Almost every opposition party candidate who became a Non-Constituency MP (NCMP) has gone on to lose at the next general election they contested in.

Workers’ Party (WP) MP Sylvia Lim (Aljunied GRC) is the only one who has ever bucked this trend.

NCMP Leon Perera cited this yesterday as he argued against the move to raise the minimum number of opposition MPs, including NCMPs, in the House. He said it would benefit only the People’s Action Party (PAP).

But Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean said the NCMP scheme ensures there will always be opposition voices in Parliament, which ultimately benefits Singaporeans.

The Constitution (Amendment) Bill 2016, passed yesterday, will raise the minimum number of opposition MPs, including NCMPs, from nine to 12, and will also give NCMPs full voting rights. All six WP MPs voted against the Bill.

NCMP seats are offered to the best performing losing opposition candidates when the number of elected opposition MPs falls short of the minimum.

Mr Perera questioned the motives behind the scheme, reiterating the WP’s long-held stance that it dissuades people from voting for the opposition, and goes against the principle that only elected lawmakers have a mandate to represent the people.

He warned that if the scheme was “fully exploited by the ruling party and fully embraced by voters in the way that the PAP hopes”, Parliament may end up with 12 “unelectable opposition MPs”.

This would allow the ruling party to do whatever it wished, he said. “It can force Singapore into a never-ending dependence on only one party for generations to come, like a computer with no backup. “

Mr Teo countered that the fact that the WP had taken up the full quota of NCMP seats it was offered shows the scheme has merits.

“This shows that being an NCMP offers advantages, not least of which are public exposure and parliamentary experience. Ms Sylvia Lim herself has been a beneficiary of this,” he said, rounding up the debate on the Bill.

To this, Mr Perera had said earlier that he had taken up the NCMP seat, despite his objections to the scheme, because “being in Parliament and arguing for what I believe is right outweigh the risk of damage to our politics from accepting the NCMP position”.

In his speech, Mr Teo also acknowledged that the scheme had benefited the PAP, but not in the way Mr Perera suggested.

Instead, it gives PAP MPs the experience of sparring with opposition members in the House, and not just during election season, he said.

It also allows the Government to engage the opposition and scrutinise their proposals, he said, adding that opposition politicians would otherwise behave like “‘phantoms in the night’ that turn up only at general elections, make claims, not engage, and then disappear again”.

“Ultimately, Singapore and Singaporeans will benefit from such debate and the diversity of views.”

This article was first published on November 10, 2016.
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Users of electric scooters, hoverboards and other personal mobility devices (PMDs) who are caught riding recklessly could face stiff penalties of a fine, or a jail sentence, in the future.

A new law is being proposed to govern where and how these devices should be used, and what criteria they must meet, such as weight.

The Active Mobility Bill will cover cyclists and riders of electric-powered bicycles (e-bikes), which are mainly regulated under the Road Traffic Act currently.

The Bill was introduced in Parliament by Transport Minister Khaw Boon Wan yesterday.

If passed into law, it will bring about harsher penalties for sellers of non-compliant e-bikes, such as those which can go faster than 25kmh, for example.

First-time offenders who sell such e-bikes or illegally modify them currently face a fine of up to $2,000 or jail of up to three months, under the Road Traffic Act.

Under the proposed law, which will also apply to sellers of PMDs, the fine will be raised to $5,000.

The Bill’s rules and code of conduct for cyclists and PMD users is based on the recommendations from an expert panel formed to boost the use of bicycles and PMDs.

Read also: 20 e-scooters seized after users caught illegally riding on roads

The guidelines put forward by the Active Mobility Advisory Panel – formulated after a nationwide public consultation – were fully accepted by the Government in April, but have yet to be passed into law.

The guidelines include the different types of devices that are allowed on footpaths, shared paths and cycling paths.

The maximum speeds and criteria for the devices are also laid out. For example, PMDs like electric scooters should not weigh more than 20kg and have a maximum speed of 25kmh.

