At your request, my views on your proposal are given
below:-
QUOTEThe existing parliamentary democracy is an offshoot of the
British Westminister model. It appears that under the Westminister
model, a country should best be run by a three-component governing
process consisting of what is generally known as three realms of
the government namely: (W1) Executive, (W2) Legislature and (W3)
Judiciary.
(W1) and (W2) are so closely intertwined under the Westminster
model that it leads to compromises of the larger interests of the
government as a whole which is not just concerned with
effectiveness of implementation of government policies or decision
but also to ensure in the process of implementation, the government
will produce the greatest good to the greatest number.
As has happened over the past 40 years or so, the intertwining of
W1 and W2, has downgraded our system to one of pursuing economic
efficiency neglecting other important duties and responsibilities
to the people - to bring about a just and equitable, cohesive, and
integrated society.
Our MPs are wearing two hats and have become largely beholden to
the executive for material promotion and rewards preferring to
subscribe to the will and wishes of W1 rather than passinonately
serving the larger goals of government.
Under such a system where MPs have become a mere appendix to the
executive. We have reached a state of checkmate where the elected
MPs were unable to serve the people dutifully. The executive on the
other hand is seen to be protective of their status quo preferring
to justify such control of the MPs in the dubious name of
pragmatism, leadership or talents.
The intertwining of W1 and W2 has resulted in our executive
pursuing a narrow agenda with extensive use of legalistic powers to
justify their actions and policies rather than being accountability
to the larger goals of the government.
Our Westminster-style government has been effective only for the
executive in maintaining legalistic control of the people but not
the larger goals of nation building.
If democracy (in the widest sense) is to work effectively, it must
produce effective leadership and implementation of policies and
decisions as well as a effective body of MPs playing their various
roles and functions to serve the larger interest of all and not
subjected to any supervision or pressure of the executives
(W1).
Currently, our government is only pursuing a legalistic economic
efficiency for the governing machinery resulting in high costs of
living to citizens which the W1 considers impractical to
accomplish. There is a lack of regard for Ombudsman role the MPs
have to play to deal with harsh aspects of implementation of
government policies and decisions and correct or moderate policy
fallouts or side-efects called auto-piloting by top civil servant
like Ngiam Tong Dow, The executive has by and large forgotten the
larger goal of serving the greatest good of the greatest
number.
There exist numerous problems with Ombudsman role of the MPs
sidestepped in many policy implementation. Citizens have to contend
with many executive legalistic wrangling of laws like the GRCs
election system which are rammed down the throat of the people
against their wishes.
In area of investments of citizens' funds and entries of government
into traditional people's livelihood and businesses, there is a
disregard too of the interest of the people. The government
unabashly went into competitions in converting its traditional
state services to corporatised GLCs to undermine citizens' rights
and at the expense of larger interest of the people.
The outcome of such a system where the W2 are beholden to W1 and
the executive has become almost unchallenged and supreme has been
general loss of sense of nationhood among the ordinary citizens.
There have been dropping of wages, emigration of local talents,
higher costs of living of the majority of population and general
dwindling of opportunities for the common people.
If Singapore is to evolve a more effective democracy, it should
separate (W1) and (W2) with (W1) and not subject the elected MPs to
the tight rein or control of the W1. The candidates of MPs under W2
should stand for election separately. Candidates for W1 should be
elected separated from among those widely acknowledged or known for
effective leadership and implementation abilities or those based on
assumptions from academic sources or narrow network of connection
called grassroot or Young PAP etc.
In this way W1 and W2 will be given separate mandates to discharge
their different roles without tweaking or compromises in the name
of leaership, talent or pragmatism which cause high costs of
living, dwindling of opportunities of common unnetworked citizens
and many problems.
Certain membership club committee are elected in two slates e.g.
SRC (I) Executive Slate - President and Principal Office Bearers
like Financial Controller and Game Controller. etc and (II)
Non-Executive - Committee Members from whom various subcommittee
can still be formed. Committee members are more respected and know
how to get certain policies moderated and corrected to prevent
long-standing auto-piloting of fixed policies.
If your idea is accepted it will mean we will evolve to a model of
democracy closer to that of the above-mentioned club system with
MPs being elected in two categorise:
(P1) Non-constituent: Executive Slate- President/Prime Minister as
Chief Executive plus Principal Cabinet Ministers which can be
combined to make them more cohesive body to provide more effective
leadership and implementation of policies and decisions.
(P2) Constituent: Non-Executive Slate - elected with the mandate to
serve the larger goals of government e.g. Ombudsman and Municipal
interests offering selective hearing of presentations of policies
before they are introduced to ensure meeting of larger goals and
results with the greatest interests to the greatest number.
Currently, our W1 is usurping all the functions of W1 and W2 with
the MPs wearing two hats so to speak and unable to perform their
ombudsman and municipal roles causing many problems like the high
costs of living and lessening of opportunities to employment and
business.
W1 could be likened to a runaway zealot who presumes to know
everything and will override all other aspects of governance except
for acceptance of its own policies and controls. Such a system as
can be seen is lacking in competitiveness as witnessed by the groom
and sense of helplessness during recent economic recessions with
constant denial of problems with loss of people sector of economic
competitiveness and solving many common-man problems.
We should try to evolve to a system of government which is more
inclusive one which will serve the larger goals of government (4P)
consisting of four components: (P1) Exectuve slate - candidates
standing as President/PM/Cabinet Ministers (P2) Non-executive slate
- MPs serving as Ombudsman to polish up policies and decisions and
implementation so as to produce the greatest good to the greatest
number. (P3) - Formed from P1 & P2 (P4) Judiary - appointed by
P3
If we want a more effective democracy which will be more adaptable
to change and competitiveness in the globalised world of tomorrow,
we should evolve the 4P model of democracy where the office bearers
are elected separately from the rest of the MPs who will then be
elected with the clear mandate to serve the larger role of
government and not as an appendix to the executive. There is an
urgent need to produce a system of government to serve the large
goals one which will accrue all implementation of policies and
decisions to the greatest good of the greatest number.
The exercise of extraneous powers of the executive or any power
base within the executive over the body of MPs would be insidious
and counterproductive to our continuous wellbeing and nation
buidling.
It is being achieved without benefits to the masses but only
concentration of extraneous power among a few at the top of
leadership with constant legalistic wrangling and tweaking of laws
and regulations and economic figures without clear accountability
or shouldering of responsibility by whoever the power that be.
