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should we say bye to a by-election?
When Parliament sits today, the House will debate a call by two NMPs to fine-tune the laws governing by-elections
P N Balji
[email protected]
Nazry Bahrawi
[email protected]
LEGALLY, the verdict seems to be quite clear unless something comes out of today’s debate that was initiated by two NMPs. There is no need to hold a by-election in Jurong GRC although one of the five seats there has become vacant with the death of Dr Ong Chit Chung.
.
Politically, a by-election can be seen as a distraction and a waste of resources in a stable, smooth and quiet democracy like Singapore’s. So, should we stick by the rules and the politics and say bye to a by-election?
.
Outside the law and outside the politics, there are other factors at play. Here are some.
.
PRECEDENT: Sixteen years ago, in 1992, we did see a by-election — and in a GRC at that. Mr Goh Chok Tong, the Prime Minister then, decided to shoot for one in his Marine Parade constituency. That was an extraordinary period in Singapore’s politics of succession with both the DPMs, Mr Lee Hsien Loong and Mr Ong Teng Cheong, coming down with cancer at the same time.
.
And Mr Goh, wanting to make sure that his leadership team had enough good substitutes, decided to put his own constituency to the test. Mr Lim Chee Onn resigned andMr Teo Chee Hean replaced him in a by-election that the PAP won without much fuss.
.
The political calculations at that time could have been that Marine Parade voters would not gamble with their votes because a freak result would have meant the defeat of a PM. That scary thought and the fact that Mr Goh’s possible successors were in ill-health made that by-election decision not a difficult one to make.
.
One year later, MP Tay Eng Soon died and that threw open a vacant seat in Eunos GRC. Mr Goh decided against a contest in a constituency that saw a bruising fight with a Workers Party team that had Mr Francis Seow in the slate in the 1988 general elections.
.
With two precedents to go by, which way should the coin drop this time round? A closer look at the MPs and the constituency might offer an answer.
.
THE JURONG MPs: Mr Lim Boon Heng (PMO), Mr Tharman Shanmugaratnam (Finance), Ms Grace Fu (National Development) and Mdm Halimah Yacob (NTUC) have more than enough on their plates. Mr Lim has got to worry about Singapore’s ageing society, Mr Shanmugaratnam about managing an unpredictable economy, Ms Fu about making our public housing more tasteful and liveable for a demanding population and Mdm Halimah about making sure that workers are not chucked out of jobs.
.
Not to mention that they all also have to take care of their own constituents. So, realistically speaking, can they be expected to also cope with the problems of the 116,000 residents in Bukit Batok, their former colleague’s constituency?
.
DR ONG CHIT CHUNG HIMSELF: It was the resonance he had with his constituents and grassroots that kept popping up in the condolence messages and eulogies. A servant-leader, described one who knew him well. I spoke to him to get a grounds-up understanding of constituency issues for my Rally speech, said the PM.
.
That is the kind of super-size shoes a 20-year veteran of coffeeshop politics has left behind to be filled by the four remaining MPs.
.
BUKIT BATOK ITSELF: The area’s demographic composition shows a predominantly working-class population. Residents there will continue to need a patient and listening ear. The triple monster of slowing economic growth, creeping unemployment and unbending inflation has made the need to help those at Bukit Batok, and in other parts of Singapore, even more urgent.
.
Whether it’s providing advice on how to make ends meet, ideas on where to find jobs, or just some soothing words of comfort ... the presence of a full-time MP can make a big difference. But an ever-shrinking political talent pool will make finding that potential successor to Dr Ong a real challenge.
.
Even if one is available, parachuting that person in may not be a sure-fire solution to the void left behind by Dr Ong.
.
Caught between a rock (the four MPs taking turns to help out) and a hard place (going for a fresh face in Bukit Batok), the Government has picked the former.
.
It is still early days. With the time frame for calling the next General Election about three years away, the leadership has the leeway to see how the four-MP arrangement pans out.
.
.
IF I were a Bukit Batok resident, would I want a by-election? Listening to the arguments, this is my answer: There is no need for one.
.
This is definitely not the time for one. There are bigger issues to worry about. The slowing world economy is one. Inflation is another. With the Prime Minister having forecast a bumpy ride, the country needs all its people, whether leaders or citizens, to focus on one issue: To make sure we get out of this situation quickly. A by-election under these circumstances is a distraction, a waste of time and resources.
.
The death of MP Ong Chit Chung is a big loss and a blow to those he had reached out to with empathy and sympathy. But the residents have not been left to float aimlessly.
.
Now, they have four pairs of hands reaching out to help. And these are notordinary hands, they are those of four PAP heavyweights. Collectively or individually, they will be able to address many of the residents’ woes. And who is to say that their problems may not be solved even faster?
