Workers’ Party secretary-general and Leader of the Opposition Pritam Singh has expressed his good wishes to President-elect Tharman Shanmugaratnam.
The Workers’ Party’s views on the Elected Presidency should not detract from Mr Tharman’s victory and his campaign, said Mr Singh.
In a Facebook post on September 2, Mr Pritam Singh wrote:
“Arising from my polling day attire yesterday, mothership.sg wondered aloud if I only had blue shirts in my wardrobe (blue is my favorite colour). I do have other shirts – one of which lay untouched for about two weeks (zoom into pic to appreciate problem)!
The Workers’ Party’s position on the Elected Presidency is well-known – since the introduction of the scheme and most recently, in our GE2020 manifesto. We communicated this to the mainstream media when asked earlier this week for our views on the recent campaign.
The Menon Constitutional Commission’s 2016 review of the Elected Presidency includes a section that was outside its terms of reference, but which commission members were keen to share as citizens (see page 139-145). This section highlighted the shortcomings and problems of the Elected Presidency. It then suggested how a reversion to an appointed Presidency could be considered in future.
There are other institutions and national policies that the Workers’ Party believes should be overhauled or changed. We will continue to advance these alternatives in the course of our political work, and undertaking the check and balance role in Parliament which is a key responsibility of an elected parliamentary opposition.
The Workers’ Party’s views on the Elected Presidency aside, none of this should detract from not just the victory, but the campaign run by President-elect Tharman Shanmugaratnam. The Workers’ Party wishes the President-elect and his family well, and great success as the next President of Singapore. 🇸🇬”
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