When he became a MP of Tanjong Pagar GRC on Nomination Day by
virtue of a walkover, PAP supreme leader Lee Kuan Yew promised to
’serve’ its residents for the next five years.
Though Lee has been active lately traveling to China and Japan
and attending forums to dispense his usual ‘pearls of wisdom’ to
others, he is less seen around in his division of Tiong Bahru,
according to some residents.
In fact, fellow PAP MP Indranee Rajah has been holding Lee’s
Meet-the-People sessions (MPS) for him which is conveyed to the
residents via posters and banners put up around the
constituency:
It is stated clearly in the above poster found on a notice-board
besides the lift of a HDB block that Ms Indranee is ‘assisting Mr
Lee Kuan Yew as the covering MP for the Tanjong Pagar-Tiong Bahru
Division.’
It is not revealed if Ms Indranee is covering ALL of Lee’s
sessions or only some of them. However, some Tanjong Pagar
residents noted that they have not seen Lee conducting MPS for
‘quite some time’ already.
A long-term resident of Tanjong Pagar Brian Tan wrote:
“I’m from TP, been staying here for 33 yrs, haven’t come
across LKY doing MPS for his daft Singaporeans at all!!! His shoes
were filled
by Koo Tsai Kee last time, and now by Indranee
Rajah.”
Jessica Tan concurred:
“Former MP koo tsai kee had been covering his ass for
over 20 years.”
Tiong Bahru resident Efen Tan did not see Lee doing any MPS:
“I live in Tiong Bahru, and since GE2011 there are
posters under my block with Indranee’s photo, and the text part
informs us that Indranee is performing LKY’s MPS duties for him at
the Tiong Bahru Market. The Tiong Bahru division is actually under
LKY, but he does not do MPS. “
Though Lee Kuan Yew is only an ordinary MP now, he is assigned
full-time and part-time private and press secretarties by the Prime
Minister’s Office.
PAP MPs are given a generous monthly allowance of $15,000 to
conduct Meet-the-People sessions, officiate at grassroots
activities, interact with residents and to give token speeches in
the rubber-stamped parliament.
As Ray Yang put it succinctly:
“We must be prudent with our taxpayers money. if you
work in a company and your colleague covers your job most of the
time. You are out of
job in no time. If we want to follow the salary of
private market. Then we should follow same working rules
too.”
Obviously being a ‘class’ higher than the ‘lesser mortals’, the
same rule do not apply to the ruling PAP elite.
