Letter to the editor

Chan Wing Hing, Commissioner of Singapore (Sunday Morning Post, May 4), said he would address only one question: whether, as I suggested, it was corrupt election practice to use the public housing renovation programme to reward constituencies which supported the government and punish those which did not.

But Mr Chan did not address this issue at all. He went on to say that Singapore's public housing programme was desirable and popular, that the People's Action Party would have won the election anyway.

However, he ignored the basic point, which is this. If you say the people will be better off if I am elected, that is politics as usual. If you say the people who vote for me will be better off after I am elected, because I shall use my control of government facilities to favour them, then that is corruption.

Such an offer would be an election offence in Hong Kong. Sadly, it is not so regarded in Singapore.