3/08/2009
Can we afford to do away with GRCs?
The relevance of GRC has been a perennial issue in all elections. We have been told of how important it is to ensure minority representation in the govt. Lately we have seen how useful it is for a constituency to continue to be served by other MPs in the same GRC when one has passed away. There is no need to run another costly election and wasting money and time of the people. And no lost of the quality of services to the residence.
GRC has many other advantages. It allows a bunch of MPs to enter the Parliament in the same bandwagon, anchored by a strong candidate. Weak candidates need only to hang on tight to the tail coat and he is in. But of course, the sword can cut both ways.
GRC can also relieve the hardworking ministers from the Meet the People Sessions if their schedules are too demanding. They can rely on the not so busy MPs to do the mundane tasks of solving residents' problems.
I do not live in the GRCs of the ministers and do not know if they spend the same number of hours meeting the people as the MPs. Meeting the People is a very tedious and time consuming job and sometimes may not be too pleasant as well. Today such jobs may even carry the risk of personal injury.
I think GRC will grow increasingly important as the ministers and MPs get older and less mobile or have less energy to walk the ground. Leave it to the young beavers.
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12 comments:
Hi Redbean. This is more like it. Serious staff like the coming elections is more interesting than eyeballing and myopia.
If they call a snap election now because they think that Singaporeans will again fall for the same ruse, I think this time round, it will be a big mistake. My advice to them? Don't do it! More than one or two GRCs will be at stake.
Hope you are having a good Sunday.
Dr. Myopic KS Wong
we are all taking a reading of the temperature. it is blowing hot and cold just like if the snap election is on and off.
my reading is that many things are falling apart. but others may still think the ground is sweet. i have never seen the ruling pap being in such bad shape before.
Redbean, just a litte handout will make the ground sweet, more if they want to make it sweeter. Never underestimate the power of money.
Lost Citizen
If the GRCs are objectively independent, then they are a good thing. However the GRCs are not and therefore are nothing more that a cog in the machinery of the state to control the people.
your blog is good good good......
hi gooooood girl, you sure look gooooood. welcome to the blog.
"gooooood girl" is not truly reading your posts and giving comments here. "gooooood girl" is actually trolling a website that sells products for women, creatively making use of other people's blog to promote the items.
thanks jaunty. i thot so. there are too may of such. even my email is flooded.
Ya, I posted something on Reach and a website named "Replica Handbags" came to comment. By clicking on "replica handbags", you will be routed to a website selling fake branded handbags.
Imagine this: online shopping for imitation goods possible through a government's offical website. Reaching for "Reach" and you could be "leaching" to reach website for imitation goods.
Singapore got phantom Workers, China S's listed company got phantom money, and even we have phantom MP. it is about time to have a phantom GRC. LOL
For true democrary to work,ie giving weight to voter's true wishes, the election should return to ALL single wards - single MP ticket.
Single ward elected MP can truely say his win is the ppl's wish - therein lies the true first principle of democrary.
GRC is like a phantom in making and departs from the first principle.
There are so many minority who are lawyers and it is more likely there will stand for election by the dozens in single ward continuency.
Hard to fantom that in every GRC, almost 40% voted against the PAP. Can you imagine what will happen if all 5 GRC members goes under single wards, will PAP MP be able to hold their grounds or lose them?
for next election - Vote for ALL wards to be single. Drop GRC. In this way, we can truely bring democrary to the forth and weed out "Yes" people.
grc has helped the current govt to win many elections. it will also destroy the current party if it is not careful.
it is a double edged sword. just when they think grc is the way to go, it may fall apart.
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