Tag: Tanjong Pagar

Kenneth Jeyaretnam: Why A By-Election Should Be Called In Tanjong Pagar
The death of Lee Kuan Yew leaves his seat in Tanjong Pagar GRC vacant. Recently a Bloomberg journalist asked me to comment on the suggestion that Lee’s seat in Tanjong Pagar be left vacant as a mark of respect. Her resultant article can be read here. Some commentators have suggested that the Opposition should boycott any by-election, giving the PAP a walkover similar to the ones it has enjoyed ever since Lee Kuan Yew’s constituency was included as part of Tanjong Pagar GRC. In addition a lot of people have been asking me whether I think a by-election will or even must be called.

The fact that any one could even suggest that denying the democratic rights of the citizens of one ward to choose their representative is a way to show respect for the founder of our one-party authoritarian system goes a long way to explaining how far from being a democracy that system is and how far we have to go to become a developed nation in terms of our political and legal structures.

LKY’s seat had of course been effectively vacant for some time. For many years other MPs in the GRC had performed his constituency duties. Ill-health and advanced years also meant that his appearances in Parliament after his unopposed re-election in 2011 were mostly perfunctory. In a democracy an MP who was incapacitated by advanced years or ill-health would have resigned to allow a new and fitter incumbent to perform the duties that he was no longer able to.

In addition because of LKY’s deliberate creation and reinforcement of a climate of fear, and the very real measures he took to crush anyone who stood up to him, the voters of his GRC have been denied the right to choose their representatives for several decades. Even in 2011, when every other seat was contested and our aim was to see Singapore’s first non-walkover GE , a team of independents ran out of time in filing their nomination papers and were disqualified. The fact that the people of that ward have gone without choosing their representatives for so long means that there is a more urgent need to hold a by-election in his constituency now. But can the PM leave the seat vacant indefinitely in defiance of every democratic norm but as has been normal PAP practice until recently?

The short answer and the absolute legal fact is that it would be unconstitutional not to hold a by-election unless the Prime Minister decides to call a general election within the next three months or so.

The argument ( thanks to Article 14) runs like this.

Article 49 of the Constitution states:

49.

—(1) Whenever the seat of a Member, not being a non-constituency Member, has become vacant for any reason other than a dissolution of Parliament, the vacancy shall be filled by election in the manner provided by or under any law relating to Parliamentary elections for the time being in force.

It was established by the Court of Appeal decision in Vellama d/o Marie Muthu v AG (2013) that the calling of a by-election is mandatory and not discretionary and that it has to be held within a reasonable space of time, normally three months.

The Parliamentary Elections Act (PEA) seems to contradict this requirement when it states in Article 24-2(A) that:

(2A) In respect of any group representation constituency, no writ [for a by-election] shall be issued under subsection (1) for an election to fill any vacancy unless all the Members for that constituency have vacated their seats in Parliament.

However this places Article 24-(2A) of the PEA at odds with the Constitution. Where this is the case the Constitution clearly overrides any laws enacted by Parliament, as stated in Article 4 of the Constitution:
1. This Constitution is the supreme law of the Republic of Singapore and any law enacted by the Legislature after the commencement of this Constitution which is inconsistent with this Constitution shall, to the extent of the inconsistency, be void.
Article 24-(2A) of the PEA is clearly inconsistent with Article 49 of the Constitution. Therefore under Article 4 of the Constitution it is void. Therefore the Prime Minister must call a by-election for Tanjong Pagar GRC, or at least for the constituency vacated by his father’s death, within the next three months.

If the PM refuses to do so, I (and I know my Party members would join me) would support an application to the Court to declare that the PEA is inconsistent with the Constitution and that a by-election must be called. It should be easy for Lee Hsien Loong’s poodle, the Elections Department, to carve out Tanjong Pagar SMC from the GRC if the PM does not want to call a by-election for the whole GRC. However as it was uncontested in 2011 it would be right now to hold an election for the whole GRC.

In the event that the PM observes the Constitution and calls a by-election, it would be good for the Opposition parties to come together and agree to field a joint “A” team against the PAP under an umbrella with all our strongest candidates combined. This would be an important step in the process of transforming the Opposition in the eyes of the electorate into a credible force that is ready to form an alternative Government.

Source: http://sonofadud.com
April 24, 2015
5 Room Flats At Pinnacle@Duxton Sold For More Than $1 Million

Resale prices for units at The Pinnacle@Duxton premium HDB project have set a new record, with two five-room units being sold for more than $1 million each in transactions completed this month.

One unit on the 28th to 30th floor was sold for $1.06m, while the other on the 46th to 48th floor fetched $1.05m, according the Housing Board website. The size of each unit is 107 sq m.

There were at least four other five-room units which were sold between $1m and $1.04m this year, according to Shin Min Daily News.

Four-room units are also popular, said the evening daily. At least six such units were each sold for $910,000 and above this year.

Units there are prized for their central location, and those on higher floors are known for their views, say property agents.

