1 Affirmative Constructive

By Jerel Lim and Aaron Fong

Affirmative Case

~ It's Just A Guideline.

1AC

Intro:

“I don’t know what to say….” (Stomp, stomp). You know who I’m talking about… In the recent election of 2011, candidates of such low quality and naivety were voted into Parliament. Taxpayers are paying $15,000 to these MPs of low calibre; These MPs are “our voice”. Will they do their job of expressing the views of the people, and to make a stand for it in parliament? Or will they just not know what to say?

The Resolution:

Therefore, the affirmative team stands resolved that: The Singapore Parliament should substantially reform the electoral process.

Definitions:

Following that I would like to define a few terms here:

• Substantially reform means any change from what it is now to something different.
• Electoral process means the stuff and process pertaining to the elections of Singapore.
• A GRC is a Group Representative Constituency.
• The SMC is a Single Representative Constituency.
• A MP is a Member of Parliament.
• The PAP is the People’s Action Party
• Opposition means any party that is not the PAP.

Background:

• George Yeo and Nicole Seah are some of the “casualties” of the current GRC system.
• People like Tin Pei Ling benefited from the GRC system by hiding under the umbrage of Goh Chok Tong, SM of Singapore.- 50,000 people liked the “I don’t want Tin Pei Lin in parliament “and 70,000 people liked the “Petition to remove TPL as a MP” on Facebook.
• The GRC is a double edged sword. Meaning that stars such as George Yeo were voted out, while naive candidate TPL sneaked in.
• The current GRC system consist of 3 to 6 MPs, each “governing” a separate section of the GRC.
• There are currently 15 GRCs in Singapore. The PAP holds all except 1, Aljunied, which is now held by the Workers Party.

Plan:

Moving on, our

Mandate : All the GRCs will be split up into SMCs.

By that we mean, the GRCs will be split into 5 or 6 SMCs which would be run separately but still fall under the same region. i.e. Ang Mo Kio 1, 2 and so on.

Now I will give some justifications in support of our plan

Justification 1: Earn Your Own Stripes.

Point A: No “Back Door”

People care about the way politicians get into office. For example, in the case of Tin Pei Ling, the people were up in arms and infuriated by her being elected into parliament as a MP. The only reason why and how she was elected as a MP was due to the GRC system – She used a “Back Door” or basically hid behind the back of former Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong and his reputation. Loads of negative publicity has risen over this issue. A strong impact of this would be: TPL is a young naïve MP with very little life experience. The area where she is supposed to look after is the Macpherson region, and here reside many elderly citizens. Would she be able to fight for these helpless citizens and solve their issues? Unlikely. In many interviews, TPL failed to give any specific issue she would like to resolve as a MP and simply gave nice politicians statements. How on earth did she managed to be elected and now in charge of many elderly lives? To quote a certain famous line from a movie: quote: This is Madness! Madness! End quote. I’m not going to say the rest but you know what came next.

Point B: Fair, straight fights

Under the current GRC system, the PAP will field their most popular and most high profile MPs - usually a Minister with important portfolios to head each GRC. This would give a significant boost in the number of votes thus enabling the PAP to secure many victories even with weak candidates in the team. That is why we the Affirmative team want the elimination of GRC's to become SMC's. This will give the same level for the candidates to prove themselves - 1v1. No senior ministers to let you waltz into parliament, no veteran minister or liked MPs to aid you. Just you against your opponent. This would give the other parties a fairer and more level ground to fight on. There should be no more of using another candidate’s popularity to shelter weaker candidates.

Justification 2: Elimination of Undesired Results (May be used instead as a counter argument in a different speech)

Point A: Double-edged Sword

While candidates such as TPL managed to sneak into Parliament, respected and dearly loved minister of Foreign Affairs George Yeo had a different fate. He did not make it into parliament as his team lost to the strong opposition team led by Low Thia Khiang. The GRC system allowed GY to be voted out, while TPL voted in. If GY and TPL had run in a SMC, they surely would have been a different outcome. Therefore, there should be no more sheltering of new PAP candidates in group representation constituencies. As Dr Huang Shoou Chyuan stated in a published letter to the Strait Times, “The heat of electoral battle is a prerequisite for any politician. Those without the stomach for a contest may not have the right stuff sought by the electorate.”

