Will a by-election be held in Ang Mo Kio to find a new MP to take over from Dr. Balaji? Read the view from the Prime Minister in www.easyapps.sg/sgep/latest.aspx.
"We have not considered that. There is nothing automatic about calling for a by-election. We have discussed this many times." Lee Hsien Loong, 28 Sep 2010.
Lee Hsien Loong vigorously defended in parliament why a by-election should not be called when Dr Ong Chit Chung passed away. Now with the recent passing of Dr Balaji, he is likely to use the same excuse. He claims that other MPs can cover the work.
I have a question for Lee. Are the other MPs formerly appointed to be the MP for the affected constituents? If no, then there is a gap in the proper representation as demanded by the Constitution and the electorate, the GRC concept notwithstanding. If yes, then it in clear violation of Article 47 of the Constitution:
47. A person shall not be at the same time a Member of Parliament for more than one constituency.
I believe Lee has overstepped his legal authority in this instance.
Come to think of it, the past few years had not been kind to Lee Jnr's amk grc, with one bad episode after another....
In his current amk grc, 2 MPs are already sitting-ducks (who could possibly forget Wee Siew Kim arrogant "some people cannot take the brutal truth 'apology' " for his equally arrogant daughter remarks in the later's blog a few years back & Lee Bee Wah infamous episode with the table tennis association debacle 2 years ago and again only last year for the "coach-of-the-year nomination" incident.) The other MP in amk grc, Inderjit Singh is practically '"persona non-exista*". The only MP in amk grc that stands up, and is well regarded as a principled person of conviction with the common-folk interest close at heart is Balaji. He's probably the main bright spark in the grc that can win popular support and trust of the common working folks. But with his unfortunate passing away, things have just gotten a shade darker for Jnr.
Hmmm....the coming GE should be interesting, not the least bec of amk grc.
* ps - pardon my freshly minted "persona non-exista". (but seriously, in all fairness, I'm probably not in the best position to gauge Inderjit Singh accurately as I'm not a resident in amk grc who is likely to have more potential contact with the man and thus know him better. Impression gathered is from afar, in the sense that the guy somehow doesn't leave any lasting or note-worthy impression insofar as parliament debates/deliberation are concerned. But perhaps from the "insider" perspective of the residents in amk grc who does gets to meet him regularly, he could very well be a terrific chap working hard quietly in the background with the interest of the common folks close at heart. As such, I stand corrected if my impression is off-the-mark.)
Quote-of-the-day: "The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing" (Edmund Burke, author of Reflections on the Revolution in France)
"We have not considered that. There is nothing automatic about calling for a by-election. We have discussed this many times." Lee Hsien Loong, 28 Sep 2010.
ReplyDeleteLee Hsien Loong vigorously defended in parliament why a by-election should not be called when Dr Ong Chit Chung passed away. Now with the recent passing of Dr Balaji, he is likely to use the same excuse. He claims that other MPs can cover the work.
I have a question for Lee. Are the other MPs formerly appointed to be the MP for the affected constituents? If no, then there is a gap in the proper representation as demanded by the Constitution and the electorate, the GRC concept notwithstanding. If yes, then it in clear violation of Article 47 of the Constitution:
47. A person shall not be at the same time a Member of Parliament for more than one constituency.
I believe Lee has overstepped his legal authority in this instance.
Come to think of it, the past few years had not been kind to Lee Jnr's amk grc, with one bad episode after another....
ReplyDeleteIn his current amk grc, 2 MPs are already sitting-ducks (who could possibly forget Wee Siew Kim arrogant "some people cannot take the brutal truth 'apology' " for his equally arrogant daughter remarks in the later's blog a few years back & Lee Bee Wah infamous episode with the table tennis association debacle 2 years ago and again only last year for the "coach-of-the-year nomination" incident.) The other MP in amk grc, Inderjit Singh is practically '"persona non-exista*". The only MP in amk grc that stands up, and is well regarded as a principled person of conviction with the common-folk interest close at heart is Balaji. He's probably the main bright spark in the grc that can win popular support and trust of the common working folks. But with his unfortunate passing away, things have just gotten a shade darker for Jnr.
Hmmm....the coming GE should be interesting, not the least bec of amk grc.
* ps - pardon my freshly minted "persona non-exista". (but seriously, in all fairness, I'm probably not in the best position to gauge Inderjit Singh accurately as I'm not a resident in amk grc who is likely to have more potential contact with the man and thus know him better. Impression gathered is from afar, in the sense that the guy somehow doesn't leave any lasting or note-worthy impression insofar as parliament debates/deliberation are concerned. But perhaps from the "insider" perspective of the residents in amk grc who does gets to meet him regularly, he could very well be a terrific chap working hard quietly in the background with the interest of the common folks close at heart. As such, I stand corrected if my impression is off-the-mark.)
Quote-of-the-day: "The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing"
(Edmund Burke, author of Reflections on the Revolution in France)