The Constitutional Commission – A few good men?

The Constitutional Commission set up to review the criteria for the Elected President is made up of a few men and a woman, all very well established and with very fine credentials that made them very highly regarded in the community. Their names will be in the history books of Singapore, to be read by the millennial in perpetuity.

This ambiguous and highly controversial task of setting the rules for the Elected President could bring out the best in these men and woman, to be remembered as the few good men and a good woman, if they set out to do something good for the people and country. They are shouldering a heavy responsibility, but some may say, caught between a hard rock and the deep blue sea. They could shine or falter and live the rest of their lives in ignominy, depending on the outcome of their recommendations.

What is the real purpose and intent of the Elected Presidency? It is not as simple and straight forward as a school boy would think. Everyone with a little awareness of what is happening in the politics of this island knows exactly what the hell this Commission is supposed to do. It is like a case of do and be condemned or not do and be condemned.  This is how dire the task facing this Commission.

There is the constitutional right of the people to protect, there is democracy to reckon with, and they are the unwritten laws of the day to answer to.  Would the Commission recommend the rights of the people, all being equal under the Constitution, be compromised, that some will have more rights than others, that some are more equal than others, that some can be qualified to be President by virtue of their wealth, position and power and that the common folks have no such right because they did not have the wealth, position and power?

This is a very fundamental position the Commission has to deal with and to answer to the people, oops, to the govt of the day. And it is good that there are two high court judges in the Commission, including the Chief Justice, the man appointed to protect the Constitution and the rights of the people legally, to keep an eye to ensure that the Constitution is not violated.

Would the people applaud at the end of the day, that we have a few good men and a good woman to do what is good for the people and country and keeping the spirit of the Constitution intact? Or would it be something else, that there is no good man or good woman to talk about? Would some be saying, ‘Welcome to the Dark Side?’

Would the Force be strong to keep the good men and good woman away from the Dark Side? These men and a woman would have to answer the call of their duty and the mighty, or almighty to do what is right and what they think is right. No easy task. It is a daunting mission that calls for fearless men and woman to be strong and do the constitutionally right thing.  Their life long reputation is on the line. Would they end up saying ‘inside the centre is not within 200 metres?’

May the Force be with them.

PS. Quote from ‘Musings from the Lion City’. Everyone in Singapore believes that Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong set up the Constitutional Commission to ensure the presidency stays within the control of the PAP. He does not want another contest as close as the one in 2011. It seems Tan thought this as well and is now trying to pre-empt the Constitutional Commission.

Singapore needs a Chee Soon Juan

The stigma on Chee Soon Juan is still thick in the heads of the unthinking. And the parrots are out parroting that Chee is not the right man to be in Parliament. I defer. Chee is exactly what this Parliament needs, someone to speak out for the people, on national issues and issues that affect the people of this country.

What kind of Parliament are we having today? What kind of opposition are we having today in Parliament? The Parliament we have today, and the kind of opposition we have today are exactly designed and molded by the ruling govt. It is a Parliament of prepared questions and prepared answers. And opposition MPs are there to ask the right questions. I also not sure what ‘right questions’ meant.

Out of Parliament, the role of the opposition has been crafted and framed nicely by the ruling govt, to be town council managers, to make sure the streets are clean, the rubbish are cleared, the street lights are working. Why are we paying so much money for part time politicians to do these things? Hire a few road sweepers and cleaners would have done the jobs better.

The Singapore politics is a model designed by the ruling govt. It is deemed to be the best and working model. It is like all the policies, all well thought out and planned by the govt, including the life savings of the people and how they should spend the money and how they should live. For those who agree with this model, good for them.

But there are alternatives, alternative ways of doing things, of living our lives and how we should use our life savings. Singaporeans cannot be so daft that when the govt said ‘eat shit’ and they will eat shit without protest, without asking why. When the govt said do, then they do, cannot do, then cannot do.

Singaporeans need people like Chee to say no, there are other ways, to say no, we don’t want to eat shit. The role of politicians is not to prepare written questions in Parliament. The role of politicians is not to be road sweepers and cleaners of an estate. There is a need for an alternative voice in Parliament to change the ethos of politics in and out of Parliament. There is a need for the people to have a voice to tell the ruling govt what they want, not what the ruling govt wants, to tell the govt what the people think is good and not what the govt thinks is good.

Parliament needs more politicians of the Chee Soon Juan caliber, to speak their minds, some may be right and good, some may not be right and good, some a matter of doing things in different ways. Unless Singaporeans want to accept that this political system is the best, and there is no room for politicians like Chee Soon Juan, that politicians paid handsomely are to be estate managers, to look after the lifts, the roads and the longkangs, then they don’t deserve politicians like Chee Soon Juan.

The people of Bukit Batok would have to decide soon, what kind of politicians they want to serve them and to be in Parliament to speak out for them, for their interests, not the interests of political parties.

Killing Fields – Where are the good men?

Marina Mahathir wrote an article in the mypaper on 11 Mar titled ‘Evil wins when good men do nothing’. She referred to the days of the genocide in Kampuchea under the Khmer Rouge when millions were killed by the regime of Pol Pot. The question is that why were there no good men to stop the killings. It is easier said then done when the regime were dominated by people of the same mindset, same indoctrination, same motives and aspiration.

