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Singapore's politics in 2010

L

Le Ba Cuong

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<Source: Today>

This year, in Singapore politics ...
Resolution of longstanding issues with Malaysia marks milestone, election talk carries over to next year
by Imelda Saad Aziz 05:55 AM Dec 30, 2010
SINGAPORE - Election talk, new political parties, changes to the Constitution, and a historic deal sealed with neighbour Malaysia. These were some issues which took centrestage on Singapore's political scene in 2010.

It was also a year the nation mourned the deaths and remembered the contributions of two key personalities in Singapore's development.

Former Deputy Prime Minister Goh Keng Swee and Madam Kwa Geok Choo, wife of Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew, had each, in their own way, played roles in Singapore's success.

And even as their contributions are remembered - the process of political renewal continues.

At the People's Action Party (PAP) conference on Nov 28, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said the party would have enough talent to form the next generation of leaders if it were re-elected in the next general election.

He said: "I can tell you that elections are due before the next party conference. So, this is the last one and so, we must gear ourselves for the campaign."

Election talk and speculation about when the polls will be held featured much of the year. New political parties emerged, declaring their intent on giving the PAP a good fight at the polls.

Key changes to the Constitution, and the Presidential and Parliamentary Elections Acts were passed in April. These include having smaller Group Representation Constituencies (GRCs) and more Single Member Constituencies, and guaranteeing more opposition MPs in Parliament.

The Prime Minister said the changes were made to meet Singaporeans' aspirations for more diverse views in Parliament.

A Cooling Off Day on the eve of polling, when no campaigning is allowed for parties and candidates except for party political broadcasts, will also be introduced.

Cyberspace is expected to be abuzz, with rules on new media relaxed to allow online election advertising.

Mr Zaqy Mohamad, an MP for Hong Kah GRC, said: "The new media channel will somewhat be an alternative where voters may look to for, I suppose, gossip, or certain events or facts. So, I think that's where people will do some cross-referencing against what you see on the traditional media channels."

The Electoral Boundaries Review Committee, which examines the growth of the voter population and recommends the number of electoral wards as well as their boundaries, was also convened in October.



BOOST FOR BILATERAL TIES

On the foreign front, analysts said 2010 marked a high point in Singapore-Malaysia relations, with the resolution of a 20-year outstanding issue.

After a meeting in May, the Prime Ministers of both countries agreed on new terms to settle outstanding issues within the 1990 Points of Agreement (POA).

A decision was made to move the Malayan Railway (KTM) station in Tanjong Pagar to the Woodlands Train Checkpoint - near the border - by July 1 next year.

Because of its historical significance, the two leaders have decided to conserve the Tanjong Pagar station, although no decision has been made on how this prime piece of land will be developed.

By 2018, there will be a Rapid Transit Rail System between Singapore and Malaysia served by a single co-located Customs, Immigration and Quarantine facility.

National Development Minister Mah Bow Tan said a traveller from Singapore to Malaysia will be checked by both authorities from both countries, but in one location. After that, he would be free to go over to the other side. Mr Mah said it would be more convenient for travellers because they would only have to stop once compared to twice now.

Some analysts attribute the breakthrough to Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak.

Mr Yang Razali Kassim, senior fellow at the S Rajaratnam School of International Studies, said: "He is the son of a Prime Minister, Razak Hussein, and he (Mr Najib) sees in himself the inheritor of a future. And he sees in Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong the inheritor of a future as well. So, he sees both of them as being in a special position that can never be replicated."

Mr Michael Palmer, chairman of the Government Parliamentary Committee for Foreign Affairs and Defence, noted that the relations between the two Prime Ministers "are certainly a lot better, more friendly".

"Najib and his government also want to come to some form of agreement because there's certainly an advantage - particularly with the Iskandar project and Singapore's proximity, and wanting (Singapore) to invest in that project. So they want our investment. We want to make that a reality and, therefore, it can only be win-win," said Mr Palmer.

Then came a small hiccup occurred in December: WikiLeaks revelations of US diplomatic cables allegedly quoting remarks made by Singapore diplomats over Malaysia's leadership and politics.

Still, discussions by senior officials on details of the POA continued and are likely to wrap up tomorrow.

Said Mr Palmer: "The diplomatic community is also cautious, but they also realise that many of these comments and statements that are released may be taken out of context.

"There will always be some factions that will want to see this dent or this rift widen ... Prime Ministers from both sides must ... take the lead in making sure these subversive factions don't achieve what they want to achieve."

In September, leaders from both sides also agreed to swap the land in Tanjong Pagar, Woodlands and Bukit Timah, for four plots in downtown Marina South and two in the Ophir-Rochor arts district.

The Singapore Government will vest the four land parcels in Marina South and the two in Ophir-Rochor in M-S Pte Ltd, the company formed to look into the implementation details.

Both sides are also working on a wellness township project in Iskandar Malaysia, in southern Johor. Malaysia's Khazanah Nasional and Singapore's Temasek Holdings will form a 50-50 joint venture company to undertake the development of the wellness township.

Mr Mah, who co-chairs the Malaysia-Singapore Joint Ministerial Committee for Iskandar Malaysia, said: "It could be wellness, it could be health. It could be retirement, it could be medical care, a combination of both or other things in additional to this.

"The concept has to be viable, then the location has to be good. Then, of course, all the economics of it has to be right - the pricing has to be right."
 
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