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WP should justify its slogan: Shanmugam
By Melissa Sim
THE Workers' Party refuses to cite specific First World Parliaments that it wants Singapore to emulate because it knows these are not examples that Singaporeans will accept, Minister for Law and Home Affairs K. Shanmugam said last night.
Taking on the opposition party over its manifesto's slogan and call to develop a First World Parliament, he asked of the WP: 'What exactly does it mean?'
He challenged it to name a country 'which you think we should be like in terms of our Parliament' and said that as far as he could tell, WP chairman Sylvia Lim has been avoiding the question.
'Which system, which model, which country does it exactly refer to? When you put up a slogan you must be prepared to stand by it and justify it. Rather than hoping the slogan will be catchy and you don't have to substantiate it.'
If Singaporeans were told by the WP that it would like Parliament here to function like that of a specific country, then they could make a comparison, he said.
'Is this how they would want their Parliament to be? I mean, would they like a breakdown that happens in some First World countries?' he added.
'The first point is they do not identify what they mean by First World Parliament. They do not identify a single country. Second, I say that's because they know that the answers will be unpalatable to Singaporeans,' he said.
He then raised questions about what the WP has said it wants to achieve in such a First World Parliament.
He noted that the WP wants to 'put forward arguments', 'act as a check on the Government' and 'question the policies' so that policies will be better.
But he noted that the Parliament formed after the May 7 elections, will have nine Non-Constituency MPs as well as nine Nominated MPs.
'Eighteen members of Parliament who are not members of the PAP. What is it that they cannot do that the WP describes itself as wanting to do?' he asked.
Mr Shanmugam noted that Ms Lim, who was a Non-Constituency MP (NCMP) in the last Parliament, had herself filed many questions, sought data , asked for figures and information, and made speeches in which she attacked policies.
He said how the WP wants to portray itself has been described in a recent letter that People's Action Party MP Indranee Rajah sent to The Straits Times Forum Page.
Ms Indranee said the WP paints a picture of a Parliament in which it would simply act as a check on the Government, in order to help it govern better. But no such opposition party exists in the world, because such a party would resign itself to never being in power or forming the Government.
Mr Shanmugam said if all that the WP wants is to check and question the Government, the NCMP scheme would be sufficient for that.
He added: 'So let me turn this round. At the end of the day, what you want is a First World government. Do we have a First World government and governance? Second, what you want is First World debate. (But) that's entirely possible with the current constitutional system.'
He said what matters to the man in the street is not 'broad concepts' but what is going to happen to him, his job, his home, his neighbourhood and country, and 'who is going to take care of the place better'.
He cited home ownership rates of more than 90 per cent and programmes to help low-income workers as examples of good governance here.
'You look at every international index on good governance, on liveable cities, we are there,' he said.
Added Mr Shanmugam: 'The question is, has this Government delivered good governance? It has had overwhelming majority. Has it delivered good governance with that? The answer I think, is 'yes'.'
WP should justify its slogan: Shanmugam
By Melissa Sim
THE Workers' Party refuses to cite specific First World Parliaments that it wants Singapore to emulate because it knows these are not examples that Singaporeans will accept, Minister for Law and Home Affairs K. Shanmugam said last night.
Taking on the opposition party over its manifesto's slogan and call to develop a First World Parliament, he asked of the WP: 'What exactly does it mean?'
He challenged it to name a country 'which you think we should be like in terms of our Parliament' and said that as far as he could tell, WP chairman Sylvia Lim has been avoiding the question.
'Which system, which model, which country does it exactly refer to? When you put up a slogan you must be prepared to stand by it and justify it. Rather than hoping the slogan will be catchy and you don't have to substantiate it.'
If Singaporeans were told by the WP that it would like Parliament here to function like that of a specific country, then they could make a comparison, he said.
'Is this how they would want their Parliament to be? I mean, would they like a breakdown that happens in some First World countries?' he added.
'The first point is they do not identify what they mean by First World Parliament. They do not identify a single country. Second, I say that's because they know that the answers will be unpalatable to Singaporeans,' he said.
He then raised questions about what the WP has said it wants to achieve in such a First World Parliament.
He noted that the WP wants to 'put forward arguments', 'act as a check on the Government' and 'question the policies' so that policies will be better.
But he noted that the Parliament formed after the May 7 elections, will have nine Non-Constituency MPs as well as nine Nominated MPs.
'Eighteen members of Parliament who are not members of the PAP. What is it that they cannot do that the WP describes itself as wanting to do?' he asked.
Mr Shanmugam noted that Ms Lim, who was a Non-Constituency MP (NCMP) in the last Parliament, had herself filed many questions, sought data , asked for figures and information, and made speeches in which she attacked policies.
He said how the WP wants to portray itself has been described in a recent letter that People's Action Party MP Indranee Rajah sent to The Straits Times Forum Page.
Ms Indranee said the WP paints a picture of a Parliament in which it would simply act as a check on the Government, in order to help it govern better. But no such opposition party exists in the world, because such a party would resign itself to never being in power or forming the Government.
Mr Shanmugam said if all that the WP wants is to check and question the Government, the NCMP scheme would be sufficient for that.
He added: 'So let me turn this round. At the end of the day, what you want is a First World government. Do we have a First World government and governance? Second, what you want is First World debate. (But) that's entirely possible with the current constitutional system.'
He said what matters to the man in the street is not 'broad concepts' but what is going to happen to him, his job, his home, his neighbourhood and country, and 'who is going to take care of the place better'.
He cited home ownership rates of more than 90 per cent and programmes to help low-income workers as examples of good governance here.
'You look at every international index on good governance, on liveable cities, we are there,' he said.
Added Mr Shanmugam: 'The question is, has this Government delivered good governance? It has had overwhelming majority. Has it delivered good governance with that? The answer I think, is 'yes'.'
