By-election a must for PM's moral authority
Singapore Democrats
The Prime Minister cannot avoid calling for a by-election in
Punggol East SMC without inflicting severe damage to his and his
party's political and moral standing.
Mr Michael Palmer
resigned not just as a Member of Parliament but also as Speaker.
His stepping down has left a gaping hole in the legislature that
cannot be ignored or papered over. More importantly, voters of
Punggol East have been badly let down and they deserve the
opportunity to elect another representative.
For these reasons, PM Lee Hsien Loong must call an election in the
constituency and soon.
Governance requires not just political but also moral authority.
Without moral authority, the PM will find his power undermined and
challenged from within and outside of his party. Singaporeans will
lose even more confidence in his leadership and ability to take our
country forward. The end-result is that our nation will go further
in the wrong direction. A by-election is the only way that Mr Lee
can stem the erosion of his moral authority.
Of course, Mr Lee is anxious to avoid elections especially at this
time. For all his expressions of contrition and promises to make
amends at the end of the last general elections, nothing has
changed. It is nearly two years since the 2011 GE and Mr Lee's
broken promises are still fresh in the minds of
Singaporeans:
Wages are still down, inflation is running up, HDB prices continue
to escalate, public transport is still as crowded, healthcare costs
remain as expensive as ever and the PAP is going ahead with its
dangerous plan of bringing in more and more foreigners even though
our country cannot sustain it.
Singaporeans are fed up. They want change. The SDP stands at the
vanguard of change. We have advocated a series of alternative
policy plans that have given our fellow Singaporeans a clear view
of what that change looks like. We want:
The SDP has been working to raise the standard of opposition
politics in Singapore and to be the party that Singaporeans are
looking for: competent, constructive and compassionate.
http://yoursdp.org/news/by_election_a_must_for_pm_s_moral_authority/2012-12-13-5490
