Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong announced changes to the political system in Singapore in Wednesday’s session of Palriament. Here are the videos of PM Lee’s speech:
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I think all these changes are more form than substance. It will make the PAP look good and benevolent. A political PR exercise. However the power is still very much intact with PAP if the opposition is still pathetically weak.
Substance will come when the opposition can fight the PAP 100%, not 50% walkovers for PAP.
In fact I would say that given the state of politics in Singapore, even if the PAP disappear by itself, no alternative will even emerge. That’s how bad things are.
His team has screwed up…now want to act generous and make themselves look good.
Scrap the GRC system if you got the balls and let the people decide if your team is still good enough for the job. Then we shall see how good your elites are without any backdoor help.
Agree with #1. All seats must be contested for a very simple reason at least.
Past records has shown that candidates from walkover GRCs would campaign for their Party in contested wards (including entering a polling station on voting day). By contesting all Seats, Opp parties can eliminate the chance of walkovers to ‘grace’ contested wards. PAP will not take the risk of scaling down their campaigning at any contested wards and the arrogance of their cadres are well known thus it is unlikely that their cadres can make a difference by standing in at rally grounds.
Please Opp Parties, Contest all seats! (even if it means fielding more WP’s AMK styled teams). With that we”ll see if the sidedoor MPs can relax or ‘help out’other wards when their wards are heated up. However concentrate on key GRCs and strategise to capture 28 seats at the least. GRCs were where the near win stories were. Go for it!!
PM Lee should have step down. By now, you have proven yourself totally inept as the one to lead Singapore. YOu have proven yourself as the invisible man when crisis happens. You are not new to politics and yet you show to the world how pathetic you are, and you are obviously someone who become PM due to nepotism just like your wife become the head in Temasek because the accumulated lackluster performance so far prove it. The greatest honest mistake of Singapore is to have you as PM and family engaging nepotism for Singapore INC. You have not demonstrate a single unique strength and skill of yours aside from your invisible skill. You and your family have already get what you all want, power, wealth and status, and what’s more do you want ? Yes, greed does have its retribution and you and your family have already far exceed that. It’s time to set Singapore free and liberalise it to ensure Singapore’s survivability.
What this thing about long term strength and stability when in short-term we are as good as dead under your leedership. Or perhaps you means long term strength and stability of PAP not Singapore.
Simon Cowell dismissed Hung’s performance, remarking “You can’t sing, you can’t dance, so what do you want me to say?”, to which Hung replied, “Um, I already gave my best, and I have no regrets at all.”
Oh yes, PM Lee
“”You can’t sing, you can’t dance, so what do you want us to say?”,
Unlike William Hung , you will never give your best because you never have the material, will and passion of a leader. I will have respect you if you join the Singapore Idol and display your awesome invisible skill of yours, but then make sure you are on stage first.
He doesnt even sound convinced himself by what he said!
All his proposed changes are like playing chess by yourself. You arrange the opposite side’s piece positions and then you have your countermoves. So in effect, you will surely win. Any 3 year old can see that.
The Truth is that there are no opposition party good enough to form a government.
Supposing all the oppositions combined and win a few seat, let’s imagine that 8 opposition members become elected members of parliament, how would their votes in parliament matters on any issue ?
Does there exist an opposition party capable of administering the State ?
Is there an opposition party making or preparing itself to be good and confident enough to run the state ?
when the opposition take over running S’pore, maybe some brains will come back?
or i am dreaming a sweet dream?…
“home is where the heart is.”
To Lee,
why need NMP if its a great system already?
7) the TRUTH on May 28th, 2009 8.20 am
“Does there exist an opposition party capable of administering the State ?”
======
You asked this question about 50 years late.
PAP started as an opposition party.
They have utilized 50 years straight and gained experience.
I like PM’s view that NMPs are welcomed. He has sang the numerous advantages of Alternative views in the parliament.
So, why not ask these potential NMPs to run for election as Opposition MPs?
What is the difference?
For 1, an Elected Opposition MP has power. NMP cannot vote in the parliament. Correct me if wrong.
