PAP to amend constitution to increase the number of NCMPs in Parliament
March 12th, 2010 | 
Author: Written by Our Correspondent
The Singapore Constitution will be amended again yet by the ruling PAP. Three bills have been tabled to amend the Constitution as well as the Presidential and Parliamentary Elections Acts to usher in “changes” to the political landscape.
As the PAP holds a two-third majority in Parliament with 82 out of 84 seats, it is able to amend the Constitution as and when it wishes to without any opposition.
Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong proposed last year to decrease the size of the Group Representatio Constituency (GRC) and increase the number of Non-Constituency (NC) MPs in Parliament to “reflect the aspirations of Singaporeans, and to provide for more diverse views in Parliament.”
Critics claim that the cosmetic changes will only perpetuate the PAP’s hegemony further as voters will be less inclined to vote for the opposition as they are now guaranteed more places in Parliament as NCMPs.
Without denying the PAP its two-thirds majority in Parliament, the NCMPs will be powerless to stop the PAP from tabling bills and forcing unpopular policies down the throats of Singaporeans.
Furthermore, being deprived of a grassroots support base, the NCMPs will not be able to grow their strength and influence.
The Presidential and Parliamentary Elections Acts will also be changed to allow for a “cooling-off” day on the eve of polling day, where no form of campaigning is permitted for all political parties except for their political broadcasts.
The mainstream media will not be hindered by this rule and can continue to report on the election news.
This new rule will no doubt disadvantage the opposition as the Singapore media is flagrantly biased against them, being controlled indirectly by the PAP via SPH whose Chairman is a former PAP Minister Dr Tony Tan.
It is not stated explicitly if the rule will extend to cyberspace though PM Lee had said he hope that bloggers will adhere to it.
The next election will be a watershed in the political history of Singapore. With public sentiments against the PAP at an all-time high due to unhappiness over its liberal immigration, pro-foreigner and discriminatory housing policies, the opposition stands a good chance of winning more seats in Parliament.
Singaporeans should take heed from the Malaysian political tsunami in 2008 which saw the opposition denied the ruling Barisan Nasional coalition its traditional two-third majority in Parliament.
With its wings being clipped, Barisan Nasional can longer amend the Constitution at its wimps and fancies and as a result, it has to change its style of governance to listen more to the people.
Unless the PAP is denied its two-third majority in the next general election, it will continue to ride roughshod over Singaporeans who will forever be hapless “sheep” under its mercy.
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Watershed???
Hahahahahahaha…
While the water level is indeed rising and boiling, it will all depend on the quality of the oppositions. How to vote for them if their best on field wants tree all cut for good view or tell dangling employers in a tiny market to raise wage to minimum wage level?
But election is, as I have blogged, dynamic.
Opposition wannabes should give it a try. And yes… from this election onward, being an opposition has a much higher chance landing in parliament as an MP or NCMP, and just imagine the ‘minimum wage’ being an MP or NCMP…
Hahahahahahahahahahahahaha…
Go go go!
“We the people are the rightful masters of both Congress and the courts, not to overthrow the Constitution but to overthrow the men who pervert the Constitution.”
Abraham Lincoln
The incumbents knows its days are numbered and heading downward very fast.
Bring in more NCMP is NOT for reasons of wanting diverse views when they have already CONFESSED TO DEAF of dissent. If they are receptive to contrary views, we won’t hear of “negative asset achievement like” rhetorics so uninhibited of shameless regularity and frequent occurences coming out from the moron_iw from inside and outside that funny frogs-infested zoo.
The enlarged NCMP is intended as a catchment to lock out views that might otherwise joining the opposition and to subtly but strongly encourage them to toe existing line, under a seemingly “neutral” brand name.
If the incumbent is really genuine about being receptive to diverse views, ditch the GRC to show me it is an act of self-confidence and good faith.
Otherwise the political withcraft is nothing more than the hypocritical “freedom of speech” croaking call locking up dissent within Hong Lim Park and within that small confines placed them under threatening surveillance camera. HLP IS A MINSCULE PRISON INSIDE THE PRISON OF THIS RED DOT FOR EASY SURVEILLANCE AND APPREHENDING INTIMIDATION OF SINGAPOREANS – MAKE NO MISTAKE ABOUT ITS TRUE INTENT. If anything, placing Hong LIm Park UNDER SURVEILANCE goes against the legislative intent of creating this fictional political space within its small park and probably offends the constitutional law of right to undisturbed political communication in free democracy.
