| By Goh Chin Lian | ||
 |  | Mr Siew declined to speculate on why he was passed over, when contacted on Monday night. -- TNP FILE PHOTO |
NOMINATED MP Siew Kum Hong is disappointed he has not been selected for a second term.
He declined to speculate on why he was passed over, when contacted on Monday night. But he told The Straits Times that he stood by his involvement in matters such as the leadership tussle at the Association of Women for Action and Research (Aware) and causes important to civil society groups.
Mr Siew, 34, an in-house counsel, had been criticised online most recently for offering legal advice to the so-called 'Old Guard' group in Aware which regained control of the organisation five weeks after they were ousted.
Saying that he had been involved in his personal capacity and not as an NMP, he added: 'I would like to think that if I was not reappointed because of the Aware incident, and I had known that things would turn out this way, I would still not have done anything differently.' Political observers who shared his disappointment applauded him for speaking up and sticking to his guns during his term.
Singapore Management University law lecturer Eugene Tan said: 'He represents someone who was prepared to speak his mind, and fight and defend the causes that he believes in. It was a fairly rare demonstration of commitment.
Former NMP Zulkifli Baharuddin, who similarly praised Mr Siew for making his views heard effectively, felt however that one term was enough so as to give others a chance. A total of 46 people vied for nine NMP positions this time round. Having new blood also allows for diversity and possibly 'another Siew Kum Hong', he added.
Apart from Mr Siew, Mr Gautam Banerjee, 54, executive chairman of PricewaterhouseCoopers, was the only other person in the current batch of NMPs known to have applied for a second term.
Mr Banerjee, who was also not nominated, said he understood why a fresh set of NMPs was selected: 'After all, the NMP scheme seeks to provide diversity and different perspectives in Parliament.'
This is not the first time that incumbent NMPs seeking re-appointment have not been successful. Political observers said former NMPs can exploit their higher profiles and use other platforms to put forward their views, such as running for election.
Mr Siew said last night he had no intention to run in the general election: 'I intend to continue to be active in civil society, but haven't really thought about how.'
Please read the full story in Tuesday's edition of The Straits Times
http://forums.delphiforums.com/sunkopitiam/messages?msg=32903.1
No comments:
Post a Comment