Singapore — Netizens are raging over the People’s Action Party’s central executive member Victor Lye’s Labour Day Facebook post, which named the party as the “true political leaders”.
Happy May Day! Not a pic of a vaccination centre, but from 2020 when the government launched the Self Employed Income…
Posted by Victor Lye Thiam Fatt on saturday, 1 may 2021
In his Labour Day Facebook post on Saturday (May 1), Mr Lye shared about the Self- Employed Income Relief Scheme (SIRS). He wrote:
“On this May Day, am encouraged that NTUC will look out for the welfare of gig workers and widen the Progressive Wage Model for low income workers. As an economist, this is Singapore’s minimum wage in action. Yes, Singapore has a minimum wage. Unlike politicians who tout “minimum wage” as if there is “one size fits all” out of a text book with no real intent or understanding to implement, true political leaders have thought through and developed the Progressive Wage Model together with NTUC and employers. Singapore will be done for if politicians talk up a fan base instead of dealing with reality and tradeoffs.”
Netizens are unhappy with the way he worded his post, especially the phrase “true political leaders”. For it seems to dismiss the opposition leaders.
Photo: Reddit/ r/singapore
Since he wrote about economics, some netizens are comparing him with the opposition figure Jamus Lim, who not only read economics like him but also teaches the subject. Mr Lim, one of the four Workers’ Party MPs for Sengkang GRC, “was educated at Harvard University, the University of California, the London School of Economics, and the University of Southern Queensland, where he pursued postdoctoral, doctoral, masters, and honors undergraduate studies, respectively,” according to his LinkedIn page. Mr Lye holds a Bachelor of Economics degree from the University of Adelaide with first class honours, reported the Straits Times.
Mr Lye is the PAP representative for Bedok Reservoir – Punggol division of Aljunied GRC. However, the PAP has not gained a majority in Aljunied since they lost it in 2011. Aljunied GRC is currently represented by the opposition Workers’ Party members Pritam Singh, Gerald Giam, Leon Perera, Sylvia Lim, and Muhamad Faisal.
Denise Teh is an intern at The Independent SG. /TISG