Ong Ye Kung praises Pritam Singh, but says it’s a shame PSP refused to withdraw allegations about CECA

Singapore — Health Minister Ong Ye Kung had good words to say about the Leader of the Opposition, Workers’ Party head Pritam Singh, for accepting the Government’s clarifications on CECA.

However, in the same social media post, he called it a shame that “colleagues” from Progress Singapore Party only said it would study CECA further and refused to withdraw allegations against it.

Over Facebook on Sunday (Jul 11), Mr Ong looked back on the previous week in Parliament, noting that “two good days of robust debate” had occurred—one on the Ethnic Integration Policy (EIP) last Monday (Jul 5) and the other on Free Trade Agreements (FTA), particularly CECA, India-Singapore Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement on Tuesday (Jul 6).

On Monday, Mr Singh had been in a debate with Mr Desmond Lee, the Minister of National Development, concerning the EIP, as the minister questioned the WP head on what seemed to be a change in their stance, as the party called for the policy’s immediate abolition in its election manifesto in 2006.

The LO said that the WP aims for the Ethnic Integration Policy (EIP) to be removed one day, when the country becomes race-netural.

Mr Ong wrote in his post that the administration also hopes that the EIP will not be needed one day.

The debate the following day was more contentious. Mr Ong, as a former trade negotiator and Manpower Minister Tan See Leng explained why FTAs, particularly CECA, are necessary, and sought to clarify the contentious issues around the agreement, tackling what they called “falsehoods” that the PSP had spread about CECA.

“It is a shame that PSP colleagues, after listening to the facts, would only say that they will study the matter further, and refuse to withdraw their wrongful allegations about CECA. 

Nonetheless, I take comfort that Mr Pritam Singh accepted our corrections of the falsehoods about CECA. He made the point that Government could have come out with data and information earlier to correct the falsehoods – a point which I accepted,” wrote Mr Ong.

He also underlined that “it is very important” that political parties “achieve common ground on the fundamentals, that are vital to Singapore.”

While acknowledging that there could be differences in perspectives, “the fundamentals that keep Singapore stable and successful are not in doubt, and not shaken.”

He added at the end of his post that if “this sort of politics in Singapore” wherein common ground can be achieved between parties, “we can be confident that better days are still ahead.”

The ministerial speeches last Tuesday were followed by an hour-long debate that saw PSP Non-Constituency MP Leong Mun Wai sparring with the ministers.

Mr Leong said that while he and fellow PSP NCMP Hazel Poa are “for FTAs,” the party will look further as to “whether CECA has contributed to the influx of some of the PMETs into Singapore in relation to our overall foreign talent policy”. 

“We don’t agree that CECA is net beneficial to Singapore at this stage,” he also said, adding, “We know the importance of the FTAs for Singapore as an open economy and especially as a small city state. However, what we are concerned about is what price we are paying.”

/TISG

Read also: Leong Mun Wai: We don’t agree that CECA is net beneficial to Singapore at this stage

Leong Mun Wai: We don’t agree that CECA is net beneficial to Singapore at this stage