Minister for Trade and Industry Chan Chun Sing thanked veteran Workers’ Party politician Low Thia Khiang for his contributions, in Parliament today. Low recently handed over his post as WP secretary-general to Pritam Singh but remains in the party’s contributions.
Chan, who has been widely tipped to succeed Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong as head of government after the next election, said that Low is a fellow Singaporean and very much a part of Team Singapore, even though he sits on the opposite bench. He added:
“While we may not always agree with his perspectives or methods, we nevertheless appreciate his efforts to work together to build a better Singapore.
“Although Mr Low may have different perspectives, but from his speeches, we can detect his pride in Singapore and his determination to defend our sovereignty.
“Thank you Mr Low.”
Chan added that the ruling PAP Government looks forward to working with Pritam Singh and the WP to “put Singapore’s and Singaporeans’ interest first, always”.
The last time Chan interacted with Low in Parliament prior to his nod to the opposition leader today was when then-Education Minister Ng Chee Meng clashed with Low over the GST hike announcement.
After an interesting exchange, Low quipped that the GST hike could be debated during the rallies at the next General Election and drew laughs from the chamber. Chan Chun Sing can be noticed, uproariously laughing and gesticulating with both hands towards Low:
Ng Chee Meng took over Chan’s former posts as Minister in the Prime Minister and leader of the labour movement in the latest Cabinet reshuffle that occurred shortly after the exchange with Low.