May 14th 2011 - [NEWS] Informal Policy Discussion Forum by MP Chan Chun Sing

As a reader pointed out to me, Mr. Chan had organized an Informal Policy Discussion Forum just today.

Full disclosure: I had actually known about the event, but it did not occur to me to post the information on this blog. As such, I apologize to the people who would have been interested but were not made aware of it. The good news, is that Mr. Chan will be organizing more. So please keep an eye on posts with [NEWS]. It will contain pertinent updates on upcoming political activities you as residents can participate in

Here is the Facebook link to the pictures Mr. Chan had kept of the event (with reader comments providing *some* context):


Informal Policy Discussion Forum Facebook Pictures and Comments

I (being in the USA) did not attend and I am reconstructing some information from Mr. Chan's comments on Facebook:

1. This particular forum was about Education reform.
2. The next one (as voted on by the participants) will be about HDB flat pricing. It will be scheduled some time next week.
3. His house rules for attendance are:

All Singaporeans welcome. We just hv the foll rules (after yest):
1. Listen with respect.
2.One conversation at one time.
3. Listen with open heart, open mind.
4. Keep Time.
5. No political agenda pse..

Some quotes from Mr. Chan (from Facebook):

Thks to All for the active participation at last night's "Policy Disc". As voted by many of u, we will attempt the challenging topic of "How to Price a HDB flat?" next time we meet. Which night you all prefer? Can't do Mon and Tues - MPS and Walkabout. Meantime, do share readings to prep ourselves. Will announce dates asap once I sort out schedule next wk.

Personal commentary (colored by my biases): This is as close a thing to a Town Hall meeting Tanjong Pagar residents will get. As a Liberal, I like Town Hall meetings and I encourage people interested in policy decision-making to attend. I do not expect the forum format to allow enough time for people to share their personal stories (the whole point of a Town Hall meeting in the USA), but I am encouraged that this forum is not (judging from the Facebook comments) a one-way street of information either.

I do not believe these forums are intended to be an MPS session. Even if you do get to share your personal stories, please do not expect to get them solved on the spot. I would, in fact, strongly discourage this motivation and expectation when attending this forum. I think it would only distract and dilute the value of the forum.

I do feel encouraged by Mr. Chan's words (in spite of my earlier disdain for his "Lanfang Republic" speech), specifically by his encouraging participants to share reading material before the next forum. I think this is of fundamental importance to meaningful discussions (from diverse points-of-view) on matters of policy decision-making. Quantifiable information, true or false, offers a basis for verification, debunking and debate.

That is it for now, I will keep you folks updated as and when I find out more.

May 14th 2011 - MP Profiles and a big change.

OUR REPRESENTATIVES

Mr Lee Kuan Yew will be representing Tanjong Pagar as a backbencher. He is stepping down from the Cabinet as Minister Mentor. Here is the news article from Channel News Asia (dated May 14th 2011, author unknown):

http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/1128878/1/.html

Pertinent information on Mr Lee:

Minister Mentor was a term coined specially for Mr Lee in 2004, a description which reflects his role in office, and a nod to his wealth of experience.

Mr Lee's role in shaping modern Singapore started from pre-Independence in the 50s and has continued till today.

He took a tough stand on many policies, from land acquisition for development to opening the doors to foreign talent.

Having seen for himself how racial tensions can break a society, Mr Lee dedicated himself to building a cohesive nation.

In 1988, the Parliamentary Elections Act was amended to introduce GRCs.

Mr Lee has always said the GRC system is to guarantee minority representation in Parliament. At least one minority candidate must be part of the team contesting a GRC.

Leadership renewal has always been a key priority for Mr Lee, who stepped down as Prime Minister in 1990.

At a National Day dinner for his constituency, he said the country's leadership renewal process is very much like the systematic way the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) renews its ranks.

Mr Lee said: "Every year, the SAF improves on what it has done from the last year. Every year, a new team takes over and we have a regular succession of capable officers taking over, and that is the way Singapore has been able to maintain itself - regular renewal of the leadership, with younger people taking over these decisive roles."

His decision to step down is perhaps a sign of the confidence in the country's leadership renewal process.

TANJONG PAGAR TOWN COUNCIL

The Town Council (as of May 13th 2011) has started the process of updating its webpage. It is not complete as of now, but I am looking forward to when information becomes available.

INTENDED UPDATES - PROFILES OF OUR REPRESENTATIVES

A reader has pointed out that a good source of information would be their public Facebook pages. As such, I am linking them to this blog. Where Mr Lee Kuan Yew is concerned, given his extensive public records, I will link in his wikipedia page here as an extra source of information.

There are also video clips from the PAP website on their candidature during GE 2011 which is useful (but not permanent). Due to potential copyright issues, I do not intend to archive those videos and will let them lapse when the PAP updates their site. I assume they intend to archive the videos themselves and can be approached for a copy: http://ge.pap.org.sg/candidates/tanjongpagar

Note: It would appear the PAP had long decided on where their MP-candidates would represent unlike the case of the Worker's Party.

Note: Facebook links can be long and messy, I've decided to give the link-names shortened forms.

Lee Kuan Yew (Tanjong Pagar-Tiong Bahru) - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lee_Kuan_Yew (No official Facebook presence)
Indranee Rajah (Tanglin-Cairnhill) - Indranee Rajah Facebook Page (I cannot tell if this page is official. There is hardly any activity there.)
Lily Tirtasana Neo (Kreta Ayer-Kim Seng) - Lily Neo Facebook Page (Looks like her official page. She actively responds to posts and comments. Residents should engage her there.)
Chan Chun Sing (Buona Vista) - Chan Chun Sing Facebook Page (seems to be the official and active page. He has a number of informal feedback events which I will attempt to record or report on.)
Chia Shi-Lu (Queenstown) - Chia Shi-Lu Facebook Page (Looks official and active)