TR EMERITUS

By Chua Mui Hoong from Straits Times MP after MP stand up and read from scripts. After a dozen or so have spoken, up steps a minister and proceeds to reply to their questions - from a script. Repeat for nine days. The above might be how a casual observer would sum up what takes place during the debate on the Budget which ends today. About 80 per cent of the debate is scripted, in that MPs prepare in advance their speeches, and ministers respond to their points with prepared texts. One Parliament newbie was impressed at ministers' comprehensive and quick responses, but was disabused of her admiration when I said the speeches on the ministries' budgets were prepared in advance and made known to the ministry so they can prepare detailed replies. With so much that is prepared, the cynical citizen is often left wondering: Is Parliament just a wayang? Just as half of Singapore today is wondering: Was that faint by Mrs Jack Neo five minutes into their press conference yesterday about his extramarital affair(s) just a show? I can't swear to the latter, not being present at that press conference, but I don't doubt the poor woman's suffering was genuine. But on the former, I can say as a political writer who covered her first Budget debate 19 years ago that no, Parliament is not just a wayang, scripted texts notwithstanding. The exchanges that take place towards the end of debate on a particular ministry's budget is unscripted. Here, MPs ask for further clarifications, and the minister has to deal with them off-the-cuff. Read rest of article here  Read More →

Written by Our Correspondent The Singapore Constitution will be amended again yet by the ruling PAP. Three bills have been tabled to amend the Constitution as well as the Presidential and Parliamentary Elections Acts to usher in "changes" to the political landscape. As the PAP holds a two-third majority in Parliament with 82 out of 84 seats, it is able to amend the Constitution as and when it wishes to without any opposition. Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong proposed last year to decrease the size of the Group Representatio Constituency (GRC) and increase the number of Non-Constituency (NC) MPs in Parliament to "reflect the aspirations of Singaporeans, and to provide for more diverse views in Parliament." Critics claim that the cosmetic changes will only perpetuate the PAP's hegemony further as voters will be less inclined to vote for the opposition as they are now guaranteed more places in Parliament as NCMPs. Without denying the PAP its two-thirds majority in Parliament, the NCMPs will be powerless to stop the PAP from tabling bills and forcing unpopular policies down the throats of Singaporeans. Furthermore, being deprived of a grassroots support base, the NCMPs will not be able to grow their strength and influence. The Presidential and Parliamentary Elections Acts will also be changed to allow for a "cooling-off" day on the eve of polling day, where no form of campaigning is permitted for all political parties except for their political broadcasts. The mainstream media will not be hindered by this rule and can continue to report on the election news. This new rule will no doubt disadvantage the opposition as the Singapore media is flagrantly biased against them, being controlled indirectly by the PAP via SPH whose Chairman is a former PAP Minister Dr Tony Tan. It is not stated explicitly if the rule will extend to cyberspace though PM Lee had said he hope that bloggers will adhere to it. The next election will be a watershed in the political history of Singapore. With public sentiments against the PAP at an all-time high due to unhappiness over its liberal immigration, pro-foreigner and discriminatory housing policies, the opposition stands a good chance of winning more seats in Parliament. Singaporeans should take heed from the Malaysian political tsunami in 2008 which saw the opposition denied the ruling Barisan Nasional coalition its traditional two-third majority in Parliament. With its wings being clipped, Barisan Nasional can longer amend the Constitution at its wimps and fancies and as a result, it has to change its style of governance to listen more to the people. Unless the PAP is denied its two-third majority in the next general election, it will continue to ride roughshod over Singaporeans who will forever be hapless "sheep" under its mercy.  Read More →

