The PA is a non political organization

The People’s Association is a statutory board and a non political organization. Who dares to challenge its non political and non partisan status in organizing community services? Even the community centres, now called community club, are not called political clubs or associations.

There is no politician in the organizations. Oh the MPs are only advisors of grassroots organizations which are also non political. The Chairman of the PA, someone told me is the Prime Minister. OK, he is the Chairman but not there as a politician. Maybe the Chairman’s position is akin to the President of Singapore, non political, a unifying figure, non partisan.

All of PA’s premises are out of bound to politicians. Even those common areas it leased from the HDB are only for non political community events. MPs cannot attend as they will make the event political. I think, correct me if I am wrong, an MP cannot go to the community club to pee if nature calls. It is strictly non political and does not need the presence of any political animal to tarnish its clean and non political image.

Please feel free to disagree with me. I never say that everything I said is 100% correct. Sure there are things that I said were wrong or wrongly conceived. Sure I must have made many mistakes. Please forgive me. I am just a lesser mortal.

Cowboy country or Rule of Law

The lunatic fringes are lurking in the cowboy country in cyberspace. In the other physical dimension there are all kinds of rules and laws governing the citizens and the lunatic fringes. I am presently surprised that there are more rules than I have thought of that are enforceable by the men in blue.

I read a case of a TOC reporter being hauled to the police station by the transport authority for taking photographs of an accident involving buses. According to the transport official, the organization has rules that forbid the public from taking such photographs. Though the police initially said that there was no case, they eventually took down the particulars of the photographer at the insistence of the transport official. Not sure if the photographer has to submit a report of the incident.

This is especially frightening to me as an avid photographer. Now I am not sure when a private organization is going to drag me to the police station for violating their company rules and regulations. Scary isn’t it? Would the police be kind enough to enlighten the ignorant public of such private rules and regulations and whether the police will apply these private laws to apprehend the public.

We also have a non political organization like the PA with the authority to ban elected representative of the people from public functions because they have ownership of the property by virtue of a lease. I cannot imagine property owners renting their properties to individuals and forbid them from inviting politicians to their premises. The Workers Party is reported in the Today paper for accusing the HDB for abuse of authority by leasing common areas to the PA which then forbids MPs, unless appointed as grassroots advisers, from attending functions held in those properties.

Funny that a non political organization like the HDB ‘is abusing its powers as land owner of common property in HDB estates to help the PA(another non political organization) achieve the political objectives. The part in within inverted commas was quoted from the Today paper.
Very strange developments. Non political organizations somehow seen as playing politics or achieving political objectives. I am sure the HDB and PA are doing everything within their constitutions and rules and regulations as non political organisations, and their actions are all within the principles of rule of law. I am wondering what would happen if an opposition MP invited himself to a community event in a PA leased property that forbids his presence? Would the police be called in to take down the MP’s particular and record a statement from the MP?

Rule of law is good as it makes it very clear what the citizens can or cannot do. What is troubling is that many of these rules and laws are private and not known to the public and many innocent people with no intent to break these rules of private authorities will be caught unguarded. Perhaps organizations like the transport authority could publish all the forbidden rules in the media to help the public to avoid violating their rules and laws. And all organizations with their private rules and laws should also do so.

I will stay indoor for the next 6 months until all the private authorities publish their rules and laws affecting the public. Then only will I feel safe to step out of my flat. And definitely I will not dare to take photographs of public transport vehicles and their activities. Maybe I should hang up my camera for good. I am a law abiding citizen and will obey all laws as long as they are laws. If the karang guni man has his own laws, I will also make sure not to infringe them. Life can be quite scary in a country run by the rule of law.

‘Yao yao ling xian’ Tan Jee Say in the lead

After two and a half days of poll and 207 votes, Tan Jee Say is way ahead of all the other candidates with 74% of the votes. Tan Cheng Bock is maintaining his second position with 15% and Tan Kin Lian taking third place with 5%. Tony Tan is coming from behind at 4%.

I know that this poll is not a true representative of the whole population and would not ensure a Tan Jee Say win. What is pertinent is that among the anti PAP voters, the majority is throwing their votes to Tan Jee Say.

