‘Makes no difference if you cannot resolve our high cost of living’ — Singaporeans react to PM Wong’s push for more women in Parliament

SINGAPORE: When Prime Minister Lawrence Wong recently called for greater representation for women in Parliament, a number of netizens responded by highlighting the need for leadership quality as opposed to mere numbers.

At the People’s Action Party Women’s Wing conference on Aug 31 (Saturday), the Prime Minister pointed out in a speech that there was a time when there were no women PAP MPs at all. The PAP posted an excerpt of Mr Wong’s speech on its TikTok account.

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“In the 70s and the early 80s, all PAP MPs were men. Today, close to one-third of PAP MPs are women,” he said, adding that the number of female political officeholders has also risen.

“I will strive to give this a further push. In the coming election, I hope to be able to field more women candidates. Please support them. Help me increase our women’s representation in Parliament,” he continued.

The Prime Minister called on everyone to build a society where everyone, regardless of gender, can feel included.

Indeed, women’s representation in Parliament has come a long way. While there were only three female MPs in 1984, by 2015, their number increased to 21 out of 89.

In the last election, women won 27 out of 93 seats, although the Workers’ Party’s Raeesah Khan and PAP’s Cheng Li Hui have both since resigned.

Nevertheless, there is also a female Non-Constituency Member of Parliament, Progress Singapore Party’s Hazel Poa, and several women among the past and present Nominated Members of Parliament.

However, for several TikTok users commenting on the video, a candidate’s gender appeared less important than their leadership ability.

“We need leaders,” one wrote.

Another asked, “Does it matter woman or man in the first place?” The commenter added that what counts is “True Leadership,” or those who can help people cope with the cost of living.

“I’ll only vote for leaders who walk their talk and sincerely solve our high cost of living. Singaporean’s welfare must come first,” a TikTok user chimed in.

One echoed that voting for someone is not a matter of gender but the quality of that person. Another said that what’s needed is “more quality women” and not just field those for the sake of having women in Parliament.

“Men or women makes no difference if you cannot perform,” a netizen opined, while one added, “Whether man or woman, your first priority is to resolve citizens extremely high cost of living, healthcare, public transport, HDB, hawker rental, GST.” /TISG

Read also: More women in Parliament than ever—29% today vs 23.6% in 2015