At whatever cost it takes, those MIW will never let their own party to lose, cos if it does and any new govt takes over, they will be in real shit and expect lot more hidden things to surface.
Wow, thanks to PM for his painting a bad picture of Proportional representation. I din know that before. ;)
“under the parliamentary election act, the act provides for 3 opposition MPs in parliament.”
“so if fewer than 3 opposition members are returned as elected MPs, then you top up to 3 from the best losers to make with an additional 1 or 2 or 3 NCMPs so that there will be at least 3 opposition MPs in the house.”
Am i right to say based on above that
it is possible to have no Opposition Party MP in the house under the constitution , using NCMPs to serve as Opposition non-Opposition-Party MPs ? (no typo there, yes, “Opposition non-Opposition-Party MPs”.)
can someone clarify.
Can I assume that Appointed MPs are Credible by definition ?
(1) NMP: NMP may be good debaters. But the most important are: Only MP carries votes. Only votes count.
(2) PAP PARTY WHIP: PAP MP are bound by PARTY WHIP, ie they vote accordingly party line and not the constituencies interest and personal conviction.
It would be great for PAP to lift PARTY WHIP for all parliament voting proceedings except for Defence, Foreign Affairs and Security. PAP will really show to us that they are generous and they can do it without changing any law, just internal arrangement within PAP. Also, MP will have to think about his constituencies who put him to parliament, instead of voting accordingly to party line.
I am not sure I am correct in so saying or not. Please enlighten me.
I have decided i would only support SKH if he runs as MP and not NMP. Why have NMPs who cannot veto when there already many Alternative views that can be heard on the internet? would someone like to comment on my comment?
Hi Wayangshifu and After listening,
NMP and NCMP can vote on everything except:
1. amendment of the constitution,
2. public funds,
3. vote of no confidence in the government,
4. removing the president from office.
Its shocking to learn (impression I get) that
1. the Term “OPPOSITION MP” need not = Opposition PARTY MP = can be Nominated MP = NMP = Nominated by PM or his team formed to do the selection.
correct me if this is incorrectly understood.
Correction,
My understanding is :
1. the Term “OPPOSITION MP” need not = Opposition PARTY MP = can be Nominated MP = NMP = Nominated by someone and selected by the PM or his team formed to do the selection.
Who grades the performance of NMPs?
If an NMP speaks very little than required by the people,
who makes decision to have him/her replaced?
Where is the PEOPLE’s role in this aspect if their ricebowl based on Nomination ?
NMPs are just like non attached members in the European parliament.
Made Singapore Lee Dynasty rather than Republic of Singapore and solved the problem!
PM, are your people crying out for political stability and strength of the nation, that you have to address this seemingly urgent matter, with priority over jobs & deflating wages, unaffordable healthcare for the aged and ailing education system?
Like, Tharman defending Temasek, now the PM also uses the word ‘LONG TERM’. I thought the current PM has been in Govt for quite a long time now, even special privileges to have shown long term results by now.
Name ONE thing, just ONE that this PM has done to make our lives better. Is it Foreign Talents/Workers? Is it better care for elderlies? Is it better education system? Better jobs, higher wages? Do we have more democracy? A more exciting media landscape?
Thanks to the Internet and specially thanks to Dot.com or LHL & wife, in fact the whole blady team will still be basking in special privileges without even having to make these (silly) changes.
Singaporean would very much like to elect their own MP not those selected by PAP. We all know why except perhap PAP? NMP were selected just for show as they are restricted in what they could do. MP universally are elected to represent their constutitiency and ask difficult and sometime embarrassing questions of the gahment. They had a role to play not just to make up the number and put up a show for the general public. Conduct a poll in the country to test this statement. There are many gahment policies that Singaporean are unhappy and they were no way to put question to the ministers concerned. The citizen had been disconnected from the political process. Would one blame Singaporean for apathy toward politic after all these years of exclusion? However, there are strong signs that the coming GE, Singaporean will like to seek change. We just hoped they remember what they had to do when the that day arrived.