Pritam Singh’s announcement that WP engaged commercial parties for candidate screening greeted with approval

SINGAPORE: It made the news when Pritam Singh, the Workers’ Party Secretary-General, said earlier this month that the WP’s election committee had engaged commercial parties to help screen candidates as the next General Election approaches.

Mr Singh, Singapore’s first officially designated Leader of the Opposition, added at the Workers’ Party members’ forum on Jan 11: “Of course, none of these measures are foolproof, nor can they guarantee that all previous infractions of an individual will come to light. It is important that I set this expectation. But the Party will do our best.”

An article on Feb  [3 in the South China Morning Post pointed out that while candidate screening is unusual in Asia, unlike in the West, industry leaders welcome Mr Singh’s announcement as it would help ensure quality candidates.

“Given the care Singapore takes in rightly vetting those coming into the country, it seems there would be a strong case to equally vet those running it. As with all screening, only those with something to hide would likely oppose [it],” SCMP quotes Daniel Callaghan as saying. He is the chief executive of Veremark, an international firm that provides background checks.

Background checks examine candidates’ lives, including their finances, legal matters, previous party affiliations, and even their social media presence, SCMP added.

Others in the industry noted that conducting background checks assures the public that a party has done its due diligence in vetting candidates and can contribute to “a more transparent, accountable, and trustworthy political process”.

On Reddit, Singaporeans appeared to greet Mr Singh’s remark about the WP hiring commercial parties to vet candidates with approval.

Some said it showed the party had learned a lesson since former MP Raeesah Khan stepped down less than two years after being elected to Parliament as part of the WP’s Sengkang team.

However. the WP is not the only party that would benefit from a more thorough vetting. The SCMP piece also mentioned Ivan Lim. The ruling People’s Action Party nominated Mr Lim as a candidate in Jurong during the last General Election, but he withdrew before the polls following rumours of unprofessional behaviour. /TISG

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