SINGAPORE: An online poll posted on Jan 15, the day Workers’ Party chief Pritam Singh was removed by Prime Minister Lawrence Wong as Leader of the Opposition, suggests that many have disagreed with the decision.
The poll from Yahoo asks, “Do you agree with PM Wong’s decision to remove Pritam Singh as LO?”
As of Wednesday (Jan 21), 22 per cent of respondents have ticked the “yes” box, while 78 per cent have chosen the “no” option. There are a total of 10,466 votes, which means approximately 2,302 have voted yes, and 8,163 have voted no.
Mr Singh is Singapore’s first official Leader of the Opposition, having been appointed by then-Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong after the General Election in 2020, when the WP won its second GRC and the number of opposition MPs reached double digits in Singapore for the first time.
On Jan 14, however, Parliament passed a motion deeming Mr Singh unfit for the position in the wake of the High Court dismissal of his appeal concerning his conviction for lying to a parliamentary committee.
Only the WP MPs opposed the motion filed by House Leader Indranee Rajah, though the party whip had been lifted, allowing each MP to vote as they saw fit.
The Prime Minister said on Jan 15, “Having considered the matter carefully, I have decided that Mr Singh’s criminal convictions, taken together with Parliament’s considered view of his unsuitability, make it no longer tenable for him to continue as the LO. Mr Singh’s designation as the LO will therefore cease with immediate effect. This decision is necessary to uphold the rule of law, as well as the dignity and integrity of Parliament.”
Aside from this, he also wrote to the WP’s Central Executive Committee, inviting it to nominate another elected MP for the position. The WP acknowledged the letter, saying it would carefully deliberate on its contents and respond in due course.
Since then, the WP has adopted the hashtag #WeContinue as a rallying cry, continuing its on-the-ground work in different areas, and coming out in full force last weekend in Serangoon and Jalan Kayu.
Online sentiments
As can be expected, many of the WP supporters have continued to voice their support for Mr Singh and the party online, with some expressing the desire to see more WP MPs in future elections.
Separately, some in Singapore have wondered if the role should be institutionalised, in the same way as other countries that also have the Westminster system, such as the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, and New Zealand.
This would mean that the position of Leader of the Opposition would automatically go to the head of the opposition party that won the most seats, instead of being an appointed post.
In the wake of Mr Singh’s removal as Leader of the Opposition, others online expressed concerns over what they perceived as Parliament prioritising politics over cost-of-living issues. /TISG
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