SINGAPORE: Opposition MP Low Thia Khiang said on Monday that a more effective opposition presence can provide checks and balances on the ruling party.
However, Members of Parliament (MP) from the People's Action Party (PAP) rebutted his views, calling Mr Low’s arguments simplistic and incorrect.
As Parliament resumed debate on the President's address on Monday, Mr Low had asked what recourse Singaporeans have if the ruling party were to abuse its power, trample on people's rights and become corrupt.
Indranee Rajah, Deputy Speaker and MP of Tanjong Pagar GRC replied that the citizens of Singapore have the right to vote against the PAP, and said Mr Low’s suggestion is unsound.
"If that day ever comes, then the people are at liberty to vote out the PAP government and should do so in that situation," she said.
"The premise of Mr Low's suggestion is flawed. He's really saying just in case PAP becomes corrupt in the future, then people had better vote for the opposition now.
"But if you apply the same logic, then the argument can also be made that if you vote in the opposition, then they may become corrupt in the future, so in order to avoid that you might as well vote for PAP now."
Ms Rajah stressed it has been acknowledged internationally that with the PAP government at the helm, Singapore is one of the least corrupt countries in the world.
She said: "Going by Mr Low's argument, the logical outcome is that in every other country in the world with an opposition it should be squeaky clean and in Singapore, in which a large majority of the Parliament comes from a single party, then Singapore should be the most corrupt country in the world. That as we know is not the case.
"Since we have only two elected opposition members in Parliament, the fact that we currently have an honest and clean government clearly cannot be attributable to the opposition and must obviously be due to something else...
"It's due to the fact that the PAP government has set for itself and its Members of Parliament a high degree of accountability and integrity."
MPs argued that it is better to preserve a corruption-free political system, and to maintain a political culture that does not tolerate corruption.
Said Josephine Teo, MP for Bishan-Toa Payoh GRC: "Is it better for Singapore to support an opposition, even if it is not up to mark, in the hope that it could govern well when it overthrows a corrupt PAP, or is it better to make sure that the PAP does not fail Singaporeans, that it has the strongest team to serve Singaporeans?"
Joining the debate, MP for Bishan-Toa Payoh GRC Hri Kumar added that the challenge now is to increase the talent pool so that there is a solid team to form the government.
"Today, a Minister must be appointed from the ranks of elected MPs," he said. "But it is not easy getting good people to run for office.
"Why not give the Prime Minister the option to appoint outstanding individuals from outside the rank of elected MPs to his cabinet? The pool of talent available to the PM will increase substantially and we can draw on the experience of many capable individuals."
Nominated MP (NMP) Dr Loo Choon Yong said he thinks that after 19 years of testing out the NMP scheme, it is now time to make the NMP scheme a permanent feature of Singapore's Parliament.
He urged the government to amend the Constitution so that Parliament need not debate the issue of retaining the scheme each time a new Parliament sits after a general election.
- CNA/yb
