Singapore GE2020: NCMP scheme a 'stabiliser' for electoral system, says Goh Chok Tong

Emeritus Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong joins the PAP's Marine Parade GRC candidate Tan See Leng (left) on a walkabout in Marine Parade on July 4, 2020. ST PHOTO: JASON QUAH

The Non-Constituency MP (NCMP) scheme acts as a "stabiliser" for Singapore's electoral system and prevents an unintended election outcome, said Emeritus Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong.

In a Facebook post yesterday, he noted some people's comments that the intent of the scheme is to shut out the opposition and entrench the ruling party in power.

The scheme has emerged as a key issue in this election, with opposition parties criticising it as a ploy to entice voters to vote for the ruling People's Action Party (PAP).

Mr Goh, who was the co-architect of the scheme with founding prime minister Lee Kuan Yew, said they never feared having checks and balances or alternative voices in Parliament.

"In fact, it was our wish to guarantee them that led us to create the NCMP scheme," he added.

Setting out the origins and his thinking on the scheme, he noted that Singaporeans have the political right to consciously vote the ruling party out of power.

"But if they vote for the opposition to ensure checks and balances in Parliament, even though they still want the ruling party to form the government, then an unintended election outcome is entirely possible," he said.

The former prime minister also pointed out the reality that "no NCMP scheme would prevent an incompetent, unpopular or corrupt ruling party from being swept out of power - and deservedly so".

At the same time, the stability of "sampan-sized" Singapore was always at the back of his and Mr Lee's minds. Hence, they decided to "secure the sampan with outriggers".

"Then you can put a sail on the sampan, catch the wind and go fast without fear of it capsizing. The NCMP scheme is an important outrigger for our political system," he added.

Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong had also assured Singaporeans that Parliament will always have opposition members.

Speaking at a press conference on Nomination Day, he said NCMPs now have full voting rights, just like elected MPs.

"So whatever happens, a significant opposition presence is guaranteed," he added.

The NCMP scheme was introduced in 1984, after the late Mr Lee argued for younger voters to be given a taste of opposition politics.

It awards seats in Parliament to the best-performing losing opposition candidates at a general election and they can take part in debates and vote on most issues.

But they cannot vote on certain matters, including constitutional changes, supply and money Bills and votes of no-confidence in the Government.

In 2016, the Constitution was amended, giving NCMPs the same voting rights as elected MPs. Also, the minimum number of opposition MPs, including NCMPs, was increased from nine to 12.

Mr Goh said in his Facebook post he backed both moves by PM Lee, describing them as "very significant constitutional changes".

"Like me, he believes that the opposition is necessary as part of a healthy parliamentary system. He has listened carefully to Singaporeans' wishes for more opposition voices in Parliament," he wrote.

Recounting what led to the scheme's creation, he said that soon after Mr J. B. Jeyaretnam entered Parliament in 1981, the late Mr Lee watched the PAP backbenchers debating ably with him.

"He concluded that it was good for the development of our democracy to have such robust debates on government policies in Parliament," wrote Mr Goh.

"Having opposition MPs also allows the ruling party to debate and debunk issues in Parliament which the opposition would otherwise raise outside. The opposition, too, needs checks and balances."

Mr Goh also said Singapore's constituencies are rather homogeneous, which means it is possible for a party to win all, if not an overwhelming majority, of the seats in Parliament.

He noted that Singapore did not have a single opposition MP for almost 17 years after Independence.

"It was precisely to prevent this total absence of opposition voices in Parliament that Mr Lee and I decided to establish the NCMP scheme," Mr Goh wrote.

Addressing voters directly, he said: "For this general election, you will be choosing the party to steer our sampan in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic and other serious domestic and external challenges.

"Politics is not a game of poker. The NCMP scheme guarantees that the new Parliament will have at least 12 opposition MPs. It is a winning hand for Singapore's democracy."

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Sunday Times on July 05, 2020, with the headline NCMP scheme a 'stabiliser' for electoral system, says Goh Chok Tong. Subscribe