Yesterday Teo Ser Luck said that he was not a natural politician. That he has been to Taiwan and knows how a natural politicians behave. Without trying too much, one can easily understand that Mr Teo is alluding to Taiwan's legislature, which is probably the most acrimonious and violent the world over.
One can easily make out that Mr Teo is trying to scare the people not to vote the opposition into Parliament or they would make a mockery of Parliament, by behaving the way Taiwanese politicians do.
Today, it is Mr Lee Hsien Loong who said the same thing. He said, "We have serious debate in parliament. You don't see people throwing things at one another." Is Mr Lee trying to say if more opposition politicians are elected into Parliament, then Parliament will turn into a general melee?
Mr Lee, Mr Teo and all the other PAP candidates who are trying to scare the people from voting the opposition into Parliament, saying that this will only only create ruckus in Parliament, should remember the recent Forum on Channel NewsAsia where Mr Tharman Shanmugaratnam, Dr Vincent Wijeysingha, Mr Gerald Giam, Mr Nazem Suki, Ms Jospehine Teo and Mrs Lina Chiam engaged in a debate where everybody (including the opposition) debated the other fairly without it degenerating into a free-for-all.
Or perhaps, Mr Lee is still spooked by the TV debate he had with Mr J B Jeyaretnam 23 years ago in 1988.
But even this debate, though fierce, did not deteriorate into fisticuffs.
The voters are now matured enough to know that parliament is not going to degenerate into fist-fights just because more opposition members have been elected into Parliament.
Please stop treating voters like little children, egging them on not to vote for the opposition by invoking a bogeyman who does not exist - the bogeyman of a violent Parliament.
One can easily make out that Mr Teo is trying to scare the people not to vote the opposition into Parliament or they would make a mockery of Parliament, by behaving the way Taiwanese politicians do.
Today, it is Mr Lee Hsien Loong who said the same thing. He said, "We have serious debate in parliament. You don't see people throwing things at one another." Is Mr Lee trying to say if more opposition politicians are elected into Parliament, then Parliament will turn into a general melee?
Mr Lee, Mr Teo and all the other PAP candidates who are trying to scare the people from voting the opposition into Parliament, saying that this will only only create ruckus in Parliament, should remember the recent Forum on Channel NewsAsia where Mr Tharman Shanmugaratnam, Dr Vincent Wijeysingha, Mr Gerald Giam, Mr Nazem Suki, Ms Jospehine Teo and Mrs Lina Chiam engaged in a debate where everybody (including the opposition) debated the other fairly without it degenerating into a free-for-all.
Or perhaps, Mr Lee is still spooked by the TV debate he had with Mr J B Jeyaretnam 23 years ago in 1988.
But even this debate, though fierce, did not deteriorate into fisticuffs.
The voters are now matured enough to know that parliament is not going to degenerate into fist-fights just because more opposition members have been elected into Parliament.
Please stop treating voters like little children, egging them on not to vote for the opposition by invoking a bogeyman who does not exist - the bogeyman of a violent Parliament.
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