PM Goh tells U.S. to stay out of S'pore politics

PM Goh tells U.S. to stay out of S'pore politics

SINGAPORE (AFP): Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong angrily told
Washington yesterday to stay out of Singapore's election campaign
after a U.S. official criticized his linking voter support to
housing redevelopment.

The 55-year-old Goh said he had been "astonished and furious"
when he heard news of the U.S. comment Wednesday night, adding
Singapore had to respond officially, a Channel Five television
report said.

He said the polls here were a "local election and the U.S.
government should not get into the act."

Although Singapore is small, its people have to stand up to
such comment, Goh was quoted as saying during a visit yesterday
to an electoral ward.

A U.S. official reportedly criticized Goh's statement that
constituencies which elect opposition candidates in Jan. 2 polls
may get left behind in highly coveted housing upgrading programs.

A U.S. State Department official reportedly said Wednesday
that voters "everywhere should be able to vote without fear of
repercussions from the government."

"First, I think foreign countries shouldn't interfere in the
domestic politics of another country," Goh, 55, said in remarks
published yesterday by The New Paper daily.

"U.S. is a big country. U.S. likes to make statements all over
the world so may be it is expected of the U.S," he said.

"But they have not understood," he said. "They have offered
their own health care plans to the population, they have offered
other programs. Completely all right," he said referring to
President Bill Clinton's election campaign.

"Likewise, what I am doing is to offer all these programs to
the people, " the premier said.

The ruling People's Action Party (PAP) has offered voters a
program of community development ranging from improved
kindergartens to upgrading old public-built flats, whose values
could soar on redevelopment.

The opposition has criticized the PAP, saying the ruling party
was using a program financed by taxpayers' money to win votes.
Minister of Information and the Arts George Yeo said he was
surprised by the U.S. criticism.

"I am quite surprised that the Americans should raise an issue
about how we run democratic politics in Singapore when their
pork-barrel politics is something of a long tradition," Yeo was
quoted as saying.

The PAP, which has ruled Singapore since 1959, is already
assured of another term in government with the opposition
deciding not to contest 47 of the 83 parliament seats in the
election.

Opposition parties hope voters secure in the knowledge that
the PAP is back in power would send more opposition candidates
into parliament to act as a check on the government.

When asked how he thought 200,000 first-timers would vote, Goh
said the choice was stark: vote for an opposition voice or for
the PAP's programs.

"If you don't give them the choices in stark terms, they may
think quite unwisely, quite naively, that PAP is already in
government so why not vote in the opposition and squeeze more
from the PAP.

"We are telling them, we not giving you the luxury of a
choice.

"Think carefully where does your interest lie, where does the
interest of your parents lie. If you go on that basis... you
will vote the right people into parliament... and of course,
vote PAP," Goh said.