment benefits to max 24 years instead of one month for every year of service, was anyone upset?
When the casino decision was rammed down our throats, was there dissent?
Cheng San and Nee Soon East were the closest we came to an upset, but still nothing happened.
How can change happen when everyone else and everything is against it happening?
the 2 opposition MPs are infact functioning as estate managers than MPs. This is the time they should voice out the issues and perhaps score some politcal points, yet they remain muted. We sorely miss JBJ.
I can only see CSJ filling his shoes in Parliament, but sadly he been disqualified by we- know- who.
Hi jakc,
Love him or hate him, this is the time we can do with him. CSJ, that is.
Why should the people be so afraid of CSJ? Is it because the Whities tell us so?
If it is the Whities who tell us to be afraid of him, then, it is clear the Whities are afraid of him first. So it’s good to get him into parliament to give the Whities something to think about and to wake up from their sleep.
I feel terrible!
Despite so many many many many countries have CHANGED , just in this year alone!, do we really think that another country in Asia will CHANGE too ?
we can find some clues from its culture and mentality.
unique is unique.
Change is the perogative of those in control. Have a personal little story to tell about change.
Back in 2003 when the economy was “sheet”, my company restructured and many co-workers got the big envelope. After spending untold millions in the pay them off, the folks at management spent another bag of money for us survivors on workshops dealing with change. I swore I could read “Who Moved My Cheese” backwards. But guess what? When we were finally convinced ourselves to accept change, we found that it was the very same management folks (that preached about change is good) were the ones who couldn’t accept change because they themselves were set in their ways!
Till this day, I find this irony so bloody frustrating!
Moral of the story : Change will only come when EVERYONE wants it
39) the A Team
Hi,
It’s a terrible time isn’t it?
What does one do when one feels terrible?
a. one can continue to feel terrible and blame the heavens and the earth till the kingdom come, or,
b. one can act on it to relieve the terrible feeling.
The power and the solution lie in your . hands. You. have already identified the barriers. Now go and do something about it. Begin with your own little circle of friends. Tell them to vote for change.
If each of you can reach out to ten friends, and each of the ten friends reach out to another ten, the equation becomes a possibility.
Possibility brings hope. Hope brings the first fruit of change. Change will become evident.
You, and I, and all who want change, must set the wheel in motion. That motion begins with each of us. A small effortless step is all it takes.
It takes a ripple to create a tsunami.
Believe it.
For fairness to Singapore Citizens and Minister Grace Fu herself, I shall hereby call on the Minister herself to be truly graceful, sincere and responsible whence speaking in Parliament.
She ‘urged’ the Constituents to go to their respective Town Councils to ‘check’, if I may use the word, the Account and asserted that it is the Constituents’ Duties. And Responsibilities too? May I ask !! Please tell Singaporeans what Members of Parliament are elected for ? If the Citizenry has to check on Government Agencies. WHY AND WHAT ARE MPs ELECTED TO REPRESENT THEIR CONSTITUENTS FOR?
Minister Grace Fu; please tell the citizens of Singapore honestly and sincerely if they could go to their Town Councils and for this matter, any institution, to ask for clarifications, verifications and other matters, without contravening and violating the Laws. Tell us that citizens can do checks on institutions as she said in Parliament and have this Rights of Citizens legislated and annunciated .
I would personally urge Minister Grace Fu to gracefully step down on her own accord if she is not able to answer the Questions asked in this Thread truthfully, honestly and with conscience.
I will not expect any honourable person to remain in office when one is not familiar with ones’ duties, it is not just a question of competency. It is a question of qualifications for the JOB and that is know the job and duties.
patriot
Ironically, I stay in Bukit Batok. when I tried to go to Jurong Town Council website, http://www.jrtc.org.sg/jrtc.htm , i am unable to find any email I could send my enquiries.
I have to actually make a call and ask for the email address!
Say, is not Grace Fu from Jurong Town Council…but Grace Fu told the residents to ask their respective Town Council.
Dear all,
The ironical thing in Grace Fu’s remark is that she said resident should ask their respective Town Council for the queries.
I had just gone to Jurong Town Council website to do the following:
1) find an email I can send my queries to.
2) find a link I can download the latest financial report.
For everyone’s information, there is no email present, I had to make a phone call to get the information I need. Secondly,. there is no financial report for me to download and scrutinise the Jurong Town Council’s finances.
Ironically, Grace Fu is a MP for Jurong Town Council and the website is user unfriendly.
In any case, I manage to get the email after making a call to their hotline and will be sending my queries to them
Regards
Chih-Yang
I wonder how long will they take to reply CY’s email? And if they do bother to even reply, I wonder if it’ll be full of the typical terms that confuse rather than explain. If they don’t clear the trash in front of your house, CY, you’ll know why….
Hello MPs, wake up ! are you all still sleeeping??? howcome nothing come out of your month, don’t your teachers teach you how to ask questions??? am i voting dummies. ??
As all can see, anythings GO WRONG in PAP,,,there will be some bloody excuse,to fool the citizen,,,
remember that Pinky and his Papa,,,they CANNOT disclose the GIC funds,,
This is why Singapore needs a one party ruling, so that the NMP’s keep quiet and keep reading the comments posted in TOC.
This is why we building smaller flats
This is why the GST was raised to help the poor
This is why we cannot know how much reserves we got
This is why we cannot know if not others will know
This is why Singaporeans and Singapore needs Foreign talent
This is why we need FT who will take a lower salary , because Singaporeans are choosy when it comes to jobs….
This is why we need to buy frozen food as it is cheaper.
They NEVER admit their mistakes, NEVER! worst, they continue to make MORE MISTAKES!
48) 253 SA Charlie Batt-Action Front! on November 20th, 2008 8.07 pm
This is why we need to buy frozen food as it is cheaper.
and later they also say buy frozen human organs, its cheaper, still got SGH certified warranty card some more, but only eligible for those in “C” class wards