SINGAPORE – Allowing MPs to have a full-time job is a pragmatic arrangement, Prime Minister Lawrence Wong said at a dialogue with students on July 2.
Responding to a question on why this is permitted, he noted that all political office holders, such as ministers, also have to balance between their full-time job governing and their duties as MP.
“In the same way, just to be pragmatic about it, we recognise that some people have other private sector commitments,” he said. “We let them do it, but we fully expect them to discharge their MP duties well.”
There are consequences when MPs fail to do so, he said. Either the party decides not to renew them, or voters do so.
“Voters will know if their MP is working hard or not. And voters can decide,” said PM Wong.
Here are PM Wong’s responses to some questions that students asked.
On conflicts of interest
The same student also asked if Singapore deems it a conflict of interest if politicians push the agenda of their backers or corporate interests ahead of the state’s interest, as is the norm in some countries.
PM Wong said Singapore has a process where conflicts of interest have to be declared, and it has not had a problem to date.
The Government is and will always be very vigilant about keeping the system clean as Singapore will be in deep trouble if money politics and vested interests seep in, he added.
“We want to make sure that whoever represents Singaporeans as Members of Parliament, regardless of party (and) across the board, we want to make sure that we have a system that is clean and has integrity,” he said.
Rejecting populism
For as long as the People’s Action Party has the mandate of the people to govern, it will implement the difficult but necessary policies to move Singapore forward, and will try its best to persuade Singaporeans to understand and support these policies, said PM Wong.
It did so when it raised the goods and services tax (GST) rate from 7 to 9 per cent, he said in response to a question about how the Government will communicate unpopular policies in view of increasing political contestation here.
This was not so popular but necessary because the Government has to make sure it balances its budget and pays for the measures it introduces, he said.
In its efforts to persuade the people, it will not get 100 per cent support, and maybe not even 75 per cent support, he said. But if the Government can get the majority of Singaporeans to understand, then some difficult but necessary policies can still be implemented, he added.
“If we… continue to have the mandate from the people to govern Singapore, then we will continue with the same approach, which is to reject populism but to do the right things that are in the best interests of Singapore and Singaporeans,” said PM Wong.
