Leon Perera: Public figures must have thick skins

In an interview with an online publication, Mothership, Workers’ Party’s Non-Constituency Member of Parliament Leon Perera clarified about his relationship with The Independent Singapore (TISG), and said:

“Well, I’m not involved in any way with what The Independent does in terms of editorial content on a day-to-day basis. I was one of the initial group of shareholders but I don’t sit on the board of directors, I’m not in management; I do not tell them what stories to run or what not to run. My role is that of a small minority shareholder, nothing more than that. I do not influence or play a role in the content or editorial direction at all.

At most, when they want to seek the opinions of the shareholders, it would be about long-term business strategy, and not the day-to-day.”

The NCMP also commented on the accusations of a certain fanpage of a political party, which alleges that he used TISG as a vehicle to further his political ambition or agenda.
Mr Perera said that “there’s no accuracy whatsoever” to such accusations and that he doesn’t take such allegations seriously.
At the same time he feels that “it’s important that people have the freedom to express those views”. It doesn’t make sense for public figures to have thin skins when they hear things like that said about them, the opposition party member said.
Mr Perera prefers to laugh such accusations it off.