Sitting at the wrong end.
Yup, that's what Lam Pin Min did. He was elected by the residents of Sengkang West to represent their interest. But when he received numerous queries on the Columbarium which will be housed in that vicinity, what did he do? Sit at the table with reps from HDB, URA and Life Corp, and not with the residents of Sengkang West. This raises doubts about which side he represents and in what capacity he organised that dialogue.
He needn't have to sit at the table with these guys. I mean it was the Ministry of National Development, URA, HDB and Life Corp (as the bidders) who had to do all the answering. Lam Pin Min just had to sit and identify with the people asking questions from these government agencies and private companies, helping his residents to make better sense of the issue.
But that is the sad state of affairs in Singapore, especially if you elect an MP from the PAP. There seems to be this struggle for such MPs - "do I represent the Government, its decisions and its interests, or do I represent the people even if it means speaking against some of the Government's decisions and positions?"
Even if they believe strongly against some policies like the 6.9 million population paper, when the time comes for them to vote on it they are going to go hide in the toilet or something.
It certainly seems like the days of MPs like Tan Cheng Bock who were brave enough to go against Party Whip, stand with the people and vote against policies which are wrong, are gone!
Ravi Philemon
*Article first appeared on https://www.facebook.com/raviphilemon/posts/10152962596758277