FROM UNKNOWN TO MP IN 24 HOURS

Dr Chia Shi Lu was drafted in as a last-minute replacement for Baey Yam Keng. He was declared an MP after the opposition team in Tanjong Pagar was disqualified.

By Nigel Tan

Chief Editor

In a baffling story that could only have taken place in the skewed world of Singapore politics, one man went from being a complete political unknown to being a Member of Parliament in under 24 hours. He did not need to do any campaigning and was not formally introduced to the media, nor was a single vote cast in his favour. But Dr Chia Shi Lu is now officially an MP for Tanjong Pagar GRC.

In an unprecedented turn of events, Steve Tan, a candidate who the ruling PAP had previously introduced to the media, announced that he would be dropping out of the election “for personal reasons” less than 24 hours before Nomination Day. As a result, the PAP leadership informed Dr Chia that he was “required to serve in Tanjong Pagar”, a request that he immediately accepted.

Although Mr Tan was supposed to be part of the line-up for Tampines GRC, the PAP decided against inserting Dr Chia as a like-for-like replacement, perhaps fearing that it might add to the pressure faced by the already unpopular cabinet minister Mah Bow Tan.

The party opted instead to send Baey Yam Keng, a more experienced and relatively popular candidate to shore up its Tampines team, while fielding Dr Chia in the safe ward of Tanjong Pagar, which has been held since 1955 by Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew. As luck would have it, the opposition team that was slated to contest Tanjong Pagar found itself disqualified due to a technicality, giving the PAP team its fourth straight walkover in the ward – meaning that Dr Chia was returned as an MP.

Dr Chia himself admitted that he was not familiar with his GRC team mates, but said that he had experience working as a grassroots volunteer. When asked about his sudden elevation to public office, he replied that reserve footballers who trained with the first team were also capable of scoring goals.

The way in which Dr Chia was “elected” would come across as anathema to any proponent of the democratic process, since the very foundation of democracy is that elected representatives should be chosen by the people. However, thanks to Singapore’s skewed and one-sided political system, we now know that it is possible for the PAP to appoint MPs without the consent of the people.

This latest incident is yet another example of why the GRC system is flawed. Though the PAP says it was conceived to ensure minority representation in Parliament, developments in past two decades have shown that it serves as a convenient mechanism for the PAP to shepherd inexperienced, unpopular or even unwilling candidates into Parliament – something that former Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong has previously admitted.

Moreover, the PAP’s justifications for the GRC system are weak – minority candidates had no problems getting elected before GRCs existed, and will continue to get elected if GRCs are abolished. Voters choose candidates based on their ability to connect with the ground, not the colour of their skin. Even opposition candidate J B Jeyaretnam managed to gain election into Parliament in 1981, and he had a lot more going against him than just his race.

Singaporeans have already had to contend with “backdoor MPs” for years. If the GRC system is not abolished or at least heavily restricted, then in the years to come, we could be seeing a new breed of “overnight MPs” who are appointed by the PAP rather than elected by the people.

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The author is the Chief Editor of The Satay Club.

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