A debate on the relationship between the ruling People’s Action Party (PAP) and the opposition Workers’ Party (WP) took centre stage in Parliament on Wednesday, with various references made to ancient Chinese history.
Three PAP MPs gave different takes on opposition MP Chen Show Mao’s analogy comparing the PAP to enlightened Tang Dynasty Emperor Tai Zong and the WP to Wei Zheng, a wise court official known for being frank with the ruler.
Speaking in Mandarin on Tuesday, Chen said in his speech, “In this term of Parliament, I hope the ruling party can be Tang Tai Zong, while we can be Wei Zheng. Let us create a peaceful, prosperous age.”
While lauding Chen’s refreshing style of debate, senior parliamentary secretary Sam Tan on Wednesday countered with a story of Wei Zheng, noting that the opposition MP should also not just parrot his party’s line, The Straits Times reported.
Tan said that when Emperor Tai Zong asked Wei Zheng about the difference between a good and bad king, the official replied that a wise ruler listens fairly to the views of all, while a poor ruler listens only to the biased views of a few.
He added, “Since Mr Chen aims to be like Wei Zheng, I hope that when his personal view differs from his party's, he will be able to look at the big picture and act in the interest of the majority instead of blindly following his party line.”
Tampines group representation constituency MP Baey Yam Keng, however, chose to focus on drawing lessons from Emperor Tai Zong’s good governance.
During the Zhenguan era, China was known for its prosperity and non-corrupt officials, said Baey. He added that the Emperor also understood that the relationship between ruler and his people is like the connection between a boat and water.
He mentioned the Chinese idiom “water can transport the boat but also cause it to sink” to underscore the importance of listening to the people.
On the other hand, Sembawang GRC MP Ellen Lee rejected Chen’s analogy, arguing that it was inappropriate to compare the PAP to Emperor Tai Zong as he was an autocratic ruler in a feudal era.
She said, “We live in a modern, democratic society and the PAP believes in being responsible to the people. In a democracy, anyone has the right to speak.”
“While the analogy sounds romantic, on closer examination, it does not hold water.”
The PAP MPs also suggested that providing alternative views and criticism does not solely lie in the opposition. Tan noted that some PAP backbenchers can be fiercer than the opposition when criticising the government.
Referring to Chen’s speech in which the WP MP quoted a Confucian saying that “gentlemen can be united while holding different views” to describe how the two parties could work together, Tan said this has been practised all along.
Saying that that the PAP is a broad church that accepts a variety of views and talents in its ranks, he cited Cabinet ministers Tharman Shanmugaratnam and Vivian Balakrishnan, who were active critics of the government before entering politics.
In addition, he added that the government’s move to allow Non-Constituency MPs and Nominated MPs also showed its commitment to gathering wide-range views.
Acknowledging that debate has been lively in the past two days but divided along party lines, Tan called for tolerance and unity of purpose from all parties. He referred to a couplet written by a Qing Dynasty official, he said, “Being in government is not about speaking many empty words, but about serving the masses.”
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