SINGAPORE: While the public domain has been filled with praise for the slate of candidates the Workers’ Party (WP) put forward on Nomination Day (April 23), the party has also drawn criticism — both for declining to contest Marine Parade–Braddell Heights GRC and declining to communicate this decision to other political parties, which could have given voters in the ward a choice.

One of the most vocal critics has been People’s Power Party (PPP) chief Goh Meng Seng, a former WP member, who has called the move “purely irresponsible”.

Visibly teary-eyed as he spoke to the media, Mr Goh said he felt angry about the WP’s decision that has led to the ruling party winning the ward by walkover. “Anger filled up my mind. Sadness came to my eyes in tears and disappointment is deep down,” he said.

Revealing that his party would have stepped in the gap had the WP been open about their limitations in contesting the ward, he added, “We should not deprive voters of their rights … It is ironic that the slogan for WP is ‘Working for Singapore’, but do you work when you deprive voters of the right to vote?

“If they had made known they were going to abandon Marine Parade, we would have been game enough to say … We will move on to pick it up. When you abandon people without coordination, it is purely irresponsible.”

Mr Goh is not alone in his criticism. Netizens reacting to the news online have also been critical. One netizen – a resident of Marine Parade – said, in a highly liked comment, “Utterly disappointed in WP for abandoning us and denying us of our right to cast our votes.”

He added, “All they had to do was communicate with other opposition parties to make sure there is contest but I guess WP sees themselves too up to talk to the other parties.”

The WP has said that it made the “very difficult decision” not to contest the redrawn Marine Parade-Braddell Heights GRC in order to focus its best efforts on a smaller number of constituencies.

Party chief Pritam Singh said on Facebook: “As a small opposition party, we are constantly faced with difficult choices about where and how best to deploy our limited resources, particularly after electoral boundaries are redrawn.

“After much reflection and careful consideration, we have determined that in order to continue fighting for the principles and changes we all believe in, and to give our candidates the best chance of electoral success, the party must focus its best efforts this GE on a smaller number of constituencies than we would have hoped to contest.”

Responding to the press on whether its decision was a miscalculation, Mr Singh said: “I’m sure the PAP was watching who was going to Marine Parade as well so these decisions also were taken, as you would have realised, over the hour between nomination opening and nomination closing.”

He added: “So, it’s not a case as if everyone knew in advance that the PAP would field a slate – I’m not going to say it’s a weakened slate because there are no such thing as weak candidates in my view. It’s going to be a very tough election for us.

“I’m sure they were watching where we were going, but this is what we’ve decided to do.”

Hoping that voters can understand his decision, he said, “It doesn’t mean we are gone. We will continue our work there after the general elections, but I hope you understand we’re a small political party.

“We try and put the best foot forward when we have to fight an election campaign, and this is the strategy that we have taken for this election, given what had happened with the boundary redrawing and other calculations that the Workers’ Party certainly has to take into account.”

While the party chief’s assurances have appeased some people, others have criticised Mr Singh’s strategy of avoiding negotiations with other political parties.

Some observers are asking if this strategy has set the opposition cause back and whether the party could have reconsidered its stance in the best interests of all Singaporeans.