• About Us
    • Fact Checking Policy
    • Ownership & funding information
  • Volunteer
    • Internship with The Online Citizen
  • Donation
  • Subscription
  • Letter submission
    • Submissions Policy
  • Contact Us
  • zh-hans 简体中文
  • en English
The Online Citizen Asia
  • Opinion
    • Editorial
    • Commentaries
    • Comments
  • Current Affairs
    • Malaysia
    • Indonesia
    • China
    • ASEAN
    • Asia
    • International
  • Finance
    • Economics
    • Labour
    • Property
    • Business
  • Community
    • Civil Society
    • Arts & Culture
    • Consumer Watch
    • NGO
  • Politics
    • Parliament
    • Transport
    • Education
    • Environment
    • Health
    • Housing
  • Law & Order
    • Legislation
    • Court Cases
  • Lifestyle
    • Travel
No Result
View All Result
  • Opinion
    • Editorial
    • Commentaries
    • Comments
  • Current Affairs
    • Malaysia
    • Indonesia
    • China
    • ASEAN
    • Asia
    • International
  • Finance
    • Economics
    • Labour
    • Property
    • Business
  • Community
    • Civil Society
    • Arts & Culture
    • Consumer Watch
    • NGO
  • Politics
    • Parliament
    • Transport
    • Education
    • Environment
    • Health
    • Housing
  • Law & Order
    • Legislation
    • Court Cases
  • Lifestyle
    • Travel
No Result
View All Result
The Online Citizen Asia
No Result
View All Result

Murali Pillai’s response to Dennis Tan seems overly defensive and an over the top and unnecessary escalation

by Ghui
02/09/2020
in Opinion
Reading Time: 3min read
19

It did not take long after the opening of the 14th Parliament of Singapore for disagreement to abound between the dominant Peoples’ Action Party (PAP) members of parliament (MP) and newly elected Workers’ Party (WP) MPs. As MPs debated the President’s address, WP MP, Dennis Tan questioned the PAP over its “petty” and “bad politics” during July’s General Election.

It would appear that the PAP had complained to the Elections Department (ELD) about WP’s placement of posters in Hougang Single Member Constituency (SMC) despite the PAP having itself planted its flags in front of WP’s banners in Hougang.

Given that the PAP has been reported to have breached quite a number of election rules, this appears to be a very fair comment on the part of Tan.

However, instead of calmly and objectively answering Tan’s questions, the PAP’s Murali Pillai appears to have completely over reacted. If Murali did not agree with Tan’s summation, all he needed to do was to point out why he did not agree. But instead of doing that, Murali launched into a heated and over the top attack, accusing Tan of suggesting that the incumbent PAP was using its “power of incumbency” against opposition in an unfair manner.

That certainly seemed like an unnecessary escalation on the part of Murali – akin to a teenager accusing a passer by who happened to look his way of staring at him and thereby starting a fight. It is noteworthy that Murali’s response comes after Speaker of Parliament, Tan Chuan Jin had urged MPs not to be fractious. Who is being fractious here?

Besides, the PAP has 83 out of 93 seats! Why the need to be so point scoring?

Appearing to be spoiling for a pointless fight, Murali pushed the point asking if Tan thought that the ELD had answered his complaints in an even-handed manner. This does sound like a loaded question given that there are certain apparent breaches of election rules  that the ELD had yet to deal with. How can Tan answer this question when some of the issues have not even been dealt with yet?

Unbelievably though, instead of taking Murali to task for seemingly escalating the situation, the Speaker appeared to validate Murali’s seeming overreaction by insisting that Tan provide an answer. In this way, it would seem that Tan had no choice but to agree that ELD was even-handed in dealing with the complaints. Unwittingly, this may seem like a coerced answer?

Is this exchange a harbinger for things to come in Parliament? Is the PAP going to over react every time a question is asked or a comment is made?

 

Share this:

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
Subscribe
Connect withD
Login
I allow to create an account
When you login first time using a Social Login button, we collect your account public profile information shared by Social Login provider, based on your privacy settings. We also get your email address to automatically create an account for you in our website. Once your account is created, you'll be logged-in to this account.
DisagreeAgree
Notify of
I allow to create an account
When you login first time using a Social Login button, we collect your account public profile information shared by Social Login provider, based on your privacy settings. We also get your email address to automatically create an account for you in our website. Once your account is created, you'll be logged-in to this account.
DisagreeAgree
19 Comments
Oldest
Newest Most Voted
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments

Recent Posts

  • UK coronavirus strain detected in at least 60 countries: WHO
  • DBS to completely terminate use of physical tokens to access online and mobile banking services from 1 April
  • Hong Kong says top UK lawyer has quit team prosecuting dissidents
  • Xiaomi stock rebounds after ban by US
  • Alibaba tycoon Jack Ma ends speculation on disappearance, appears in live online meeting with teachers in rural China
  • Singapore Association for the Deaf added into S’pore Book of Records for ‘Largest Mass Online Song Signing’ performance
September 2020
MTWTFSS
 123456
78910111213
14151617181920
21222324252627
282930 
« Aug   Oct »

Trending posts

Founding fathers of Singapore Hainanese chicken rice stall did not attend poly or ITE

Transgender student shares distressing experience of MOE allegedly blocking her HRT treatment

“So now it’s Singaporeans’ fault?”: Netizens question as Minister Lawrence Wong warns additional measures may be considered to control COVID-19 community cases

HDB says it can’t interfere with individual stallholders’ rentals charged by eating house operator

SDP chief Chee Soon Juan explains why the use of TraceTogether data matters to all S’poreans

Dennis Tan and Nicole Seah of The Workers’ Party speak up for Dover Forest

  • About Us
  • Volunteer
  • Donation
  • Subscription
  • Letter submission
  • Contact Us

© 2006 - 2021 The Online Citizen

No Result
View All Result
  • Opinion
    • Editorial
    • Commentaries
    • Comments
  • Current Affairs
    • Malaysia
    • Indonesia
    • China
    • ASEAN
    • Asia
    • International
  • Finance
    • Economics
    • Labour
    • Property
    • Business
  • Community
    • Civil Society
    • Arts & Culture
    • Consumer Watch
    • NGO
  • Politics
    • Parliament
    • Transport
    • Education
    • Environment
    • Health
    • Housing
  • Law & Order
    • Legislation
    • Court Cases
  • Lifestyle
    • Travel
  • Subscribers login

© 2006 - 2021 The Online Citizen

wpDiscuz
19
0
Would love your thoughts, please comment.x
()
x
| Reply