Some have hailed the appointment of Eunice Olsen as one of the nine Nominated Members of Parliament (NMP) late last year as a turning point in politics in Singapore. She is young - actually, at 27 she is the youngest ever to be appointed - a woman, and she has extensive experience as a volunteer, mentoring young students.
But her appointment has also been highly controversial, causing a stir in kopitiams (coffee shops) and internet chat rooms. You see, Ms Olsen also happens to be a former Miss Singapore Universe (2000) and the co-host of the local Wheel of Fortune. One online chat room labelled her a 'bimbo in Parliament', while another made the rather unflattering comparison with the appointment of La Ciccionlina (a porn star) to parliament in Italy in the late 1980s. The question often asked is: what can an ex-beauty queen contribute to Parliament?
But Ms Olsen is no bimbo; she is a political science and philosophy graduate from the National University of Singapore. In tune with the government line, she wants to encourage the younger generation not to be so 'driven by materialistic concerns', but to pursue their dreams. The multitalented NMP is also a pianist and has recorded an English-language album called Believe. Apparently the album was produced in South Korea: the Singapore market was just too small - a statement that was not welcomed.
Just as the tongue-lashing over that was dying down, Ms Olsen reignited the flame when she missed the ceremony to take her oath of allegiance as an NMP because she had an overseas singing engagement that she could not reschedule. Her application for a day's leave had already been approved before she left the country, but she and other political figures have had to defend her absence in the face of mounting criticism in the local newspapers.
A storm in a teacup? Certainly, although it is fun to see Singaporeans getting heated about an issue so close to the political arena. Indeed, the debate has extended to the role of MPs, with some noting that many elected and nominated MPs are often absent. Parliament sits pretty infrequently, yet, according to one newspaper's calculations, one MP was absent from 50 of the 88 sittings between March 2002 and November last year.
The job of an MP, of course, goes beyond attending parliament. Singaporean MPs often sit on various committees and all undertake meet-the-people sessions; most also have their own, demanding jobs.