The one-day cooling off period is the same – imprisonment of political thoughts before the expresssion of political thoughts of voting choice and preference. IT IS AN INSULT TO SINGAPOREANS that we cannot think rationally.
VOTE FOR CHANGE TO A MORE DEMOCRACTIC RULE IN THIS ELECTION.
There are no carrots in this budget, I assume they will bring out the stick, what I mean is, to bring out the FEAR in the kiasi and kiasu Singaporean! Why is Songapore issueing warning on the Straits of Malacca? I tot the CIA should have much better intelligence?
Please allow me to do some wild speculations.
On a warm rainy evening, police cordon off a corner of a busy MRT station. All passengers evacuated. An unattended bag was found.
The bomb squad called in.
And BOOMZ, it’s a REAL BOMB!!!
The next day.
PM call a press conference.
No one was hurt.
Warned against terrorism.
Reward the alert vigilante that made the 999 call.( Likely a FT)
Praise the police for taking swift and proper actions.
All ministers keep reminding Singaporean of the terrorist threat.
2 months later, call for elections.
PAP 70% OPP 30%.
PAP 83 seats OPP 1 seat.
A cheap and easy production, just like a mock exercise.
End of wayang!
We should let more opposition MPs go into parliament, this is to the people’s advantage.
I see a lot of new PAPaya MPs get voted into parliament through walk-overs in the GE, most notably through the unfair system like GRC. (this is a glaring reflection of how Kiasu PAPaya is, by drawing and redrawing the boundaries of GRCs at every elections. They really no balls lah, don’t dare to face opposition MPs one by one because they may lose many parliamentary seats)
Do you think these kind of MP treasure the chances given to them when they can win so easily?
The opposition may not be experience, that’s why we need to put them into parliament to get the experience. Given time, I’m sure some of them will be better MP than the PAPaya MP.
Since we practically cannot vote out the PAPaya, then do the next best thing, vote in more oppositions. The bottomline is, I am willing to sacrifice a few years of my life to give my beloved Singapore a chance. If the opposition no good, then we vote them out lah!
When the PAPaya wins, the people lose. We lose because we did not give ourselves more choice and most importantly, we did not give ourselves a voice in the parliament.
I am still waiting for Terry, from NTUC to talk.
Ha ha ha!
Whatever cosmetic changes are being initiated by the ruling folks, the Opposition just simply has to be a lot more credible and thus show the electorate they really have the ability to win serious seats, be it at least 1 GRC to beging with instead of miserable constituency seats. So show people what you’ve got Opposition folks. Remember unity makes strength and fragmented approach is doomed to failure as compared to an unified and common platform. Wash your dirty linen internally!!!
They changed our Constitution to make NMPs a PERMANENT feature in Parliament.
Is that necessary?
We should examine what is the purpose of NMPs.
Are the pappies so sure that they’ll have the overwhelming majority FOREVER?
The problem is most Singaporeans are more interested in sensational news like e.g. Jack Neo’s scandal than the real political issues here.
Let’s take a look at TR’s Most Read Posts.
Take a look at the Top 10 and the numbers of views.
Can’t help but still think PAP will win.
Why?
Because Singaporeans too bochup for our own good.
We are just digging our own graves.
By the time we realised it, too late, bye bye~
NCMPs have limited influence as they cannot vote on the following:
-amendment of the constitution
-public funds
-vote of no confidence in the government
-removing the president from office
How many eligible voters are aware of their limitations? This scheme is one of many tools that PAP use to perpetuate its political dominance, giving the illusion of an ‘opposition’ in parliament.
We’re on the road to Communism!
We need more MP that has been through the baptism of fire than by back door MP getting into parliament via piggybacking or walkover.
The NCMP scheme is just another form of putting more PAP supporters into parliament, albeit with maybe two or three people with free minds.
For better or worse, I just want something different. Guess who I’m going to vote for.
NCMP means that my favourite MP mah boh tan and his buddies wong kan seng etc can still continue to contribute to our society at a reduced price tag in parliament as NCMP right? even when they don’t get voted in?
heng, i thought I lost mah and wong forever if they get voted out unanimously by so many singaporeans who don’t think they deserve to carry on their lofty positions.
if not for NCMP, we cannot continue to benefit from their valuable advice. now i feel safe in making my vote because even if these talented people don’t get voted in, they can still protect our country from bad policies as NCMPs! Yay!
can we change the constitution to sack M&M, S&M and Nathan? all useless, no value-added, cost spore almost 10m a yr. wtf?
