Punggol voters are not here to save Gan Kim Yong’s political career

By Jeanne Ten

Why is Gan Kim Yong so critical to the government all of a sudden?

Voters are not here to soothe politicians’ egos and save their careers. We vote for the MPs we want. Lawrence Wong’s guilt-tripping voters with the spectre that his government might crumble, and Singapore might sink, if Punggol does not pick his buddy does not go down well with us.

We elect our MPS, and the ruling party needs to figure out who will form the Cabinet later. This fearmongering to foist his buddy on voters is an affront to democracy. One man, one vote, and it needs to be freely exercised.

No one is born a minister. You get voted into Parliament as an MP first. The winning party forms the government and picks the Cabinet. This order is important because it means the government’s power comes from the people’s choice of their representatives in Parliament, not the other way around. Ministers are a result of the election, not the reason for it.

Political analysts predict the PAP will retain a supermajority after GE2025. It will have a long bench of leaders to draw from. Even when individuals leave, like Heng Swee Keat stepping aside as Prime Minister-designate in 2021, nothing changes.

Lawrence Wong stepped up through a consensus. No single individual is irreplaceable as a minister in PAP’s government. In fact, Lawrence Wong himself can easily be replaced with other 4G leaders such as Chan Chun Sing, Ong Ye Kung, and Desmond Lee. These three  are in the safest GRCs in this GE. If they don’t make it, it means PAP’s time is over.

It means capable people are opting to join other political parties (which is already happening – just go and see for yourself). But PAP losing its slate of 4G leaders in this GE is merely a theoretical possibility. PAP has always relied on collective leadership and SM Lee Hsien Loong is still the kingmaker. His roles as Senior Minister and future Minister Mentor follow the way Lee Kuan Yew continued to shape Singapore’s direction after stepping down as Prime Minister.

I believe GKY has said before that he is ready to retire and he has identified himself as a 3G minister. But, all of a sudden, he is desperate to hang on to power? And all of a sudden, the government insists that without GKY the government can’t function properly.

It’s also unacceptable that GKY said very casually that he could ask for more funds from his good friend, the Prime Minister, to spend in Punggol. This sounds like an improper inducement to secure votes, and it also sounds like an abuse of power if the PM agrees. Has Lawrence Wong rebuked GKY for his improper remarks? The money that is allocated to MPs to spend on their constituencies is taxpayers’ money, and it should be allocated based on an objective set of criteria. It is shocking that people like GKY have become so complacent that this is normal speech. It all sounds so improper.

The views expressed in this letter are those of the author and do not represent or reflect the views of the publisher, editorial staff or correspondents of TISG.