Actually a better idea would be allow any Singaporeans to register a debate with any MPs in the Parliament.
That will definitely be a major breakthrough....in civil society.
All speeches in chamber 'should be free online'
Baey Yam Keng says this will allow Singaporeans to be plugged in fully to the debates
By Clarissa Oon, Senior Political Correspondent
NOW that the political system will be tweaked to bring more competing views into Parliament, all parliamentary speeches should be available online so Singaporeans can be fully plugged in to the debates.
Mr Baey Yam Keng (Tanjong Pagar GRC) proposed this yesterday, as he and two other PAP MPs rose in support of changes to give opposition parties and non-PAP representatives a larger share of Parliament after the next election.
The changes, announced by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong on Wednesday, will guarantee the opposition nine seats, up from the current three. These may be elected or Non-Constituency MPs.
Nominated MPs, who are unelected representatives from different sectors of society, will also become a permanent fixture in the House.
There will also be smaller group representation constituencies (GRCs) and more single-member wards, which will give more room for smaller parties and independent candidates to contest elections.
Having more voices in the chamber will create a 'more diverse platform for the making of the country's policies', said Mr Baey.
But the electorate 'will need to navigate through the different viewpoints expressed and form its own judgment'. To do that, they must have access to the full text of the speeches, he stressed.
The public can currently search for speeches through the Hansard - the verbatim reports of proceedings - on Parliament's website (www.parliament.gov.sg).
But free online access is limited to speeches made in the current term of Parliament, from 2006. To get speeches made before that, one has to pay a high fee, such as law firms do to access them on the LawNet site run by the Singapore Academy of Law.
The alternative is to plough through hard copies of the speeches at the Central Library, said Mr Baey.
This needs to change as 'parliamentary debates and discussions are matters of public interest and Singaporeans who are interested should be able to access contents of past debates freely', he added.
Another PAP MP who endorsed the refinements to the political system was Mr Ong Kian Min (Tampines GRC). He said it would 'encourage and allow more people with political aspirations to come forward and join the political arena'.
He took issue with some sceptics who believe that the proposed changes are but an 'election ploy' - to sway voters to vote for the PAP, with the assurance that opposition candidates can still get into Parliament as NCMPs.
It was 'not a bad thing' for voters to 'enjoy the benefits of having elected PAP MPs serve them day- to-day in their constituency, while having opposition voices in Parliament', he said.
Opposition NCMPs also stand to gain because if they are able to win voters over through their performance in Parliament, they can boost their chances of being elected in future, he added.
The changes also refute the opposition's long- held complaint that the PAP does not give them a level playing field during elections, said Ms Irene Ng (Tampines GRC). With smaller GRCs and more single-member wards, she hoped the opposition would be able to put up candidates to contest in all the seats and satisfy Singaporeans' desire to vote.
On political evolution, Mr Baey suggested that the Government exercise a 'lighter touch' when managing the traditional and new media. This would increase political participation and promote a better understanding of issues among the public.
'Alternative views should not be relegated to platforms that may be obscure initially, but increasingly gain prominence for being the underdog,' he said.
That will definitely be a major breakthrough....in civil society.
All speeches in chamber 'should be free online'
Baey Yam Keng says this will allow Singaporeans to be plugged in fully to the debates
By Clarissa Oon, Senior Political Correspondent
NOW that the political system will be tweaked to bring more competing views into Parliament, all parliamentary speeches should be available online so Singaporeans can be fully plugged in to the debates.
Mr Baey Yam Keng (Tanjong Pagar GRC) proposed this yesterday, as he and two other PAP MPs rose in support of changes to give opposition parties and non-PAP representatives a larger share of Parliament after the next election.
The changes, announced by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong on Wednesday, will guarantee the opposition nine seats, up from the current three. These may be elected or Non-Constituency MPs.
Nominated MPs, who are unelected representatives from different sectors of society, will also become a permanent fixture in the House.
There will also be smaller group representation constituencies (GRCs) and more single-member wards, which will give more room for smaller parties and independent candidates to contest elections.
Having more voices in the chamber will create a 'more diverse platform for the making of the country's policies', said Mr Baey.
But the electorate 'will need to navigate through the different viewpoints expressed and form its own judgment'. To do that, they must have access to the full text of the speeches, he stressed.
The public can currently search for speeches through the Hansard - the verbatim reports of proceedings - on Parliament's website (www.parliament.gov.sg).
But free online access is limited to speeches made in the current term of Parliament, from 2006. To get speeches made before that, one has to pay a high fee, such as law firms do to access them on the LawNet site run by the Singapore Academy of Law.
The alternative is to plough through hard copies of the speeches at the Central Library, said Mr Baey.
This needs to change as 'parliamentary debates and discussions are matters of public interest and Singaporeans who are interested should be able to access contents of past debates freely', he added.
Another PAP MP who endorsed the refinements to the political system was Mr Ong Kian Min (Tampines GRC). He said it would 'encourage and allow more people with political aspirations to come forward and join the political arena'.
He took issue with some sceptics who believe that the proposed changes are but an 'election ploy' - to sway voters to vote for the PAP, with the assurance that opposition candidates can still get into Parliament as NCMPs.
It was 'not a bad thing' for voters to 'enjoy the benefits of having elected PAP MPs serve them day- to-day in their constituency, while having opposition voices in Parliament', he said.
Opposition NCMPs also stand to gain because if they are able to win voters over through their performance in Parliament, they can boost their chances of being elected in future, he added.
The changes also refute the opposition's long- held complaint that the PAP does not give them a level playing field during elections, said Ms Irene Ng (Tampines GRC). With smaller GRCs and more single-member wards, she hoped the opposition would be able to put up candidates to contest in all the seats and satisfy Singaporeans' desire to vote.
On political evolution, Mr Baey suggested that the Government exercise a 'lighter touch' when managing the traditional and new media. This would increase political participation and promote a better understanding of issues among the public.
'Alternative views should not be relegated to platforms that may be obscure initially, but increasingly gain prominence for being the underdog,' he said.
