Stand for election? 'Ensure male candidates do NS first'
By Teh Joo Lin & Cheryl Lim
WORKERS' Party (WP) secretary-general Low Thia Khiang yesterday proposed amending the Constitution to ensure that all male election candidates must have done national service (NS).
He said it did not feel right for male MPs to represent the people unless they have gone through that rite of passage.
Mr Low did not name names, but his point was clearly aimed at People's Action Party (PAP) new face Janil Puthucheary, 38, who became a citizen in 2008 and has not gone through NS.
Rejecting those without NS stints would only be fair to everyone who has been through it, he said, including himself and his Aljunied GRC teammate Chen Show Mao.
Taiwan-born Mr Chen, a top corporate lawyer, did his NS before taking up citizenship in 1986.
Mr Low said the PAP should not field a candidate 'who just became a new citizen without serving national service'.
He pointed to the tough stance that the Government takes against Singaporean males who default on their NS obligations, and referred to statements by Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean, who is also Defence Minister, on the subject.
Mr Low pointed out that Major-General (NS) Chan Chun Sing, an MP-elect for Tanjong Pagar GRC, took a different line when asked about PAP candidates who had not done NS.
He quoted MG Chan as having said that someone who was not a citizen previously might not have done NS, but the more important question was what he could contribute to Singapore.
Mr Low asked: 'How can a former Chief of Army publicly state something contradictory to the Minister for Defence?'
Mr Chen, who also spoke at the WP rally last night, called for a more calibrated approach to immigration, in response to Minister for Trade and Industry Lim Hng Kiang's comments that capping the size of the foreign workforce presented a 'real dilemma' for the Government as it would likely mean turning away big-money investments from abroad.
Mr Lim had said on Sunday: 'We will keep foreign workers to one-third of the workforce, but I can tell you that one-third is a very severe limitation to us.'
Mr Chen said: 'Do you know why it's one-third? I don't know. Shouldn't we send someone to Parliament to ask them?'
He pointed out that the WP was not anti-immigration, but foreigners had to contribute to Singapore, instead of depressing the pay of locals.
Mr Chen added: 'The test of our progress as a nation is not whether we have more for those who already have much, but whether we provide enough for those who have less.'
By Teh Joo Lin & Cheryl Lim
WORKERS' Party (WP) secretary-general Low Thia Khiang yesterday proposed amending the Constitution to ensure that all male election candidates must have done national service (NS).
He said it did not feel right for male MPs to represent the people unless they have gone through that rite of passage.
Mr Low did not name names, but his point was clearly aimed at People's Action Party (PAP) new face Janil Puthucheary, 38, who became a citizen in 2008 and has not gone through NS.
Rejecting those without NS stints would only be fair to everyone who has been through it, he said, including himself and his Aljunied GRC teammate Chen Show Mao.
Taiwan-born Mr Chen, a top corporate lawyer, did his NS before taking up citizenship in 1986.
Mr Low said the PAP should not field a candidate 'who just became a new citizen without serving national service'.
He pointed to the tough stance that the Government takes against Singaporean males who default on their NS obligations, and referred to statements by Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean, who is also Defence Minister, on the subject.
Mr Low pointed out that Major-General (NS) Chan Chun Sing, an MP-elect for Tanjong Pagar GRC, took a different line when asked about PAP candidates who had not done NS.
He quoted MG Chan as having said that someone who was not a citizen previously might not have done NS, but the more important question was what he could contribute to Singapore.
Mr Low asked: 'How can a former Chief of Army publicly state something contradictory to the Minister for Defence?'
Mr Chen, who also spoke at the WP rally last night, called for a more calibrated approach to immigration, in response to Minister for Trade and Industry Lim Hng Kiang's comments that capping the size of the foreign workforce presented a 'real dilemma' for the Government as it would likely mean turning away big-money investments from abroad.
Mr Lim had said on Sunday: 'We will keep foreign workers to one-third of the workforce, but I can tell you that one-third is a very severe limitation to us.'
Mr Chen said: 'Do you know why it's one-third? I don't know. Shouldn't we send someone to Parliament to ask them?'
He pointed out that the WP was not anti-immigration, but foreigners had to contribute to Singapore, instead of depressing the pay of locals.
Mr Chen added: 'The test of our progress as a nation is not whether we have more for those who already have much, but whether we provide enough for those who have less.'
