Lawrence Wong looks forward to both sides working responsibly and together

Singapore — With more opposition politicians sworn in as MPs at the opening of the 14th Parliament on Monday (Aug 24), Education Minister Lawrence Wong has said that he looked forward to greater cooperation in the coming years between the members on both sides of the aisle.

Ten Workers’ Party candidates in two GRCs and one SMC were elected in the recent polls.

While Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said in the past that he would have to focus on “fixing” the opposition if a sizeable number of opposition politicians were elected, the People’s Action Party (PAP) appears to have taken a more measured approach after the  recent elections saw it suffer its second-worst result since independence.

After the elections, Mr Lee designated WP Secretary-General Pritam Singh as the country’s first official Leader of the Opposition (LO).

Mr Tan Chuan-Jin, who was sworn in as Speaker of Parliament on Monday, had met Mr Singh for lunch on July 28. They reportedly had a friendly chat — a rarity, given that People’s Action Party and opposition party members do not mingle.

Ms Indranee Rajah, who has been appointed Leader of the House, has also said that she looked forward to working with Mr Singh.

In a Facebook post published on Monday (Aug 24), Mr Wong said: “Now with more opposition voices in Parliament, I look forward to both sides of the House working responsibly and together — to secure the best for our people, and a better future for Singapore.”

/TISG