GE2020: Parliament risks becoming ‘echo chamber’ if PAP gains two-thirds majority, warns WP

• PAP can push its agendas unchallenged if it forms two-thirds of parliament, WP warned 
• Lack of diversity within Parliament could risk turning it into an "echo chamber", it added
• Singapore can have a government that listens — by voting for the opposition, Ms Nicole Seah said

SINGAPORE — In its first e-rally of the General Election (GE), the Workers’ Party reiterated its call for Singaporeans to deny the People’s Action Party (PAP) from winning two-thirds of the seats in Parliament when they go to the polls on July 10.

This is to ensure that the ruling party cannot push through its agenda “unchallenged”, Mr Abdul Shariff Aboo Kassim said on Wednesday (July 1). He is a new candidate who is part of the WP team contesting in East Coast Group Representation Constituency (GRC).

Mr Shariff was speaking during the first episode of WP’s Hammer Show, which was hosted on the party’s Facebook page and held in the style of a panel discussion.

Citing the 2017 reserved presidential election as an example, the 54-year-old former researcher said that despite the “disquiet on the ground”, Madam Halimah Yacob still became the president.

The presidential election was reserved for a candidate from the Malay community. It went uncontested after several others were unable to meet the qualification criteria.

Among the prospective candidates, two were not qualified, while the other two were not Malay — Dr Tan Cheng Bock, who is now the leader of the Progress Singapore Party, was one of them.

“Many of us believe that the whole reason why they had the elected presidency was to prevent Tan Cheng Bock’s candidacy,” Mr Shariff said.

Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong in September 2016 had rejected suggestions that the changes to the elected presidency were made so that the Government may keep out individuals whom it finds hard to work with, saying that no system can be guaranteed to keep out “difficult” people.

“Even if I raise the standards, I cannot guarantee that nobody who is going to be difficult will become president,” Mr Lee said in an interview with Mediacorp.

“Wherever you cut off, there will be somebody, even a former minister or a former judge or somebody who may have run a very big company (who) may have his views and may clash with the Government.”

Wednesday’s panel discussion was moderated by WP secretary-general Pritam Singh and chairperson Sylvia Lim. Mr Shariff was joined by two other speakers: Hougang Single Member Constituency candidate Dennis Tan and Mr Louis Chua Kheng Wee, a candidate for Sengkang GRC.

The panel also touched on the party’s history and the downsides of the Non-Constituency Member of Parliament scheme, and assured Singaporeans that their vote is secret.

The 40-minute-long panel discussion, which was held in lieu of a physical rally due to Covid-19 restrictions, was interspersed with recorded speeches from Ms Lim and other party members such as Ms Nicole Seah, Associate Professor Jamus Lim and Mr Muhamad Faisal Manap.

Ms Seah will be contesting in East Coast GRC and Assoc Prof Lim in Sengkang GRC. Ms Lim, Mr Singh and Mr Faisal will be defending the WP-held Aljunied GRC.

ENSURING 'CHECKS AND BALANCES' IN PARLIAMENT

During his speech, Mr Faisal said that Parliament is an institution where policies are formulated and approved.

“These policies shape the direction and future of our nation,” he said in Malay. “In shaping these policies, it is important to take into account the diversity of voices and viewpoints.”

Mr Faisal said that WP is determined to represent the “voices and aspirations” of Singaporeans, and it wants to ensure that there are “checks and balances” in place within Parliament as well.

“We reject the call that a dominance of a single political party, as it is today, is healthy and beneficial for the country.”

Echoing Mr Faisal’s sentiments, Mr Tan added later that “one more PAP MP (Member of Parliament) does not make any difference” for Singapore.

However, one more WP MP would “make a lot of difference” to ensure the rights of Singaporeans will always be taken care of, he added.

Agreeing, Mr Chua pointed out that the role of a parliamentarian is to scrutinise bills before they are passed into law.

He said that a parliamentarian has to constantly think about whether or not a particular law introduced by the Government will be beneficial for Singaporeans. If it is not, he said it is up to the opposition MPs to “stand up and vote against it”.

Mr Tan warned that if there is no “true diversity” in Parliament, the institution risks becoming an “echo chamber”.

Moving forward, Mr Shariff said that the social and economic landscapes in Singapore will become “even more complex”, and it is hard to conceive that one party has all the solutions for the future.

“I would urge Singaporeans not to place all their eggs in one party.” 

AN APPEAL TO MILLENNIALS

During her speech, Ms Seah addressed the “millennials (and) the strawberry generation” — labels often used to refer to those aged between 26 and 40.

She said that the Covid-19 pandemic is the third crisis that this generation has faced, after the 1998 Asian Financial Crisis and the 2008 recession.

“This pandemic will indeed pass. But when it does, we will be left asking ourselves, ‘Where do we go from here?’”

She said that Singapore could opt for a government that chooses to “listen to its people and keeps its ear on the ground”, by voting for the opposition.

“We saw that in 2011 as the government shifted dramatically to be a more compassionate one with social reforms.”

Ms Seah was referring to the 2011 General Election when Singapore’s opposition witnessed landmark gains after PAP saw its popular vote slipping from 67 per cent at the previous election to 60 per cent.

“If we do not vote for balance and fairness, that complete dominance of a single party means that it will do whatever it pleases,” she said.

“Remember this: We are the generation of Singaporeans who will be in the thick of the action of rebuilding our nation once this pandemic passes.

“We are the generation that can define the kind of values we want to see in all leadership. This, in turn, will reflect upon the kind of society we want to build.”