The Workers’ Party’s Lee Li Lian should have just taken up the NCMP role instead of turning it down to spend time with her family.
Parliamentarians clearly have lots of free time to spare, as MP and Leader of the House for Parliament Grace Fu has shown.
Yesterday, she took the time out of her busy schedule to condemn Lee for declining the NCMP post, saying that the seat shouldn’t be taken lightly.
The good thing is the Minister for Culture, Community and Youth demonstrated her ability to read the papers, and stay awake during parliament sittings – she learnt about Lee’s decision from the media and her absence from the opening of Parliament.
Fu said that Lee should have taken her place as NCMP because she campaigned so hard and persuaded voters to elect her into parliament.
She said those voters, and many other Singaporeans, would want to know why Lee – who’s a former NCMP – pulled the plug on her time in parliament.
“Taking up the NCMP seat would have enabled her to participate fully in parliamentary debates, raise motions, and ask questions in Parliament.”
Lee was one of the top losers of General Election 2015.
She was supposed to fill one of the three NCMP seats, together with the WP’s Dennis Tan and Leon Perera.
She announced her decision not to take up the seat 4 months ago, saying she didn’t get enough support from voters, and she wanted to spend more time with her family.
The WP has filed a parliamentary motion for the Lee’s NCMP seat offered to be declared vacant.
Party chairman Sylvia Lim said the WP wants NUS sociology don Daniel Goh to take up the seat.