Transactions at The Pinnacle@Duxton have set new records after the first batch of owners fulfilled the five-year minimum occupation period in December last year and were allowed to sell their flats.

At the project’s launch in 2004, new four-room flats were priced from $289,200 to $380,900, and five-roomers from $345,100 to $439,400.

As this is a unique, premium project, experts do not expect its sky-high prices to have much effect on the overall HDB resale market.

Source: www.straitstimes.com

April 14, 2015
Proud To Be A Failure Like Chee Soon Juan

Hi Chan Chun Sing, let me tell you ‪#‎IAmAFailure‬ by your standards. Now I don’t have a problem with you having a problem with Chee Soon Juan because he is your political opponent. I do however, have a problem with your definition of success because that affects the rest of us.

I am not an army general. I am not well liked by my peers, certainly not enough to be elected into a central executive committee of any kind. I can’t speak my dialect because of you-know-whose-policy so I can’t eloquently ask my fellow hokkienpengs to ‪#‎keechiu‬. I am an entrepreneur running a business that seems like it’s stuck in startup mode, that won best website in Asia, in a competition that is not run by SPH or MediaCorp awarding prizes to itself. But oh well, since local media never picked up this story (since I beat all of them), I guess that is deemed a failure by you too.

I am not an engineer, doctor or lawyer paying high taxes that this government loves. I did not study abroad as a government scholar so that effectively means I am out of the system.

But guess what, the reality of Singapore today is this: Most of us are not IN THE SYSTEM and that includes 2nd, 3rd generation Singaporeans as well as new citizens. This coveted system of yours. Most of us are stuck in this rat race that we don’t want to be in. We don’t want shopping malls in every housing estate, raising rents high so local businesses are squeezed out of existence. Give me the Tiong Bahru before the hipsters took over. Most of us don’t ascribe to the milestones that an older generation thought was necessary to propel us to 1st world status. Most of us want to manage our own savings ourselves into old age — even if it is to splurge on a tour around the world in 80 days, then come home to starve to death. So be it, that is our choice, not one decided by someone else more “successful” than us.

Anyways, long story short: You’re lucky I don’t live in Tanjong Pagar. I would still vote for Lee Kuan Yew but I certainly wouldn’t vote for you.

You need to learn what it feels like to fail, before you know how to lead the people.

Kien Lee

Source: www.therealsingapore.com

January 20, 2015
The Future of Singapore Linked To Outcome of Electoral Battle At Tanjong Pagar GRC

Over the weekend, the new Singaporeans First Party (SFP) conducted a walkabout in the Tanjong Pagar group representation constituency (GRC).

Among the more than 20 members and supporters were six of the party’s 10 founding members, including its secretary-general and former presidential candidate, Tan Jee Say.

It is the SFP’s first foray as a political party into grassroots activities, and it is significant that it chose Tanjong Pagar to hold its first outreach event.

Tanjong Pagar, of course, has been the constituency of Singapore’s former prime minister, Lee Kuan Yew, since he first won the parliamentary seat there in 1955.

Straits Times, 1955

Mr Lee, however, is now 91-years old and is unlikely to be fielded in the next general elections, which must be called by January 2017.

This would leave the Tanjong Pagar constituency – which has been uncontested for the last five elections, since it became a multi-seat constituency under the GRC system in 1991 – in the hands of a new minister.

That new minister is Chan Chung Sing, the current minister for the Ministry of Social Development and Family (MSF).

Mr Chan is the former Chief of Army from 2010 to 2011, before he went into politics in the 2011 general elections.

Seen as one of the forerunners to succeed Lee Hsien Loong as Singapore’s fourth prime minister, Mr Chan’s inclusion in the People’s Action Party (PAP) Tanjong Pagar GRC team was thus no surprise.

The GRC system has long been seen as an umbrella for the PAP to shelter its potential ministers from the vicissitudes of electoral politics, and pave an easier path for the candidates to win at the polls while tailcoating a more experienced senior minister.

In 2006, then Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong said as much, when he commented on the GRC system:

“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.”

He added:

“Why should they when they are on the way up in the civil service, the SAF, and in the professions or the corporate world?”

In other words, an assured path must be paved for those headhunted by the PAP, even (and perhaps, especially) if that person is a general in the armed forces, as Mr Chan was.

But if Mr Lee were to step down at the next elections, it would mean Mr Chan would have to helm the GRC, a daunting task given how Mr Lee has been a larger than life figure in the constituency for so long.

Mr Chan would have, barring any movement to a new ministry, only handled one full portfolio, although he is also the second minister for Defence. This would not have been enough for the party to assess if he could indeed be the next prime minister, especially also when he has not helmed a heavyweight portfolio such as Defence or Finance.

With the current prime minister saying he would like to step down when he is 70, which is a mere 8 years away, Mr Chan does not have much time to prove himself in other areas.

Nonetheless, what is on his side is that the MSF allows him to be more popular than perhaps his colleagues. The ministry manages welfare programmes for the elderly, the sick, children, disabled and families.

