The elected MP for Bukit Batok, David Ong, had resigned unexpectedly due to a "personal indiscretion".
PM Lee said that he would hold a by-election in the constituency "in due course" and that another MP, Desmond Lee, would look after the constituency "in the meantime". Apart from looking after his own constituency, Desmond Lee is the senior minister of state for two ministries. Surely, he has enough on his own plate? Why burdened him with the task of looking after Bukit Batok?
It sounds like the by-election will be delayed for several months.
It is a simple matter and the right thing to do for the prime minister to instruct the election department to hold the election as soon as possible. After all, it is their job. The election department does not have anything else that is pressing for them to do now. So, why the delay?
If there is a burst water main pipe and the water is overflowing, we would expect the engineers to start work immediate to fix the pipe, rather than to stop the leakage "in due course".
If the PAP does not have a standby candidate, it must be a shameful state of affair. But they do have many standby candidates who lost the election in Aljunied and Hougang. Any of them would be suitable to contest the Bukit Batok by-election.
Is the prime minister trying to arrange some goodies to buy votes for the by-election? How deplorable! Does he think in the interest of the people in the constituency and of the democratic process in the country? Should he be playing politics at every opportunity?
I know that he has many pressing things to do in the country as the prime minister, for example, to deal with the forthcoming budget and the economic challenges.
But surely, arranging an election in the job of the civil servants and fighting the election could be assigned to any other leader in his formidable political party? He does not have to be personally involved in this matter. His job, as the prime minister is to set a date for the by-election.
The prime minister should do his job, and set a early date for the by-election without delay.
PM Lee said that he would hold a by-election in the constituency "in due course" and that another MP, Desmond Lee, would look after the constituency "in the meantime". Apart from looking after his own constituency, Desmond Lee is the senior minister of state for two ministries. Surely, he has enough on his own plate? Why burdened him with the task of looking after Bukit Batok?
It sounds like the by-election will be delayed for several months.
It is a simple matter and the right thing to do for the prime minister to instruct the election department to hold the election as soon as possible. After all, it is their job. The election department does not have anything else that is pressing for them to do now. So, why the delay?
If there is a burst water main pipe and the water is overflowing, we would expect the engineers to start work immediate to fix the pipe, rather than to stop the leakage "in due course".
If the PAP does not have a standby candidate, it must be a shameful state of affair. But they do have many standby candidates who lost the election in Aljunied and Hougang. Any of them would be suitable to contest the Bukit Batok by-election.
Is the prime minister trying to arrange some goodies to buy votes for the by-election? How deplorable! Does he think in the interest of the people in the constituency and of the democratic process in the country? Should he be playing politics at every opportunity?
I know that he has many pressing things to do in the country as the prime minister, for example, to deal with the forthcoming budget and the economic challenges.
But surely, arranging an election in the job of the civil servants and fighting the election could be assigned to any other leader in his formidable political party? He does not have to be personally involved in this matter. His job, as the prime minister is to set a date for the by-election.
The prime minister should do his job, and set a early date for the by-election without delay.
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