SINGAPORE: The Workers’ Party (WP) in rally speeches on Monday (Apr 28) focused their attacks on election opponents Deputy Prime Minister Gan Kim Yong and Senior Minister of State Janil Puthucheary, with WP chief Pritam Singh telling voters to send “a strong message” to the People’s Action Party (PAP).
At the party's third rally leading up to the May 3 General Election, Mr Singh and his Punggol GRC candidates levelled criticism at the two political office holders across a range of issues, from the aborted Income-Allianz deal to the ruling party’s supposed “parachuting” of candidates into Group Representation Constituencies.
Mr Gan and Dr Janil, who is Senior Minister of State for Health and Digital Development and Information, are both in the PAP’s Punggol GRC slate.
Mr Singh, who was the second-last speaker of the night, told Punggol GRC voters that their role in this General Election was “significant” due to ever-shifting electoral boundaries.
“These changes may harm the Workers’ Party’s chances of building a more balanced political system. So Punggol, you can send a strong message to the PAP,” he said.
“You can change some electoral boundaries every year, but don’t mess with Punggol.”
WP candidates made several jibes throughout the night about Mr Gan's remarks at a PAP rally last Saturday, where he said he would talk to his "good friend" Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Lawrence Wong to get more funds for infrastructure in Punggol.
Mr Singh said: “I am sorry Punggol, but I cannot say that the Prime Minister and I are friends.
“But do I need to be his friend for taxpayer funding to be allocated to Punggol? No,” he added. “As a Singaporean, I expect fair allocation of taxpayer resources to all our people. And the civil service will allocate funds and projects fairly.”
Mr Singh also commented on the fact that Mr Gan was not elected into the PAP’s Central Executive Committee in November 2024.
“This is very strange for a Deputy Prime Minister,” he said.
“Could it be that he was ready to retire and did not plan to run in these elections? If so, can he be so critical to the PM's plans? You mean the PM has no one else in his Cabinet that can negotiate with the United States on tariffs?”
He added that should Mr Gan be elected, he would be a “one-term MP” – noting that Mr Gan, 66, is older than the now-retired DPM Heng, who is 64.
Ms Alia Mattar, a WP new face and Punggol GRC candidate, also referenced Mr Gan’s remark, mentioning how “some people have friends in higher places where they can ask for special help”, as part of an argument against how significant discussions take place “behind closed doors”.
Her Punggol GRC teammate Alexis Dang also brought up what Minister of State for Social and Family Development and Home Affairs Sun Xueling, another candidate on the PAP’s Punggol GRC slate, told supporters at a rally on Saturday – that “we do not need strangers to come to Punggol… to find out what’s on your mind”.
Ms Dang said: “May I ask, is she referring to DPM Gan Kim Yong too? Or is he exempted because he’s a good friend of PM Lawrence Wong?”
Ms Dang said the statements made by Mr Gan and Ms Sun at the Saturday rally “reflect a troubling reality about our politics today”.
“Is this the kind of leadership that we want to endorse? Is this the political culture we want to pass on to our children, where success isn't about fairness, but about connections?”
Mr Gan was also a late addition to the PAP’s Punggol GRC team – he had initially been unveiled by the party as anchor minister of the Chua Chu Kang GRC slate, but on Nomination Day showed up at the nomination centre for Punggol GRC.
On Monday, Ms Dang brought up how Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat had been similarly “parachuted” into East Coast GRC in the 2020 General Election, which she said was a move “forcing voters into a difficult choice between more balanced politics and keeping a future PM”.
At the time, Mr Heng was positioned to succeed then-Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. But he stepped aside in April 2021, citing the need for someone younger with a “longer runway” to become the next leader of Singapore.
“Again, they are trying to pull the same stunts in Punggol, forcing you into a corner,” said Ms Dang.
“Is it really that wrong to want a more balanced parliament? If we allow this tactic to succeed again, make no mistake, it will be repeated at the expense of all Singaporeans.”
Dr Janil also came under fire from Mr Singh, who brought up an instance in March 2023 when the PAP would not have been able to pass an amendment to the Constitution without the help of WP MPs.
Constitutional amendments require a two-thirds majority, which means at least 63 out of the 93 elected MPs in the 14th parliament had to support the amendment for it to pass.
According to the Hansard, a Constitution of the Republic of Singapore (Amendment) Bill was tabled on Mar 21, 2023, which introduced a legislative framework to better combat new psychoactive substances.
A check on Hansard showed 67 MPs, including seven WP MPs, voted in favour of the amendment, with no objections or abstentions.
