Parliamentry Old boys club, leading SG from 1st world to 3rd

• bic_cherry

  16 Feb 16, 17:34

  Parliamentry Old boys club, leading SG from 1st world to 3rd.
  
  Singapore: New + Novel/ independent ideas/ inclusivity= most unwelcome here.
  
  This is because independent candidates are CONSTITUTIONALLY DISQUALIFIED from becoming NCMP according to section 39.(1)(b) which states:
  
  

  Quote:

  CONSTITUTION OF THE REPUBLIC OF SINGAPORE (Original Enactment: S 1/63) PART VI THE LEGISLATURE Legislature of Singapore.. Parliament 39.—(1) Parliament shall consist of — ... (b)such other Members, not exceeding 9 in number, who shall be known as non-constituency Members, as the Legislature may provide in any law relating to Parliamentary elections to ensure the representation in Parliament of a minimum number of Members from a political party or parties not forming the Government; and [9/2010 wef 01/07/2010] http://statutes.agc.gov.sg/aol/searc...ec=0#pr45-he-.

  This means that an independent candidate will never qualify as an NCMP no matter how farsighted/ intelligent his suggestions are and that to qualify as an NCMP, he would have to unnecessarily form a new political party or join an existing opposition party (even though standing as independent candidate is 100% kosher where general elections in Singapore are concerned). This thinking is out-dated and sclerotic and only fuels the suspicion that the Singapore parliament is becoming an old boys club where the LKY's son and WP Low Thia Kiang display their acting (wayang) skills on state media but are probably the best buddies in private, their respective political whips ensuring that parliamentary debate is always limited to no more than just a storm in a tea cup, the most controversial topics either stuffed into the skeleton closet or conveniently swept under the carpet.
  
  There is thus no inclusivity in so far that novel/ unique ideas will never see light of day in parliament. (Less so when stymied by the ramblings of sock puppet NMPs and hench-men coat tail MPs adding to the confusion/ noise). It is thus no wonder that much of legislature promulgated by the Singapore parliament is either stale or old.
  
  At the rate that our parliament is opening up, Singapore will probably beat all otherhermit kingdoms in the race to the bottom of civilization.
  
  Henchmen coat tail MPs being recruited:
  

  Quote:

  'Without some assurance of a good chance of winning at least their first election, many able and successful young Singaporeans may not risk their careers to join politics,' Mr Goh Chok Tong, June 2006 ['GRCs make it easier to find top talent: SM']. [Pict= Disassembling GRC system benefits PAP (Part 1 of 3)]

  
  Henchmen coat-tail MPs arguing to raise the salaries of their masters:
  

  Quote:

  "If the annual salary of the Minister of Information, Communication and Arts is only $500,000, it may pose some problems when he discuss policies with media CEOs who earn millions of dollars because they need not listen to the minister's ideas and proposals. Hence, a reasonable payout will help to maintain a bit of dignity."  - MP Lim Wee Kiak apologises for comments on pay [IMG URL]

  The petty political games played inside the old boys club (Singapore Parliament):
  

  Quote:

  fixing opposition parties; actually just creating an authoritarian, monolithic political state, with little or no political vibrancy/choice... (YouTube; LHL: "fix the opposition")

  Channelling public funds to support narrow (private) political interest/ goals:
  
  - '‘Adviser over MP’ raises many questions': "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." [ST, 22Oct2009][alt link]

  __________________