The recommendations, however, did not spell out any proposed penalties for errant PMD users. These were revealed for the first time yesterday with the Bill’s introduction.

Those who do not stop to render assistance to victims in an accident could face fines of up to $3,000, or a jail term of up to a year, or both. Reckless users can be handed fines of up to $5,000, jailed up to six months, or both.

The Bill also seeks to provide the Land Transport Authority (LTA) and other agencies, such as the National Parks Board, with powers to enforce the new set of rules, such as examining whether PMDs are non- compliant and seizing them if so.

Community volunteers under the Active Mobility Patrol Scheme, who are tasked to educate the public about the safe use of PMDs, will also be empowered under the proposed law to obtain the personal particulars of errant users.

Read also: Two e-scooters seized in clampdown on bad drivers

Mr Sitoh Yih Pin, chairman of the Government Parliamentary Committee for Transport, said the proposed penalties will serve as a “strong deterrent to all riders and users against reckless and irresponsible behaviour”.

On Monday, the LTA said it had seized 20 electric scooters since May, after their owners were found riding on the roads. More than 1,400 notices have also been issued to cyclists for using non-compliant e-bikes between January and September this year, the LTA said.

Last month, two e-bike users were killed after they were hit by a trailer truck.

Transport consultant Gopinath Menon said besides education and mutual understanding between different road users, penalties are necessary to promote the right behaviour. “Without the teeth, you can’t get things done,” he added.

The Active Mobility Bill will likely be debated in Parliament at its next sitting in January.

Read also: Fast e-scooters not rare – but dangerous​

adrianl@sph.com.sg

This article was first published on November 10, 2016.
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Open the rear door of a cab to alight and it hits another vehicle, and you may have to pay for the damage.

A passenger who got out of a cab in a mall lobby driveway will do just that in a test case settled in the State Courts on Monday between all three parties involved.

In the case, Ms Amanda Tng, 29, had boarded the cab in Killiney Road on April 24, 2014, and was bound for The Furniture Mall in Toh Guan Road.

After cab driver Zailani Hassan, 51, pulled up outside the recessed drop-off point at the mall’s driveway lobby, she opened the door on the right side to get out, not realising a car was passing at that moment.

The collision dislodged the taxi door and left the other car badly damaged with deep scratches and a dent down its entire left side.

Travex, the company which owned the damaged car, sued Mr Zailani through its lawyer Ling Leong Hui for negligence.

His insurers, in turn, represented by lawyer Anthony Wee, named Ms Tng as a third party in the case, seeking to hold her liable for contributory damage payable.

Ms Tng denied the claims in court papers filed, pointing out she did not open the door suddenly and the Travex driver should have seen the cab as he was pulling into the driveway.

All parties appeared before District Judge Koh Juay Kherng on Monday, who is understood to have urged them to arrive at a consensus among themselves.

The three parties agreed to each take some of the blame, with Travex accepting 50 per cent of it. This halved the bill for damage, to be shared between Mr Zailani and Ms Tng, who bore 30 per cent of it.

Her lawyer Tng Kim Choon said the cost of repair was agreed at $5,900 which meant Ms Tng’s contribution was about $2,000. He said the legal costs to the Travex driver and the cab driver added another $3,000, which meant her overall payout totalled $5,000.

He said yesterday: “I hope this case will alert the authorities and members of the public on a matter which may have been overlooked.”

He noted there was case law holding a passenger liable if he were to alight at a traffic junction and cause injury to a third party and the taxi driver was caught unawares.

But Mr Tng said that the past case law had “nothing similar” to that of his client who was held liable, even though the taxi driver had not used the designated passenger drop-off point.

She had to pay almost $5,000 as her contribution for the repair and for legal costs even though there was no trial. “Had this case proceeded to trial, I would have taken it on appeal on a point of public interest whatever the outcome,” he noted.

He explained the issue was whether a cab driver owed a duty of care to his passenger to ensure not only the latter’s safety but also that the passenger is not liable as a third party for damage to the taxi and the plaintiff’s car in a collision.

