RP’s Kenneth Jeyaretnam: “Opposition” is becoming a bit less of a dirty word

Singapore — Reform Party Secretary-General Kenneth Jeyaretnam took to Facebook on Tuesday (June 30) to comment on how the perception of the opposition has changed in Singapore.

In a video message, he began by congratulating fellow members of the opposition on the occasion of Nomination Day.

Mr Jeyaretnam then observed that there had been a shift with regard to how people perceive the opposition. “It’s tough being in the opposition in Singapore,” he said. “The Government tries its best to keep them out of Parliament. At least in this election, we can see that opposition is becoming a bit less of a dirty word. And perhaps we are getting more toward the normalisation of a democratic process.”

Mr Jeyaretnam then gave an update on the party’s paperwork for this year’s elections, saying: “Our paperwork has gone smoothly … as usual.” He also shared his experience with having to file a Minority Certificate, which seemed “a bit strange” to him. “Really, do I have to prove that I’m a member of the minority or that I’m minority enough?” he asked.

The RP leader then let viewers in on how the opposition parties usually coordinate  among themselves before an election by aiming to ensure two things: That there will be no three-cornered fights and that all seats will be contested.

“This hasn’t happened this time,” he said. “So Nomination Day will be a bit of a wildcard … we have to keep our fingers crossed and see what happens.”

Mr Jeyaretnam concluded his video with an invitation to watch the virtual outreach session on the RP Facebook page that was held on Sunday (June 28). “We got asked some really tough and interesting questions. Keep those questions coming in. I’ll try my best to answer them,” he said.

Mr Jeyaretnam is leading an RP team to contest in Ang Mo Kio GRC against a People’s Action Party team led by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. /TISG