As Polling Day draws ever closer, a war of words between two local political parties has begun to intensify.
Pritam Singh States Government Would Have “Enough Leeway” Despite WP Presence
Workers’ Party (WP) chief Pritam Singh said that even if all 26 WP candidates win parliamentary seats in the 2025 General Election, the Government would still have space to address key issues.
Speaking to reporters in Tampines on 28 Apr 2025, Singh noted the ratio of WP MPs to ruling party MPs would only be “about two or three to nine.”
Advertisements
“The Government has enough space, enough leeway, enough focus to deal with the issues of today and tomorrow,” said the Leader of the Opposition.
Singh’s remarks responded to Senior Minister Lee Hsien Loong’s comments at a PAP rally, where SM Lee cautioned against voting for opposition parties simply to add more opposition members to Parliament.
When questioned about SM Lee’s concern that the Government would struggle if it lost MPs who were good ministers, Singh called this a weak argument, citing former foreign affairs minister George Yeo’s loss in the 2011 election.
“Did suddenly our Foreign Ministry lose its bearings? It did not, because there’s so much depth in Parliament,” Singh said.
This exchange over parliamentary representation has emerged alongside debates about the cancelled $2.2 billion sale of NTUC Income to German insurer Allianz, which was blocked in October 2024 after public concerns.
Income-Allianz Deal Controversy Fuels Election Debate
SM Lee noted that while six PAP MPs and one WP MP had raised questions about the Income-Allianz deal in Parliament, WP had abstained from voting on the Bill that blocked the deal.
Singh had previously claimed that no PAP labour MP questioned the deal.
WP chair Sylvia Lim defended their abstention: “To suddenly change the law to affect a live transaction, business certainty-wise, is actually not good for Singapore.”
Advertisements
NTUC secretary-general Ng Chee Meng, contesting in Jalan Kayu SMC, defended the proposal at a 27 Apr 2025 rally, citing Income’s market share decline from 20 to 6 percent over a decade.
“We thought in the labour movement that it was a reasonable deal,” said Ng. “NTUC couldn’t have known the law would be changed. But we sincerely respected the Government’s view and accept it.”
The debate intensified when Singh described the labour movement as a “guaranteed trampoline” for defeated PAP candidates.
Ng rejected this characterization, stating he had to seek re-election in 2023 to continue as labour chief: “I stand before you because I want to serve, not with any safety net.”
Singh disputed this: “Have workers been disenfranchised in any way because of his leadership in NTUC and also not being in Parliament at the same time? I don’t think so.”
Advertisements
These GRCs & SMCs will have the toughest fights in GE2025; here’s why:
Read Also:
- Former Radio DJ Billy Wang Loses 21kg in Three Months, Returns to Singapore for Election
- PM Wong Warns Against Foreign Political Interference and Identity Politics During Election
- SDP Candidate Dr Gigene Wong Issues Two Apologies after Using Racial Slur to Describe Teammate during Election Rally
- Man Plans to Sell Flat After Neighbour Washes Floor 10 Times Daily with Chemical Mixture and Makes Noises at Night
- China Cancels 12,030 Tons of US Pork Orders amid 172% Tariff Standoff with Trump Administration
- These Are the 5 GRCs / SMCs That Will Have a Tight Contest in GE2025