NCMP better change to European NATO
NATO stand for (No Action Talk Only)
NCMP can talk a lot but cannot veto any bills
NCMP can talk a lot but still cannot vote on any bills
What we have is plenty of acting good for viewerships
Having more NCMP to create a big talking shop?
PAPAYA is not gentleman enough, they should ban GRC completely and place thier Candidates in a Single seat to prove thier worth as an MP.
Although I welcome more NCMPs, I would like to know if they will have more powers than in the past. What’s the point of having more allocated seats that are of little powers?
Another thing is that although in the last structure has 3 allocated seats for NCMPs, only ONE is filled (to fulfil the obligation?)!
I know it’s politics but can these folks please be more sincere in what they’re doing, or am I asking for too much?
I cannot help but agree with dunbeanidiot’s observation.
At the end of the day, all this hullaballu about voting out the PAP will just evaporate when the masses start thinking what will happen to my property prices if the Opposition wins in my constituency. Will I still get my lift / flat upgraded ?
Call me cynical ….
More NCMPs so that even if more opposition MPs in future, the PAP will usher in more deaf and compliant NCMPs to sing the praises of PAP in front of TV camera.
Anyway it’s all wayang. The real show will be done by the Electoral Boundaries Review Committee, which they will only make public 2 weeks before the actual GE date. So that the opposition parties all kalang-kabo.
Anyway, PAPpies can draw up Singapore as one gigantic GRC — you need to field 72 candidates at one shot to contest. The other 12 candidates can go to SMCs. These SMCs will be Pulau Ubin, Pulau Tekong, Pulau Hantu, Southern Islands, St Johns Island, Pedra Branca Lighthouse, SAF Live Firing Areas, and various mangrove swamps around the island.
” can we change the constitution to sack M&M, S&M and Nathan? all useless, no value-added, cost spore almost 10m a yr. wtf? ”
Please don’t say that! I’m sure if we all put our heads together and think hard enough, we will find that they are useful in some way that is not apparent to most of us.
They can now remain in parliament as NCMPs, until we figure out whether their usefulness has reduced to a point whereby it is imperceptible, after which we can shift them to other duties.
But please don’t just sack them, not until we figure out what it is they are useful for.
Enough talk, enough blog, enough whine, enough is enough. However one thing in my mind is very clear and firm. PAP need to be weakened progressively before a new team takeover, hopefully in the foreseeable future. Otherwise it will just get more self serving, more arrogant, more incompetant, more heartless, more people left behind, more screwup on national reserve with zero accountability…..
Actually if anything, I thought the increase in NCMPs is to cushion the likely scenario that PAP will lose more seats. In this way, the fallen PAP MPs will still have a job.
Why we need more NCMP? Isn’t the parliament salary budget very big already? If more headcount, mean more expenditure. What is the ROI? If they really want to promote wayang, why don’t they put aside the budget to revive the dying ART of Chinese Wayang or Wayang Kulit!
This move by the PAP is not a good sign.
I read it as a pre-emptive move by the PAP.
In case they don’t have a two third majority after an election.
Who is to stop PAP from amemding the constitution(again) through the parliament and/or court process (with PAP leaning judges), allow these NMP (obviously nonminated by the PAP) to have the power to vote in parliament, effectively giving them back the two third majority.
“Anyway, PAPpies can draw up Singapore as one gigantic GRC”
wah! someone revealed the plans for Wawasan 2031 to you already?? shhh…OSA u know, OSA …
Singaporeans
The PAP has 82 out of the 84 seats in Parliament. Their stranglehold in Parliament is complete, a fiat accompli.
To change our laws, it requires 3 readings of a Bill in Parliament and a two-third majority vote. The PAP Government has done it with the Newspaper and Printing Presses Act of 1974, the setting up of GRC, the elected President, NMP Act, etc. So they can increase or decrease the number of NMPs as they wish.
The PAP tells Singaporeans that their diverse views are represented in Parliament by these Nominated MPs. This is most definitely not the same as having our own elected MPs
If they want NMPs, the Government should look at the bicameral system where there is an upper house like in Australia and Canada and where Senators can be from professional bodies; respected citizens; ex-experienced and senior Government officials or leaders of pressure and interest groups – people not associated with the government or not appointed by them.
Having more NPMs is not the solution. If PAP is serious, they should embrace a plural multi-party political system.
