http://ge2011.theonlinecitizen.com/2011/04/this-is-my-home-wps-chen-show-mao/
Q&A
Personal Beliefs
My personal beliefs are pretty simple: progress can only be brought about by competition. In the end, only through the growth of the opposition party, can there be a watchdog effect on the government. Under our current system, I believe that an opposition party that has the capability to govern, will complement the operation of the Singapore democratic system. Just like when you buy something, today’s newspapers said “buy one get one free” (referring to DPM Teo’s idea that when you vote for PAP, you can also have an opposition member serving as NCMP). Then I must remind everybody that it’s better to compare and shop around. There is only one big store around today, it’s quite difficult to “compare and shop”, since there is no real choice.
Conditions for Democracy
Compared with many other countries, we do have a pretty mature environment to build a democratic government. Some countries need to change their system to become a democracy, while our system and structure are already in place, and everybody accepts its legality in general. We have a parliament, the democracy system is present, the machine is present, but the problem is that nobody is operating it. Our democracy cannot get going. So we present ourselves to offer voters a choice, to allow the system a chance to work, this is something very worth doing.
Second Half of My Life
The Singapore journey from third world to first world has yet to be finished. There is a saying that to complete a hundred miles, 90 miles is but halfway through, the most difficult portion is the final ten miles, that’s why I feel that it’s very important. We must be able to move towards this goal, to work hard towards building a first world parliament. We must not negate PAP’s achievements in nation-building, but we must move on to the next stage of development, to allow our democratic system to work, to really bring us to First World.
What perspectives do bring to the table?
My extended time spent living and working overseas allows me to realise that there is plenty for us to learn from no matter which country it is. How can being a lawyer benefit voters? I think part of my profession makes me more careful. Because I act on behalf of my clients, and am used to represent them to fight for their benefits, and hence “will stay loyal in my clients best interest”. Lawyers are used to playing this role, which is also the role of an MP. I’m a corporate lawyer, we help to close business deals. So I think I’m used to observing the situation, and is quite capable of understanding people’s needs. If I get elected, I think these characteristics will be helpful to serve the ward.
What are your views on the new system of NCMP
This is the wishful thinking of the ruling party, in an attempt to satisfy Singaporeans’ desire to see somebody criticise the government in the parliament, while having the ruling party to present all the voters. I feel that voters must make a decision. That is to say, if we believe that having opposition parties to keep the government in check to bring about progress, then how shall we achieve this goal? Should there be a multi-party parliament, or will having some NCMPs suffice? NCMPs do not represent any voters, I believe that if we simply rely on them, then we have moved further away from the goal of having an opposition party that is capable of forming the government to perform watchdog functions. Is having opposition party members as NCMPs in parliament good enough? Or to make it even easier, we don’t need a parliament. We can just set up a huge mailbox for people to send their grouses about the government directly to this mailbox. Isn’t that even better? But can this encourage the ruling party to do better?
Democracy lacks efficiency?
A dominant party is efficient in executing policies, but what effects has this brought about? What are our most important policies In recent years? Yes, it is the foreign labour policy. To let in foreign labour is to spur the economy, without concern about productivity that we’ve previously talked about. This policy has created a crude economic growth, and what is the price? It is the jobs, education, housing, living space, transportation of Singaporeans. These are all part of the price that we’ve paid.
Before the implementation of this policy, what form of discussion have we had? You have heard that Singapore plans to house a population of 6.5 million in the future, but not everybody is sure that this is indeed our policy. Such an important policy, are people consulted for a discussion? Didn’t they know that this will have a great impact on the lives on Singaporeans? To me, this discussion is insufficient. Even if having multiple parties in the Parliament affects efficiency, but to have a debate in the Parliament for huge policy decisions, is this inefficiency a fair price to pay? I think it’s worth it. The ruling party’s job can be improved, as opposition parties get better, with the opportunity to gain experience to perform the checks and balances in a democracy.
Q&A
Personal Beliefs
My personal beliefs are pretty simple: progress can only be brought about by competition. In the end, only through the growth of the opposition party, can there be a watchdog effect on the government. Under our current system, I believe that an opposition party that has the capability to govern, will complement the operation of the Singapore democratic system. Just like when you buy something, today’s newspapers said “buy one get one free” (referring to DPM Teo’s idea that when you vote for PAP, you can also have an opposition member serving as NCMP). Then I must remind everybody that it’s better to compare and shop around. There is only one big store around today, it’s quite difficult to “compare and shop”, since there is no real choice.
Conditions for Democracy
Compared with many other countries, we do have a pretty mature environment to build a democratic government. Some countries need to change their system to become a democracy, while our system and structure are already in place, and everybody accepts its legality in general. We have a parliament, the democracy system is present, the machine is present, but the problem is that nobody is operating it. Our democracy cannot get going. So we present ourselves to offer voters a choice, to allow the system a chance to work, this is something very worth doing.
Second Half of My Life
The Singapore journey from third world to first world has yet to be finished. There is a saying that to complete a hundred miles, 90 miles is but halfway through, the most difficult portion is the final ten miles, that’s why I feel that it’s very important. We must be able to move towards this goal, to work hard towards building a first world parliament. We must not negate PAP’s achievements in nation-building, but we must move on to the next stage of development, to allow our democratic system to work, to really bring us to First World.
What perspectives do bring to the table?
My extended time spent living and working overseas allows me to realise that there is plenty for us to learn from no matter which country it is. How can being a lawyer benefit voters? I think part of my profession makes me more careful. Because I act on behalf of my clients, and am used to represent them to fight for their benefits, and hence “will stay loyal in my clients best interest”. Lawyers are used to playing this role, which is also the role of an MP. I’m a corporate lawyer, we help to close business deals. So I think I’m used to observing the situation, and is quite capable of understanding people’s needs. If I get elected, I think these characteristics will be helpful to serve the ward.
What are your views on the new system of NCMP
This is the wishful thinking of the ruling party, in an attempt to satisfy Singaporeans’ desire to see somebody criticise the government in the parliament, while having the ruling party to present all the voters. I feel that voters must make a decision. That is to say, if we believe that having opposition parties to keep the government in check to bring about progress, then how shall we achieve this goal? Should there be a multi-party parliament, or will having some NCMPs suffice? NCMPs do not represent any voters, I believe that if we simply rely on them, then we have moved further away from the goal of having an opposition party that is capable of forming the government to perform watchdog functions. Is having opposition party members as NCMPs in parliament good enough? Or to make it even easier, we don’t need a parliament. We can just set up a huge mailbox for people to send their grouses about the government directly to this mailbox. Isn’t that even better? But can this encourage the ruling party to do better?
Democracy lacks efficiency?
A dominant party is efficient in executing policies, but what effects has this brought about? What are our most important policies In recent years? Yes, it is the foreign labour policy. To let in foreign labour is to spur the economy, without concern about productivity that we’ve previously talked about. This policy has created a crude economic growth, and what is the price? It is the jobs, education, housing, living space, transportation of Singaporeans. These are all part of the price that we’ve paid.
Before the implementation of this policy, what form of discussion have we had? You have heard that Singapore plans to house a population of 6.5 million in the future, but not everybody is sure that this is indeed our policy. Such an important policy, are people consulted for a discussion? Didn’t they know that this will have a great impact on the lives on Singaporeans? To me, this discussion is insufficient. Even if having multiple parties in the Parliament affects efficiency, but to have a debate in the Parliament for huge policy decisions, is this inefficiency a fair price to pay? I think it’s worth it. The ruling party’s job can be improved, as opposition parties get better, with the opportunity to gain experience to perform the checks and balances in a democracy.
