Re: PAP MPs ‘concerned’ at widening income gap in Singapore
Quote:
Originally Posted by kooldog59  |
Nothing to laugh about cos its true and admitted to by Dragon Prince himself in: 'PM Lee says countries worldwide respect and admire Singapore's proven system' [CNA 03May2006].
That said, the truth in what you suggest is seen in how the PAP viz PA needlessly created the unnecessary title of 'grassroots adviser', a position created purely to usurp the grassroots and town council roles of an opposition MP.
According to: ‘Adviser over MP’ raises many questions' [ST, 22Oct2009]: "PAP MPs are appointed as advisers to the grassroots organisations in their wards by the People’s Association (PA). In the two opposition wards, the PA picked the PAP candidates who contested but lost in the wards in the last two polls as the grassroots advisers."
This show of blatant disregard towards the local roles and responsibilities of opposition MPs despite their fervent protestations [see link1: (LTK response), Link2: (G Giam response)], rings true the suspicion that the Prime Minister of Singapore is increasingly insecure about his leadership and surreptitiously spends much time conniving plans against the opposition about the "right way to fix them".
This betrayal of the rights and responsibilities of an elected MP unfortunately also is also lies in contradiction to the purported reason for the almost doubling of GRC constituency size.
According to Elections Dept SG, [link]:"The GRC system was established in 1988 to ensure that the minority racial communities in Singapore will always be represented in Parliament".
Records show however, that without any corresponding significant change in neither the total numbers of GRCs nor parliamentary seats, the number of seats per GRC progressively increased from an average of 3 per GRC in GE1988, to an average of 5.4/GRC by from 2001 onwards [chart pict]. The corresponding fall in the number of SMC seats was from 42 (GE1988) to 9 (GE1997 and onwards).
This extraordinary GRC size inflation which was ironically associated with a diluted original objective of 'ensuring minority racial representation' [chart pict] can purportedly be explained by the YPAP article titled 'THOUGHT OF THE MONTH : Top 5 reasons why we should retain the GRC system' by Fong Yoong Kheong and dated 11May2010 [alt pict], which puts 'economies of scale', 'grassroots work' and 'Town Council commitments' as the additional justification for the hyperinflation of GRC parliamentary seats since inception.
The relevant paragraphs with the pertinent words highlighted are quoted as follows:
Thus the conundrum. The PAP government on one hand insists that the 'grassroots adviser(s)' in opposition wards shall be the "PAP candidates who contested but lost in the wards in the last two polls"; whilst on the other hand premises the needless hyperinflation of each GRC on the importance of economies of scale, grassroots relations and town council work. This vast disparity of the importance of grassroots relations work to an elected MP only serves to betray the PAP to be both a sore looser as well as a cold and cunning conspirator, one that spends much time and effort bankrupting the opposition through cold and calculated schemes.
Perhaps democracy in Singapore has been subjugated to the pursuit of profit; perhaps the PAP in its double speak is complicit of indeed fixing the opposition by both usurping the relationship between an MP an his constituents, insincere reasons for expanding GRC sizes, not to mention using national funds to suit partisan hegemonic gain.
Perhaps the Prime Minister was indeed prophetic when he declared: I'm going to spend all my time thinking what's the right way to fix them, to buy my supporters votes, how can I solve this week's problem and forget about next year's challenges?
Whatever the case, this does not augur well for the future of Singapore and some serious soul searching is once again due.
"Those who would give up Essential Liberty
to purchase a little Temporary Safety,
deserve neither Liberty nor Safety."-- Benjamin Franklin
References:
- 'The new authoritarianism': "More and more of us are willing to trade freedom for wealth or security... ... A modern form of authoritarianism, quite distinct from Soviet Communism, Maoism or Fascism, is being born. It is providing a modicum of a good life, and a quiet life, the ultimate anaesthetic for the brain." [Guardian, 1July2008]
- 'Don’t risk real freedom for short-term material gain': "Our civil liberties are in jeopardy and we are to blame. We have reduced democracy to the right to make and spend money... (in return for) a temporary blanket of security and what turned out to be an illusory prosperity" [The Times, 7Sept2009]
Majulah Singapura,
Thanks for reading,
Love and God bless,
B.C.
