Why now? Timing of Ministerial Committee questioned

SINGAPORE — Several Members of Parliament (MPs) yesterday questioned the composition of the Ministerial Committee tasked to look into the options for 38 Oxley Road, and also why there was a need to convene a panel when no immediate decision needed to be made.

Ms Jessica Tan (East Coast GRC) asked why its members were “not disclosed until recently”. As the committee will guide the decisions that the future Cabinet and Government will make when Mr Lee Kuan Yew’s daughter, Dr Lee Wei Ling, moves out of the house, “it is crucial that Singaporeans are given as much info on the process and considerations made to arrive” at any option that committee may decide on, she said.

Many MPs questioned the need to form a Ministerial Committee now.

Mr Henry Kwek (Nee Soon GRC) said: “Mr Lee Hsien Yang shared that Dr Lee Wei Ling will probably stay in the house for many decades. The Government also confirms that this is the case … therefore both sides agree that the decision could be decades away. So why disagree now?”

Mr Louis Ng (Nee Soon GRC) asked if the Ministerial Committee should be making decisions for a future government.

“Wouldn’t the factors this committee is using to make recommendations, factors including public sentiments, change in the future? What then is the point of setting up this committee now and making recommendations now?” he said.

Mr Zaqy Mohamad (Chua Chu Kang GRC) wanted to know if the matter involving 38 Oxley Road was of such importance that it required putting together a Ministerial Committee.

“Wouldn’t it have sufficed to have the Urban Redevelopment Authority, National Heritage Board or any other relevant government agency assess the matter and give its recommendations for Cabinet to consider?” he added.

Non-Constituency MP Leon Perera asked why a “non-transparent Ministerial Committee” was chosen to resolve the matter, instead of an independent panel with the “expertise and resources to perform expert heritage analysis and public opinion sensing”.

“A panel that would not be seen by anyone as potentially compromised by the fact that its members directly report to an individual who has personal ties to the matter at hand,” he added.

Mr Ng also wanted to know the circumstances under which Ministerial Committees are convened, and if there are written rules and procedures governing them.

“Can the Prime Minister or Deputy Prime Minister clarify whether the same emphasis was placed on other important buildings, like the National Library?” he asked.

Meanwhile, Holland-Bukit Timah GRC MP Christopher de Souza wanted to know if the Ministerial Committee had never told Mr Lee Hsien Yang and Dr Lee Wei Ling “about the options they (the committee) were exploring”.