‘No perfect model to follow, so Singapore evolves a system to fit its needs’
SINGAPORE — Rather than strive for “unworkable perfection” from day one, Singapore opted to let its political system evolve to suit its unique needs, and this approach should continue, said Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, stressing that there is “no perfect model” that can be imported here.
Copying other countries’ practices blindly could lead to their political problems occurring here too, cautioned Mr Lee, adding: “We have to find our own way forward.”
Since the early days of independence, the Republic’s approach has been to learn from experience, “stretching and easing the old shoe”, and adapting it to our needs as new problems emerge, said Mr Lee, referring to founding Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew’s analogy of Constitutional changes as a custom-made shoe.
While most newly independent countries adopt a newly minted Constitution, Singapore had retained but tweaked the existing constitutional arrangements that “had worked” in its pre-independence days.
The late Mr Lee, when addressing the Parliament in 1984 over constitutional amendments to create the Non-Constituency Member of Parliament (NCMP) scheme, had said: “Many countries have tried and gone through several Constitutions since independence … They have not brought stability or legitimacy. I believe it is better to stretch and ease and old shoe when we know that the different shape and fit of a younger generation requires a change.”
Although British constitutional law experts had, at the late Mr Lee’s request, done a “first-rate” job polishing the Constitution in 1970, he ultimately rejected the amendments, because he concluded the experts had not understood Singapore’s context. Borrowing an analogy from one of America’s founding fathers, Mr Thomas Jefferson, the late Mr Lee told Parliament in 1984: “From my experience, Constitutions have to be custom-made, tailored to suit the peculiarities of the person wearing the suit. Perhaps, like shoes, the older they are, the better they fit. Stretch them, soften them, resole them, repair them. They are always better than a brand-new pair of shoes.”
Speaking yesterday during the debate on the President’s Address, Mr Lee said this approach of evolving the system gradually and learning from experience has served Singapore well.
Singapore inherited its first-past-the-post parliamentary system from the British, but subsequently introduced new institutions like the NCMP and Nominated MP schemes, the Group Representation Constituencies, and an elected President, said Mr Lee. These were implemented purposefully and in line with the Republic’s principles, said Mr Lee.
Drawing on case studies around the world, Mr Lee said a perfect political system does not exist. In the United States, where the executive and legislative branches are controlled by different parties, the Government is stalemated on issues ranging from gun control to trade policy.
“There is rancour and suspicion, and no willingness to compromise. And the system desperately needs to be fixed, but … not even the President is able on their own, to put it right,” he said.
Many European countries have seen their national consensus fray, while extreme left and right groups are gaining ground, he noted, citing Syriza in Greece, Podemos in Spain and the National Front in France, among others. These groups reflect public unhappiness but do not offer coherent policies or viable alternatives, he said.
Meanwhile, votes in many Asian countries are cast along the lines of race, religion and caste. “It’s not policies, it’s not integrity. And there has been no lessening of these divides even decades after independence,” Mr Lee noted.
“The moral of the story: There is no perfect model anywhere in the world, much less one that we can import wholesale and apply in Singapore,” he said. “We have to keep evolving our system carefully, step by step, making sure that our Government works and the politics in Singapore serves our people’s interests.” Kelly Ng
