Pritam Singh, “Your vote has always been a secret. So always make your vote count”

Singapore—Leader of the Opposition (LO) and Workers’ Party head Pritam Singh took to social media to assure everyone of the secrecy of their vote, saying that there are some voters who believe their votes are not secret.

He wrote in a Facebook post on Thursday (Oct 8), “Your vote has always been a secret. So always make your vote count.”

Mr Pritam posted a link to an October 5 article in Channel NewsAsia CNA) regarding an order from President Halimah Yacob to open a sealed box from July’s 2020 General Election in order to retrieve a document inside had been “accidentally sealed.”

In his post, he addressed the fear of “a very small section of voters” who “seem to think that their votes are not a secret.”

He went on to say, “they point to their names being called out by election officials before being handed their ballot slips, serial numbers on ballot slips etc. as reasons for their apprehension,” but added that fewer people have held this fear over the years.

Mr Pritam then referred to how this matter was dealt with by his predecessor, former WP Secretary-General Low Thia Khiang, who addressed the issue in his characteristic style.

The LO wrote “only Mr Low can verbalise this reason matter-of-factly without sounding arrogant or dismissive!”

First, Mr Low would say “something to the effect of – you are not so important to the Government that they want to know how you voted.”

Next, he would bring up the country’s “reputation and status as a trusted place to do business, our adherence to the rule of law,” which would suffer irreparable harm should voter fraud occur.

Mr Pritam called the incident involving a ballot box in Pasir Ris-Punggol GRC  written about in the CNA article an “unusual episode” that should assuage those who are “still sceptical” about the secrecy of their vote.

“Even though the ballot box in question is going to be opened by order of the President, the process includes the opposition parties who contested in the ward, overseeing the exercise – in other words, it is an open process,” he added, ending his post by explaining the process by which votes cast in previous elections are done away with.

“In about 3 months or so, the WP and all the political parties which contested GE2020 will be present to enter the Supreme Court vault to ensure no ballot boxes have been tampered with before escorting these boxes to the Tuas incineration plant.”

Fellow WP member and former Non-Constituency Member of Parliament Yee Jenn Jong added to what Mr Singh said in separate Facebook post.

“Your vote is secret unless you choose to disclose it. I voted for myself three times in the last three GEs. I know of many who choose to disclose how they had voted. Nothing has happened to them, not based on how you vote and even if it is known how you had voted… I have witnessed the opening of the vault to destroy the sealed ballot boxes twice. I checked for my signature on the seal of the boxes. They were all still intact, unopened after 6 months.

Yup, I am 100% certain your vote is secret, unless you choose to tell others.”

—/TISG

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