Singapore's political system: Tweak, tinker or overhaul?

(THESTRAITSTIMES)Singapore'spoliticalsystemmustberefreshedfromtimetotimeascircumstanceschange,PresidentTonyTanKengYamsaidonJan15asheannouncedthattheGovernmentwillstudyitforpossiblereforms.

NodetailsweregiveninthePresident'sspeechaboutthereview,butministersandMPsmaytouchonthetopicinthisweek'sdebateonhisaddress.

Whatchangesmightbeinstore?

Ifitisatweak,thenperhapsitwillbetotheNon-ConstituencyMPandNominatedMPschemes,whichdebutedin1984and1990,respectively,andhavebeenexpandedgraduallyovertheyears.

Butifitistobeanoverhaul,anobviouspotentialchangeistotheofficeoftheelectedpresident.

Ithasbeen25yearssincethepresidentstartedbeingchosenviaanelectioninsteadofbeingappointedbyParliament,inthelastmajoroverhaulofthepoliticalsystem.

Tobesure,thesystemhasbeencontinuallyrefined,suchashavingMPsbeelectedinteamsingrouprepresentationconstituencies.

Butevensmallertweaks,suchastheintroductionoftheCooling-offDayinthe2011GeneralElection,areare-engineeringofsorts,tokeepupwiththeheatofdebatesonline.

Butthepoliticalclimateof2016isverydifferentfromthatof2011.

WhilethePeople'sActionPartysuffereda6.5percentagepointswinginvotesagainstitinGE2011,GE2015gavethepartyitsstrongestmandatesince2001-69.9percentofthevote.

Onthereview'stiming,politicalwatcherEugeneTansaid:"It'stheGovernment'swayofseekingtomanagethepaceofpoliticalchange,ratherthanhavethatpacedictatedtoit.

"Itseekstopre-emptcriticismsthatthepoliticalsystemislongoverdueforareview."

Whyarepoliticalchangesafootnow?

PAPcandidates(fromleft)DrAugustineH.H.Tan,MrAngNamPiau,MrLawrenceSiaKhoonSeong,MrLimKimSan,MrE.W.Barker,DrLeeChiawMeng,DrChiangHaiDingandMrS.DhanabalanonNominationDayin1976.

Withastrongelectoralmandatebehindit,nowmayseemanoddtimeforthePeople'sActionParty(PAP)Governmenttoreviewthepoliticalsystem,amoveannouncedbyPresidentTonyTanKengYamonJan15attheopeningofParliament.

Afterall,whybothertofixwhatisn'tbroken?

Anddoesn'tdoingsonowruntheriskofgivingscepticstheimpressionthatthePAPisseizingthechancetoentrenchitsdominance?

Keepingthepresidencyaforceforstability

SupportersofDrTonyTanKengYamgatheringonNominationDayforthe2011PresidentialElection.STPHOTO:NGSORLUAN

TodoaU-turnornottodoaU-turnontheelectedpresidency?

ThisquestionwasposedbypublicintellectualanddeanoftheLeeKuanYewSchoolofPublicPolicyKishoreMahbubaniinacolumninTheStraitsTimeslastweek.

WiththenextpresidentialelectionduebyAugustnextyear,thisdebate,firstraisedintheaftermathofthe2011PresidentialElection,hasbecometimelyagain.

ConsiderreturntoSingapore'selectionsystemof1965

Thereisanewguessinggameintown,onwhatchangestheGovernmenthasinstoreforthepoliticalsystemhere.

This,afterpoliticsmadeasurpriseappearanceinthePresident'sAddressattheopeningofthenewParliament.

Sinceitissorareforthe"P"wordtobethesubjectofsomuchattentioninthisparticularformalsetting,IshouldquoteexactlywhatPresidentTonyTanKengYamsaid:"OurpoliticalsystemhasdeliveredstabilityandprogressforSingapore.Butthissystemmustberefreshedfromtimetotime,asourcircumstanceschange.TheGovernmentwillstudythismattercarefully,toseewhetherandhowweshouldimproveourpoliticalsystemsothatwecanbeassuredofclean,effectiveandaccountablegovernmentoverthelongterm."

LeeKuanyewonwhyaconstitutionmustsuittheneedsofitspeople

MemberswhohaveparticipatedintheSecondReadingdebateallassumethatoursystemofone-man-one-votewillsucceed,willthrive,willendure,andthatperhapstinkeringwithitmaybeanecessaryevilbutmaybeunwise.Ithinkitisusefulifweseethisinperspective.

First,thereisnoguaranteethatone-man-one-votecancontinuetoworkinSingaporeandimprovebeyondaPAP(People'sActionParty)government,orperhapsbeyondthetenureofofficeofthosewhoaretodayincharge.

Howlonghasthesystemlasted?Since1955,partiallyrepresentativegovernment-29years.Whatwasthepremisebasedon?ABritishdecisionthatdecolonisationmusttakeplaceinanorderlywayandtheymusthaveanelectedlegislaturetowhichtheycouldhandoverauthority.Whatistheirsystembasedon?Howlonghasitlasted?

AversionofthisarticleappearedintheprinteditionofTheSundayTimesonJanuary24,2016,withtheheadline'RefreshingS'pore'spoliticalsystem'.