‘Standing by Pritam’: Singaporeans rally behind WP chief after viral post on his political legacy

SINGAPORE: A recent popular Facebook post described Workers’ Party (WP) chief Pritam Singh as “the first man to hold the (Leader of the Opposition) title, the first to lose it, and one of the most consequential opposition figures in Singapore’s history.”

In his June 12 post, local content creator Alvin Huang traced Mr Singh’s rise from his studies to WP Secretary-General to Leader of the Opposition, as well as the more recent events that led to the position being taken away from him.

He wrote that Mr Singh “made opposition politics viable in Singapore in a way nobody has since JB Jeyaretnam and Low Thia Khiang, and the WP now holds 10 seats with the role of Leader of the Opposition established as a constitutional precedent because of what he built.”

Nevertheless, he added that Mr Singh’s conviction for having lied to a Parliamentary committee is “also real.” He added that his fellow MPs had declared him unfit for the role of Leader of the Opposition.

Commenters on the post praised Mr Huang, who also writes about leaders and politicians from the ruling People’s Action Party on his Facebook page, for the fairness with which he presented the WP chief.

Interestingly, almost all the commenters expressed support for Mr Singh, saying that despite his conviction, they continue to admire him.

“Thank you for being unbiased and neutral in the write-up. Thank you for providing airtime and writing a summary of this man, Pritam. This is what we need, regardless of any party colours, objective coverage. What we (readers) make of it is up to individual discretion,” an FB user wrote.

“Well said. Unbiased. But he is not ruthless. He will become better. Standing by Pritam,” another agreed.

“I believe this write-up does justice to Pritam Singh. In my interactions with him, I’m in a ward in his constituency, I’ve found him to be sincere and genuine… If only there were more such leaders representing and leading Singapore,” a netizen chimed in.

“Standing by Pritam no matter how some people try to cast their narratives,” added another.

“Pritam will always have my support,” a commenter agreed.

“I am past 75 years and have voted and seen many elections. Yes, the 1st and 2nd generation of PAP rule has brought Singapore the foundation to grow and prosper… But over the years, we have also seen the worries and dangers of absolute power in Parliament. WP has provided much-wanted opposition voices in Parliament… Despite the ruling, I will give Pritam Singh a second chance. He deserves it,” a commenter wrote. 

Some comments have been edited for brevity. /TISG

Read also: Singaporeans push back against PPP chief Goh Meng Seng’s condemnation of Pritam Singh