SINGAPORE: New Prime Minister Lawrence Wong’s recent comment that it’s “not unimaginable” for the opposition to win enough seats in Parliament to form a coalition government has sparked a wave of concerns and fearmongering allegations online.
In an interview with the national broadsheet this week, Mr Wong said: “If you were to take not just the Workers’ Party but one or two other opposition parties, if in the next election, the contest is fiercer and we were to lose just a few percentage points, it is not unimaginable for two or maybe three opposition parties to come together, form a coalition and run the government.”
He added that for opposition parties to get, over 50 per cent of the vote is “not at all unimaginable.”
“That’s why when I say that I do not assume that the PAP will win the next election or that I will automatically be the (prime minister) after the election, I say that seriously,” he said.
Critics have taken Mr Wong’s remarks with what appears to be a very big grain of salt, questioning whether they were intended to stoke public fear or alarm, especially since they were quoted in an ST headline.
One commenter pointed out that, with Singapore’s current group representation constituency (GRC) system, the PAP’s chances at keeping a majority remain high.
“Just a ploy to instill fear in voters’ minds. As long as GRCs exist, there is no way for the opposition to form the government,” wrote one.
Another opined that Mr Wong was playing the “fear card.”
One commenter was even more blunt, writing, “alamak … this one singing same old fear mongering song. if you do a good job at winning hearts and minds, why should you be afraid?”
More prominent personalities in Singapore weighed in on the issue, as well.
In a Facebook post, ex-presidential candidate Tan Kin Lian wrote, “I disagree.
If every educated person vote for opposition, the PAP will still win the majority because there are many people who do not follow politics and will still vote PAP. So, LW is just talking to scare people from making a change.”
Veteran ST editor Bertha Henson shared a screenshot of the ST piece and asked, “Of course it’s not unimaginable. Anything is possible, but is it probable?”
Noted socio-political commentator Andrew Loh quipped: “It took the WP 23 years to go from 1 SMC to 1 GRC, and another 9 years to win a second GRC. Now we expect that the opposition will go from 8 seats to 43 in the span of just 1 election? Lol.”
Last month, Leader of the Opposition and Workers’ Party chief Pritam Singh issued a public “Correction Notice” regarding an ST opinion piece that touched on the WP’s purported aims.
In a piece titled ‘Creating forward momentum for next GE when Lawrence Wong is PM,’ Dr Gillian Koh wrote, “the WP said it will tilt towards the strategy of fighting to form the Government at the next GE.”
On his Facebook page, Mr Singh stated categorically, “This is false.”
He added, “Until and after the PAP Government announces the formation of the Electoral Boundaries Review Committee, I foresee Singaporeans will hear of similar unsubstantiated ambitions and agendas – attributed to the WP – more frequently. Perhaps there is a view that such rhetoric will cause swing voters to turn conservative and vote PAP.”
Several opposition parties have also pledged to work with the government to promote unity in Singapore and play their role to provide checks and balances, as they congratulated Mr Wong on his inauguration as Singapore’s fourth premier. /TISG