Jamus Lim: At some level, the aspirations of the political opposition are remarkably modest

SINGAPORE: In a Facebook post on Monday (April 15), the Workers’ Party’s Jamus Lim reflected on the “aspirations of the political opposition,” saying that “at some level,” they are “remarkably modest.”

This reflection from Assoc Prof Lim, who has been a Member of Parliament for Sengkang since the party won its second GRC in the 2020 elections, had been sparked by the house visits he and the WP team carried out in Anchorvale last week, the ward he oversees.

One particular conversation he’d had with residents had been about politics, with a couple telling him that they hoped the WP would “continue to keep up the good fight and deny the ruling party a clean sweep.

They felt that it was already so hard to keep up in Singapore, and unfettered power, policies would be pushed through with little opposition, making life even harder for citizens like themselves.”

Assoc Prod Lim added, “At some level, the aspirations of the political opposition are remarkably modest.

We hope to bring better balance to Parliament and policymaking in this country, so that we can have not just an efficient economy but also a compassionate society.”

The next General Election in Singapore must be held before Nov 23, 2025. While the date for it has yet to be called, preparations from the majority People’s Action Party and the various opposition parties appear to have begun.

The Sengkang MP went on to further explain why the opposition is so needful:

“We believe that this is best achieved when a diversity of viewpoints—including those that place greater stress on worker rights, consumer welfare, and equitable growth—are ultimately needed in a country that is already immensely rich, by any standard.

And we believe that sound policy can only result when there is sufficient debate and discussion in the highest forum of the land, where such decision-making takes place.

That’s what keeps the representatives of the #workersparty doing what we do.”

This is a topic the WP has touched on in the past. In an online forum before GE 2020, it presented itself as a  “credible,” “reasonable,” “loyal,” and “effective” opposition that would provide balance to the governing party’s current supermajority.

At that forum, Hougang SMC MP Dennis Tan said, “Remember, one more PAP MP does not make any difference. But one more WP MP will make a lot of difference.” /TISG

Read also: Pritam Singh @ NUS Top Guns Forum 2022: “We need the best Singaporean talent to undertake the role of a loyal Parliamentary opposition”