SINGAPORE, JULY 2 — Progress Singapore Party (PSP) chief Dr Tan Cheng Bock said he was surprised that veteran politician Dr Vivian Balakrishnan was the representative of the ruling People’s Action Party (PAP) in the English edition of a live televised political debate yesterday, saying that the party missed an opportunity to speak to younger voters.
Dr Balakrishnan, who was Foreign Affairs Minister before Parliament was dissolved, entered politics as a member of the third generation of PAP leaders, but he is expected to continue working alongside the party’s younger leaders as part of the fourth-generation (4G) team.
The 4G leaders include Heng Swee Keat, Chan Chun Sing, Josephine Teo and Ong Ye Kung, among others.
Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of a walkabout at Bishan North Shopping Mall in Marymount Single Member Constituency (SMC), Dr Tan said: “You should hear the new people coming in, so I was quite surprised to find Vivian there, and not all the other 4G leaders.”
He was there alongside PSP’s candidate for Marymount SMC, Dr Ang Yong Guan, 65.
The 80-year-old added that he himself had decided to take a step back and let other PSP members speak more to the media instead, as “this election is for the younger lot, the future”.
PSP’s representative for the English session of the debate was Francis Yuen, 70, its candidate for Chua Chu Kang Group Representation Constituency (GRC), while its candidate for West Coast GRC, PSP assistant secretary-general Leong Mun Wai, 60, was fielded for the Chinese debate.
At a separate walkabout in Tanjong Pagar GRC, PSP’s organising secretary and candidate, Michael Chua, echoed Dr Tan’s sentiments, saying that the PAP should have fielded a 4G leader for the English debate.
“It’s only through robust debate, whether balanced or unbalanced, you’ll have a better sense of how well (the 4G leaders) can take the stress,” he said. “That is important in terms of trying to drive the national conversation and trying to demonstrate to the people that the 4G leaders are willing and capable of taking over.”
In response, Dr Balakrishnan said he is in fact part of the 4G team.
He was speaking to reporters at a coffee shop in Bukit Panjang while having lunch with Liang Eng Hwa, PAP’s candidate for Bukit Panjang SMC.
“I am the same age as Heng, you all forget just because I got more grey hair,” he quipped.
“Seriously these labels don’t matter. We are a team, we deploy ourselves and engage in activities for the sake of the team,” he added.
NCMP doesn’t give Opposition a home base, says Dr Tan
Dr Tan was also asked about his views on the Non-Constituency Member of Parliament (NCMP) scheme, which has been a matter of debate during this GE campaigning period.
He said that while the scheme has its merits, he thinks that it is ultimately a “ploy” by the PAP to “entice voters” into voting for the ruling party, and that without a constituency to run, the NCMP would not be a proper representative of the people.
With a constituency to manage, an opposition MP would be able to speak on behalf of residents with strength, he said, and not just raise concerns based on hearsay.
Dr Tan said: “If you’ve got no base, it is very difficult to function as an MP. You cannot just be like a virtual MP.”
Under the NCMP scheme, the losing opposition candidates with the highest percentage of votes during a GE are offered seats in Parliament.
On Tuesday, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong noted in a media conference that recent changes to the scheme means that there will be more NCMPs in the next Parliament — 12, up from nine — and that these NCMPs will also have equal voting rights as elected MPs.
He added that with these changes to the scheme, there will be a “significant” opposition presence guaranteed in Parliament.
But PSP’s Chua agreed with Dr Tan, saying: “We want to be the real and actual representative Members of Parliament for the GRC, rather than being in a very nebulous kind of position as an NCMP.”
Nevertheless, Chua said that if offered an NCMP seat, he would take it up.
His teammate, Wendy Low, added that PSP’s aim is to deny the incumbent PAP a two-thirds majority in Parliament, and merely striving for NCMP seats would not achieve this.
“Having 12 NCMPs does not form an effective counter to any proposal on constitutional changes,” she said.
Meanwhile, Dr Tan said that he would not personally take up an NCMP seat if offered one, as he had already spent 26 years in Parliament as an elected MP of the PAP.
“For me, I won’t take it. But if my men want to take, I’ll let them take… If the new ones feel like they want to have a feel of what Parliament is like, I don’t want to stop them because I’m already 80 years old.”
The Workers’ Party (WP) had adamantly opposed the NCMP scheme since its inception, arguing that the ruling party had created it for its own political advantage.
When asked to comment on the issue today during a walkabout at Kovan Market and Food Centre, WP secretary-general Pritam Singh said: “Why is the PAP so magnanimous in offering additional NCMP seats? It’s something I hope every voter reflects on and we will of course make the point through the course of this election campaign.”
Other Opposition parties’ take on NCMP scheme
Speaking to reporters during a walkabout at Kampung Admiralty Hawker Centre this morning, the National Solidarity Party’s (NSP) secretary-general Spencer Ng said that while his party does not agree with the scheme, its candidates would still take up an NCMP post if offered.
He said that he believes the NCMP scheme came about because the PAP was concerned that voters would not be happy if there were zero opposition voices in Parliament.
“So in a way, to have a fail-safe feature, (the PAP) came up with this NCMP scheme because it allowed lions to go into Parliament but at the same time de-tooth them. So it’s a win-win kind of situation for the PAP,” said Ng, who is leading the NSP team in Sembawang GRC.
“So I feel that it’s a bit ridiculous to say ‘No need to vote for the opposition because there are NCMP seats’.”
Nonetheless, Ng said he would “strongly encourage” opposition parties to take up the NCMP seats if offered to them, as this would help them build up experience in Parliament.
Singapore People’s Party (SPP) chief Steve Chia, likewise, said the party’s goal in contesting this GE was not to be offered NCMP seats, but to be elected.
“But if we get (offered seats as) NCMPs, we will still send our (members) into Parliament,” said Chia, who is contesting Bishan-Toa Payoh GRC.
Chia, who was an NCMP from 2001 to 2006 under the NSP banner, added that his one term in Parliament “impacted (him) a lot”, as he was able to raise concerns directly to ministers and certain government policies were tweaked as a result.
SPP chairman Jose Raymond, who is contesting the single seat at Potong Pasir, said that he would not have gone through the trouble of reaching out to residents over the years and creating his own Potong Pasir manifesto if he were merely aiming for an NCMP seat.
His aim remains to win the seat that PAP’s Sitoh Yih Pin has held for two consecutive terms.
“If (the NCMP role is) on the table, there is every chance that we will accept (it),” he said. “But in saying that, let me repeat that when we take part in elections, it is about going in for the win.”
Singapore Democratic Alliance secretary-general Desmond Lim, who is running in Pasir Ris-Punggol GRC, echoed the views of other opposition politicians, saying that while an elected MP would be able to represent constituents by writing on their behalf to relevant authorities when they run into problems, an NCMP cannot
Asked if he would pick up the NCMP seat if offered it, he said: “Let’s cross that bridge then.” — TODAY
