Politics of Singapore
From Freepedia
| Singapore Image:Singapore Parliament House.jpg |
|
Politics Portal |
The politics of Singapore is based on a unitary state with some aspects modelled on the Westminster system of parliamentary government. The executive is the cabinet or the government, which consists of ministers and is headed by a prime minister who is considered the head of government.
The legislature is the parliament, which consists of the president as its head and a single chamber whose members are elected by popular vote. The role of the president as the head of state has been, historically, largely ceremonial, although the constitution was amended in 1991 to give the president some veto powers in a few key decisions such as the use of the national reserves and the appointment of key judiciary positions. He also exercises powers over civil service appointments and internal security matters.
Contents |
Elections
- REDIRECT Template:Main
Voting has been compulsory in Singapore since 1959 [1] and there is universal suffrage. The legal voting age is 21. The Elections Department of Singapore is responsible for the planning, preparation and conduct of presidential and parliamentary elections and of any national referendum in Singapore. It is a department under the Prime Minister's Office.
Unlike the United States presidential elections of 2004 where electronic voting was used in several states, paper ballots are still used in Singapore. However, there is a concern that voting secrecy might be compromised as ballot papers have serial numbers on them. As stated in the Elections Department website [2]:
"...ballot papers can be examined only under strict conditions, and there are safeguards that make it extremely difficult to find out how any particular voter voted. After the count, all ballot papers and their counterfoils have to be sealed in the Supreme Court vault for six months, after which all the ballot papers and other election documents are destroyed. During those six months, these documents can only be retrieved by court order. The court will issue such an order only if it is satisfied that a vote has been fraudulently cast and the result of the election may be affected as a result. Our courts have issued no such order since elections have been held here since 1948."
Constitution
- REDIRECT Template:Main
The Constitution of Singapore is the supreme law of Singapore [3] and it is a codified constitution.
The constitution cannot be amended without the support of more than two-thirds of the members of parliament on the second and third readings [4]. The president may seek opinion on constitutional issues from a tribunal consisting of not less than three judges of the Supreme Court. Singaporean courts, like the courts in Australia, cannot offer advisory opinion on the constitutionality of laws [5].
Part IV of the constitution guarantees the following [6]:
- liberty of a person (limited)
- prohibition of slavery and forced labour
- protection against retrospective criminal laws and repeated trials
- equal protection
- prohibition of banishment and freedom of movement
- freedom of speech, assembly and association (limited)
- freedom of religion
- right to education
Part XII of the constitution allows the Parliament of Singapore to enact legislation designed to stop or prevent subversion. Such legislation is valid even if it is inconsistent with Part IV of the constitution. The Internal Security Act (ISA) is a legislation under such provision. In 1966, Chia Thye Poh was detained under the ISA and was imprisoned for 23 years without trial.
President
- REDIRECT Template:Main
Prior to 1991, the president was the head of state appointed by parliament and was largely a ceremonial role with some reserve powers. As a result of constitutional changes in 1991, the president is now directly elected to office for a six-year term by popular vote. The president now exercises powers over the following [7]:
- appointment of public officers
- government budgets
- examine government's exercise of its powers under the Internal Security Act
- examine government's exercise of its powers under religious harmony laws
- investigations into cases of corruption
However, the president must consult the Council of Presidential Advisers before he takes a decision on some of these matters. The council comprises of:
- two members appointed by the president on the advice of the prime minister
- one member appointed by the president on the advice of the chief justice
- one member appointed by the president on the advice of the chairman of the Public Service Commission
A member of the council serves a six-year term and are eligible for re-appointment for further terms of four years each [8].
Similar to the Speech from the Throne given by the head of states in other parliamentary systems, the president delivers the an address written by the government at the opening of parliament about what kind of policies to expect in the coming year. The current president is Sellapan Ramanathan.
Parliament
- REDIRECT Template:Main
Image:Singapore Parliament House.jpg
Composition
The unicameral parliament is the legislature in Singapore with the president as its head [9]. Before independence in 1965, it was known as the Legislative Assembly. It currently consists of 94 members of parliament. Based on the concept of parliamentary sovereignty in the United Kingdom, it is supreme to all other government institutions and may change or repeal any legislation passed by previous parliaments with a majority. The maximum term of any one parliament is five years, after which a general election must be held within three months of the dissolution of parliament.