.
The four — Mr Tharman Shanmugaratnam, Mr Lim Boon Heng, Mdm Halimah Yacob and Ms Grace Fu — will have the opportunity to get a direct feel of the problems faced by residents of their neighbouring constituency. The problems of a primarily blue-collar population, the folks who are facing inflation, unemployment and the influx of foreign workers, are the same.
.
Exposed to a bigger sample size — Bukit Batok on top of their respective wards — and a more diverse demography means they will be privy to more first-hand accounts of problems faced by Singaporeans. This can only benefit Singapore as a whole as the four strategise solutions to the multi-faceted problems.
.
Then there is the question of timing. At a time when so many are struggling to cope with the rising cost of living, should we focus our resources and time on a by-election?
.
The story would be different if the call was made a year or two back when Singapore was enjoying a good economic run. Now, it is perhaps better to focus on the problems the US banking crisis has thrown at us.
.
What about the residents who have dealt with Mr Ong for a long time? Well, there are enough examples where MPs have taken long breaks for various reasons. Take the case of MPs going on sabbaticals.
.
The most recent one would be that of Ms Penny Low of the Pasir Ris-Punggol GRC where I live. From August last year till January, Ms Low took sabbatical leave to pursue a fellowship at Yale University. Her absence did not affect me. But that could be because as a young, educated professional — of which Punggol, touted as a new dream housing estate, must have plenty — I am at a stage where I can still manage my finances and hence have less need to seek out an MP.
.
But if I did, I know at least that I have the option of going to a Meet-the-People Session, which was still held despite her absence, to engage one of the other MPs.
.
Ms Low was not the only PAP MP from a GRC to have taken sabbatical leave.
.
Others include Ms Irene Ng of Tampines GRC, who spent three months at the University of Edinburgh in 2006; Mr Mohd Maliki Osman of Sembawang GRC, who spent spring at the US as part of the Eisenhower Fellowship in 2005; and former MP Umar Abdul Hamid of Ang Mo Kio GRC, who was at Harvard University from 1994 to 1995.
.
We even had an MP — PAP’s Dr Chiang Hai Ding of Ulu Pandan — who spent half of his 14-year parliamentarian term abroad as he was also a diplomat. So, I ask, what is all this fuss about a by-election?
When Parliament sits today, the House will debate a call by two NMPs to fine-tune the laws governing by-elections
P N Balji
[email protected]
Nazry Bahrawi
[email protected]
LEGALLY, the verdict seems to be quite clear unless something comes out of today’s debate that was initiated by two NMPs. There is no need to hold a by-election in Jurong GRC although one of the five seats there has become vacant with the death of Dr Ong Chit Chung.
.
Politically, a by-election can be seen as a distraction and a waste of resources in a stable, smooth and quiet democracy like Singapore’s. So, should we stick by the rules and the politics and say bye to a by-election?
.
Outside the law and outside the politics, there are other factors at play. Here are some.
.
PRECEDENT: Sixteen years ago, in 1992, we did see a by-election — and in a GRC at that. Mr Goh Chok Tong, the Prime Minister then, decided to shoot for one in his Marine Parade constituency. That was an extraordinary period in Singapore’s politics of succession with both the DPMs, Mr Lee Hsien Loong and Mr Ong Teng Cheong, coming down with cancer at the same time.
.
And Mr Goh, wanting to make sure that his leadership team had enough good substitutes, decided to put his own constituency to the test. Mr Lim Chee Onn resigned andMr Teo Chee Hean replaced him in a by-election that the PAP won without much fuss.
.
The political calculations at that time could have been that Marine Parade voters would not gamble with their votes because a freak result would have meant the defeat of a PM. That scary thought and the fact that Mr Goh’s possible successors were in ill-health made that by-election decision not a difficult one to make.
.
One year later, MP Tay Eng Soon died and that threw open a vacant seat in Eunos GRC. Mr Goh decided against a contest in a constituency that saw a bruising fight with a Workers Party team that had Mr Francis Seow in the slate in the 1988 general elections.
.
With two precedents to go by, which way should the coin drop this time round? A closer look at the MPs and the constituency might offer an answer.
.
THE JURONG MPs: Mr Lim Boon Heng (PMO), Mr Tharman Shanmugaratnam (Finance), Ms Grace Fu (National Development) and Mdm Halimah Yacob (NTUC) have more than enough on their plates. Mr Lim has got to worry about Singapore’s ageing society, Mr Shanmugaratnam about managing an unpredictable economy, Ms Fu about making our public housing more tasteful and liveable for a demanding population and Mdm Halimah about making sure that workers are not chucked out of jobs.