Foreign political analysts and several opposition parties including the Workers’ Party of Singapore and the Singapore Democratic Party (SDP) have argued that Singapore is a de facto one-party state.
The Economist Intelligence Unit classes Singapore as a “hybrid” country, with authoritarian and democratic elements. Freedom House does not consider Singapore an “electoral democracy” and ranks the country as “partly free”. Reporters Without Borders ranked Singapore 140th out of 167 countries in its 2005 Worldwide Press Freedom Index.
The PAP Government is not really interested in refining the political system but perpetuating their hold on power and rule in Singapore.
Acting deaf to feedback from the ground will surely cost them in the next elections. ARROGANCE is not the way.
Nitebirdsg on Fri, 12th Mar 2010 11:56 am :
I cannot help but agree with dunbeanidiot’s observation.
At the end of the day, all this hullaballu about voting out the PAP will just evaporate when the masses start thinking what will happen to my property prices if the Opposition wins in my constituency. Will I still get my lift / flat upgraded ?
a) May I ask your opinion of whether a high property price or a low one is good for you as an individual?
b) To most voters out there, which do they think benefits them, high or low?
c) will the price tend to go high or low after opposition wins?
d) why can’t your lift be “traded up” using taxpayer funds that everyone contributes to, even in an opposition ward? “traded up” also means upgrading, but it’s not the same Trademark(tm) so opposition wards can register Traded Up(tm) as their own trademark. then they can Trade Up your lift using taxpayers money that even you have contributed, without infringing the copyright of Upgrading(tm). what’s wrong with that? Upgrading(tm) did not patent “lifts” or “construction”, they just patented “Upgrading”. Opposition can register “Trade Up” as their new trademark, which involves non-patent concepts such as “lifts” and “construction” without being sued.
if you can reconcile (a) to (d) you will get your answer. what is your answer to these questions?
NCMP cannot vote right?
But NCMP can get a salary right?
We want real power to block or change the law before it is pass, not NCMP who only talk and have no impact on law making.
Don’t fall for the smoke screen.
The big question to ask is, “Will the opposition parties now do their best to be the biggest losers so that they can be NCMPs (with no voting rights or constituents), or maintain fighting to win and become MPs?
We will see alot of opportunistic politicians eyeing and being content with NCMP seats.
Bee Ling
Let’s wait and see if
– netizens reflect the views of the voters better than PAP; and
– whether netizens walk the walk or only talk the talk.
Reading the net, JBJ is the people’s hero. But when he was hawking his books at Raffles City etc, only a few people bot his book.
Are NCMP’s people selected by PAP leaders? I wonder.
No matter how much they try to change or amend the constitution to suit them is already too late. The lives of too many citizens has already been damaged badly by their self interest policies, so much that there is no turning back, its too late, finished!
NCMP is like barking dogs without teeth. In order to have real speaking voices to speak up for us, we need real elected opposition MPs.
How many more lives of the citizens are they going to destroy? First they took away our entire life cpf savings and made us worked till we go to our graves, now they even took away our jobs, its all done! game over!
To both @dunbeanidiot & Nitebirdsg,
I am totally agreed with both of you…has been very dis-hearten with a lot of people who claimed and wanted to vote out the PAPpies but chickened out at the last minute.
To @KNN,
I can understand and share your frustration. I am just as eager as you to kick these money-grabbers, bunch of YESmen, deaf frogs, old fogeys and LP carriers out of Parliment.
Fellow citizens of Singapore,
Let be realistic and dun be blindly fool by those PAPpies. NCMPs have limitations, they CANNOT veto bills and most are unfavourable and undesirable bills created by PAPpies. They simply have no say and we are left helpless to let those PAPpies forcing them down out throat. What is the point of having an “alternate voice” in parliment when they have no power? And now we all know that no matter how these NCMPs citicize, they will be turn to deaf ears because we have a lot of deaf frogs PAPpies MPs in our par”LEE”ment. NMP scheme is just another “dumb” idea, wasting od taxpayers’ $$$$.
Let not just talk, action of voting for the oppositions should be taken in reality and not just Kao Bei Kao Bu now. Given the chance to vote, don’t blew it and say NO to PAPpies to avoid regrets!
Actually arh, look at previous NMP Siew Kum Hong, his time in parliament as NMP really gave him the opportunity for Singaporeans to take notice of him and the good work done.
Its not exactly a bad thing to be an NCMP i guess, take one term to let Singaporeans notice them and then next year try to win a ward or constituency.