This article was first published on November 10, 2016.
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Eurasians ought to be considered as a separate racial group for the purpose of the elected presidency moving forward, so that elections can be reserved for the community if there has not been a Eurasian president for a period of time, said Ms Joan Pereira (Tanjong Pagar GRC) in Parliament yesterday.

“I strongly believe that we Eurasians, being culturally distinct as Asians with European ancestry and heritage, have a unique perspective to contribute to the office of the elected presidency,” she added.

Currently, Eurasians are considered part of the “Indians and other minorities” group. This means that in a reserved election for the group, Eurasians, Indians or other eligible minorities can take part.

The first-term Eurasian MP said that even though Eurasians have been categorised as “others”, she had never felt excluded nor discriminated against.

Rather, she felt that “by bringing something different to the table, we can help enrich the office of the elected presidency”. “As the embodiment of East-West unions, we are also living testimonies of inter-racial, cultural and religious harmony and unity,” she said.

She also suggested that the Council of Presidential Advisers should include at least a member of each major racial group and at least one woman, adding this will provide a diversity of perspectives.

Supporting the provision to ensure minority representation, she said: “The importance of symbolism… is worth upholding.” Mr Darryl David (Ang Mo Kio GRC),also speaking about the president’s symbolism, said it is undesirable for a particular ethnic group to go for years without a president.

He added that reserved elections do not compromise the values of equality and meritocracy, but are an acknowledgement that the “core Singapore values” of multiracialism and meritocracy can co-exist.

Responding to the suggestion of pulling Eurasians out of the “Indian and others” group, as well as to a query by Dr Fatimah Lateef (Marine Parade GRC) on how individuals of mixed heritage would be classified, Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean said the classifications would follow the mechanics of the group representation constituency system.

“The framework has worked well,” he said. “Any person who does not fall within one of the three racial groupings may still contest in open elections,” he said.

This article was first published on November 10, 2016.
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Workers in Singapore can expect pay rises of about 2.9 per cent next year, once inflation is taken into account, down from last year, according to a survey released yesterday.

The poll noted that bosses are preparing to lift pay by about 4 per cent. However, with “Singapore transitioning from 0.3 per cent deflation this year to 1.1 per cent inflation next year, real wage increases for employees will take a hit”.

The generous 4.3 per cent average real wage increases enjoyed this year will not be seen next year, it added.

“The open, trade-dominated economy of Singapore is withstanding the deceleration of growth in China reasonably well, but is nevertheless experiencing a slowdown itself,” said Mr Lee Quane, director for Asia at human resources firm ECA International, which released the annual survey of about 260 firms including large local companies and multinationals, from 72 countries.

The expected 2.9 per cent average pay rise in Singapore next year would be higher than the estimated average of 2.6 per cent across the rest of the Asia-Pacific region studied by ECA.

Malaysia-based workers should see a similar pattern emerge, said ECA.

The forecast for real wage increases is 2 per cent next year, from 3.1 per cent experienced this year, owing to rising inflation.

Mr Quane said that low unemployment continues to “exert upward pressure” on wages in Malaysia, but as labour costs here are higher than in rival economies, investors tend to move.

The regional economic slowdown is contributing to rising inflation, which is why those in Malaysia will be worse off next year.

After taking inflation into account, the biggest pay rises in the Asia-Pacific are forecast for Vietnam, where companies are expecting 5.4 per cent increases on average.

It is also offering the second- highest global real wage increase next year.

Hong Kongers will see their salaries rise an average of 4 per cent again next year, but after factoring in inflation – tipped at 2.6 per cent in 2017 – they will experience the third-lowest wage rise in the Asia- Pacific, estimated to be a 1.4 per cent increase in real terms.

Mr Quane added that China’s downturn is reducing demand and trade throughout the region and this is affecting places such as Singapore, with rising inflation forecast next year.

This article was first published on November 10, 2016.
Get a copy of The Straits Times or go to straitstimes.com for more stories.