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There has been accusation that some MPs hold too many appointments, perhaps too many for them to focus on the resident. The latest shows the appointments held by one PAP MP, Yeo Guat Kwang.
Let’s organise the list a little and let’s see how time consuming these appointments are:
- Member, Government Parliamentary Committee on Manpower
- Member, Government Parliamentary Committee on Community Development, Youth & Sports
- Member, GPC for Ministry of Information, Communications and the Arts
- Vice Chairman, Aljunied Town Council
- Vice-Chairman, North East Community Development Council
- PAP Community Foundation HQ Executive Committee
The above show basic Parliamentary duties – SOP and normal work of an MP
This particular MP also represents workers from the Labour Movement, his full time job is a director at the NTUC. The following are merely appointments that he needs to be plugged into to advance workers welfare.
It is just like saying you’re an advertising executive, but you’re also on the welfare committee, the health and safety committee…and various other workgroups each time a new project crops up.
- Alignment Director, NTUC Quality Worklife & All Nationalities
- Acting Advisor to Taxi Operators’ Association
- President of Consumers Association of Singapore (CASE)
- Executive Secretary, Singapore Chinese Teachers’ Unions
- Director, Financial Industry Disputes Resolution Centre (FIDReC)
- Advisor, Federation of Merchants’ Associations, Singapore
- Executive Secretary, Amalgamated Union of Statutory Board Employees
- Member, Workplace Health and Safety Council
- Co-Chairman, National Tripartite Committee on Workplace Health
- Co-Chairman, Customer Centric Initiatives
- Co-Chairman, NTUC-SNEF Migrant Workers’ Forum
- Advisor, Society of Tourist Guides (Singapore)
- Advisor, Singapore Furniture Association
- Advisor, Eggs’ Import/Export Trading Association (Singapore)
- Advisor, Federation of Merchants’ Singapore
- Member, WSH Council Finance Committee
- Member, Tripartite Committee on Employability of Older Workers
- Member, Tripartite Committee on Portable Medical Benefits
- Member, Tripartite Committee on Flexible Work Arrangement
- Member, Quality Service Advisory Council
- Advisor, Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore Staff Union (IRASSU)
- Advisor & Trustee, NatSteel Employees Union (NEU)
- Business Advisor, NTUC LearningHub Pte Ltd
- Patron to Pets Enterprises & Traders Association (PETAS)
- Member, Motor Industry Disputes Resolution Centre Pte Ltd Board of Governors
- Member, Retail Price Watch Group
- Advisory Board Member, Singapore-China Association for Advancement of Science & Technology
To facilitate any MP’s knowledge of the ground, they ideally should be plugged into the organisations concerned with social and economic segments of society. After all, isn’t the ground always complaining that an MP must walk the grounds and hear the sentiments? These appointments assist him to do just that:
- Member, SPRING Standards Council
- Member, Board of Directors of PUB Board
- Member, Agri-Food & Veterinary Authority of Singapore (AVA)
- Member, AVA Human Resource Committee
- Member, Centre for Service Excellence and Leadership Governing Council
- Member, Institute for Service Excellence @ SMU (ISES) Governing Council
- Advisor to the Singapore Table Tennis Association
- Advisor to the Singapore WeiQi Association
- Advisor to the Ren Ci Hospital
- Advisor to the Bright Vision Hospital
- Advisor to Artistes & Performers’ Association
- Advisor to Restaurants Association of Singapore
- Member, Committee to Promote Chinese Language Learning (CPCLL)
- Member,Tobacco Licensing Consultative Panel
- Member, Ngee Ann Kongsi Council
- Advisor, Yeo Clan General Association
- Advisor, Singapore Taoist Federation
- Advisor, Fo Guang Shan (Singapore)
- Advisor, Mun San Tuck Chee
- Advisor, Society of Sheng Hong Welfare Services
- Advisor, Sian Chay Medical Institution
- Advisor, JCI Senators Club of Singapore
- Patron. Buddist Fellowship
- Member, Aids Business Alliance
- Member, Mental Health Alliance
So in all, the MP holds appointments in only 3 general areas: his Parliamentary duties, his work and community involvement.
An MP however, does have one area of life that he/she will invariably neglect – his/her family. You literally sell your life, soul and family to the country – and the only thanks you get is an angry article from The Real Singapore. Which is probably the reason why many do not want to return to run for a second term.
[plinker]
