Availability of elected MPs

At the SDP party, I met a guest who works in a family service center. She told me that in her constituency, the elected MP was too busy and could not attend the Meet the People session. This weekly session was handled  by the local chairman, who is an unpaid volunteer. But the constituents preferred to see the MP and was disappointed that the MP was not available for several weeks.

In my view, it is better to have elected MPs who can devote their full time to constituency work and to actively debate government policies in Parliament. Some MPs may also initiate legislation to improve the lives of the people.

Two MPs in Singapore are already working full time, to my knowledge. They are Low Thia Khiang and Chiam See Tong. I hope that the next general election will see more MPs being elected that can perform their duty on a full time basis. The monthly remuneration as an MP is quite generous and is sufficient for a MP to make a living.

I have watched the the members of the US congress expressing their views on legislative issues over Bloomberg and CNBC television. They are well informed of the issues at hand and of the views of their constituents.

Who will you vote in the next general election? Give your views in this survey.

Tan Kin Lian