4/30/2010

Do we need losers and rejects in Parliament?

Parliament is where the elected representatives of the people sit to discuss national issues and decide on what should be done for the good of the people. Do we then need losers, people who are rejected by the people, or people who are not elected by the people, to sit there and engage in schoolboy debate? This schoolboy debate was not coined by me. It was reported in the media. What is the point of debating when they cannot decide anything? What is the point of being in Parliament when they don't represent anyone except themselves? If they want to speak out, share their views, won't starting a blog be simpler and be sure of being heard, every word, with commas and fullstops? What kind of Parliament do we want? A Parliament of elected representatives or a make belief group of representatives representing no one?

22 comments:

Wally Buffet said...

For real debate, I suggest at least 10 seats be "donated" to the opposition with a walk over. This single act of charity will be etched in Singapore's history forever. After all, 74 out of 84 seats majority is still world beating.

Then, we won't have to watch the circus jesters teasing the crowd before the stars of the show makes their appearances. We can watch a full bout between the Goliath (74) vs. the David (10).

Hehe.

Anonymous said...

Guess...even they are bored of playing fake opposition :)

Now can outsource to NCMPs...any MIW's innovation

Anonymous said...

>>any MIW's innovation
Ooops..."another"

Chua Chin Leng aka redbean said...

What we need is the real stuff. Gimmicks or imitations are never for real. Parliament is the highest office in the country and should not be tempered with unnecessarily with flimsy schemes.

We need to respect what Parliament is.

All the NMPs and NCMPs shall quit Parliament after the true feelings of their presence have been expressed by other honourary parliamentarians who got in by the front door. Being there through the backdoor and representing no body is a meaningless process except for a bid of ego boosting.

Anonymous said...

Gd Morning!

Wally's suggestion inspires an idea in me. After spending some years roaming the Local Cyberspace, me have wished silently that the many socially and politically awared bloggers be in the Cabinet.

However, it also struck me that that these bloggers are politically neutral in terms of association and affinity with political parties. They are by and large, people with independent ideas and understandings. They have shown very little herd mentality, unlike members of political parties who seem perpetually beholden to their seniors.

From their(bloggers) literatures, we can see their acumens, knowledges and understandings of idealogy, politics and livings. One will likely agree that these people will make good representatives of the masses.

It will be something revolutionary if we could have 10%(ten percent) of our cabinet members comprised of these bloggers in a separate polling open to all citizens who are willing to participate in the voting and election- meaning voting is not compulsory.

There is little or nil chances of this suggestion accepted by our rulers. Nonetheless, it just seems very ideal to me. Imagine social, political savy intellectual neutrals in the Cabinet giving their best to the people and the country.

patriot

Chua Chin Leng aka redbean said...

That's a good suggestion, outsourcing. If the reason is to have good debate and just an alternative voice, outsource for those that can do just that, good debaters and people who have an alternative view.

After watching the clips of parliament sittings, I somehow fail to see much alternative voices or debates coming from the NMPs with a few exceptions.

Anonymous said...

Can we see MPs writing something similar to our selected..oops i meant elected President's "Why Am I Here"?

Chua Chin Leng aka redbean said...

I have been asking this question since my younger days. And many young students are also asking the same question.

Why Am I Here?

One reason is to grab as much money as possible. Another reason is to eat to live and live to eat.

Lost4ever said...

Is it not possible to proportionate the 10 seats of NCMP, NMP based on % of votes counted, so that we can see at least 4 to 5 real opposition MPs even if we have to put up with an additional 6 PAP dogs.

Anonymous said...

The sad thing about Sinkies is that when someone shouts, eat shit, they will then sit down and discuss how best to eat the shit, eating in one go, or in several pieces or eating with chilly or with pepper.

They simply forgotten that shit is shit and what they are going to eat is still shit. In the first place shit is not to be eaten.

Wally Buffet said...

Why Am I Here?

Indeed.

Walau, this book I really must buy sacrificing the cost of one of my weekly ritual of roti prata gorging at Thomson Road.

Any one know how much the book costs? Any discounts for senior citizens? Any sequel or prequel planned. I wanna collect the treasured trilogy.

Anonymous said...

There will be prequel, sequel, trilogy as well as post trilogy. He has many stories and many parts to tell. During Japanese Occupation, as an intelligence chief, as a diplomat and as president.

Anonymous said...

Hi Mr Wally,

i doubt the current "Why Am I Here" might interest you.
Kindly wait for "Why Am I Here - Part II" on his post of "people" President...if there'll be one

Anonymous said...

>>There will be prequel, sequel, trilogy as well as post trilogy.

Hhmm..perhaps a "Chinese translation for Dummies"..which would be useful for translator-to-be when PRC "invaded" SIN city in the near future

Anonymous said...

Oh please people, he certainly shouldn't be there to write books or autobiographies...and be paid for it.

Anonymous said...

He can write and glorifies himself

provided he don't mind embarrassing his offsprings or put them in shame in future.

Anonymous said...

A wayang is a wayang, is a wayang. I can't find another word for it.

And our wayang gets more and more complicated, with more unusual characters added, more sinister plots hatched.

There's a saying that those who acted in wayangs are crazy and those who watched wayangs are foolish. How true!

wedding singer said...

The sequel for Nathan,
"Who put me here and Why?"

If we examine Mah BT'S political track record, he was a loser in Potong Pasir twice before he became a winner in Tampines.
So actually a loser can become a winner in the long run when you serve the right political master.

The other PAP bugger who contested against Low TK in Hougang has been a loser a few times as well and I think he should be given a seat in parliament for persistence.
He is likely to show his gratitude by offering abalone porridge, frog porridge, etc to Hougang residents and at the same time lobby Mah to expedite upgrading. So actually you can see it is not a bad idea to have losers and rejects...depending on what they have to offer. LOL

Anonymous said...

People who acted in wayang are crazy. People who watched wayang are foolish. People who created wayang makes people crazy and foolish! : )

Anonymous said...

One of the losers in Hougang is a big winner in Parliament and NTUC. The other loser in Hougang is now political secretary, I think, in one of the ministries.

If you join PAP, no losers, all winners. It is only a question of when, how and in what position.

Chua Chin Leng aka redbean said...

Hi wedding singer, welcome to the blog. In life the wheel of fortune is turning all the time. Sometimes up and sometimes down. The luckier ones most of the time up while the losers most of the time down.

Some people are more blessed than others. I may be wrong on this one. I should say some people are more talented than others.

Chua Chin Leng aka redbean said...

Someone gave me the idea of a movie with a title something like Guarding the Second Key with his Life to be filmed in New Zealand like Harry Potter and his Ring.

But I thought a local context will be better, with villians chasing the hero over Bukit Timah Canal, through the jungles of MacRitchie and the disneyland in Orchard. Add in the Formula One racing scene and RWS and MBS all thrown in for the deadly chase.