Still, the question remains: is Mr Chan ready? More importantly, will he be able to helm and win a GRC for the PAP? This second question is especially pertinent given that he did not go through the proverbial baptism of fire in his maiden election in 2011.

So, 2016 (or 2017) will be his first electoral contest – if he remains in Tanjong Pagar GRC (which in all likelihood he will), or if the constituency is not absorbed into another.

Whether Mr Chan leads his team to victory will be momentous.

A win will not only signal a change at the helm in the PAP Tanjong Pagar team, it will also set the succession plans of the PAP in firmer footing.

In short, the answer to who will become Singapore’s fourth prime minister (and also the next secretary general of the PAP) will then be clearer.

However, if Mr Chan should fail to lead his team to victory, it would also be significant – Mr Lee’s constituency which he has helmed for 60 years finally is lost to the opposition, and more importantly, the PAP’s succession plans for Singapore’s political leadership will be in serious jeopardy.

It may also signal that Singapore indeed will be well on its way to further changes in its political landscape.

In a speech in June 2006, Mr Goh said that the PAP’s “ability to attract capable individuals and its practice of political self-renewal were key to Singapore’s success.”

However, this self-renewal only works if older or more senior leaders make way for younger ones, and do so at an early enough time to allow these younger leaders to cut their own teeth, as it were.

And this is also why the GRC system is flawed – that someone who would be our next prime minister needed to be sheltered in to Parliament.

Mr Chan, if he indeed became Singapore’s fourth prime minister, would be the first one to enter politics through the GRC system, and also through an uncontested walkover.

He thus has something to prove yet.

For Mr Chan, working on an 8-year timeline to succession, he has a short period to hone his mettle in heavyweight ministries – that is, if he can win public support at the next elections first.

This is why the walkabout by the SFP on Saturday is also significant – that for the first time since 1991, Tanjong Pagar may at last be contested by the opposition, and that it may also be a reasonably electable team to boot.

History will be made, whichever box the ballot is ticked – unless Mr Lee chooses to run again.

Barring that, Mr Lee’s final farewell to Tanjong Pagar residents, then, will be as significant as his victory there 60 years ago, whether the PAP wins in the constituency – or not – or not this time round.

The above article was first published on Fresh Grads.

Source: www.theonlinecitizen.com

November 13, 2014
Singaporeans First Party Hold First Walkabout In Tanjong Pagar GRC

SINGAPORE – More than 20 members and supporters joined Singaporeans First (SingFirst) on Sunday morning as the new political party held its debut walkabout in Tanjong Pagar GRC, a stronghold of the ruling People’s Action Party (PAP).

Among them were six of the party’s 10 founding members, including its secretary-general and former presidential candidate Tan Jee Say.

SingFirst also launched its website, http://singfirst.org, on Saturday as it gears up for the next general elections, which must be held by January 2017.

Announced in May and officially registered in August, the party has received more than 100 applications from people keen to become members, Mr Tan said at a press conference held after the walkabout.

He added that the party has plans to contest “maybe four” constituencies, and reiterated its intentions of working together with other parties to avoid splitting the opposition vote.

“If they have a stronger team, we’ll make way for them,” said Mr Tan, an investment advisor who ran for the 2011 general elections under the Singapore Democratic Party’s banner.

He added: “The whole idea is to win. We are all in favour of opposition unity. We will respect other parties. The real objective is to defeat the PAP.”

SingFirst has spoken to the National Solidarity Party and the Democratic Progressive Party, Mr Tan said. The Singapore Democratic Party have waved away the need for a formal introduction, while the Singapore Malay National Organisation and the Singapore Democratic Alliance have said they need to hold internal discussions before agreeing to work together.

The Reform Party, the Singapore People’s Party and the Workers’ Party – the only opposition party with elected MPs in Parliament – have not responded to SingFirst’s overtures, said Mr Tan.

But he is not worried: “We still have time. No need to rush. Election is not around the corner so there’s still some time. We’ll work something out.”

Dressed in royal blue shirts bearing the party’s red-and-white logo, SingFirst’s members and supporters visited areas around the Holland Drive Market and Food Centre for close to two hours, shaking hands and giving out pamphlets explaining the party’s objectives.

Explaining why the party chose to visit Tanjong Pagar GRC, Mr Tan said residents in the constituency have not had the chance to vote for more than 20 years.

The constituency has been won by the PAP in walkovers since it was created in 1991. In 2011, a group of independents led by businessman Ng Teck Siong – chairman of the Socialist Front – made a last-minute bid to contest the GRC, but was disqualified after submitting their nomination papers too late.

SingFirst plans to visit various constituencies in the coming months to drum up awareness about the party – a strategic move as electoral boundaries have not been set in stone, said Mr Tan.

The party’s chairman Dr Ang Yong Guan also added that SingFirst is hoping to make a shift away from “personality-based politics”, where political parties are associated with certain key people.

“We want to move away from that and tell Singaporeans that political parties in Singapore need not be linked to any person. It needs to be for all. Anybody interested can come and join,” he said.

Source: www.straitstimes.com

November 10, 2014