WP should hold themselves to the same standard of scrutiny

WP wants an independent parliamentary budget office to scrutinise government expenditures.

But they do not hold themselves to the same scrutiny. Each time that they had called on the government to spend more, they had never provided any estimates on costs nor explained how the spending would be funded.

Workers' Party calls for an Independent Budget Office

Singapore is one of the few triple-A credit rated countries left in the world. We are rated triple-A because of fiscal prudence and strong fundamentals.

Like DPM Heng Swee Keat said, Singapore has achieved world-leading outcomes while running one of the leanest governments in the world.

Until the pandemic, the Singapore Government has operated balanced budgets. In fact, it was the WP that was always pressurizing the Government to spend more, including more from reserves.

The WP called for an independent budget office to do what the WP MPs were elected to do. They have decided to delegate their responsibility to an independent office while completely ignoring the robust system of checks that we have. This include the Public Accounts Committee and Estimates Committee, both of which WP is also represented!

What's there left for WP to do in Parliament when government policies and budget spending will be scrutinised by an independent office?

If there is nothing left for them to do, in the name of scrutinising expenditure, we should ask why we spend so much taxpayers' money on the Leader of the Opposition and 8 WP MPs who have next to nothing to do in Parliament?

After GE2020, WP promised to scrutinize the Government. By outsourcing?

After GE2020, WP promised to scrutinize the Government. By outsourcing?

From Fiscal Council to Budget Office, WP's ideas are all about setting up another body to examine what the government does. There's no need for WP in parliament since they are prepared to outsource their responsibility.

There also seems to be a lack of communication between Jamus Lim and Pritam Singh. The two seems to act independently of each other. When Pritam was asked by Minister Indranee if a Fiscal Council and a Budget Office mean the same thing, Pritam wasn't able to give an answer immediately. He went from being confused to saying it was just a terminalogy to finally saying they meant the same thing.

WP, politics of envy and CDCs

Workers' Party is about the politics of envy. They either cast doubts and make insinuations in Parliament or they indulge in the politics of envy to win political points.

They started with ministers' salaries and had to give that up when it turned out that the salary they recommended was even higher than that recommended by the salary review committee.

Then they tried to politicise the PA but the pandemic has shown the critical role played by PA in ensuring needs on the ground are met.

So they moved on to attempt to politicise the work of the CDCs and to engage once again in the politics of envy on the Mayors' salaries which Pritam Singh described as outrageous even though he has little idea what the mayors do in the CDCs.

If we were to follow Pritam Singh's tactic, then surely we can also ask if the salary of the Leader of the Opposition is outrageous? He is paid almost $400k a year just to make speeches in Parliament and he gets an office and paid assistants.

At least the mayors are working hard on the ground to engage many partners, build networks that enable them to be very nimble and able to respond very quickly to sudden needs on the ground, in addition to raising funds etc.

According to economist Jamus Lim of WP, currency speculation can be stabilising for an economy.

Well, what do we know? According to economist Jamus Lim of WP, currency speculation can be stabilising for an economy.

Try telling that to countries that were deeply hurt by the Asian Financial Crisis.

So what would it be like to have a WP Government based on what they have said in Parliament so far?

Workers will be earning just the minimum wages.

Carbon tax will be raised by 25 times its current rate with costs filtering down to every household.

Popular schools will see their funding cut to make them less popular with students.

Non-violent criminal records will be expunged.

State land will be sold for revenue to spend.

The full size of the Singapore reserves will be revealed to the world and currency speculation encouraged to help stabilise the Singapore currency.

WP calls for an independent budget office to scrutinise government spending

 #overheard

I agree with Pritam.

The Government should establish Independent Parliamentary Office for Budget, Defence, Welfare, etc. manned by professionals and experts in each field.

Then we can cancel out all opposition parties especially WP. No need them anymore since the Independent Parliamentary Offices are doing the jobs that the Oppositions including WP have promised to do if elected i.e. check on the Government.

Problem solved! Yay!!!!!

Yup, folks. That's what it is.

WP is in Parliament to cast doubts, not to 'check and balance' the Government.

Pre-COVID time, they were also the ones pressurizing the Government to spend more from reserves.

Now, in a COVID crisis, and the Government allocating $24 billion over 3 years to help business and Singaporeans adapt to a post-COVID world, they suggest an independent Budget office to check on spending. What's there left for WP to do?

There is already an independent body to scrutinize spending in every ministry, statutory boards, public institutions and organisations. It's the AGO (Auditor-General's Office) which does its work without fear or favour and publishes an annual report of its audit of government ministries. That's how we hear of lapses and expect rectification from the concerned ministries.

We don't fall in love with our plans: Chan Chun Sing

Finance Minister Goh Keng Swee was one of the chief architects of our early economic and national development. When asked later about his visionary role, Dr Goh said: "I had no initial vision. You just start it and hope for the best."

It's not that Dr Goh set out with no aim or direction in mind. It's about agility, humility and learning by doing. We don't fall for our own plans, or let that blind us from challenging our own assumptions.

For Singapore, we distil the essence from different countries, different models, and tailor them to our own unique context.

I think of our "model" of governance as one that evolves with time and in context. This is something that we have never taken for granted, and is always a work in progress.

So instead of getting caught up in theoretical debates, we need to understand what works best for us, and apply it boldly, creatively and judiciously.

As a nation, we have weathered numerous crises, precisely because we have never been dogmatic about our approach.

- Chan Chun Sing

Read speech by Minister Chan Chun Sing here: https://www.straitstimes.com/opinion/evolve-adapt-innovate-spores-keys-to-the-future