May 13, 2006
All MPs get a hearing in Parliament.
I REFER to the letter, 'Don't all MPs deserve to be listened to carefully?' (ST, May 11), by Mr Yip Tai Ann which highlighted one quote of my rally speech in Tampines. Towards the end of that speech, which dwelt mainly on the opposition's empty promises to Tampines residents, I told voters that I understood their anxieties on issues such as the cost of living. I reassured them that PAP MPs like myself would listen to their views and speak up for them. More importantly, we would do our best to solve their problems. They do not need to vote in an opposition just to speak up for them.
It was in this context that I added that ministers would listen more carefully to a PAP MP accurately reflecting ground issues and suggesting practical solutions than to an opposition MP out to score political points. Mr Yip need not be shocked at this. Of course, everyone - PAP and the opposition - is heard in Parliament. That is not the issue. The issue is effectiveness in solving people's problems and addressing their concerns. Besides parliamentary sittings, PAP MPs form the government parliamentary committees which scrutinise government policies and which engage ministers on a continuous basis. Ministers also consult PAP MPs on policies during regular party-caucus meetings. Individually, we also raise the specific problems of our constituents with ministers, to ensure that the problems are looked into and addressed. My own experience has been a positive one. As elected PAP MPs, we have a duty to represent all our constituents. Without their support, we would not form the Government. So elected, the Government has a duty to govern in the best interest of Singaporeans.
But let us be clear on this: The ultimate aim of an opposition party is to replace the governing party, and, indeed, this was spelt out clearly in the Workers' Party's manifesto. The opposition seeks to check and oppose the Government's policies and actions in a bid to eventually convince the electorate that it should unseat the ruling party. This is what opposition politics is all about, and this is not something new or peculiar to Singapore. On the other hand, as PAP MPs, we will continue to speak up boldly on behalf of our residents, address their needs and help refine government policies so as to achieve a better life and a better future for all Singaporeans.
Irene Ng (Miss)
Member of Parliament-elect
Irene Ng claimed during her rally speech that PAP Ministers were more willing to listen to PAP MPs, as opposed to Opposition MPs. This claim was reasserted in her letter above.
However, is this really true? There is evidence that Irene Ng herself is not quite being listened to:
I have listened to the speeches made yesterday and today on my computer URL. I think we have made progress. But unlike Ms Irene Ng's idealistic approach that we should create a national consciousness and forget our ethnic origins and be Singaporeans, I think this will take us a few more generations. If you take a vote in this Chamber, never mind about going out to the constituencies, and say, "Do you agree with what Irene Ng said?", I am pretty certain that the overwhelming majority will say, "Let's stick to where we are."Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew in Parliament, 25 Nov 2004
It is the humble opinion of this writer that Miss Ng would do well to heed the advice of a wise man who once said that "it is better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to open one's mouth and remove all doubt.
24 comments:
police should investigate her for
a.criminal intimidation
b.unlicensed public performance
c.any other offense you can think of
d.others you cannot think of
...
"This is what opposition politics is all about, and this is not something new or peculiar to Singapore."
I fell out my chair laughing when I read the paragraph containing this statement.
When she "kena tekaned" already, she also knows how to twist and turn in her reply to get out of the knot she had made. Who is she to determine that only PAP MPs would speak up for their constituents and opposition MPs deliver only empty promises and are not worthy to represent their constituents in Parliament. Parliament needs opposition to check the PAP; the people want that. They should decide which opposition members to vote in; not Irene Ng. This is another eg of the PAP shooting themselves in the foot. It must be painful by now!
she's not very smart is she.
she is a quitter from malaysia
Lol, PAP people are always on their high horses, I hope they get sued for defamation one of these days. It's long overdue.
What kind of calibre do you expect from a coattailing GRC candidate? This is the problem with the whole GRC system it allows substandard candidates to get into parliament through the backdoor.
If I remembered correctly, Irene Ng seems to be the MP who made the moronic suggestion in parliament of having NSmen's families accompany them on their reservist training.
Sad lah. Sounds like she talking never go through big brain.
Irene Ng's comments were idiotic but there is no way she will be sued. Not in the PAP's kangaroo courts. The plaintiff would stand no chance. If the media were more neutral, this would have been played up into a major issue by now.
