Opposition as insurance? It'll cost you dearly, says DPM Teo
By Li Xueying
MR TEO Chee Hean has challenged the Workers' Party (WP) call to voters to vote opposition as an 'insurance' against the ruling party's failure.
Vote for the opposition, and Singaporeans may find that they end up paying 'quite a high premium' - 'maybe 15, 20 per cent of the seats in Parliament', he warned.
In addition, voters may find that when they try to cash in the policy, the opposition 'can't deliver'.
Said Mr Teo: 'By the opposition's own admission, if you ask them, are you ready to form a government... they say, no, no, we're not ready.
'So what they're actually asking you to do is to pay a very high premium for a so-called insurance, which... they can't deliver.'
Mr Teo, who is Deputy Prime Minister and the People's Action Party's (PAP) second assistant secretary-general, spoke during the PAP's introduction of its sixth batch of new candidates.
The PAP, he said, is the 'real insurance policy' that Singaporeans should buy to continue having a good, strong government.
In recent weeks, the WP has been using the insurance argument to call on voters to vote for the opposition.
It has argued that the opposition needs a 'critical mass' of votes if it is to succeed in building up a strong enough presence in Parliament to provide a safeguard against the PAP's faltering.
Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, speaking to university students on Tuesday, also countered the WP argument, saying the way to safeguard Singapore's future was to give full support to PAP's team of candidates, rather than to weaken that support by voting for the opposition 'in the hope of buying insurance'.
Yesterday, Mr Teo weighed in, calling on voters to support the PAP's new candidates. The new faces may not be fully experienced today, he acknowledged, but they will learn the ropes, and be 'in a good position to take the country forward into the next decades'.
The new candidates introduced yesterday were former civil servant Lawrence Wong, 38, who resigned last month as chief executive of statutory board Energy Market Authority; Dr Intan Azura Mokhtar, 34, an assistant professor at the National Institute of Education; and Mr David Ong, 49, a businessman.
Rebutting the WP's argument, Mr Teo cited the example of Belgium which has been unable to form a government since its last general election in June last year.
He noted: 'Now, it's not for lack of political parties. They have many political parties. Using the opposition terminology, many insurance policies. But the insurance policies don't work. So they haven't been able to form a government.'
Mr Teo was also asked about reactions to some new candidates, especially in cyberspace. He said he welcomed the scrutiny of the new candidates, and hoped there would be equal scrutiny of opposition candidates.
At the same time, he said, critics should be upfront and not hide behind cloaks of anonymity. 'Criticism which is based on untruth and particularly by anonymous people is not good for our system and can be destructive,' he said.
As for statements by some opposition candidates that they would become full-time MPs if they were voted in, Mr Teo said being full-time was no guarantee that they would be able to run town councils well.
What was more important was the ability of the MP to bring in a good team of people to run the town council, he said.
Yesterday's session brought the number of PAP candidates introduced so far to 18. Mr Teo declined to say how many more would be introduced in the coming days.
See Insight, Forum
RULING PARTY SCOUTS FOR TALENT ABROAD TOO
'We have also looked at people who have been out of Singapore for a long time. Not as many as 30 years but who've been away from Singapore for quite a long time.
'Our approach generally has been to say, well, okay, we appreciate your abilities and talents but come back to Singapore first. Don't talk about standing (for election)...
'Settle down, bring your children, get a job, work the ground. Get to know the issues and the people, and let the people know you and the issues. Then we'll decide. That has generally been our approach.'
Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean, replying to a question on whether Singapore's talent pool is inadequate for a two-party system, given that the Workers' Party had found candidates like top corporate lawyer Chen Show Mao. Mr Chen, 50, based overseas since 1982, has degrees from Harvard, Stanford and Oxford universities. He spent his working life in various countries and most recently in China, where he is a partner at international law firm Davis Polk & Wardwell.
By Li Xueying
MR TEO Chee Hean has challenged the Workers' Party (WP) call to voters to vote opposition as an 'insurance' against the ruling party's failure.
Vote for the opposition, and Singaporeans may find that they end up paying 'quite a high premium' - 'maybe 15, 20 per cent of the seats in Parliament', he warned.
In addition, voters may find that when they try to cash in the policy, the opposition 'can't deliver'.
Said Mr Teo: 'By the opposition's own admission, if you ask them, are you ready to form a government... they say, no, no, we're not ready.
'So what they're actually asking you to do is to pay a very high premium for a so-called insurance, which... they can't deliver.'
Mr Teo, who is Deputy Prime Minister and the People's Action Party's (PAP) second assistant secretary-general, spoke during the PAP's introduction of its sixth batch of new candidates.
The PAP, he said, is the 'real insurance policy' that Singaporeans should buy to continue having a good, strong government.
In recent weeks, the WP has been using the insurance argument to call on voters to vote for the opposition.
It has argued that the opposition needs a 'critical mass' of votes if it is to succeed in building up a strong enough presence in Parliament to provide a safeguard against the PAP's faltering.
Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, speaking to university students on Tuesday, also countered the WP argument, saying the way to safeguard Singapore's future was to give full support to PAP's team of candidates, rather than to weaken that support by voting for the opposition 'in the hope of buying insurance'.
Yesterday, Mr Teo weighed in, calling on voters to support the PAP's new candidates. The new faces may not be fully experienced today, he acknowledged, but they will learn the ropes, and be 'in a good position to take the country forward into the next decades'.
The new candidates introduced yesterday were former civil servant Lawrence Wong, 38, who resigned last month as chief executive of statutory board Energy Market Authority; Dr Intan Azura Mokhtar, 34, an assistant professor at the National Institute of Education; and Mr David Ong, 49, a businessman.
Rebutting the WP's argument, Mr Teo cited the example of Belgium which has been unable to form a government since its last general election in June last year.
He noted: 'Now, it's not for lack of political parties. They have many political parties. Using the opposition terminology, many insurance policies. But the insurance policies don't work. So they haven't been able to form a government.'
Mr Teo was also asked about reactions to some new candidates, especially in cyberspace. He said he welcomed the scrutiny of the new candidates, and hoped there would be equal scrutiny of opposition candidates.
At the same time, he said, critics should be upfront and not hide behind cloaks of anonymity. 'Criticism which is based on untruth and particularly by anonymous people is not good for our system and can be destructive,' he said.
As for statements by some opposition candidates that they would become full-time MPs if they were voted in, Mr Teo said being full-time was no guarantee that they would be able to run town councils well.
What was more important was the ability of the MP to bring in a good team of people to run the town council, he said.
Yesterday's session brought the number of PAP candidates introduced so far to 18. Mr Teo declined to say how many more would be introduced in the coming days.
See Insight, Forum
RULING PARTY SCOUTS FOR TALENT ABROAD TOO
'We have also looked at people who have been out of Singapore for a long time. Not as many as 30 years but who've been away from Singapore for quite a long time.
'Our approach generally has been to say, well, okay, we appreciate your abilities and talents but come back to Singapore first. Don't talk about standing (for election)...
'Settle down, bring your children, get a job, work the ground. Get to know the issues and the people, and let the people know you and the issues. Then we'll decide. That has generally been our approach.'
Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean, replying to a question on whether Singapore's talent pool is inadequate for a two-party system, given that the Workers' Party had found candidates like top corporate lawyer Chen Show Mao. Mr Chen, 50, based overseas since 1982, has degrees from Harvard, Stanford and Oxford universities. He spent his working life in various countries and most recently in China, where he is a partner at international law firm Davis Polk & Wardwell.
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