SINGAPORE: Singapore historian and author Loke Hoe Yeong has called for the abolition of the Non-Constituency Member of Parliament (NCMP) scheme in response to the People’s Action Party’s recent defence that opposition voices are “already guaranteed” in Parliament without having to elect the opposition.
Asserting that such a view undermines the democratic spirit of elections, Mr Loke — who co-authored a 2020 book on the NCMP scheme with former Workers’ Party (WP) NCMP Yee Jenn Jong — stressed in a social media post on Monday (28 Apr) why he believes the scheme has outlived its usefulness.
Mr Loke argued that the scheme has become a recurring distraction in every general election, taking time and media attention away from policy discussions.
He added that the PAP’s repeated invocation of the NCMP scheme also sends a problematic message to voters — that they can vote for the ruling party’s policies while still expecting opposition voices in Parliament. He said that this effectively reduces the electoral process to a safety net for dissent rather than a genuine competition of ideas.
“Should elections not be about a party seeking a mandate for its policy prescriptions and thus form the government?” he asked on social media.
The historian also questioned the lack of transparency and consistency in how NCMP seats are offered. He cited past instances — such as the 1984 and 2015 elections — where offers of NCMP seats were rejected, prompting ambiguity about whether further seats would be extended.
Mr Loke pointed to the case of Lee Li Lian, the Workers’ Party candidate who declined an NCMP seat after losing Punggol East in 2015, only to face criticism from the PAP. “The opposition feels caught in a situation of ‘damned if you do, damned if you don’t,’” Mr Loke said, suggesting that the scheme can be politically weaponised against those it is meant to empower.
In his post, Mr Loke argued that Singapore’s electorate has matured beyond the need for token opposition voices and that the NCMP scheme no longer reflects the political realities of today’s Singapore, where voters are more than capable of correcting a lopsided Parliament through the ballot box.
“The electorate no longer wants token opposition representation in Parliament,” he asserted, adding that the fear of an opposition wipeout is no longer sufficient justification for maintaining the scheme.
Mr Loke also called for Singapore to move past the legacy institutions of a different political era. The NCMP scheme, he noted, was conceived in 1984 as a hedge against the growing appeal of the opposition after J.B. Jeyaretnam’s breakthrough. Since then, the political landscape has evolved significantly, with 10 opposition candidates getting elected in the 2020 general election.
Mr Loke asserted, “It is time to build a truly ‘democratic society based on justice and equality’ as envisaged by S. Rajaratnam in our National Pledge.”
Mr Loke’s remarks come during the heated campaign period that is coming to a close before the nation votes on May 3. The PAP has continued to defend the NCMP scheme as a safeguard for political diversity, while opposition parties argue that it diminishes the urgency of electing real alternative voices.
In previous Parliaments, NCMPs have had full voting rights, a change made in 2016 to strengthen the scheme. However, critics say that this does not address the deeper issue of NCMPs lacking the same legitimacy and mandate as fully elected MPs.
With renewed attention on the issue, the NCMP scheme could again feature prominently in political debates in the days ahead.