SINGAPORE: In the Workers’ Party’s latest TikTok, secretary-general Pritam Singh is seen explaining in Parliament why it’s important to have at least one-third of the MPs in the opposition.
The 49-second clip is an excerpt from the Leder of the Opposition’s speech on the President’s Address on April 20, when he talked about foreign talent in Singapore, English as a requirement for citizens and permanent residents, and the GST hike, among other topics.
He also tackled the role of the opposition in Parliament.
@thehammertok LO Pritam Singh on “Why is it important to have at least 1/3 of Parliament with the Opposition”. Do you believe that “ownself check ownself” is realistic? #wpsg #pritamsingh #sgnews #makeyourvotecount
♬ original sound – The Workers’ Party 🔨 – The Workers’ Party 🔨
“Singaporeans want an opposition to check the PAP because, in their heart of hearts, we all know that ‘ownself check ownself’ is not realistic,” said Mr Singh.
“The inherent nature of power makes this unrealistic.
“Secondly, it is in our collective self-interest that no one party can amend the Constitution, the highest law of our land, at will.
“So it is wise to have at least one-third in a party, or parties, other than the PAP.
“Thirdly, in the same vein as the Prime Minister alluded to in his speech in this debate, Singapore’s future is not a given. And it follows that no one can ignore the possibility of a rogue government springing from the bosom of the PAP.
“Our people should have real political options if or when that happens.”
On April 17, Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong said he looked forward to opposition MPs proposing policies for “a serious alternative agenda for an alternative Government” and “not just opportunistic or populist ideas to chip away, bit by bit, at trust in government”.
Mr Singh also said on April 20 that he “did not expect the DPM to use his speech on the President’s Address to attack and accuse the Workers’ Party” of this, adding that the PAP had shifted its position on Thursday when Education Minister Ong Ye Kung “conceded that the Workers’ Party had brought up many good ideas”.
He then addressed Mr Wong, saying, “If all we were doing was putting forward populist, unrealistic policies, we would not see the Government actively considering some variation of Workers’ Party manifesto ideas on anti-discrimination legislation, minimum wage, and redundancy insurance.
“If chipping away at trust in the Government was our real agenda, we would not see the Minister for National Development acknowledging the Workers’ Party point highlighting the inherent inequity of HDB taxpayer subsidies as currently applied between mature and non-mature BTO flats.”
/TISG
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