SINGAPORE: Workers’ Party (WP) chief Pritam Singh has no aspirations of becoming Singapore's prime minister, and said that what voters want is not for his party to form the government.
Speaking on Keluar Sekejap, a popular Malaysian political podcast hosted by former Malaysian health minister Khairy Jamaluddin and Mr Shahril Hamdan, previously UMNO's information chief, Mr Singh said his role is to “normalise the idea of an opposition”.
“We all have a role in our minds and in our heart of hearts. And I think my role is to normalise the idea of an opposition in Singapore,” the leader of the opposition added.
Asked by Mr Khairy if he wants to become prime minister, Mr Singh said no.
In the interview that was uploaded to YouTube on Tuesday (Jun 24), Mr Khairy also asked if there was a “lack of ambition” and that the WP should have pivoted away from the goal of winning one-third of the seats in parliament.
“I have to have a good finger on the pulse of Singaporeans, I’ve got to understand what they want. And I’ve got to understand how they respond to language which reflects ambition,” Mr Singh said.
“If that language is not in sync with their broad understanding of what they want out of politics in Singapore, then ambition can be a death knell for any politician in Singapore.”
Mr Singh said in 2019 that the party's medium-term objective was to contest and win one-third of the seats in parliament.
In Singapore, constitutional amendments require the support of a two-thirds majority in the House.
At the party's annual members' forum in January, Mr Singh told WP members they must work as a team if they are to achieve their goal of having elected opposition Members of Parliament (MPs) make up a third of the House.
"If we accept that Singaporeans are pragmatic, and that there’s no demand for a change of government, then going out there flying a flag which says 'I am your prime minister in waiting' is probably, with respect, an act of foolishness," Mr Singh said in the interview.
He added that there is a desire among many Singaporeans for "political balance".
"And we know that, and we try and tap into that and we present a platform, a vision to the public to say that look, we believe we can fulfil that aspiration that you have," Mr Singh said.
He added: "We still feel the opposition should play a check-and-balance role. That's what we want.
"And if you go in there with an argument that we're ready to form government, that doesn't sync and gel with the emotions on the ground. I don't think that's going to be a recipe for a successful political campaign."
Responding to Mr Khairy’s question on why he did not leave the “bunker” of Aljunied GRC, Mr Singh said there are no safe seats.
"The reality is we are the opposition in Singapore. There are no safe seats for us, there is no safe bunker.
"Anything can change, and before you know it, you are at the forward edge and you’ve got to fight your battle there," Mr Singh said.
At the recent General Election, the People’s Action Party (PAP) won 87 out of 97 seats. In all, 65.57 per cent of the vote went to the PAP – up from 61.24 per cent in the 2020 General Election – in what was Prime Minister Lawrence Wong's first electoral test leading the party.
WP managed to retain its 10 parliamentary seats from Aljunied and Sengkang Group Representation Constituencies (GRCs), as well as its stronghold of Hougang Single Member Constituency (SMC).
The party were also offered two Non-Constituency MP seats, having lost by the slimmest of margins in two constituencies – it garnered 48.53 per cent of votes in Jalan Kayu SMC and 47.37 per cent in Tampines GRC, which was a four-way race.
These seats have been taken up by Jalan Kayu SMC candidate Andre Low and Tampines GRC candidate Eileen Chong.
Asked by Mr Khairy on why he did not “incite” the public by raising issues such as cost of living, Mr Singh said the PAP did not “take the bait”.
“We did talk about cost of living issues during the elections, we did talk about housing during the elections, but the PAP didn’t take the bait,” said Mr Singh.
He added that he had raised the issue of the timing of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) hike amid inflationary pressures, but no PAP politician “substantively wanted to deal with that”.
“They know … no gaffes. The PAP ran a very, very tight campaign. And they knew that there are these pain points and the strategy was: ‘Let’s not talk about them’.”
Referring to a Big Read article by CNA TODAY on the ruling party's strategy, he pointed out that Minister for Digital Development and Information Josephine Teo, who anchored Jalan Besar GRC, and Minister for Foreign Affairs Vivian Balakrishnan, who anchored Holland-Bukit Timah GRC, were among those who did not deliver any rally speeches.
