SINGAPORE: Singapore’s parliamentary democracy cannot be protected by laws alone – it requires integrity, courage and “the right people” in office, Leader of the House Indranee Rajah said on Friday (Feb 27).
Speaking during the Committee of Supply debate for parliament, she pointed to recent events on the global stage that have created a sense that democracy is under siege, and warned that Singapore is not immune.
“In some other countries, which have long been regarded as leading democracies, there is a sense that systems are breaking down, trust has been eroded, and once revered institutions have been rendered ineffective, compromised or even under direct attack,” she said.
She identified polarisation, populism, political contestation and performative politics as symptoms of democratic decline – trends visible both inside and outside parliaments around the world.
“We can be thankful that our parliamentary democracy is not in such a parlous state. This is not because we are immune to such dangers, we are as vulnerable to these political pitfalls as any other society,” she said.