@ Sith on Fri, 12th Mar 2010 10:21 am
You wrote : “Whatever cosmetic changes are being initiated by the ruling folks, the Opposition just simply has to be a lot more credible and thus show the electorate they really have the ability to win serious seats, be it at least 1 GRC to beging with instead of miserable constituency seats.”
Your assumption is the incumbent is credible??? pray tell, in what way they are . Indeed, it is incredulous that they can lost so much money from Town council skinking funds…….. dont even get me to start on GIC and Temasek investment tract records.
Why should the opposition need to be MORE CREDIBLE than then incumbent ?? Indeed, they dont even need to be AS CREDIBLE because there are many other parameter to add up in the equation. For instance, the opposition had no BAD TRACT RECORD of bad investment skill, and perhaps, the opposition ward has LOWER conservancy charges, meaning they are more capable in management.
I hope the Jack Neo scandal is not diluting the PAPaya’a incompetence, ‘deaf-to-all-criticism’ issues.
ALL local singapore citizens can do their part duing the voting period . If you wsnt accountability on the massive investment losses and the stupid FT policy killing massive job opportunities for local singaporeans , the only way ( no other way ) is tp vote the oppositions . no other choices
remains to be seen. i am not exactly convinced in regards to the increase in NMPs or NCMPs. These people may be PAP cronies and comes heavily vetted.
what i will insist on seeing, is the demolition of the GRC. no more 4 member party fiesta. i want opposition candidates to have the freedom to step forward and contest in any consituency without feeling intimidated.
Some people lamented and commented of lack of good opposition contestants to vote for. While this is valid to a certain extent, and depends on voter’s preferences and choices of criteria, I am quite sure if there are absence of so-called good opposition candidates it might still be a better choice to vote them rather than voting for PAP scumbags who tell partial truths, skewed statistics, chided Singaporeans, incapable Ministers who are caught off-guarded, those who let criminal escapes from toilet windows, those who keep changing CPF rules to prevent Singaporeans to touch their years of hard-earned money, those who claimed that foreigners are good for Singaporeans, who are DEAF all the time, and so many others we can name etc etc.
From journalism.sg, TR could be affected by the amendments. Will TR still post articles on cooling day? If so, will they be charged under the law?
the proposed amendments could also affect citizen journalism. “News” is exempted from the law. However, this exemption covers only licensed media. Internet-only publications, including citizen journalism sites such as The Online Citizen, Yawning Bread and many others, are not individually licensed and so not considered publishers of news under this law.
This effectively means that their reports of the final rallies must be posted the same night. If they are posted the following day, the eve of Polling Day, they could be charged with violating the “cooling off” law.
On the bright side, they would not be expected to take down content that was already on their websites. The law would exempt election advertising lawfully published before the start of the eve of Polling Day, as long as it is not subsequently modified.
This type of cosmetics changes does not run away from the fact that PAP has absolute control on parliament and can do whatever they like without having to account to the citizen e.g. large import of foreigners. Immigration policy should be debated in parliament before implementation instead of just depending on the pleasure of our PM to increase to this large number. This high-handed way of implementing policy will continue to exist regardlesss of the number of NMCP in the parliament.
This election, do expect a BLANKET BAN on ALL POLITICAL COMMENTARY in cyberspace.
Bloggers/webmasters who wish to carry such commentary on their websites during the election period may have to REGISTER themselves with the elections department. (With the usual scare-mongering tactics that if you violate this or that, then you’ll be charged with this or that offence.)
Expect the pro-govt cyber-warriors to work over-time policing the major political forums and websites.
Expect popular anti-govt websites to be down most of the election period.
Expect the one-day cooling off period to be extended to cyberspace as well.
These measures should cost the opposition at least 5% swing votes.
No compromise. No bargaining. No concession. The issue at hand is not whether to have more NCMPs or less NCMPs. The issue really is to vote out as many pap mps as possible. Anything less is unacceptable.
Why should we let PAP alone dictate the rules as to how Parliament should be run ?
They don’t even dare to allow Siew Kum Hong to be nominated for another term because of the quesions being asked of PAP ? How to trust PAP ?
The only way to control PAP is to elect more opposition MPs through the ballot box not through their backdoor GRC MPs & NMPs.
Long time ago woody woodpecker talked about Singapore as a good football team scoring goals. With 11 players, referee and linesmen on their side the incumbants are still wary of losing. So now they decided to change the goal posts to ensure victory. Woody woodpecker and his team surely knows how to play the game well.