"According to that newspaper article, it was by design. Don’t say anything stupid which will make Singaporeans angry ... Don’t say anything which can suddenly turn the mood or turn the nature of the campaign," said Mr Singh.
Mr Singh also touched on race and religion and their relationship with politics during the podcast interview, which lasted more than one and a half hours.
"I know that race exists, religion exists, and if I know these things exist, the best way to negotiate them would be to respect them," added Mr Singh, who described himself as "passionately race-neutral" about things.
In response, Mr Khairy pointed out that as far as Singapore prides itself in multiculturalism, different communities still see the world differently and have their own considerations.
He asked how Mr Singh would balance this with his race-neutral approach to politics.
"When I say race-neutral, that's how I view Singapore. That's the aspiration I have for Singapore society. But that doesn't mean that I ignore the reality that we come from different races," said Mr Singh.
Workers’ Party’s Pritam Singh exchanges handshakes with supporters in Aljunied on May 4, 2025. (Photo: CNA/Syamil Sapari)
At the recent General Election, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) and Elections Department (ELD) revealed that several online election advertisements had been posted by foreigners – including two Malaysian politicians and a former Singaporean who is now an Australian citizen – urging Singaporeans to vote along religious lines.
The authorities said they directed Meta to block access to these posts for users in Singapore.
The WP secretary-general was also asked by Mr Khairy as to how he dealt with the "perception" of the public around his court case.
Mr Singh was found guilty in February of two charges of lying to parliament over false testimonies he gave to a Committee of Privileges in December 2021, during its inquiry into the conduct of former WP MP Raeesah Khan.
He said that he would appeal his conviction and sentence.
"When your conscience is clear and you do not agree with what has been done to you, there is a certain clarity of mind, clarity of thought, clarity of purpose, that keeps you focused on what you are in this for," Mr Singh added.
"That really has been my lodestar."
Continue reading...
Speaking on Keluar Sekejap, a popular Malaysian political podcast hosted by former Malaysian health minister Khairy Jamaluddin and Mr Shahril Hamdan, previously UMNO's information chief, Mr Singh said his role is to “normalise the idea of an opposition”.
“We all have a role in our minds and in our heart of hearts. And I think my role is to normalise the idea of an opposition in Singapore,” the leader of the opposition added.
Asked by Mr Khairy if he wants to become prime minister, Mr Singh said no.
In the interview that was uploaded to YouTube on Tuesday (Jun 24), Mr Khairy also asked if there was a “lack of ambition” and that the WP should have pivoted away from the goal of winning one-third of the seats in parliament.
“I have to have a good finger on the pulse of Singaporeans, I’ve got to understand what they want. And I’ve got to understand how they respond to language which reflects ambition,” Mr Singh said.
“If that language is not in sync with their broad understanding of what they want out of politics in Singapore, then ambition can be a death knell for any politician in Singapore.”
Related:
Mr Singh said in 2019 that the party's medium-term objective was to contest and win one-third of the seats in parliament.
In Singapore, constitutional amendments require the support of a two-thirds majority in the House.
At the party's annual members' forum in January, Mr Singh told WP members they must work as a team if they are to achieve their goal of having elected opposition Members of Parliament (MPs) make up a third of the House.
"If we accept that Singaporeans are pragmatic, and that there’s no demand for a change of government, then going out there flying a flag which says 'I am your prime minister in waiting' is probably, with respect, an act of foolishness," Mr Singh said in the interview.
He added that there is a desire among many Singaporeans for "political balance".
"And we know that, and we try and tap into that and we present a platform, a vision to the public to say that look, we believe we can fulfil that aspiration that you have," Mr Singh said.
He added: "We still feel the opposition should play a check-and-balance role. That's what we want.
"And if you go in there with an argument that we're ready to form government, that doesn't sync and gel with the emotions on the ground. I don't think that's going to be a recipe for a successful political campaign."
