This year, in Singapore politics...
By Imelda Saad | Posted: 31 December 2010 0853 hrs
SINGAPORE: Election
talk, new political parties, changes to the Constitution, and a historic
deal sealed with neighbour Malaysia. These were some issues which took
centrestage on Singapore's political scene in 2010.
It was also a
year the nation mourned the deaths and remembered the contributions of
two key personalities in Singapore's development.
Former deputy
prime minister Goh Keng Swee and Madam Kwa Geok Choo, wife of Minister
Mentor Lee Kuan Yew, had each, in their own way, played roles in
Singapore's success.
And even as their contributions are
remembered, the process of political renewal continues.
At the
People's Action Party (PAP) conference on Nov 28, Prime Minister Lee
Hsien Loong said the party would have enough talent to form the next
generation of leaders if it were re-elected in the next general
election.
He said: "I can tell you that elections are due before
the next party conference. So, this is the last one and so, we must gear
ourselves for the campaign".
Election talk and speculation
about when the polls will be held featured much of the year. New
political parties emerged, declaring their intent on giving the PAP a
good fight at the polls.
Key changes to the Constitution, and
the Presidential and Parliamentary Elections Acts were passed in April.
These
include having smaller Group Representation Constituencies (GRCs) and
more Single Member Constituencies, and guaranteeing more opposition MPs
in Parliament.
The Prime Minister said the changes were made to
meet Singaporeans' aspirations for more diverse views in Parliament.
A
Cooling Off Day on the eve of polling, when no campaigning is allowed
for parties and candidates except for party political broadcasts, will
also be introduced.
Cyberspace is expected to be abuzz, with
rules on new media relaxed to allow online election advertising.
Mr
Zaqy Mohamad, an MP for Hong Kah GRC, said: "The new media channel will
somewhat be an alternative where voters may look to for, I suppose,
gossip, or certain events or facts.
"So, I think that's where
people will do some cross-referencing against what you see on the
traditional media channels".
The Electoral Boundaries Review
Committee, which examines the growth of the voter population and
recommends the number of electoral wards as well as their boundaries,
was also convened in October.
BOOST FOR BILATERAL TIES
On
the foreign front, analysts said 2010 marked a high point in
Singapore-Malaysia relations, with the resolution of a 20-year
outstanding issue.
After a meeting in May, the Prime Ministers of
both countries agreed on new terms to settle outstanding issues within
the 1990 Points of Agreement (POA).
A decision was made to move
the Malayan Railway (KTM) station in Tanjong Pagar to the Woodlands
Train Checkpoint - near the border by July 1 next year.
Because
of its historical significance, the two leaders have decided to conserve
the Tanjong Pagar station, although no decision has been made on how
this prime piece of land will be developed.
By 2018, there will
be a Rapid Transit Rail System between Singapore and Malaysia served by a
single co-located Customs, Immigration and Quarantine facility.
National
Development Minister Mah Bow Tan said a traveller from Singapore to
Malaysia will be checked by both authorities from both countries, but in
one location. After that, he would be free to go over to the other
side.
Mr Mah said it would be more convenient for travellers
because they would only have to stop once compared to twice now.
Some
analysts attribute the breakthrough to Malaysian Prime Minister Najib
Razak.
Mr Yang Razali Kassim, senior fellow at the S Rajaratnam
School of International Studies, said: "He is the son of a Prime
Minister, Razak Hussein, and he (Mr Najib) sees in himself the inheritor
of a future.
"And he sees in Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong the
inheritor of a future as well. So, he sees both of them as being in a
special position that can never be replicated".
Mr Michael
Palmer, chairman of the Government Parliamentary Committee for Foreign
Affairs and Defence, noted that the relations between the two Prime
Ministers "are certainly a lot better, more friendly".
"Najib and
his government also want to come to some form of agreement because
there's certainly an advantage - particularly with the Iskandar project
and Singapore's proximity, and wanting (Singapore) to invest in that
project," Mr Palmer said.
"So they want our investment. We want
to make that a reality and, therefore, it can only be win-win."
Then
came a small hiccup in December: WikiLeaks revelations of US diplomatic
cables allegedly quoting remarks made by Singapore diplomats over
Malaysia's leadership and politics.
Still, discussions by senior
officials on details of the POA continued and are likely to wrap up on
Friday.
Said Mr Palmer: "The diplomatic community is also
cautious, but they also realise that many of these comments and
statements that are released may be taken out of context.
"There
will always be some factions that will want to see this dent or this
rift widen ... Prime Ministers from both sides must ... take the lead in
making sure these subversive factions don't achieve what they want to
achieve."
In September, leaders from both sides also agreed to
swop the land in Tanjong Pagar, Woodlands and Bukit Timah, for four
plots in downtown Marina South and two in the Ophir-Rochor arts
district.
The Singapore Government will vest the four land
parcels in Marina South and the two in Ophir-Rochor in M-S Pte Ltd, the
company formed to look into the implementation details.
Both
sides are also working on a wellness township project in Iskandar
Malaysia, in southern Johor. Malaysia's Khazanah Nasional and
Singapore's Temasek Holdings will form a 50-50 joint venture company to
undertake the development of the wellness township.
Mr Mah, who
co-chairs the Malaysia-Singapore Joint Ministerial Committee for
Iskandar Malaysia, said: "It could be wellness, it could be health. It
could be retirement, it could be medical care, a combination of both or
other things in additional to this.
"The concept has to be
viable, then the location has to be good. Then, of course, all the
economics of it has to be right - the pricing has to be right."
-CNA/wk
Is Singapore politics belongs to PAP only?
Goh Keng Sway and Old Hag Lee...................their deaths in 2010 were the only bright sparks for S'pore in 2010.........
may Lee Kill You join them in hell this year...............
changes to constitution ? don't tell me the Old Bastard decided to declare himself August Emperor of S'pore ????