84 of these members of parliament are elected into parliament at an election on a first-past-the-post basis and represent either single-member constituencies (or electoral divisions) or Group Representation Constituencies (GRCs). In GRCs, political parties field a team of between three to six candidates. At least one candidate in the team must belong to a minority race [10]. This has led to complaints from opposition parties that they are often unable to field one, let alone three or more candidates. Out of the 84 members of parliament, 10 are female [11]. In the last general election in 2001, the incumbent People's Action Party (PAP) won 82 of the 84 seats [12].
The constitution also provides for the appointment of other members of parliament not voted in at an election. Up to six Non-Constituency Members of Parliament from the opposition political parties can be appointed [13]. Currently, there is one Non-Constituency Member of Parliament.
A constitutional provision for the appointment of up to nine Nominated Members of Parliament (NMPs) was made in 1990 [14]. NMPs are appointed by the president for a term of two and a half years on the recommendation of a Select Committee chaired by the Speaker of Parliament and are not connected to any political parties. In 2005, nine NMPs were sworn in, out of which five were female.
Both non-constituency and nominated members of parliament cannot vote on the following issues:
- amendment of the constitution
- public funds
- vote of no confidence in the government
- removing the president from office
Law making
Before any law is passed, it is first introduced in parliament as a draft known as a bill. Bills are usually introduced by a minister on behalf of the cabinet, known as Government Bill. However, any member of parliament can introduce a bill, known as a Private Member's Bill. All bills must go through three readings in parliament and receive the president's assent to become an Act of Parliament.
Each bill goes through several stages before it becomes a law. The first stage is a mere formality known as the first reading, where it is introduced without a debate. This is followed by the second reading, where members of parliament debate on the general principles of the bill. If parliament opposes the bill, it may vote to reject the bill.
If the bill goes through the second reading, the bill is sent to a Select Committee where every clause in the bill is examined. Members of parliament who support the bill in principle but do not agree with certain clauses can propose amendments to those clauses at this stage. Following its report back to parliament, the bill will go through its third reading where only minor amendments will be allowed before it is passed.
Most bills passed by parliament are scrutinised by the Presidential Council for Minority Rights which makes a report to the Speaker of Parliament stating whether there are clauses in a bill which affects any racial or religious community [15]. If approved by the council, the bill will be presented for the president's assent.
The last stage involves the granting of assent by the president, before the bill officially becomes to become a law.
Political parties
People's Action Party
The PAP has been the dominant political party in Singapore, re-elected continuously since 1959. It is headed by Lee Hsien Loong, who succeeded Goh Chok Tong. Goh's predeceesor Lee Kuan Yew served as Singapore's prime minister from independence through 1990. Since stepping down as prime minister, Lee has remained influential first as Senior Minister, and now as Minister Mentor.
PAP has held the overwhelming majority of seats in parliament since 1966, when the opposition Barisan Sosialis Party resigned from parliament and left the PAP as the sole representative party. PAP won all of the seats in an expanding parliament in the general elections of 1968, 1972, 1976 and 1980. PAP's share of the popular vote in contested seats declined from 78% in 1980 to 65% in 1997. However, the elections of 2001 saw the party's share of the popular vote climb to 75%, winning 82 of the 84 seats. Since the opposition has contested less than half the seats in the last two elections, overall voter support for the PAP cannot be accurately gauged [16].
The opposition
Since most Singaporeans are politically apathetic, the opposition parties are stereotypically associated with the truly passionate. J.B. Jeyaretnam of the Workers' Party became the first opposition party member of parliament in 15 years when he won a 1981 by-election. Opposition parties gained small numbers of seats in the general elections of 1984 (2 seats of 79), 1988 (1 seat of 81), 1991 (4 seats of 81), 1997 (2 seats of 83) and 2001 (2 seats of 84) [17].
Political climate
Politics in Singapore have been dominated by the PAP since its independence in 1965. Critics have called Singapore a de facto one party state and have accused the PAP of taking harsh action against opposition parties to discourage and impede their success, including accusations of gerrymandering and the filing of civil suits against the opposition for libel or slander. In a case involving the J. B. Jeyaretnam, he lost a series of suits to members of the PAP and was declared bankrupt in 2001, effectively disqualifying him from participating in future elections. Similar civil suits have been filed against Chee Soon Juan, leader of the Singapore Democratic Party. In 2005, filmmaker Martyn See shot a documentary on Chee called "Singapore Rebel" and was threatened with a lawsuit for making a "politically partisan" film, which is illegal in Singapore.
