SINGAPORE: Although Pritam Singh, the secretary-general of The Workers Party, was found guilty of two counts of lying to a parliamentary committee on Monday (Feb 17), the party seems undeterred. Far from being weighed down by the court ruling in this election year, the Workers’ Party (WP) seems to have been spurred into action, taking a cue from Mr Singh’s remarks following the verdict.
In media interviews after leaving the court, he was asked, “Would you say there’s a possibility that you might be forced to step down?”
Mr Singh, whom former Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong designated as Singapore’s first Leader of the Opposition after the WP won an unprecedented 10 seats in the last General Election in 2020, answered coolly, “Well, I think the need of the hour is for me to step up, not to step down.
“Elections are imminent, and it’s not going to be an easy election… so we will have to fight hard. That’s what we will do.”
@thehammertok ♬ original sound – The Workers’ Party 🔨 – The Workers’ Party 🔨
Shortly after this, the Workers’ Party put up a post that simply read “#StepUp”. It not only went viral but allowed commenters to express support for Mr Singh and the party.
“I still have 100% faith in WP. Trust and support Pritam Singh. At the end of the day, Pritam Singh represents 别担心 (don’t worry) May WP hammer on!” wrote one.
On Tuesday (Feb 18), former WP Non-Constituency Member of Parliament Yee Jenn Jong posted photos that appeared to show the feet of WP members and volunteers on the ground. In keeping with the WP post, Mr Yee kept the caption short, writing, “In times like this, #StepUp #walkingwithyou.”
Although Mr Singh was fined a total of $14,000, Mr Seah Kian Peng, the Speaker of Parliament, said on Feb 18 that he will continue to serve as a Member of Parliament for Aljunied GRC, a seat he has held since 2011. Mr Seah cited advice from the Attorney-General’s Chambers, which clarified that an MP could only be disqualified if fined $10,000 or more for a single offence, not if that was the total fine for multiple offences.
Just how much fallout there will be from Mr Singh’s conviction remains to be seen.
Rice Media, in a Feb 18 piece, declared the verdict had “cemented his GE2025 underdog card”. It said, “An informal poll on RICE’s Telegram confirms [that] Singh still enjoys strong support among our readers.”
On the other hand, international media outlets, including The Sydney Morning Herald, carried a story on the verdict titled “Singapore MP learns cover-up is worse than the crime, in case that has gripped nation”. /TISG
Read also: Pritam Singh: I’m still standing in politics, let’s see what the election holds