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Since there has been a lot of controversy about the People's Association (PA) being pro-ruling party and that the PA Chairman is the sitting Prime Minister, can Parliament pass a bill to change the Constitution to allow the Elected President (EP) be the PA Chairman instead? In the first place, PA is supposed to be apolitical & is set up to promote harmonious relations amongst the people and so many are comfortable about the ruling party's PM to be it's Chairman. The latest uproar about a opposition MP having his 7th lunar month celebration invitations retracted because the PA-sanctioned activity did not allow political figures attending these celebrations is a very good example which one may draw conclusions that partisan politics is at play. The purists may come out and argue that no the system is fine and if it ain't broke don't fix it. Besides the EP has already got his hands full dealing with his duties. I beg to differ because our EP as the head of state is supposed to be above politics and is the best person to lead PA such that no one can accuse it being used a political instrument to influence folks on the ground.

Stand for election? 'Ensure male candidates do NS first' By Teh Joo Lin & Cheryl Lim WORKERS' Party (WP) secretary-general Low Thia Khiang yesterday proposed amending the Constitution to ensure that all male election candidates must have done national service (NS). He said it did not feel right for male MPs to represent the people unless they have gone through that rite of passage. Mr Low did not name names, but his point was clearly aimed at People's Action Party (PAP) new face Janil Puthucheary, 38, who became a citizen in 2008 and has not gone through NS. Rejecting those without NS stints would only be fair to everyone who has been through it, he said, including himself and his Aljunied GRC teammate Chen Show Mao. Taiwan-born Mr Chen, a top corporate lawyer, did his NS before taking up citizenship in 1986. Mr Low said the PAP should not field a candidate 'who just became a new citizen without serving national service'. He pointed to the tough stance that the Government takes against Singaporean males who default on their NS obligations, and referred to statements by Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean, who is also Defence Minister, on the subject. Mr Low pointed out that Major-General (NS) Chan Chun Sing, an MP-elect for Tanjong Pagar GRC, took a different line when asked about PAP candidates who had not done NS. He quoted MG Chan as having said that someone who was not a citizen previously might not have done NS, but the more important question was what he could contribute to Singapore. Mr Low asked: 'How can a former Chief of Army publicly state something contradictory to the Minister for Defence?' Mr Chen, who also spoke at the WP rally last night, called for a more calibrated approach to immigration, in response to Minister for Trade and Industry Lim Hng Kiang's comments that capping the size of the foreign workforce presented a 'real dilemma' for the Government as it would likely mean turning away big-money investments from abroad. Mr Lim had said on Sunday: 'We will keep foreign workers to one-third of the workforce, but I can tell you that one-third is a very severe limitation to us.' Mr Chen said: 'Do you know why it's one-third? I don't know. Shouldn't we send someone to Parliament to ask them?' He pointed out that the WP was not anti-immigration, but foreigners had to contribute to Singapore, instead of depressing the pay of locals. Mr Chen added: 'The test of our progress as a nation is not whether we have more for those who already have much, but whether we provide enough for those who have less.'

SINGAPORE: Amendments to Singapore

S'pore to amend Constitution to draw more income from reserves By Ng Baoying, Channel NewsAsia | Posted: 15 September 2008 1756 hrs SINGAPORE: The government wants to increase the amount of income it can spend from investing Singapore's reserves. This requires an amendment to the Constitution, which was tabled in Parliament on Monday. Singapore's aging population means higher social spending in future. Coupled with plans to develop the country's capacity and overall competitiveness, it means government expenditure is going up. Part of this extra spending is being funded by the Goods and Services Tax, which was raised from 5 per cent to 7 per cent last July. But to preserve a competitive tax environment, the government has said that raising taxes is not the preferred option. So it is now looking at other ways, such as what it can use from the country's investment income. This follows studies on how large state funds in other countries operate. Currently, the government can spend up to 50 per cent of actual interest and dividend income gained from investing Singapore's reserves. This spending rule is meant to safeguard the country's reserves. The government now wants to expand the pool of investment returns to include capital gains and losses, while maintaining the 50 per cent spending cap. It will look at total returns on a long-term expected basis, over 15-20 years, to avoid inherent volatility of actual capital gains and losses. Inflation will also be taken in account. The proposed new framework will apply to assets managed by the Government of Singapore Investment Corporation (GIC) and those owned by the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS). Other assets, which include Temasek Holdings, will still use the existing formula. The idea of redefining the income that the government could spend from investing Singapore's reserves was first mentioned in Budget 2007 and again in Budget 2008. The Finance Minister is expected to elaborate further on this amendment later in the year. If the amendment to the Constitution is passed, the changes will take effect at the next Budget in 2009.