Justification 3: Democracy enhanced

Point A: Accurate representation

A recent survey by Channel News Asia showed that 4 in 10 citizens were against the PAP, whereas only 6/87 seats were clinched by the opposition. Why the huge difference? Basically, The PAP has maintained their choke-hold on the Singapore Parliament by frustrating opposition parties, abusing the legal system and playing a dirty game. And because of this we believe the ideal of representative democracy ought to be restored

Points B: The People's Government

People will be able to evaluate each candidate solely on their own capability and commitment. And they will vote one way or the other not because they love or hate one particular member in the group, (or forced to vote for the leader of the GRC, even though the members are weak) but that decision will be based on the candidates personal character, competence and qualities of an MP. And because of that, the MPs whom the citizens want will get in, allowing the Singapore government to be more cohesive and be more of the government that Singaporean citizens want.

Justification 4: Potential Corruption

Point A: Your newest MP: Bob!

Regardless of party, the PAP or any of the opposition parties, this system is open to corruption. If the system becomes corrupt, anyone can become a Member of Parliament, provided they have the wealth or connection high up. All the corrupt party needs is a high profile Member of Parliament to anchor the GRC down, and shelter the other 4 or 5 seats or whose candidates can be just about any Bob, Tom, Dick or Harry.

In conclusion just to clarify, we are NOT supporting any particular political party, but we just want fairer and more level playing fields for the elections which would mean better and more accurate representation of the people's views and votes.

Conclusion: (For 2AR)

Friends, Singaporeans, Countrymen. We all have seen how the Singapore of many years ago was nought but a tiny fishing village. We were lost, we were small, and we were insignificant to the world. But then, a man stepped into to lead us. His name was Lee Kuan Yew, and he led us through those difficult years and with the PAP, made Singapore what it is today. From attap houses to HDB; from a village to a thriving city; from a 3^rd world country to a 1^st world country. We are all grateful for what LKY and the monarchy of the PAP has done for us. However, over the last decade Singapore has grown and matured, and many citizens strive for their views and voices to be heard. It is time for fair elections. It is time for justice. It is time for a parliament and a government where there is opposition representing the people as well, so that even the minority’s voice will be heard. Your voice will be heard; my voice will be heard; everyone’s voice will be heard. I had a dream, that one day that Singaporeans would mature and express their views, I had a dream, that one day, everyone’s voice would be heard, even the elderly and the little babies. I had a dream, that one day, from the hills of Bukit Timah, to the sandy beach of the East Coast, to the longkang outside my house, that justice will reign. Justice will reign! (Sniff and Fake tear) To borrow some inspirational words from our glorious national pledge: “We, the citizens of Singapore, pledge ourselves as one united people, regardless of race, language or religion,
to build a democratic society, based on justice and equality, so as to achieve happiness, prosperity and progress for our nation.”

Some Quotes and Ideas:

• “Power used for the good is power that could be used for evil.”
• “Absolute power corrupts absolutely”
• The Singapore Police Force Motto: “Low Crime doesn't mean no crime”
• We are not taking sides or attacking the PAP or the opposition parties. All we want is a fair election process for Singapore, and level playing field for any of the parties, resulting in a more accurate representation.
• Minority representation solved by Grass-root leaders/the community or a board of residents that will help translate and convey your complaints to the respective MP. It's already happening in the SMCs and even in the GRCs which are ex-SMCs. (Only to be used if brought up)
• PAP is not the government: The PAP has to acknowledge that they are only playing the government and are not the government. To clarify, PAP is just a political party – the same as WP, NSP and so on. Currently, the PAP is doing the government's job for 5 years, but every election, they are essentially running to run for being the government again. They are not the government. They are a political party. So why should they get the unfair advantage over the other parties? (Insert Analogy)