To think that Singapore would lose any of its hard-won economic development if its citizens enjoyed more freedom of expression is fallacious.
http://truckandbarter.com/mt/archives/2006/05/jane_jacobs_and.html
Irene NG has the audacity to call herself a successful MP. A useless failed journalist for that lying rag The Straits Times, NG is a thoroughly nasty piece of work.
A weir lady, now in the forties, still living with her mother, she had never married. Does Singapore really appreciate a professional virgin like ms Ng?
The PAP must have scrapped the floor to discover an MP with such little talent to help, but more talent to hurt.
She must come clean and resign.
lets not make personal attacks and defame single women all at one go. but fact is most people have skeletons in their closets and Irene would do well to remember her days as a journalist when she was not well liked in the media, used people and was an egoistic trouble maker herself in a couple of incidents. those who know her find it laughable her calling LTK a troublemaker.
Her comments are symtomatic of the arrogance of the PARTY and how it has spread to the cadres. those who liv ein glass houses shld not throw stones at others.
i found her reply to be totally arrogant. so typical of a pap mp. and they expect people to vote for them with their hearts?
here again.. we hv a PAP member who obviously had her foot in her mouth. i reli wonder wonder y such smart pple can say such stupid things, in a rally somemore! tot PAP always selects the best of the best. well, apparently, it didnt do so w miss ng.. wat a silly woman who prob sabotage her party's image with just one stupid rally speech.. stupid stupid..
wat a hopeless MP is this irene ng.. hopefully sylvia lim and PM lee will FIX irene's horrific attitude before the whole of PAP gets implicated w foolish MPs like irene!!
No wonder she's an ex-journalist! She's so dumb like WTF is she talking about?
The opposition seeks to check and oppose the Government's policies and actions in a bid to eventually convince the electorate that it should unseat the ruling party.
But isn't that how the PAP won the majority of seats in 1959? That means PAP was also a "troublemaker?"
This stupid woman shud be sued for slander. She didn't do her homework at all!!
I don't think she even read through the WP's manifesto.
See : http://www.wp.org.sg/party/manifesto_2006.htm
Looking at her spew vicious, nonsensical and baseless accusations,it makes me wonder how PAP defines the term 'elite'.
To admit one's mistake and ignorance is wise
But to valiantly argue the undefensible is plain silly and egoistic
Why not just apologise sincerely for saying the wrong thing? Unless she really thinks that way...
hopeless irene!! wat is she doing in parliament!! nayb the opposition is rite to claim tat the GRC syst is kinda like a backdoor for stupid pple to get elected into parliament.. if she is sent to contest for the SMCs, it is obvious wat will happen.. shit woman.. arrgghhh.. y shd the PAP hv pple like her man??! PM lee, pls FIX yr MPs ok??!
dddd
ya, this irene is not the least smart at all, wonder how come the PAP call her as one of their elites? hahaha, very funny. She doesnt even know how to talk in public. I remember in GE2001, she was talking things that do not correlate, cant exactly rmr but it left an impression that till today i rmr that she cant say sense out from her mouth. an example is, from no where, she can say "without a vision, the people will perish". It was not relevant at all, and I thought that she might have quote and unquote from the so many sermons by so many church pastors who preached from the bible, where a verse read exactly so. She is a copy cat and copy without thinking and blars with her blabber mouth lor, anyhow label other people as trouble makers. hahaha, not a bad thing to have people like her to blar so say wrong things and reveal their true colours so more signaporeans can wake up and see the truth.
I suggest we ask Irene ng TO BECOME next weeks guest writer for this superb blog. But make sure we ask the PAP to vet her lines before they are published, like she used to vet her colleagues stories wshen she worked for the Straits Times.
The lady is a typical example of the sad self censoring Singaporean.
for her virgin role in politics, her attitude and arrogant makes her score marks in a Third World Gov... she certainly acts the part!
I enjoy reading all the days news, and the Straits Times forum column usually written by them papers news desk.
today was highlighted by yet another crazp letter from dear MP Irene NG. This time she does not wish to see too many opposition MP's in parliament because they may form another government.
Is this woman crass or just bloody stupid. Shed must grow up to realise that a geneeral election is about voting in a new party.
Come on Irene do us all a favour, resign and stop making an utter fool of yourself.
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