By Bhaskaran Kunju A week ago I wrote an article titled, “The Iceman Cometh”. It was on the role of foreigners in Singapore’s domestic affairs. In it I discussed the merits and demerits of the involvement of foreigners in Singapore’s local politics. On Sunday night, just like everyone else I was surprised to hear of the news of Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew’s apparent ‘massive heart attack’.  For a report that painted a rather grim picture of the state of MM Lee, it seemed too isolated. There weren’t any other news reports of the incident and what was written was completely unsubstantiated to begin with. In Gopalan Nair’s article, there was information of supposed uprisings and demonstrations in parts of Singapore that was mentioned with specifics, as well as other details that bordered on absurdity. But the news still spread despite the shortcomings. In that small 24-hour window, the topic was widely discussed (with much skepticism) in several online forums and even received a significant number of Tweets across the country. With the absence of Prime Minster Lee Hsien Loong from the Parliamentary session earlier in the week, the facts seemed to correlate and it did seem that perhaps the core of the report might have been true. So the mini-frenzy that followed was only natural. Concern, the sourcing of further information, outpouring of shock, the spreading of news - these are all observable traits of ANY newsworthy event, and the hospitalisation of an elder statesman is no different. Occurring in an authoritarian or a democratic state adds little difference to the outcome. It wasn’t mass panic akin to a Stalinist nation keeling over upon losing its head, as Mr Nair would like to fool himself into believing. The news spread simply because it was compelling. However tainted Mr Nair’s record may be in Singapore, he still had a relatively significant voice as an opposition of the ruling government and his words carried some weight. But in choosing to perpetrate a lie, he has simply proven himself to be a ranting sideshow jester with little to do than hurt his own credibility and that of the online news media by pulling immature pranks. If it was attention that Mr Nair was seeking then he has most certainly received it. It’s just that it is anything but affable. Generally it has been nothing but backlash for the self exiled lawyer. But unusually, the comments on his blog appearing after Sunday night are contrary to what everyone else thinks. Instead there are plenty of anonymous praises for his stunt. This mystery is solved if you do try posting a negative comment about his actions on his blog. He simply doesn’t approve it. So for a man who has been championing freedom of speech, he prefers the freedom to be one way. His way. As someone who has taken the easy way out and left the country, and taken up citizenship in the U.S., it is irresponsible of him to distress Singaporeans when he knows very well that the delusional doomsday scenario he had theorised for post-MM Lee Singapore, will not affect him in any way. It is disappointing that he is engaging in lowbrow tactics of deceit and manipulation that causes more harm and disillusionment than the very act of suppression of opposition voices. It takes away credibility from under the feet of alternative voice as a whole. His own thoughtless and selfish act has repercussions that extend beyond him. But ultimately it is Mr Nair who has thrown away his last shred of support together with his reputation. Back in 2001 when James Gomes was part of Think Centre, the independent non-governmental organisation (NGO) for promoting an active civil society in Singapore, he and the organinsation were involved in a similar but relatively harmless hoax, as a stunt for April Fool’s Day. A press release was issued by Think Centre that announced the organisation’s intent on fielding candidates, which included James Gomes, for the 2001 General Elections in the Jalan Besar GRC. The news was of course taken seriously, and even drew response from then Deputy Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong who commented that the group would have had their background scrutinised. The joke eventually found the group running into trouble with international news agency, Agence France Press (AFP), whose editor took offence at having been duped. But the damage from this simple hoax had far greater consequences and would attach itself to James Gomez who found himself under scrutiny later that year. Just over 6 months after the hoax, Mr Gomez decided to genuinely stand for elections in the 2001 General Elections as part of the Worker’s Party GRC team in Aljunied. On Nomination Day however the group’s application was rejected on technical grounds. They had omitted the name of the constituency they were intending to contest in the application forms. The failure to see his application through, coupled with the hoax from 6 months prior made Mr Gomez an easy target to take potshots at. Newspapers drew parallels and then Prime Minster Goh Chok Tong questioned the credibility and seriousness of Mr Gomez’s, and by affiliation his party member’s, ambitions. In an unrelated press conference he stated, “I don’t know the whole story but I found the whole team was disqualified. I don’t know if it’s another of those April Fool’s jokes.” It was that loss of credibility that came back to haunt him in the 2006 General Elections when an issue over a missing minority-race candidate form placed him the spotlight yet again. Needless to say such an incident should have sunk the Worker’s Party’s campaign altogether in 2006. However the fervent pursuit of the matter by the PAP in the media, which left the public disillusioned by the perceived pettiness of the issue, inadvertently saved and boosted the Worker’s Party’s campaign. In the instance of Mr Nair’s hoax however, the fallout and the resulting criticism has fortunately stuck to him and him alone. Even though just like the case of James Gomez, it could have easily affected the credibility of those he shares his domain with – the online news media. The damage has been averted since most news sites and netizens have refused to endorse his actions. It is heartening to note that netizens and other online news sites have distanced themselves from him and his questionable actions. For all the criticism that this medium has received for supposedly propagating extremist views, it has provided a fine rebuttal by drawing the line between responsible criticism and irresponsible dissent. Perhaps Mr Nair’s tragedy has a silver lining after all. There are some quarters of the public who still believe that there might be some truth to Mr Nair’s claims. Especially since no official clarification or statements were released regarding the health of MM Lee. There won’t be any official clarification because it only lends credence to such acts of rumour mongering and ultimately will only encourage more from being perpetrated. You simply don’t engage rumours or gossips because it drags you down to the depths of those who choose to indulge in it. On his last update on his blog, Mr Nair has decided to include another faux story on MM Lee but with a disclaimer this time that it is a joke. The only running joke here however is Mr Nair himself.   Copyright © The Temasek Review, 2009 Other articles by Bhaskaran Kunju: >> The Iceman cometh: The role of foreigners in Singapore >> A rebuttal to Vikram Khanna’s article on need for foreign workers >> How much immunity for a diplomat >> The saga of (dethroned) beauty queen Ris Low >> Is there room for more foreigners in Singapore? >> Why social cohesion is at the forefront of the Prime Minister’s National Day Rally >> Changes in political system to allow more alternative voices >> The untimely departure of Chip Goodyear >> Should universities be re-politicized? About Author: Bhaskaran Kunju is a Political Science and Communications and New Media undergraduate at the National University of Singapore. He is a regular contributor to the Straits Times Forum and TODAY Voices. He also writes for NLB and FAS and hopes to be a full-time journalist.  Read More →