.
Not to mention that they all also have to take care of their own constituents. So, realistically speaking, can they be expected to also cope with the problems of the 116,000 residents in Bukit Batok, their former colleague’s constituency?
.
DR ONG CHIT CHUNG HIMSELF: It was the resonance he had with his constituents and grassroots that kept popping up in the condolence messages and eulogies. A servant-leader, described one who knew him well. I spoke to him to get a grounds-up understanding of constituency issues for my Rally speech, said the PM.
.
That is the kind of super-size shoes a 20-year veteran of coffeeshop politics has left behind to be filled by the four remaining MPs.
.
BUKIT BATOK ITSELF: The area’s demographic composition shows a predominantly working-class population. Residents there will continue to need a patient and listening ear. The triple monster of slowing economic growth, creeping unemployment and unbending inflation has made the need to help those at Bukit Batok, and in other parts of Singapore, even more urgent.
.
Whether it’s providing advice on how to make ends meet, ideas on where to find jobs, or just some soothing words of comfort ... the presence of a full-time MP can make a big difference. But an ever-shrinking political talent pool will make finding that potential successor to Dr Ong a real challenge.
.
Even if one is available, parachuting that person in may not be a sure-fire solution to the void left behind by Dr Ong.
.
Caught between a rock (the four MPs taking turns to help out) and a hard place (going for a fresh face in Bukit Batok), the Government has picked the former.
.
It is still early days. With the time frame for calling the next General Election about three years away, the leadership has the leeway to see how the four-MP arrangement pans out.
.
.
IF I were a Bukit Batok resident, would I want a by-election? Listening to the arguments, this is my answer: There is no need for one.
.
This is definitely not the time for one. There are bigger issues to worry about. The slowing world economy is one. Inflation is another. With the Prime Minister having forecast a bumpy ride, the country needs all its people, whether leaders or citizens, to focus on one issue: To make sure we get out of this situation quickly. A by-election under these circumstances is a distraction, a waste of time and resources.
.
The death of MP Ong Chit Chung is a big loss and a blow to those he had reached out to with empathy and sympathy. But the residents have not been left to float aimlessly.
.
Now, they have four pairs of hands reaching out to help. And these are notordinary hands, they are those of four PAP heavyweights. Collectively or individually, they will be able to address many of the residents’ woes. And who is to say that their problems may not be solved even faster?
.
The four — Mr Tharman Shanmugaratnam, Mr Lim Boon Heng, Mdm Halimah Yacob and Ms Grace Fu — will have the opportunity to get a direct feel of the problems faced by residents of their neighbouring constituency. The problems of a primarily blue-collar population, the folks who are facing inflation, unemployment and the influx of foreign workers, are the same.
.
Exposed to a bigger sample size — Bukit Batok on top of their respective wards — and a more diverse demography means they will be privy to more first-hand accounts of problems faced by Singaporeans. This can only benefit Singapore as a whole as the four strategise solutions to the multi-faceted problems.
.
Then there is the question of timing. At a time when so many are struggling to cope with the rising cost of living, should we focus our resources and time on a by-election?
.
The story would be different if the call was made a year or two back when Singapore was enjoying a good economic run. Now, it is perhaps better to focus on the problems the US banking crisis has thrown at us.
.
What about the residents who have dealt with Mr Ong for a long time? Well, there are enough examples where MPs have taken long breaks for various reasons. Take the case of MPs going on sabbaticals.
.
The most recent one would be that of Ms Penny Low of the Pasir Ris-Punggol GRC where I live. From August last year till January, Ms Low took sabbatical leave to pursue a fellowship at Yale University. Her absence did not affect me. But that could be because as a young, educated professional — of which Punggol, touted as a new dream housing estate, must have plenty — I am at a stage where I can still manage my finances and hence have less need to seek out an MP.
.
But if I did, I know at least that I have the option of going to a Meet-the-People Session, which was still held despite her absence, to engage one of the other MPs.
.
Ms Low was not the only PAP MP from a GRC to have taken sabbatical leave.
.
Others include Ms Irene Ng of Tampines GRC, who spent three months at the University of Edinburgh in 2006; Mr Mohd Maliki Osman of Sembawang GRC, who spent spring at the US as part of the Eisenhower Fellowship in 2005; and former MP Umar Abdul Hamid of Ang Mo Kio GRC, who was at Harvard University from 1994 to 1995.
.
We even had an MP — PAP’s Dr Chiang Hai Ding of Ulu Pandan — who spent half of his 14-year parliamentarian term abroad as he was also a diplomat. So, I ask, what is all this fuss about a by-election?