Why was this applicable to Malaysia today? The recent politics in Malaysia and the several unnatural deaths that occurred must be the reason why she raised this issue. But she acknowledged that ‘Malaysia was no where near these sort of brutalities. But it is easy to slip into a subtler version of the mindset without noticing…The use of the media to propagate discriminatory stories and untruths about people is becoming the norm.’

Singapore is definitely even further than the case like in Malaysia. We are no where near Malaysia as for now, even with the high profile deaths of children and young NSmen.  Some may say it starts off very innocently and like oppression, soon people will get use to it and become very comfortable with the new norms.

Singapore is different. Look at the noise made in Parliament about the death of Benjamin? The silence is so loud. Singapore has no shortage of good men and women. They are all sitting in Parliament. They would even cry over cruelties to dogs and cats. One animal lover even got handpicked to become an MP. That is how much we treasure life, the lives of animals. The politicians care!

Singapore is a caring society, all inclusive, inclusive of animals. We will never become a Killing Field. Marina Mahathir is very worried about the emerging Killing Fields in Malaysia.

Heaven opens the way for the SDP

Hard work, perseverance, dedication and the passion to want to serve the people will be rewarded. For that is what the SDP has been doing. And heaven got eyes and has finally relented to let the SDP take a first step into Parliament. Before I sell my koyok on why the SDP is deserving of a seat in Parliament, let me sing a few praises for the immortals as well.

It is very tough to be an immortal in Sin City. Heard of the temptation of Jesus? When you are a super talent, all goodness, honourable, powerful, very rich, and very good looking, very caring, very kind and helpful to the people, and especially when one is an immortal on earth, you will stand out as very attractive and likeable, and the opposite sex would only fall all over you, helplessly. Be kind to them when they could not resist the attractiveness of the immortals. They are just weak human beans. It is tough for humans to resist the temptation of the flesh. It is even tougher for immortals to do so when temptation is everywhere. Do not blame both the human beans and immortals for giving in to temptation.  It is easy for human beans to fall and even for immortals to fall. It is a miracle that so many immortals are able to stay clean and not fallen to the same weaknesses of human beans.

Let me get back to serious business. The hard work and good will of the SDP are starting to pay back. Many opposition parties are getting itchy again and the devils will not hide the horns on their foreheads. The devils will appear to do the damage they are supposed to do. That is the job of the devil. Itchy the opposition camp may be, but there must be some honour, some discipline and reciprocity, and of course no more stupidity, opportunistic and irresponsibility. Everyone in the opposition camp must remember the gracious withdrawal of the SDP in the Punggol East by election to avoid a fight with the WP.  Also the withdrawal of the WP from Potong Pasir. Two others stupidly went in only to be mauled in Punggol East.

The Bukit Batok by election under the existing understanding in the opposition camp will go to the SDP. They fought there in the last GE and thus has the first right of refusal. Any opposition party wanting to come in will be a sign of bad faith, dishonourable, spoiler and would not be forgiven.  And SDP is the only opposition party that did not fold up and went to sleep after the last GE. They continue to speak up for the people and this would put them in a good stead in the eyes of the voters. The SGP is not a fly by night party, but here to stay, with the people.

Now it is up to the SDP to put up their best candidate for this opening. Be very sure the PAP would put up their very best immortal or super talent to want to retain this seat. The SDP cannot be slipshod in the selection of their candidate and only the very best would do. It is either Chee Soon Juan or Paul Tambyah to take up this fight.

This is a by election for the PAP to lose, like in Punggol East. And it could be a repeat of Punggol East with spoilers coming in to try to mess things up, but will be mauled and sent to the sewers if they do so.

The SDP has been rewarded with a penalty to convert. Send in the best forward to do a clean job with this gift from heaven.  Heaven has finally smiled at Chee Soon Juan, the man that deserves more than anyone to be in Parliament.. 

Has the govt forgotten the meaning of National Service?

The death of Dominique Lee and the revelation of a law that said SAF soldiers cannot be sued for negligence in the course of duty for tort even causing the death of NSmen is very disturbing indeed. Has the govt forgotten the meaning of National Service? The govt is conscripting the sons of Singapore citizens to be trained to defend this country, to die for this country in the defence of this country, not to die because someone is negligent and irresponsible, or doing something rash or stupid.

The govt and the SAF owe every NSman and their family an unqualified duty to ensure that the NSmen are in good and safe hands, in responsible hands, that the people looking after them, training them and leading them to war, are professionally trained, responsible and NOT negligent in the conduct of their responsibility. The last part is the least that the govt and the SAF must do, to make sure that no one is negligent or thinks he can be negligent and get away with it when the lives of NSmen is at stake.

The NSmen did not volunteer for National Service. They are not professional soldiers, ‘tan chiak peng’, who joined the SAF for a salary. They are conscripted and paid a miserly allowance for their service at the prime of their lives. The govt and the SAF must take absolute care to see to it that negligence is not to be condoned. The parents brought up their sons for 18 years. Do return their sons healthy and alive at the end of their NS. Accidents cannot be prevented, but negligence can and cannot be encouraged or protected.

A law that said negligence cannot be sued is like protecting people who are negligent and that negligence is acceptable. Negligence is UNACCEPTABLE. Not in a NS military organization when young people are conscripted by law to serve. A law that protects negligence has no place in a NS army. It compromises the safety of the NSmen. The rationale for such a law is unbelieveable! It cannot be justified under any ground.

The sons of our citizens deserve better protection from the state, from the SAF. They did not ask to be NSmen. Don’t forget this.