If that be the case, if my earlier estimate holds, that is a split of 50:50 between pro govt and against govt votes, Tan Jee Say is going to garner at 74% of the 50% or 37% of popular vote. This will definitely put tremendous pressure on Tony Tan. If he is going to split 30:20 with Tan Cheng Bock, then Tan Jee Say is in.

A sense of propriety or impropriety

We have heard it all. We know now what the Elected President can or cannot do. We know what he can or cannot say. We even know that for him to say no to a rogue govt wanting to spend the reserves is a lost cause. An EP can only deal with a govt that will play ball and respect the Constitution. A rogue govt will just bundle the EP out of the Istana without any decorum.

We have 4 candidates. One is saying that he will just play his role as prescribed by the Constitution. Period. Another knows of his limitation and will abide by the Constitution but will find other things that are interesting for him to do. Another two are increasingly aware of what they cannot do but will just try to make more noises to be heard. In summary, we have a ceremonial president with a lame duck role to go against a rogue govt. Another Singapore Myth.

In the case of Tan Kin Lian and Tan Jee Say, the awareness of the little things that they can do independently must have dawned on them that they should not be asking for too much pay. What is enough for the kind of jobs that the EP is doing, reading prepared scripts, inviting people and friends for tea, shaking hands and taking pictures and inviting people to his garden? I don’t think the EP could do anything on the most important role he is expected to do. Oh, I forgot that he needs to lend his rubber stamp for the appointments of senior govt officers and a few other things. He can say No!

So Tan Kin Lian feels ‘peh seh’ and say he will take only 50% of his pay if elected. The other 50% can go to charity. Tan Jee Say gone one step further by saying only $500k is enough. They must be feeling quite embarrassed to receive the multi million dollars on the table. They must have looked at the job and feeling very uneasy with the money, maybe feeling shameful too.

It is good that they have some sense of propriety, to know that it is wrong to accept more than what they have contributed. For all the misgivings, I like them for such a sense of honesty and reality.

Paya Lebar CCC banned MP Chen Show Mao

The news that MP Chen Show Mao has been banned from attending a Seventh Moon Celebration is circulating in the internet and social media. Or is it the People’s Association that is banning him from the event? It was reported that the piece of land for the celebration is under the jurisdiction of the PA which is a non political organisation. So like the community clubs, all activities on its land or premises must not be political. MPs are seen as political. Advisors to CCCs or MCs are not political as they are not wearing the MP hat. Whatever, I am embarrass trying to understand the logic and reasoning.

Coming back to the issue, does the CCC or the PA has the right or authority to ban any citizen from attending a function, be it social, cultural, religious or private functions like wedding or birthday celebrations? If anyone is to ban any person from an event, it must be the organisers and their private functions.

The second point to ask is whether such organisations can ban an elected MP from anything at all? Are they the law, the police or the govt? Is such an act a challenge to institution of the Parliament?

One thing I am still confused in this country that is ruled by law. Does the presence of a MP make an event political? Does a wedding become a political event when an MP is invited? Can an MP enter a community club in his capacity as the MP regardless of his political affiliation? Or is an MP a disease, cannot go about interacting with the citizens?

An MP is good enough to sit in the Parliament, the highest legal body of the country, but can an MP be forbidden to enter a community club or attend a community event in any place in the island, a public place or a private home? As a reminder, the community clubs are built by the people’s money, and not somebody’s grandfather’s money. An MP is also a citizen and an elected representative in Parliament.

I think the Presidential hopefuls may want to have a view on this matter. Those attending their public forums may want to pose this question to them. The MP is part of the legislature that makes law for the country. No one or organisation should do anything to insult the office of an MP.

Would our honourable and learned friends try to interpret the law to see if there is any violation in this regard? I think many would rather play it self, so safe that today, the presidential hopefuls seem to be seeing many things that out to be put right in the run up to the election, from who has the right to be sitting in the Istana to what the President should be doing.

PS. It was quite a joke that the MPs of west Malaysia can be banned from entering east Malaysia. Very third world thuggish behaviour.