S’pore's integrity-based system ‘rare and precious': Indranee

Unique model of democracy must remain Republic’s anchor, she says

- Chin Soo Fang Senior Correspondent

Rules and processes are important to Singapore’s parliamentary democracy, but even more important is that elected representatives have the competence, commitment and conscience to fulfil their duties, Leader of the House Indranee Rajah said on March 6.

If political leaders have these qualities, fewer rules are needed as they can be trusted to do the right thing.

“If they don’t, we can impose and improve as many laws and rules as we like, but democracy and politics will still go wrong,” said Ms Indranee in a speech that closed nine days of debate on the Government’s and ministries’ budgets.

This principle, which has served Singapore well, applies to governments as much as it does to oppositions and governments-in-waiting, she added.

Ms Indranee, who is also Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office, recapped what then Deputy Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong said following the 1988 Hendrickson affair, when a US embassy official cultivated disaffected lawyers here to run for election against the PAP.

The diplomat, E. Mason “Hank” Hendrickson, was later expelled from Singapore.

During the May 1988 parliamentary debate on the controversy, Mr Goh outlined three different political models.