Western democracies consider the form of government in Singapore to be closer to authoritarianism rather than true democracy and could be considered an illiberal democracy or procedural democracy.
Despite this, Singapore has what many consider to be a highly successful and transparent market economy. Some people have labelled Singapore a social democracy, although the PAP has consistently rejected the notion of being socialist. One of the differences from a social democracy is that the government uses public opinion and feedback when deciding policies, instead of rigorous lawmaking procedures. However, some of PAP's policies do contain certain aspects of socialism, which includes government-owned public housing constituting the majority of real estate and the dominance of government controlled companies in the local economy. The PAP has also consistently rejected Western democratic values in the past, with former prime minister Lee Kuan Yew citing incompatibilities with "Asian values". Most recently, the PAP has relaxed some of its socially conservative policies and encouraged entrepreneurship but the effects of both efforts have not been completely manifested.
Cabinet
- REDIRECT Template:Main
The cabinet forms the executive or the government and it is answerable to parliament. It consists of sitting members of parliament and is headed by a prime minister, the head of government. The current prime minister is Lee Hsien Loong.
Neither the prime minister nor members of the cabinet are elected by parliament. Instead, the prime minister is appointed by the president, who in his/her view is likely to command the confidence of the majority of the parliament. Cabinet members, also known as ministers, are appointed by the president on the advice of the prime minister [18].
Unlike the cabinet in the United States where it functions largely as an advisory council to the head of government, the cabinet in Singapore collectively decides the government's policies and has influence over lawmaking by introducing bills.
Judiciary
- REDIRECT Template:Main
Governance
Singapore has consistently been rated as one of the least corrupt countries in the world [19]. The World Bank's governance indicators have also rated Singapore highly on rule of law, control of corruption and government effectiveness . However, it is widely perceived that some aspects of the political process, civil liberties, and political and human rights are lacking [20].
Related topics
- Constitutional government
- Istana
- Parliament of Singapore
- Cabinet of Singapore
- Supreme Court of Singapore
- Laws of Singapore
References
- ^ "Singapore voter turnout". International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance website. URL accessed on January 29, 2005.
- ^ "Ballot Secrecy". Elections Department of Singapore website. URL accessed on January 29, 2005.
- ^ "Fundamental Liberties". Attorney-General's Chambers of Singapore website. URL accessed on January 29, 2005.
- ^ "The Republic and the Constitution". Attorney-General's Chambers of Singapore website. URL accessed on January 29, 2005.
- ^ "The Republic and the Constitution". Attorney-General's Chambers of Singapore website. URL accessed on January 29, 2005.
- ^ "The Judiciary". Attorney-General's Chambers of Singapore website. URL accessed on January 29, 2005.
- ^ "The Presidency in Singapore". Istana website. URL accessed on January 30, 2005.
- ^ "Council of Presidential Advisers". Istana website. URL accessed on January 30, 2005.
- ^ "About Us". Parliament of Singapore website. URL accessed on June 9, 2005.
- ^ "The Legislature". Attorney-General's Chambers of Singapore website. URL accessed on January 29, 2005.
- ^ "Frequently Asked Questions". Parliament of Singapore website. URL accessed on June 9, 2005.
- ^ "Elections in Singapore". Electionworld website. URL accessed on January 29, 2005.
- ^ "The Legislature". Attorney-General's Chambers of Singapore website. URL accessed on January 29, 2005.
- ^ "The Legislature". Attorney-General's Chambers of Singapore website. URL accessed on January 29, 2005.
- ^ "Law Making". Singapore Parliament website. URL accessed on June 9, 2005.
- ^ {{{Author|}}}{{|{{{3}}}}}}|show1| (2002)}}{{{{{Year|}}}}}}|show1|.}} {{|{{{3}}}}}}|show1|[{{{URL}}}}} Governance in Singapore{{|{{{3}}}}}}|show1|]}}{{|{{{3}}}}}}|show1|, {{{Pages}}}}}{{|{{{3}}}}}}|Show1|, Routledge/Curzon}}. {{{ID|}}}
- ^ "Elections in Singapore". Electionworld website. URL accessed on January 29, 2005.
- ^ "The Executive". Attorney-General's Chambers of Singapore website. URL accessed on January 29, 2005.
- ^ "Corruption Surveys and Indices". Transparency International website. URL accessed on May 17, 2005.
- ^ "Governance Indicators: 1996-2004". World Bank website. URL accessed on May 17, 2005.
