Inimitable Lee has confirmed our suspicion that GRC benefits
PAP:
Littlespeck.com
Inimitable Lee
Some things don't change
His endearing quality is speaking his mind, but a bit of Qatar talk
wasn't too helpful to younger ministers trying to justify group
voting. By Seah Chiang Nee
Jan 15, 2006
During his leadership, Singaporeans were used to Mr. Lee Kuan Yew's
outspoken way of articulating issues - whether domestic or foreign
- that had gained him many admirers, and quite a few critics.
Where others had feared to tread, Lee would wade in, raising
subjects considered too sensitive to talk about. I have covered him
for many years and had found this 'straight talk' a refreshing
approach.
It sometimes ruffled feathers abroad when he commented about
foreign leaders or their countries.
This had made him stand out among other leaders who hedged their
remarks. In his inimitable frankness, he could talk for hours
without boring his audience, sometimes saying things unhelpful to
his own party.
His Qatar press briefing was the latest example.
Mr. Lee chose to be frank about group voting at a time when the
policy of holding Group Representation Constituency (GRC) elections
has come under attack as an instrument to help his ruling party
perpetuate control.
One of the opposition Workers Party's four manifesto points for the
coming election calls for it's dismantling.
The governing party, however, says this is dangerous talk because
GRCs are necessary to ensure that Parliament represents enough
minority members needed to maintain racial harmony in
Singapore.
(Under the system, 75 of the 84 MPs are voted in GRCs of three to
six candidates standing as a team in which Malay and Indian
candidates must be included according to their ethnic ratio).
Critics say GRC benefits the PAP and works against the opposition
parties, which lack its vast resources.
At Qatar, however, Lee confirmed that slate voting is benefiting
the PAP in another way.
It has helped new or weak candidates to win by teaming up under a
strong leader pulling them into Parliament when they might have
lost.
Mr Lee told reporters that he hoped to bring in new people with
potential into his six-member Tanjong Pagar GRC - just like he had
done with relative newcomer Mr. Khaw Boon Wan in the last
poll.
'He (Khaw) has established himself in the last four years,' said Mr
Lee of the Health Minister.
'I think he will lead a GRC. He doesn't need me now. He needed me
then because he had no political exposure.'
Mr Lee said the leadership was also looking for new more promising
candidates like Mr Khaw, and he (Kuan Yew) will carry 'at least one
of them' in his Tanjong Pagar GRC.
What he said - that GRC helps him to protect inexperienced ones -
will make it hard for his ministers to convince people that group
voting is purely to ensure race stability.
One web letter said that, despite the PAP explanation, many
Singaporeans had "seen through the scam for what it is - a system
to bring in dubious proteges who will never win enough votes to get
into Parliament on their own record. Mr. Lee now confirmed this in
Qatar."
Another, mom teresa, said, "I had thought the inauguration of the
GRC was all about proportional ethnic representation? Mr. Lee's
statement suggests that it is "a political incubator" for the
ruling party.
Some Singaporeans also noted what someone said was Mr. Lee's
Freudian slip.
Over TV, he started saying that these were people "that I was"
(pause) before changing it to "that the Prime Minister and his
committee were looking for."