Mr Singh noted that it was Dr Janil’s “responsibility” as party whip to ensure there were enough PAP MPs to vote for the constitutional amendment, but that he did not fulfil it.
Another WP candidate for Punggol GRC, Mr Harpreet Singh Nehal, claimed in his speech that voters would save on three ministerial salaries – amounting up to S$15 million over five years – if his team was elected into parliament, compared to the PAP slate.
The three office holders in the PAP’s Punggol GRC lineup are Mr Gan, Dr Janil and Ms Sun.
“If you vote our team in, Singaporeans save not one, not two, but three ministerial salaries. And there is something else that is beautiful. Vote us in, you will get the calibre of our team without having to pay one cent in ministerial salaries,” he said.
Mr Singh said he liked Mr Gan, having met him on the ground several times during campaigning. “He's a very pleasant person. But the question to ask is, who put DPM at risk in Punggol GRC?”
Mr Singh, a senior counsel, then called on Mr Gan to respond to an open letter that former NTUC Income chief executive officer Tan Suee Chieh had posted on Facebook earlier on Monday.
In the letter addressed to Mr Gan, Mr Tan asked about his oversight in the aborted Income-Allianz deal, given his role as the chairman of the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS).
“As chairman of MAS, you were also in a position to safeguard the integrity of the regulatory process and uphold the commitments made when public institutions were built and restructured,” wrote Mr Tan. “In the wake of the aborted sale, serious concerns remain about regulatory oversight, governance, transparency, and the preservation of the social mission embedded in Income’s identity.”
Mr Tan then asked 17 questions related to Mr Gan’s involvement in the matter.
Mr Singh said these were important questions asked on behalf of Singaporeans.
“DPM Gan, if you will not answer, please tell us why you will not answer. Because this is about accountability, and real leadership never fears scrutiny, it welcomes it,” said Mr Singh.
At Monday’s rally, WP’s incumbent MPs for Sengkang GRC Louis Chua and He Ting Ru also said that the party had managed the constituency well over the past five years.
Ms He noted how her team had faced the task of taking over from two town councils and as many managing agents, after being elected in GE2020 in the midst of COVID-19 disruptions.
“When both managing agents refused to extend their contracts beyond 2023, we took the difficult decision to directly run SKTC. Sengkang Town Council hired directly and set up teams from scratch,” she said.
Despite the challenge, SKTC performed well in the annual Town Council Management Report, with its various indicators – such as estate cleanliness and maintenance – achieving a green rating, Ms He said. SKTC scored amber for arrears management after WP took over, but achieved the green rating for financial year 2023, she added.
Workers' Party secretary-general Pritam Singh speaking at the rally site of the Workers’ Party in Yusof Ishak Secondary School on Apr 28, 2025. (Photo: CNA/Mak Jia Kee)
Apart from the PAP’s Punggol GRC candidates, Mr Pritam Singh on Monday also took aim at the government’s decision not to postpone the Goods and Services Tax (GST) hike in the midst of rising inflation.
GST had increased from 7 to 8 per cent in 2023, before going up to 9 per cent at the start of last year. It was a move that Mr Wong, the Prime Minister, at Monday’s lunchtime Fullerton rally said was implemented with “great care”.
Mr Singh acknowledged that Singapore’s growing population and ageing population would result in higher government spending, but argued that the GST increase could have been postponed.
“Singaporeans have had to tighten our belts due to the worst inflation we have seen in decades. Everything is more expensive. Even these elections are more expensive,” he said.
“In 2020, each candidate could spend S$4 per voter. Now the elections department has increased this to S$5 per voter – 25 per cent more.
“Food prices in hawker centres have increased by just as much, if not more.”
Mr Singh also noted that Central Provident Fund (CPF) payouts, which retired Singaporeans rely on, do not increase with inflation, thus impacting seniors heavily.
With the government having a surplus of more than S$14 billion for the past parliamentary term, Mr Singh said the PAP government “had enough fiscal room to avoid making things worse for Singaporeans”.
“With such a surplus, will the PAP now have the courage to admit that the decision to raise the GST in 2023 and 2024 was poorly timed?”
“There is still time for the PAP to admit to this and apologise,” he said.
Mr Singh also quoted former Potong Pasir MP Sitoh Yih Pin’s comments about the GST hike in 2022, where he said: “While we do not like pain at all, a little pain is necessary because it is what makes us alert. It is what keeps us alive.”
Mr Singh offered his response to that quote on Monday.
“Singaporeans are asking why did the PAP have to inflict more pain on us. We are already in pain because of global inflation, why must you make things worse?”
