MERGER AND CONSTITUTIONAL FUTURE (SINGAPORE)

7.47 p.m.

Dr Lee Siew Choh (Queenstown): Mr Speaker, Sir, this motion has been long delayed, so much so that it has been rendered almost out of date by the recent course of events. It is almost like trying to lock the stable door after the horses have been stolen. Nevertheless, this motion will serve its purpose if only to remind the Government that "merger" is not a One-Party issue but a national issue and therefore an All-Party issue, and it should be treated as such. If only this motion will help to show the P.A.P. its past mistakes and if the P.A.P. would only admit these mistakes and take appropriate steps to rectify them, then the time of the House wilt not have been wasted in debating this motion.

Sir, much of what I have intended to say in this motion has already been said in the debate on merger and my amendment to it. I shall not, therefore, bore you -

The Prime Minister: Thank you.

Dr Lee Siew Choh: - with an unnecessary repetition of many of the revelations of striptease politics which are well known to all the people in Singapore. I shall therefore confine myself to bringing out the salient features in the P.A.P.'s treacherous betrayal of the people.

Dr Goh Keng Swee: By Lee Siew Choh.

Dr Lee Siew Choh: Sir, as I have already said, merger is not a One-Party issue. It is a national issue affecting the lives and the future of each and every one of us in Singapore. Yes, even our children and all our future generations will be affected by the way in which we resolve this national issue. If it was really a private matter affecting only the P.A.P. and no other people, then the P.A.P. could make it a One-Party internal matter and no one would complain. For example, if all the Assemblymen on the Government Back-benches should gang up together and oust the arrogant Ministers from their high pedestals, then we would just watch and let the P.A.P. handle its own affairs and settle them the way it wants. But merger, Sir, is an entirely different matter. It affects the lives of present and future generations and as such transcends party politics. Political Parties represent only certain sections of the people and one would have expected the P.A.P. to have the magnanimity to treat the issue with all the national importance and consideration it deserves and not make it a completely One-Party affair.

The P.A.P. surely knows that there are different aspects of the problem which will give rise to different viewpoints, and that an All-Party consultation would be necessary as all the different views representing different sections of the population would help to give a proper perspective and better understanding of the issue at stake, especially so today when the P.A.P. is only a shadow of its former self - a mere shell - and cannot, by any stretch of the imagination, be said to be a popular Government that can claim to be representative of the people. The P.A.P. has not only not consulted the other political Parties, both inside and outside the Assembly, on this all important merger issue, but has also been so dictatorial in its behaviour inside the Assembly, in the way it has gone about its interjectory motions and lifting of Standing Orders during the last few sittings - all without prior consultation with Opposition Parties that all the people of Singapore today know that the P.A.P. is still as dictatorial as ever, and that it is all the time trying to impose a one-man majority parliamentary dictatorship in the Assembly and in the whole of Singapore.

Let me remind the House of the shameful record of the P.A.P. in its attempts at hiding the facts of merger from the people and from other political Parties.

(1) When the Yang di-Pertuan Negara spoke of the tremendous drama that had accompanied the progress and development of merger and Malaysia talks in the last five months - now 7� months - we had already known of the secret negotiations of the Prime Minister of Singapore and the Prime Minister of the Federation for quite some time.

(2) During the Anson by-election, the Prime Minister said that merger must follow certain conditions which must be approved by the people and not by the Ministers. I hope the Prime Minister and his ministerial colleagues will not forget these words of promise they made to the people.

(3) There was further mention of "merger" by the Prime Minister over Radio Singapore, now Radio P.A.P., on 27th July, 1961.

(4) On 8th August, 1961, according to the Tunku, merger was only an informal proposal.

(5) On 23rd August, 1961, the first joint statement of the two Prime Minister was issued.

(6) It was three days later, on 26th August, 1961, that the Acting Prime Minister wrote to the leaders of the Opposition Parties, purporting to seek their views on the two points already agreed to, in principle, by the two Prime Ministers.

Sir, here was the Government having negotiations with the Federation on a matter of national importance, on a matter that concerns everyone in Singapore. Yet the people and other political Parties knew nothing about it until agreement had been reached in principle. Concern was expressed by civil organisations, unions and leaders of the Singapore and Chinese Chambers of Commerce. We were wondering if there was any meaning in that letter from the Acting Prime Minister. The Acting Prime Minister asked if we agreed to the two principles already agreed to. Was it a genuine and sincere seeking of views? If it was meant to be a sincere seeking of views and a form of consultation, then it should have been sent before, and not after, agreement had already been reached in principle between the two Prime Ministers. In our reply to the Acting Prime Minister on 1st September, 1961, we pointed out that the attitude of the Government in going about its business, regardless of the views of the others, especially on a matter of such magnitude and importance affecting our entire people, was, to say the least, most reprehensible. Under the circumstances, we could not help but come to the conclusion that the letter from the Acting Prime Minister was only intended to deceive the people into believing that all Parties were being consulted in the P.A.P. attempt to sign away the future of our people. The fact that this letter was released to the Press even before replies were received from the Opposition leaders, showed the farce and insincerity of this so-called consultation. It is absolutely clear that this letter was a result of after-thought for the P.A.P.'s earlier sin of omission. And what was the purpose of this cheap political propaganda stunt but to deceive and sell-out? Even the reactionary Lim Yew Hock Government had to take heed of the public when it came to consider constitutional matters in 1958. All the Parties were first consulted and they had agreed to the principles before they proceeded to negotiate upon them -

8.00 p.m.

Mr Speaker: Order. Moment of interruption.