In an interview discussing his new book, Professor Jayakumar recalled being assigned by then-Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew in 1981 to field inquiries from the Workers' Party leader. This rigorous preparation demonstrated to him that a functioning opposition strengthens governance rather than undermines it. He noted that the Non-Constituency Member of Parliament scheme has since guaranteed a minimum presence of 12 opposition voices in the legislature, even though it inadvertently helped losing candidates boost their profiles for future campaigns.
Key points
Facing opposition lawmakers forces government leaders to hone their legislative debating…: Facing opposition lawmakers forces government leaders to hone their legislative debating skills and defend national policies thoroughly.
From a debate standpoint, ministers treat elected opposition politicians and non-constitu…: From a debate standpoint, ministers treat elected opposition politicians and non-constituency members equally, save for the latter lacking constituent feedback.
The non-constituency mechanism has evolved to bolster the public profiles of defeated can…: The non-constituency mechanism has evolved to bolster the public profiles of defeated candidates without weakening its primary duty of ensuring diverse parliamentary voices.
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The former senior minister recalls honing his parliamentary skills, after being “arrowed” by Lee Kuan Yew to field questions from opposition leader JB Jeyaretnam.
This is the last of three articles from CNA’s interview with former Senior Minister S Jayakumar, who recently launched his book Creating Three Unique Singapore Laws: An Inside Story. The book chronicles how the elected presidency, Group Representation Constituencies and Non-Constituency Members of Parliament were established through constitutional amendment.
SINGAPORE: Newly appointed as a political office holder in 1981, Professor S Jayakumar was “arrowed” by then-Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew to field questions in parliament from lone opposition lawmaker JB Jeyaretnam.
The Workers’ Party leader had won the Anson by-election earlier that year to become the first opposition Member of Parliament.
Prof Jayakumar, then minister of state for home affairs and law, said handling Mr Jeyaretnam’s questions improved his parliamentary skills and convinced him that no government should fear having an opposition in the House.
Mr Jeyaretnam spoke up more than 40 times, tabling questions on topics such as human rights, law and order, security and…
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