Singapore government too cavalier: Jeyaretnam

Singapore government too cavalier: Jeyaretnam

SINGAPORE (Reuters): Singapore's ruling party has such tight
control of the government that it tends to ignore parliament and
simply does what it likes, veteran opposition leader Joshua
Jeyaretnam alleged yesterday.

Jeyaretnam told a news conference his Workers Party was
unhappy with the way the People's Action Party (PAP) government
had taken a decision to lend US$5 billion to Indonesia to help it
out of its financial troubles.

He said the government had taken a "cavalier attitude" to
procedures and should have consulted parliament and President Ong
Teng Cheong before agreeing to the loan in such a "casual way".

"The Singapore government is acting as if it were above the
law," he said.

Singapore has promised to loan US$5 billion to Jakarta as a
"second line of defense" to support Indonesia's reserves and has
said the loan could only be drawn down if US$23 billion from
international agencies were already exhausted.

The government has said it followed the proper procedures on
agreeing the loan and has rejected a suggestion by Jeyaretnam
that the matter be referred to a special court on constitutional
matters.

"The Workers' Party secretary-general has misinterpreted the
constitution," the Finance Ministry said last month.

But Jeyaretnam charged that the government's approach to the
loan was typically arrogant.

"There is this arrogant assumption in this government that it
knows what it is doing and everything it does is right and anyone
who dares to challenge it is talking a lot of nonsense," he said.
"It shows a total lack of sensitivity to the government's
accountability to its people."

"Any government conscious of its responsibility and duty to be
accountable to its people would, if it is challenged on a
constitutional matter, refer the issue to the constitutional
court. But not this government," he said.

The PAP won 81 of the 83 seats in parliament at the last
general election in January.

Jeyaretnam was not elected, but became an MP as "best loser"
under a constitutional provision that there must be at least
three opposition members in parliament.

He said the PAP had been in power too long and had too big a
majority to be properly accountable.

"They have this tyrannical majority," he said.

Jeyaretnam said he supported a change to the constitution made
in 1988 by the PAP to ensure some big decisions were approved by
parliament and the president, and not just by a government. This
rule was "very laudable", he said, but "all just on paper". The
loan to Indonesia fell into this category, he said.