Criteria to choose an MP
Thursday, August 27, 2015 Jes Singapore , Thoughts 0 Comments

Due to a monthly salary of 15k, it seems that everyone is jumping on the wagon to join politics readily without first considering what they can do for the people and the country. However, the increased number of people interested in politics will hopefully translate to having the cream of the crop for our leaders. I normally look at these 5 criteria when deciding on a good candidate:

Parliament house at night (Source: wikipedia)

Someone who has the academic qualifications

Most of our ministers are people with scholarships or excelled academically. This might imply that they have the brains and discipline to learn and that they are more educated than the majority. In my opinion, the only way to disregard the academic qualifications is to have a stellar career and this will make a good underdog story. Without a good career, what people can judge on will be the academic qualifications.

However, beware that voters might find that you are from the elitist class with government bonds and scholarships and are not able to represent the masses. Take Koh Poh Koon for instance, who thought that everyone has a car. Definitely can't relate to him.

Maybe he meant this 'ka' (leg)? (Source: wikipedia)

Someone who has previous track record in managing people and himself

We are not paying our taxes for MPs to learn on the job, we are paying because for someone who has the background and experience to serve and contribute to the nation. In my opinion, people below 35 years old might not have enough managing and working experience and might not have a lot to contribute. Similarly, if you are bankrupt previously due to politics, how can we be sure you can manage all the Town Council funds?

If you can slander people recklessly and ended up bankrupt, it means you are not mature enough to be in the politics game. Chee Soon Juan should not even be allowed to run, let alone taking Roy Ngerng to be his follower. Luckily Amos Yee is not old enough to join the fray or they would really be (or already are) the embarrassment for the opposition in Singapore. Similarly, we do not want another WP- AHTPEC fiasco when they have not even accounted for everything. We need an independent auditor to go through their books and give an answer to the public. That will really help in their image.

Someone who looks approachable and friendly

Looks is always the first impression and it can be said that people cast judgements within the first minute. This is not to be ignored particularly when the more affable looking ones might get more votes easily when they go for their routine walks in the neighbourhood.
However, Kevryn Lim thought that good looks are all that matter and that General Election is a pageant contest. Dress respectably for goodness sake! With NSP fielding such candidates, I truly doubt their credibility as a political party. Worse still, party members continue to quit the party. I hope they lose their deposit so they will learn a lesson to not treat the election as a game.

Someone who has good social media presence

It is becoming a social media war and looking at how the USA presidential hopefuls do it, we are actually not that savvy compared to them. Of course, they have a much bigger budget. Everyone can just set up a Twitter, Instagram or Facebook page but not everyone can maintain the digital presence and be so popular that you have more than 100k likes. It takes hard work and genuine interest to do so.

Sylvia Lim in her last rally (Source: wikipedia)

Take Sylvia Lim for instance, who generated so much buzz in her first instagram, even prompting Teo Chee Hean to take a swipe at her. That showed how threatened PAP felt. WP's new members have all got their own Facebook page to increase their presence and connect with the youngsters. I also like how some PAP members have nice pictures on their profile. Josephine Teo surely stands out in this case. Lee Hsien Loong has done very well in this category, even announcing the polling dates on his facebook page. Pretty cool.

Someone who is willing to serve the nation

No matter who you have been and what you have achieved, you are going to be voted by the people. The people require you to serve and listen and commit whole heartedly to the good of the nation. When you put in enough time and effort, people will be able to see your genuine interest in the community.

Take Tin Pei Ling for instance, who has not quite fulfilled the previous 4 criteria but looks like she is garnering some support from the people of her community this time. Up and coming Ng Chee Meng really seemed like he wanted to serve so he left his military job. His popularity is undeniable and I would keep an eye out for him.

Conclusion

Try giving 1 to 5 score for the above 5 criteria and you should be able to choose now. Definitely you would ask, who am I to judge? If so good, go be an MP la! However, I have not passed my own criteria so I can only comment and watch how the election unfolds :)