The National Solidarity Party (NSP) is troubled by what we see as the declining level of discourse in our politics recently. The last sitting of the House is a good case in point. There appears to be a growing culture of partisan bickering, which if it becomes the norm, threatens to foster a spirit of division.
We unequivocally call on both the People’s Action Party and the Workers’ Party not to exploit the Aljunied-Hougang-Punggol East Town Council issue for political gain, and instead focus on a thorough post mortem to ensure that such issues do not again arise in future.
We further call on both Parties to begin honest debates on two issues that are top of mind for all Singaporeans at the moment, namely the new rules for online media and our apparent lack of preparedness to cope with the recent haze.
New Rules for Online Media
The new rules for online media provide the Media Development Authority with broad powers without accountability. Among other things, it gives the Media Development Authority the right to issue takedown notices for online content it deems offensive without either having spelt out clear guidelines for the same or providing a path of appeal in the event of disputes. So far, the rationale for these new rules remains unconvincing.
This kind of arbitrary exercise of power has a chilling effect on free expression which will ultimately hamper the ability of Singaporeans to have open and honest discussions about issues that matter to them. It is also a puzzling move since by the Government’s own admission, the new rulings are not expected to change content standards and can therefore only be superfluous legislation for legislation’s sake. We wish to remind the Government that the Court of Appeal has recently reaffirmed the principle that all power must have legal limits and we see no reason why this has to be an exception.
Emergency Preparedness
The haze is an annual occurrence, yet this was an eventful year because of the severity of the haze and our lack of preparedness to cope with it. The Government needs to answer two specific questions: one, why did it not issue stop-work orders even when the PSI had hit hazardous levels and two, why were masks bought with tax payer money given to retailers for sale for profit?
A further issue of concern is the Government’s inability to communicate clearly in emergency situations. We also saw this during the Mas Selamat escape incident. We would like to see a permanent inter-ministry committee set up with senior minister at the helm to direct our response exigent circumstances - an Emergency Response Czar.
Conclusion
Finally we would like to say something about leadership. Good leadership is one that is not only itself confident, but also imparts confidence to others. Good leaders do not point fingers when things go wrong or single out private citizens in an attempt to embarrass them.
Instead, they are honest and open about errors, and relentlessly focused on troubleshooting and problem-solving. That is the kind of leadership that Singaporeans voted for in the last general elections, not what we have been seeing in Parliament of late.
Parliament time is the people’s time, and our elected representatives have a duty to ensure that this time is focused on discussing issues that matter to the people, which have an impact on their lives and Singapore’s continued flourishing.
Singaporeans know good leaders when we see them, and it is to them that we will give our trust and support.
Hazel Poa,
Secretary-General
On behalf of the Central Executive Committee,
NATIONAL SOLIDARITY PARTY