Govts better off with checks and balances

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Apr 4, 2011
Govts better off with checks and balances
MR ANG Kok Thiam argues that veteran opposition leaders Chiam See Tong and Low Thia Khiang should contest in Potong Pasir and Hougang respectively as they have done before ('Chiam, Low should stay put'; last Saturday). I do not entirely agree with his views.

Mr Ang presents his case by painting two 'unfavourable' scenarios. The first is that if the teams led by Mr Chiam and Mr Low are victorious, 'Singapore may lose two Cabinet ministers'.
If this pans out, then the ministers and their teams have performed poorly in the eyes of voters and do not deserve to be MPs or ministers.
No one, not even the most senior of ministers or the most promising of candidates, has the divine right to be an MP without doing what a candidate ought to do - win the votes of constituents. Candidates, especially those donning the People's Action Party (PAP) white, should not feel they are already MPs before a single vote is cast.
History has shown that a candidate slated to be a minister can lose an election.
As to Mr Ang's argument that the 'the self-renewal process within the PAP may also be derailed', it is not the citizenry's responsibility to ensure the success of the PAP's renewal process. The party should take care of its own renewal; our job is to cast the votes to ensure Singapore's survival and prosperity.
Mr Ang's second scenario is that 'Singapore may lose two respected opposition leaders'. Mr Chiam and Mr Low may not necessarily lose if they choose to contest in group representation constituencies (GRCs). Conversely, if they choose to remain in their single-member constituencies (SMCs), there is no guarantee they will win.
These two opposition MPs should be lauded if they take the bold step to prove that winning a GRC is not an insurmountable challenge to the opposition.
Given the many obstacles stacked against them, it is not easy for opposition members to compete against the PAP juggernaut. Mr Chiam and Mr Low could have chosen to walk the easier path and contest in SMCs or, in the case of Mr Chiam, retire because of his age.
However, their desire is to provide Singaporeans with the option of having more diverse voices in Parliament as a check against the PAP. Governments are better off with checks and balances, and a Parliament dominated by a single party simply cannot have sufficiently diverse voices.
Dr Vincent Tan
http://www.straitstimes.com/STForum/Story/STIStory_652597.html

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