Chin: We should do something with all these MPs’ requests for more penalties.
Chai: Simple. Set up a committee.
Chin: Review committee? Working committee?
Chai: Changed my mind. Call it a taskforce. Make it sound urgent.
Chin: Ok. But who will be sitting on it? Inter-agency or multi agency or just plain old taskforce with people like us?
Chai: Multi sounds better. Maybe multi-ministry. Sounds more important than multi-agency.
Chin: But then how to include non-ministry officials? Don’t want people from stat boards?
Chai: Who cares? Anyway, just add a few names from them.
Chin: Actually, I was thinking a council or commission will sound really good. Even more important sounding. You know, like National Wages Council or Constitutional Commission?
Chai: Okay, extend members to include business people and a couple of judges.
Chin: If we really want to make it prominent, can add a couple of ministers and call it multi-ministerial rather than multi-ministry…So multi-ministerial council.
Chai: Hmm. You think we can rope in the PM? Then it will be prime ministerial commission.
Chin: Great idea! Don’t you want to include laymen as well? Maybe a couple of grassroot leaders?
Chai: Yes, make this a prime ministerial public-private-people Commission. Or PMPPPC.
Chin: I’ll get it started…what’s their job scope by the way?
Chai: How would I know? You’re the one who said we need a way to deal with requests. So you decide
Chin: Actually it’s about assessing if penalties should be levied on people who don’t return their trays at hawker centres. Maybe should add cleaners and hawkers as well.
Chai: Why? Commission is high-powered enough.
Bertha Harian 