While PM Wong seeks to renew PAP leadership, some are calling for a ‘good opposition’

SINGAPORE: Some of the remarks made by Prime Minister Lawrence Wong in relation to the upcoming General Election caught the attention of local online commenters, who responded with a take of their own.

A March 26 (Wednesday) piece in CNA reported the remarks the Prime Minister made to the media as his visit to Vietnam came to an end. PM Wong touched on leadership renewal within the ruling People’s Action Party, saying it was a priority for him.

He told the media about the “great effort” he had made in the past couple of years, engaging with people from the private and public sectors to see if they would enter the political arena.

“If there is no (leadership) renewal, I think we will feel the effects of it, not immediately, not even for the next five years, but certainly in the next 10, 15 years. In the end, if that were to happen, it is not just the PAP, but Singapore and Singaporeans that will pay the price,” CNA quoted him as saying.

The piece referenced the senior civil servants who have resigned from their posts and are widely considered as likely to be fielded by the PAP in the upcoming polls. Public opinion, however, based on online comments, has not been fully enthusiastic, with netizens wondering if the result would be “more of the same.”

A number of commenters appeared to express a preference for a “good opposition”, perhaps believing this to be what Singapore needs to ensure checks and balances.

A comment that resonated with many was this: “Just having 25-30 more Opposition MPs is ideal and good for Parliament debates.”

Another agreed with this, writing, “Yes. We want opposition in parliament to improve the governance of the country. To do this, we need good opposition.” The commenter defined “good opposition” as those who don’t “complain for complaint’s sake and keep asking the same question hoping for a different answer each time”.

“A strong opposition presence in Parliament is not a threat—it is a safeguard against unchecked power. Fear should not be the deciding factor in our vote. Instead of blindly accepting these scare tactics, let’s demand accountability, transparency, and policies that genuinely benefit all Singaporeans, not just a select few,” a third commenter chimed in.

Another had this take: “By all means, get some opposition in, provided they talk sense and not just introduce populist policies that will always be popular but may ruin the future generation. Some check and balance is fine, but at the end of a day, we need a team that can run the country well even if it comes with some imperfection.” /TISG

Read also: ‘More of the same?’: Singaporeans react to 3rd senior civil servant as possible PAP candidate