Is WP Low Thia Khiang principled or self-serving? The answer is obvious.

[tomychua]

Article Source: https://goo.gl/s06pPr

Principled or Self-serving?
Written by: Singapore Matters

So, in 2011, to register his strong opposition to the NCMP scheme, Mr Low Thia Khiang declared he would resign if forced by his party - Workers' Party of which he is the leader - to take up a NCMP seat.

But in 2016, he declared it his DUTY as the leader of Workers' Party to nominate the next best volunteer when the elected NCMP was unable to take up the seat.

What do you make of that?

A man so strongly opposed to the NCMP scheme that he would rather resign than take it up himself, but he also considered it his duty as the leader of WP to nominate people to fill the NCMP seat.

Principled or self-serving?

The answer is very obvious.

"In light of the Government’s proposal to increase the number of NCMPs (from nine to 12) and for them to have the same voting rights as elected MPs, the WP should not permit its members to accept NCMP seats when offered in future...... It will also make the WP’s objection to the NCMP scheme principled and not self-serving." - Associate Professor Eugene Tan, SMU

Check out this note also:
https://www.facebook.com/notes/singapore-matters/say-what-you-mean-do-what-you-say/935590879860639

 

[steffychun]

This question should be put to the PAP who bastardised parliament.

 

[virus]

Is sham self serving or self serving?

 

[JohnTan]

The ongoing town council fiasco is already proof that WP is self-serving. Most voters are disillusioned with WP, and enough of them nearly sent newbies like Victor Lye into parliament.

 

[kryonlight]

It doesn't matter. Lazy & daft sinkies wouldn't care what transpires in the Imperial Court. So long as life is still good and PAP throws some dog food to them once in a while, they will continue to vote for PAP. LTK is just an insignificant nuisance.

 

[Bad New Brown]

Mr Low is a good man and WP has the born & bred Singaporeans' interest at heart.

 

[hsienloong]

LTK is right, likewise Lee LiLian, it's is a personal choice.
Workers' Party member can choose to accept the NCMP or reject it.
So what's wrong with respecting their own member's decision?

PAP should learn from Workers' Party Leadership.

 

[frenchbriefs]

he is self suck penis man or self cunninglingus lick own cheebye man?either way the answer is clear.

 

[bic_cherry]

LTK should be commended for putting aside his reservations and serving the greater good of Singapore society as a whole.

Thread source (A1):Re: Is WP Low Thia Khiang principled or self-serving? The answer is obvious.
Again your analogy of the Muslim cashier having to deal with your pork purchase is flawed.

Singapore is not a Muslim country. Your job as a cashier is to collect payment for the purchases. You didn't pack the pork for the shelves. In any case, you are handling pork which is pre-wrapped in plastic. You are not asked to eat it, but to charge for it. Therefore you shouldn't take up the job if you can't do it for personal reasons. You can look for another job.

Yes, the government makes the rules. But to say that your Dear Leader "has to play by the PAP's rules", is absolute rubbish!. He doesn't have to. He will not lose his job if none of his members reject the NCMP seats.

Oki, if U also do not understand the 'Muslim cashier' analogy, then I give U one more.

Suppose secretly or even openly, Lee Hsien Loong (PM of Singapore) really wants be emperor of Singapore, put his political foes in prison/ slap a few people: he might have even done this before. However, he also wants to have a good reputation and is aware that cabinet / parliament can easily overthrow him if they sense that his interest is not for the good of Singapore etc.

This LHL puts aside his deep objective of being emperor and for most times, is law abiding enough for parliament/ cabinet to endorse his rule.

Likewise, LTK may for personal reasons harbour deep resentment for the NCMP seat and would personally refuse the position if offered one, however, it is the democratically arrived at decision by the WP exco that NCMP positions should be filled. LTK, acting on behalf of the WP majority decision thus has to (within limits), execute the procedure of nominating the NCMP as per WP decision.

For a greater (national) cause, people put aside lesser (personal) concerns. For the balanced political representation of citizen's views in parliament, LTK will set aside his own abhorrence of the GRC/NCMP system(lesser evil) and permit a viable opposition voice to be heard in parliament (greater good). Likewise, I understand from some Muslim friends that the Koran allows Muslims to eat pork (lesser evil) when faced with starvation for the purpose of life preservation(greater good).

Given the grossly unequal (deficient) state of political representation of the 30% who didn't vote PAP (an inherent deficiency of the first-past-the-post type of electoral system that SG uses), LTK should be commended for sacrificing his personal prejudices and serving the greater good of Singapore society as a whole.