GE2025: Compare WP’s slate against PAP backbench team, says Pritam Singh to voters

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SINGAPORE – WP chief Pritam Singh urged voters to compare the opposition party’s slate against that of PAP backbenchers, as it is not contesting enough seats to form the next government.

“My proposition to voters to consider is to understand that backbencher-for-backbencher, you’ve got a serious choice there,” he told reporters alongside party chair Sylvia Lim at Bedok 85 Fengshan Hawker Centre, where WP’s East Coast GRC team was on a walkabout.

“The Workers’ Party has put forward a serious slate of individuals, so that Singaporeans can consider their choice carefully. And I respect whatever choice Singaporeans make,” he added.

Mr Singh was responding to Prime Minister Lawrence Wong’s remarks made in a rally speech on April 24 evening that there was already a sizeable opposition in Parliament. WP won 10 out of 93 seats in the 2020 General Election.

PM Wong had urged voters to not give the opposition a free pass, adding: “Apply the same standards to them as you do to the PAP, in terms of integrity, competence and readiness to serve.”

Asked to react to PM Wong’s comments, Mr Singh said he can understand why the Prime Minister would have that view, as he wants as many PAP MPs in Parliament as possible.

But WP’s vision – that at least one-third of parliamentary seats should be filled by opposition MPs – differs from PM Wong’s, said Mr Singh.

“We have a difference of opinion there as to what are sufficient MPs at this point in time, in terms of the evolution of our political systems,” he added.

WP is contesting 26 out of 97 seats this time round across five group representation constituencies – Aljunied, Sengkang, East Coast, Punggol and Tampines – and the single seats of Hougang, Tampines Changkat and Jalan Kayu.

If elected, the 26 candidates will become backbenchers, Mr Singh said.

“In terms of the national posture, I believe Singaporeans should measure backbenchers versus backbenchers... And I think our backbenchers are really good.”

Mr Singh was also asked why he could not have deployed the party’s reserve candidates to Marine Parade-Braddell Heights GRC, which would have avoided a walkover for the PAP team after nominations closed on April 23.

The walkover triggered unhappiness in some quarters of the opposition camp and

among some residents in the constituency

.

Mr Singh said WP will not have any spare candidates left if they were put in another team. “Spare candidates are there so that if there’s something that happens to the main teams in the run-up to the election, there’s a prospect of them potentially replacing an original slate,” he said.

If he had fielded spare candidates in Marine Parade-Braddell Heights, the party would “have to live with the reality of being incredibly overstretched”, he said. “I don’t think that’s wise from a small party’s point of view.”

In addition, a lot more resources would need to be placed in Marine Parade-Braddell Heights with the boundaries redrawn, he said. The group representation constituency absorbed all of MacPherson SMC and parts of Mountbatten and Potong Pasir SMCs.

“That really was a stretch for the party in terms of covering the other wards in Marine Parade, so you can imagine how much work was required,” said Mr Singh.

“If you’re of the school of thought that you don’t need to do any groundwork, and you can just show up wherever you want... that is not a view that is shared by the Workers’ Party,” he added.

Mr Singh also said he does not see the adverse reaction from other opposition parties as “so much of a backlash”.

“I see more understanding as the days go on, and I think that reflects the sophistication of Singapore voters,” he added.

Mr Singh also weighed in on People’s Power Party (PPP) chief Goh Meng Seng’s remarks on April 24 that WP had stepped away from Marine Parade-Braddell Heights to contest Tampines GRC to stop the PPP from entering Parliament and raising the issue of vaccine safety.

“Mr Goh Meng Seng is Mr Goh Meng Seng. Nothing is going to change, so I’ll leave it at that,” he said.

On the strength of WP’s East Coast slate, Mr Singh said former Non-Constituency MP Yee Jenn Jong, 60, who is heading the team there, is a party heavyweight.

“He lost by 388 votes in Joo Chiat SMC. And what happened after that? Joo Chiat SMC is gone. So I’ve got somebody with a load of experience leading the team.”

In 2011, Mr Yee went up against PAP veteran Charles Chong in Joo Chiat SMC in a close fight. Mr Chong prevailed with 51.02 per cent of the vote, and Mr Yee was appointed an NCMP as the “best loser” in that election.

Referring to a political observer’s comment that all WP teams this time round are strong teams, he said: “I would share that view – that all the teams that are on the Workers’ Party’s slate in East Coast, Punggol and Tampines are all very strong, notwithstanding, of course, the ones where we are incumbent.”

Other than Mr Yee, an education entrepreneur who is a four-time candidate, WP’s East Coast candidates are IT professional Nathaniel Koh, 41, and three new faces. They are former US Navy security administrator Paris V. Parameswari, 51, lawyer Sufyan Mikhail Putra, 33, and payment expert Jasper Kuan, 46.

Earlier in the day, the PAP’s East Coast slate conducted a walkabout at the same market.

Both teams stopped for a brief conversation.

The PAP slate, led by Culture, Community and Youth Minister Edwin Tong, 55, includes incumbents – Senior Minister of State Tan Kiat How, 47, and Ms Jessica Tan, 58. Joining the team are new faces Hazlina Abdul Halim, 40, senior vice-president at advisory firm Teneo, and Dinesh Vasu Dash, 50, former chief executive of the Agency for Integrated Care.

When shaking hands with Mr Tong, Mr Yee was heard saying he is back to contest “one last time”.

When asked by the media later about his return as a candidate in this election despite earlier announcing his retirement from “active politics”, Mr Yee said he has remained active in the party.

He noted that the late US general Douglas MacArthur, who served in World War I and II and the Korean War, had retired twice.

General MacArthur retired from the US Army in 1937, but was recalled to active duty in 1941 when the US was dragged into war again.

Mr Yee said: “In a way, I felt that I can contribute here (in East Coast), because I know this place very well.”

In 2015, Joo Chiat SMC, where he had contested, got absorbed into Marine Parade GRC, which has been renamed Marine Parade-Braddell Heights in this election with some boundary changes.

Mr Yee contested Marine Parade GRC in both the 2015 and 2020 elections. He and his team lost, with WP garnering 35.93 per cent of the vote in 2015 and 42.26 per cent in 2020.

Mr Yee said some 40,000 residents from Joo Chiat and Chai Chee have been moved into East Coast GRC ahead of the 2025 election. These areas came under the former Marine Parade GRC, where WP had “worked very hard”.

“I will contribute whatever I can to the team because I feel that they are a very good team that deserves a chance,” he added.