Greater Opposition presence needed as PAP fails to consult citizens: SDP candidate

SINGAPORE — The way the Government has failed to satisfactorily address issues such as the accounting lapses by the People’s Association (PA) recently flagged by the Auditor-General’s Office shows there is a need for a greater Opposition presence in Parliament, to bring about more transparency and accountability, said Singapore Democratic Party (SDP) new face Wong Souk Yee.

Dr Wong, making her maiden rally speech yesterday (Sept 3) at the party’s rally in Marsiling-Yew Tee, was one of several speakers who criticised the People’s Action Party (PAP) for lacking in transparency and failing to consult citizens.

“(Recently, we heard) that the Auditor-General has found numerous incidents in which the government ministries and the stat boards, including the People’s Association, have failed to comply with proper financial rules. Minister Lim Swee Say said ‘these lapses (at PA) are committed with good intentions’. That is not what accountability means. That is giving excuses,” said Dr Wong, who is one of the four SDP candidates in Marsiling-Yew Tee GRC. She was referring to the Auditor-General’s report issued in July, which gave the PA a scathing report card over its procurement practices and handling of related-party transactions.

“Accountability means taking responsibility. It means that when rules and procedures are not followed, we must have an independent inquiry to find out what has gone wrong,” Dr Wong argued during the rally, which was held at Choa Chu Kang Stadium.

Dr Wong, a National University of Singapore lecturer, also said constraints such as the PAP’s party whip, and the fact that only a simple majority is needed to pass laws, point to the urgent need to elect more Opposition MPs. “Unless this party whip is lifted, PAP MPs have no choice but to do what their leader tells them to do,” Dr Wong said. “So with the party whip in place, do you think the PAP MPs can do this role of checking on the actions of the Government?”

SDP chairman Jeffrey George, who opened the rally, attacked the Non-Constituency Member of Parliament (NCMP) and Group Representation Constituency (GRC) schemes, saying they were pushed through by the PAP to “create more obstacles for the Opposition, as well as to enable new PAP candidates to hang on to the tailcoats of ministers”.

He added: “When the PAP increased the salaries of ministers and created posts such as Senior Ministers, Ministers in the Prime Minister’s Office and Emeritus Senior Minister, did the PAP consult us? Did they ask us what they thought what such appointments were?”

Mr Bryan Lim, who is also standing in Marsiling-Yew Tee GRC, pointed to the lack of transparency in how Our Singapore Conversation, the Government’s recent efforts in public engagement, was conducted.

“I don’t know how they chose the participants of Our Singapore Conversation. Who was invited, who wasn’t? No one knows. But I know the Opposition and the SDP have not been invited to a single session. Are SDP members not Singaporeans ... Don’t we want to participate in a conversation about Singapore’s future?” he asked.