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At the party's third rally leading up to the May 3 General Election, Mr Singh and his Punggol GRC candidates levelled criticism at the two political office holders across a range of issues, from the aborted Income-Allianz deal to the ruling party’s supposed “parachuting” of candidates into Group Representation Constituencies.
Mr Gan and Dr Janil, who is Senior Minister of State for Health and Digital Development and Information, are both in the PAP’s Punggol GRC slate.
Mr Singh, who was the second-last speaker of the night, told Punggol GRC voters that their role in this General Election was “significant” due to ever-shifting electoral boundaries.
“These changes may harm the Workers’ Party’s chances of building a more balanced political system. So Punggol, you can send a strong message to the PAP,” he said.
“You can change some electoral boundaries every year, but don’t mess with Punggol.”
WP candidates made several jibes throughout the night about Mr Gan's remarks at a PAP rally last Saturday, where he said he would talk to his "good friend" Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Lawrence Wong to get more funds for infrastructure in Punggol.
Mr Singh said: “I am sorry Punggol, but I cannot say that the Prime Minister and I are friends.
“But do I need to be his friend for taxpayer funding to be allocated to Punggol? No,” he added. “As a Singaporean, I expect fair allocation of taxpayer resources to all our people. And the civil service will allocate funds and projects fairly.”
Mr Singh also commented on the fact that Mr Gan was not elected into the PAP’s Central Executive Committee in November 2024.
“This is very strange for a Deputy Prime Minister,” he said.
“Could it be that he was ready to retire and did not plan to run in these elections? If so, can he be so critical to the PM's plans? You mean the PM has no one else in his Cabinet that can negotiate with the United States on tariffs?”
He added that should Mr Gan be elected, he would be a “one-term MP” – noting that Mr Gan, 66, is older than the now-retired DPM Heng, who is 64.
Ms Alia Mattar, a WP new face and Punggol GRC candidate, also referenced Mr Gan’s remark, mentioning how “some people have friends in higher places where they can ask for special help”, as part of an argument against how significant discussions take place “behind closed doors”.
Her Punggol GRC teammate Alexis Dang also brought up what Minister of State for Social and Family Development and Home Affairs Sun Xueling, another candidate on the PAP’s Punggol GRC slate, told supporters at a rally on Saturday – that “we do not need strangers to come to Punggol… to find out what’s on your mind”.
Ms Dang said: “May I ask, is she referring to DPM Gan Kim Yong too? Or is he exempted because he’s a good friend of PM Lawrence Wong?”
Ms Dang said the statements made by Mr Gan and Ms Sun at the Saturday rally “reflect a troubling reality about our politics today”.
“Is this the kind of leadership that we want to endorse? Is this the political culture we want to pass on to our children, where success isn't about fairness, but about connections?”
Mr Gan was also a late addition to the PAP’s Punggol GRC team – he had initially been unveiled by the party as anchor minister of the Chua Chu Kang GRC slate, but on Nomination Day showed up at the nomination centre for Punggol GRC.
On Monday, Ms Dang brought up how Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat had been similarly “parachuted” into East Coast GRC in the 2020 General Election, which she said was a move “forcing voters into a difficult choice between more balanced politics and keeping a future PM”.
At the time, Mr Heng was positioned to succeed then-Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. But he stepped aside in April 2021, citing the need for someone younger with a “longer runway” to become the next leader of Singapore.
“Again, they are trying to pull the same stunts in Punggol, forcing you into a corner,” said Ms Dang.
“Is it really that wrong to want a more balanced parliament? If we allow this tactic to succeed again, make no mistake, it will be repeated at the expense of all Singaporeans.”
Dr Janil also came under fire from Mr Singh, who brought up an instance in March 2023 when the PAP would not have been able to pass an amendment to the Constitution without the help of WP MPs.
Constitutional amendments require a two-thirds majority, which means at least 63 out of the 93 elected MPs in the 14th parliament had to support the amendment for it to pass.
According to the Hansard, a Constitution of the Republic of Singapore (Amendment) Bill was tabled on Mar 21, 2023, which introduced a legislative framework to better combat new psychoactive substances.
A check on Hansard showed 67 MPs, including seven WP MPs, voted in favour of the amendment, with no objections or abstentions.
Mr Singh noted that it was Dr Janil’s “responsibility” as party whip to ensure there were enough PAP MPs to vote for the constitutional amendment, but that he did not fulfil it.