PAP DID NOT "TAKE BAIT"
Responding to Mr Khairy’s question on why he did not leave the “bunker” of Aljunied GRC, Mr Singh said there are no safe seats.
"The reality is we are the opposition in Singapore. There are no safe seats for us, there is no safe bunker.
"Anything can change, and before you know it, you are at the forward edge and you’ve got to fight your battle there," Mr Singh said.
Related:
At the recent General Election, the People’s Action Party (PAP) won 87 out of 97 seats. In all, 65.57 per cent of the vote went to the PAP – up from 61.24 per cent in the 2020 General Election – in what was Prime Minister Lawrence Wong's first electoral test leading the party.
WP managed to retain its 10 parliamentary seats from Aljunied and Sengkang Group Representation Constituencies (GRCs), as well as its stronghold of Hougang Single Member Constituency (SMC).
The party were also offered two Non-Constituency MP seats, having lost by the slimmest of margins in two constituencies – it garnered 48.53 per cent of votes in Jalan Kayu SMC and 47.37 per cent in Tampines GRC, which was a four-way race.
These seats have been taken up by Jalan Kayu SMC candidate Andre Low and Tampines GRC candidate Eileen Chong.
Asked by Mr Khairy on why he did not “incite” the public by raising issues such as cost of living, Mr Singh said the PAP did not “take the bait”.
“We did talk about cost of living issues during the elections, we did talk about housing during the elections, but the PAP didn’t take the bait,” said Mr Singh.
He added that he had raised the issue of the timing of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) hike amid inflationary pressures, but no PAP politician “substantively wanted to deal with that”.
“They know … no gaffes. The PAP ran a very, very tight campaign. And they knew that there are these pain points and the strategy was: ‘Let’s not talk about them’.”
Related:
Referring to a Big Read article by CNA TODAY on the ruling party's strategy, he pointed out that Minister for Digital Development and Information Josephine Teo, who anchored Jalan Besar GRC, and Minister for Foreign Affairs Vivian Balakrishnan, who anchored Holland-Bukit Timah GRC, were among those who did not deliver any rally speeches.
"According to that newspaper article, it was by design. Don’t say anything stupid which will make Singaporeans angry ... Don’t say anything which can suddenly turn the mood or turn the nature of the campaign," said Mr Singh.
RACE, RELIGION AND POLITICS
Mr Singh also touched on race and religion and their relationship with politics during the podcast interview, which lasted more than one and a half hours.
"I know that race exists, religion exists, and if I know these things exist, the best way to negotiate them would be to respect them," added Mr Singh, who described himself as "passionately race-neutral" about things.
In response, Mr Khairy pointed out that as far as Singapore prides itself in multiculturalism, different communities still see the world differently and have their own considerations.
He asked how Mr Singh would balance this with his race-neutral approach to politics.
"When I say race-neutral, that's how I view Singapore. That's the aspiration I have for Singapore society. But that doesn't mean that I ignore the reality that we come from different races," said Mr Singh.
Workers’ Party’s Pritam Singh exchanges handshakes with supporters in Aljunied on May 4, 2025. (Photo: CNA/Syamil Sapari)
At the recent General Election, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) and Elections Department (ELD) revealed that several online election advertisements had been posted by foreigners – including two Malaysian politicians and a former Singaporean who is now an Australian citizen – urging Singaporeans to vote along religious lines.
The authorities said they directed Meta to block access to these posts for users in Singapore.
The WP secretary-general was also asked by Mr Khairy as to how he dealt with the "perception" of the public around his court case.
Mr Singh was found guilty in February of two charges of lying to parliament over false testimonies he gave to a Committee of Privileges in December 2021, during its inquiry into the conduct of former WP MP Raeesah Khan.
He said that he would appeal his conviction and sentence.
"When your conscience is clear and you do not agree with what has been done to you, there is a certain clarity of mind, clarity of thought, clarity of purpose, that keeps you focused on what you are in this for," Mr Singh added.
"That really has been my lodestar."
Continue reading...