That said, the truth in what you suggest is seen in how the PAP viz PA needlessly created the unnecessary title of 'grassroots adviser', a position created purely to usurp the grassroots and town council roles of an opposition MP.
According to: ‘Adviser over MP’ raises many questions' [ST, 22Oct2009]: "PAP MPs are appointed as advisers to the grassroots organisations in their wards by the People’s Association (PA). In the two opposition wards, the PA picked the PAP candidates who contested but lost in the wards in the last two polls as the grassroots advisers."
This show of blatant disregard towards the local roles and responsibilities of opposition MPs despite their fervent protestations [see link1: (LTK response), Link2: (G Giam response)], rings true the suspicion that the Prime Minister of Singapore is increasingly insecure about his leadership and surreptitiously spends much time conniving plans against the opposition about the "right way to fix them".
This betrayal of the rights and responsibilities of an elected MP unfortunately also is also lies in contradiction to the purported reason for the almost doubling of GRC constituency size.
According to Elections Dept SG, [link]:"The GRC system was established in 1988 to ensure that the minority racial communities in Singapore will always be represented in Parliament".
Records show however, that without any corresponding significant change in neither the total numbers of GRCs nor parliamentary seats, the number of seats per GRC progressively increased from an average of 3 per GRC in GE1988, to an average of 5.4/GRC by from 2001 onwards [chart pict]. The corresponding fall in the number of SMC seats was from 42 (GE1988) to 9 (GE1997 and onwards).
This extraordinary GRC size inflation which was ironically associated with a diluted original objective of 'ensuring minority racial representation' [chart pict] can purportedly be explained by the YPAP article titled 'THOUGHT OF THE MONTH : Top 5 reasons why we should retain the GRC system' by Fong Yoong Kheong and dated 11May2010 [alt pict], which puts 'economies of scale', 'grassroots work' and 'Town Council commitments' as the additional justification for the hyperinflation of GRC parliamentary seats since inception.
The relevant paragraphs with the pertinent words highlighted are quoted as follows:
Quote:
|
Perhaps democracy in Singapore has been subjugated to the pursuit of profit; perhaps the PAP in its double speak is complicit of indeed fixing the opposition by both usurping the relationship between an MP an his constituents, insincere reasons for expanding GRC sizes, not to mention using national funds to suit partisan hegemonic gain.
Perhaps the Prime Minister was indeed prophetic when he declared: I'm going to spend all my time thinking what's the right way to fix them, to buy my supporters votes, how can I solve this week's problem and forget about next year's challenges?
Whatever the case, this does not augur well for the future of Singapore and some serious soul searching is once again due.
"Those who would give up Essential Liberty
to purchase a little Temporary Safety,
deserve neither Liberty nor Safety."-- Benjamin Franklin
References:
- 'The new authoritarianism': "More and more of us are willing to trade freedom for wealth or security... ... A modern form of authoritarianism, quite distinct from Soviet Communism, Maoism or Fascism, is being born. It is providing a modicum of a good life, and a quiet life, the ultimate anaesthetic for the brain." [Guardian, 1July2008]
- 'Don’t risk real freedom for short-term material gain': "Our civil liberties are in jeopardy and we are to blame. We have reduced democracy to the right to make and spend money... (in return for) a temporary blanket of security and what turned out to be an illusory prosperity" [The Times, 7Sept2009]
Majulah Singapura,
Thanks for reading,
Love and God bless,
B.C.
========
At/ related:
A1forum:
08Jan2011: Re: PAP MPs ‘concerned’ at widening income gap in Singapore
HWZ:
08Jan2011: The right way to fix them, to buy my supporters votes.
SGclub:
08Jan2011: The right way to fix them, to buy my supporters votes.
SGforums:
08Jan2011: "The right way to fix them, to buy my supporters votes."
No comments:
Post a Comment