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ON THE 3 OFFICE HOLDERS IN THE PAP SLATE
Another WP candidate for Punggol GRC, Mr Harpreet Singh Nehal, claimed in his speech that voters would save on three ministerial salaries – amounting up to S$15 million over five years – if his team was elected into parliament, compared to the PAP slate.
The three office holders in the PAP’s Punggol GRC lineup are Mr Gan, Dr Janil and Ms Sun.
“If you vote our team in, Singaporeans save not one, not two, but three ministerial salaries. And there is something else that is beautiful. Vote us in, you will get the calibre of our team without having to pay one cent in ministerial salaries,” he said.
Mr Singh said he liked Mr Gan, having met him on the ground several times during campaigning. “He's a very pleasant person. But the question to ask is, who put DPM at risk in Punggol GRC?”
Mr Singh, a senior counsel, then called on Mr Gan to respond to an open letter that former NTUC Income chief executive officer Tan Suee Chieh had posted on Facebook earlier on Monday.
In the letter addressed to Mr Gan, Mr Tan asked about his oversight in the aborted Income-Allianz deal, given his role as the chairman of the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS).
“As chairman of MAS, you were also in a position to safeguard the integrity of the regulatory process and uphold the commitments made when public institutions were built and restructured,” wrote Mr Tan. “In the wake of the aborted sale, serious concerns remain about regulatory oversight, governance, transparency, and the preservation of the social mission embedded in Income’s identity.”
Mr Tan then asked 17 questions related to Mr Gan’s involvement in the matter.
Mr Singh said these were important questions asked on behalf of Singaporeans.
“DPM Gan, if you will not answer, please tell us why you will not answer. Because this is about accountability, and real leadership never fears scrutiny, it welcomes it,” said Mr Singh.
At Monday’s rally, WP’s incumbent MPs for Sengkang GRC Louis Chua and He Ting Ru also said that the party had managed the constituency well over the past five years.
Ms He noted how her team had faced the task of taking over from two town councils and as many managing agents, after being elected in GE2020 in the midst of COVID-19 disruptions.
“When both managing agents refused to extend their contracts beyond 2023, we took the difficult decision to directly run SKTC. Sengkang Town Council hired directly and set up teams from scratch,” she said.
Despite the challenge, SKTC performed well in the annual Town Council Management Report, with its various indicators – such as estate cleanliness and maintenance – achieving a green rating, Ms He said. SKTC scored amber for arrears management after WP took over, but achieved the green rating for financial year 2023, she added.
Workers' Party secretary-general Pritam Singh speaking at the rally site of the Workers’ Party in Yusof Ishak Secondary School on Apr 28, 2025. (Photo: CNA/Mak Jia Kee)
PRITAM SINGH ASKS PAP TO APOLOGISE FOR “PAIN” IT INFLICTED
Apart from the PAP’s Punggol GRC candidates, Mr Pritam Singh on Monday also took aim at the government’s decision not to postpone the Goods and Services Tax (GST) hike in the midst of rising inflation.
GST had increased from 7 to 8 per cent in 2023, before going up to 9 per cent at the start of last year. It was a move that Mr Wong, the Prime Minister, at Monday’s lunchtime Fullerton rally said was implemented with “great care”.
Mr Singh acknowledged that Singapore’s growing population and ageing population would result in higher government spending, but argued that the GST increase could have been postponed.
“Singaporeans have had to tighten our belts due to the worst inflation we have seen in decades. Everything is more expensive. Even these elections are more expensive,” he said.
“In 2020, each candidate could spend S$4 per voter. Now the elections department has increased this to S$5 per voter – 25 per cent more.
“Food prices in hawker centres have increased by just as much, if not more.”
Mr Singh also noted that Central Provident Fund (CPF) payouts, which retired Singaporeans rely on, do not increase with inflation, thus impacting seniors heavily.
With the government having a surplus of more than S$14 billion for the past parliamentary term, Mr Singh said the PAP government “had enough fiscal room to avoid making things worse for Singaporeans”.
“With such a surplus, will the PAP now have the courage to admit that the decision to raise the GST in 2023 and 2024 was poorly timed?”
“There is still time for the PAP to admit to this and apologise,” he said.
Mr Singh also quoted former Potong Pasir MP Sitoh Yih Pin’s comments about the GST hike in 2022, where he said: “While we do not like pain at all, a little pain is necessary because it is what makes us alert. It is what keeps us alive.”
Mr Singh offered his response to that quote on Monday.
“Singaporeans are asking why did the PAP have to inflict more pain on us. We are already in pain because of global inflation, why must you make things worse?”
Continue reading...