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Coffeeshop Chit Chat - PAP MP Baey promises to "help" residents</TD><TD id=msgunetc noWrap align=right>
Subscribe </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><TABLE class=msgtable cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="96%"><TBODY><TR><TD class=msg vAlign=top><TABLE border=0 cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%"><TBODY><TR class=msghead><TD class=msgbfr1 width="1%"> </TD><TD><TABLE border=0 cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0><TBODY><TR class=msghead vAlign=top><TD class=msgF width="1%" noWrap align=right>From: </TD><TD class=msgFname width="68%" noWrap>kojakbt_89 <NOBR></NOBR> </TD><TD class=msgDate width="30%" noWrap align=right>6:43 am </TD></TR><TR class=msghead><TD class=msgT height=20 width="1%" noWrap align=right>To: </TD><TD class=msgTname width="68%" noWrap>ALL <NOBR></NOBR></TD><TD class=msgNum noWrap align=right> (1 of 8) </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR><TR><TD class=msgleft rowSpan=4 width="1%"> </TD><TD class=wintiny noWrap align=right>29376.1 </TD></TR><TR><TD height=8></TD></TR><TR><TD class=msgtxt>PAP MP Baey Yam Keng promises to raise residents’ concerns in Parliament to “change” policies
March 1, 2010 by admin
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http://www.temasekreview.com/2010/03/01/pap-mp-baey-yam-keng-promises-to-raise-residents-concerns-in-parliament-to-change-policies/
Written by Our Correspondent
PAP MP Baey Yam Keng, who just conducted a dialogue session with Tanjong Pagar residents at Queenstown library last Saturday, had promised to raise their concerns in Parliament tomorrow to effect “changes” in the government’s policies.
The three most important concerns on the minds of residents are low wages of Singapore workers, sky-rocketing HDB flat prices and escalating healthcare costs.
Many residents complained to him that HDB flats are getting too expensive and suggested HDB to lengthen the period of residency to 10 years before the flat can be sold.
On Ministry of Health allowing Singaporeans to use Medisave to pay for treatments at selected Malaysian hospitals, some residents expressed their worries that this is an indication that MOH has no intention of providing good and affordable healthcare to Singaporeans.
Mr Baey claimed he would bring up the issues mentioned in Parliament:
“Though it (dialogue) may not solve the problems of the residents, but through it, we had managed to change some existing policies,” he was quoted as saying by Shin Min Daily.
With due respect to Mr Baey, while he may be genuinely interested in the welfare of his residents, his hands are tied in Parliament because of the Party Whip.
Major decisions and policies are usually discussed and implemented behind closed doors with little discussion or debate with the MPs, let alone Singaporeans.
More than often not, a decision was already made before the matter was put to Parliament for the MPs to “discuss”. For example, PM Lee had already decided to build the two integrated resorts in Singapore way back in 2005, but the issue was still “debated” in Parliament when the end result was clear.
The PAP has been governing Singapore for too long without any opposition in Parliament to check on it. While this facilitates the speedy decision-making and implementation of policies, it can also result in terrible blunders like the “stop at two” policy in the 1970s and the present liberal immigration policies.
It is quite pointless and senseless to have 82 PAP MPs pretending to “debate” in Parliament” when they all have to vote along party lines in the end.
Unless the PAP is denied its traditional two-thirds majority in Parliament, such “wayangs” will continue. Unfortunately for Mr Baey, he is merely a “dummy” in the great PAP “orchestra” conducted by none other than its “Dear Leader” Lee Kuan Yew who said in 2008:
“To be the prime minister, you don’t have to know every instrument, but you got to recognise, ah, he’s a good violinist, he’ll be the first violinist, he’ll be the double bass. He will play the viola, he will have the trumpet, he will do the drums. Then you coordinate them and then you have great music. And if you already have a great orchestra, you can put a dummy there and you still got great music.”
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March 1, 2010 by admin
Filed under Headlines
Leave a comment
http://www.temasekreview.com/2010/03/01/pap-mp-baey-yam-keng-promises-to-raise-residents-concerns-in-parliament-to-change-policies/
Written by Our Correspondent
PAP MP Baey Yam Keng, who just conducted a dialogue session with Tanjong Pagar residents at Queenstown library last Saturday, had promised to raise their concerns in Parliament tomorrow to effect “changes” in the government’s policies.
The three most important concerns on the minds of residents are low wages of Singapore workers, sky-rocketing HDB flat prices and escalating healthcare costs.
Many residents complained to him that HDB flats are getting too expensive and suggested HDB to lengthen the period of residency to 10 years before the flat can be sold.
On Ministry of Health allowing Singaporeans to use Medisave to pay for treatments at selected Malaysian hospitals, some residents expressed their worries that this is an indication that MOH has no intention of providing good and affordable healthcare to Singaporeans.
Mr Baey claimed he would bring up the issues mentioned in Parliament:
“Though it (dialogue) may not solve the problems of the residents, but through it, we had managed to change some existing policies,” he was quoted as saying by Shin Min Daily.
With due respect to Mr Baey, while he may be genuinely interested in the welfare of his residents, his hands are tied in Parliament because of the Party Whip.
Major decisions and policies are usually discussed and implemented behind closed doors with little discussion or debate with the MPs, let alone Singaporeans.
More than often not, a decision was already made before the matter was put to Parliament for the MPs to “discuss”. For example, PM Lee had already decided to build the two integrated resorts in Singapore way back in 2005, but the issue was still “debated” in Parliament when the end result was clear.
The PAP has been governing Singapore for too long without any opposition in Parliament to check on it. While this facilitates the speedy decision-making and implementation of policies, it can also result in terrible blunders like the “stop at two” policy in the 1970s and the present liberal immigration policies.
It is quite pointless and senseless to have 82 PAP MPs pretending to “debate” in Parliament” when they all have to vote along party lines in the end.
Unless the PAP is denied its traditional two-thirds majority in Parliament, such “wayangs” will continue. Unfortunately for Mr Baey, he is merely a “dummy” in the great PAP “orchestra” conducted by none other than its “Dear Leader” Lee Kuan Yew who said in 2008:
“To be the prime minister, you don’t have to know every instrument, but you got to recognise, ah, he’s a good violinist, he’ll be the first violinist, he’ll be the double bass. He will play the viola, he will have the trumpet, he will do the drums. Then you coordinate them and then you have great music. And if you already have a great orchestra, you can put a dummy there and you still got great music.”
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