SINGAPORE: Prime Minister Lawrence Wong’s invitation for the Workers’ Party (WP) to name a different member as the new Leader of the Opposition places the ball back in its court, and it would be in WP's best interest not to reject the offer and leave the position vacant, said political analysts.
Four names have emerged among analysts as potential successors: Aljunied GRC MP Gerald Giam, Hougang MP Dennis Tan, and Sengkang GRC MPs He Ting Ru and Jamus Lim.
In his letter to the WP Central Executive Committee on Thursday (Jan 15), Mr Wong said the party’s nominee must be an elected MP who “should not have been implicated in the earlier findings of the Committee of Privileges” regarding ex-MP Raeesah Khan’s lie to parliament and “must be able to meet the high standards expected of this office”.
While it is not mandatory for the WP to nominate someone, it would be better off taking up Mr Wong’s offer due to the resources and opportunities the Leader of the Opposition position brings in parliament, said analysts.
National University of Singapore associate professor of political science Chong Ja Ian said that parliament will still function and WP MPs will still speak up and vote in the House, even without a Leader of the Opposition.
“Remember, the Singapore parliament did not have a Leader of the Opposition until very recently and it continued to debate and pass laws,” he said.
Associate Professor Tan Ern Ser, an adjunct principal research fellow at the Institute of Policy Studies, said that if the WP does not pick a nominee, it would send a signal that the party still acknowledges Mr Pritam Singh as their leader and maintains “that he is innocent”.
Likewise, independent political analyst Dr Felix Tan said that the WP can indeed choose to leave the seat vacant, which would indicate that they believe that the WP and Pritam Singh are still valued highly and that this is “a clear demonstration of partisan politics”.
WP chair Sylvia Lim had on Wednesday called the motion a "party political exercise".
But doing so “might lead to a missed opportunity to continue the good work that the Leader of the Opposition has done prior to this entire fiasco”, added Dr Tan.
Forgoing the nomination will be “a bad move” because of the “extra resources provided, the extra speaking time, and the ability to mould the office of the Leader of the Opposition given it is still relatively novel in our parliamentary system”, said Singapore Management University associate professor of law Eugene Tan.
He added that the party would likely wait for its disciplinary inquiry into Mr Singh to conclude before deciding on its next step.
The position of Leader of the Opposition was first formally designated by then-Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong after the 2020 general election and offered to Mr Singh, who had held the office for over five years.
The role receives certain privileges, such as confidential briefings by the government on important national issues. He or she is also given an office in parliament, additional staff support and resources, as well as double the allowance of an elected MP.
In parliament, the Leader of the Opposition is also given the right of first response and more time for speeches, equal to a minister's speech time.
On Thursday, Mr Wong said he hoped to receive the WP’s nomination soon “so that this important position does not remain vacant for too long”.
Confirming receipt of the letter, the WP said it will "deliberate on its contents carefully" through its internal processes and respond in due course.
As for why the prime minister decided to remove Mr Singh from the position and invite the WP to pick a new nominee, experts said this was because parliament had voted on Wednesday to deem Mr Singh unsuitable for the position.
Mr Wong technically still did not have to go along with it, as the appointment of the opposition leader is up to his discretion, said Assoc Prof Chong.
“Doing so, however, goes against the majority sentiment of parliament and can set a precedent of the executive ignoring the legislature,” he said.
Analysts said Mr Wong’s decision to remove Mr Singh but keep the role of Leader of the Opposition open to be filled by the WP shows the significance of the role in local politics.
“He recognises that the Leader of the Opposition position has become a mainstay of the political landscape in Singapore as it is in the public interest to have it and has proven to be beneficial to parliament,” said Dr Mustafa.
Ground sentiments may hence have played a part, as getting rid of the position may not go down well with segments of the domestic populace, he added.
In asking the WP to nominate a replacement, Mr Wong is also making it clear that the office of the Leader of the Opposition “is important for Singapore’s political development”, said SMU’s Assoc Prof Tan.
“He has effectively placed the ball in WP’s court,” he said.
When asked who are the possible successors to the office, political analysts said that the list is a short one.
For a start, this would have to be a sitting WP MP and be a senior member of the party’s top decision-making body, the Central Executive Committee, and also not be linked to the events leading to Mr Singh’s removal.
The criteria stated by Mr Wong mean that WP chair Sylvia Lim is ineligible to be nominated.
Wednesday’s motion meant that the High Court’s judgment and COP findings have implications for Ms Lim and WP vice-chair Faisal Manap, which have to be considered separately.
Dr Mustafa Izzuddin, senior international affairs analyst at policy and business consultancy Solaris Strategies Singapore, noted that Ms Lim would have been the prime candidate, as she is the most experienced of the current WP MPs in parliament.
Of the party’s remaining nine elected MPs, three are first-term newcomers – Aljunied GRC MPs Kenneth Tiong and Fadli Fawzi, and Sengkang GRC MP Abdul Muhaimin.
Political analysts pointed to WP’s head of policy research Gerald Giam and organising secretary Dennis Tan as potential candidates for the role of Leader of the Opposition.
SMU’s Assoc Prof Tan identified them as the frontrunners as they are the most experienced MPs after Ms Lim and Mr Singh, and importantly are “trusted by the party leadership”.
Assoc Prof Tan from IPS said that Mr Giam has served as both Non-constituency MP and elected MP before last year’s general election and “is kind of a veteran by now”.
“He is visible in terms of his active participation in parliamentary speeches and debates,” he added.
Meanwhile, his fellow MP Dennis Tan holds the support of the Hougang base – the longtime stronghold held by the WP since 1991 – and also sat in the COP, said Dr Felix Tan.
Mr Malminderjit Singh, managing director of political consultancy Terra Corporate Affairs, identified party treasurer Ms He as a frontrunner, due to the "more senior role" she holds in the WP's highest decision-making body.
Dr Felix Tan also said that second-term MP Jamus Lim "has been quite vocal in parliament and active as an MP of Sengkang GRC", which makes the WP deputy head for policy research another possible candidate for the WP’s nomination.
While Mr Singh has been Leader of the Opposition since the designation of the office in 2020, analysts noted that the opposition leader does not necessarily have to be the party’s secretary-general.
The prime minister “is not wedded to the convention that the Leader of the Opposition must be the top leader of the WP”, said SMU’s Assoc Prof Tan.
Assoc Prof Chong noted that “the rules on the Leader of the Opposition in Singapore are unclear and not formally codified” and that “nothing spells out explicitly the criteria” of the role.
He cited the contrast with the role of the Speaker, which is stated explicitly in the Constitution, and the role of the Leader of the House, which is referred to in parliament’s standing orders.
Dr Felix Tan said that the Leader of the Opposition should be “represented at the highest level within the party”, especially if he is expected to lead all opposition voices, including in a future parliament with more than one opposition party.
IPS’ Assoc Prof Tan noted that in Westminster systems, such as in Britain, the Leader of the Opposition fills the role of prime minister in the “shadow cabinet”.
“I reckon it’s because the position and role of Leader of the Opposition is still in its infancy in Singapore, and the ruling party prefers to consider its long-term implications for Singapore democracy,” he said.
Continue reading...
Four names have emerged among analysts as potential successors: Aljunied GRC MP Gerald Giam, Hougang MP Dennis Tan, and Sengkang GRC MPs He Ting Ru and Jamus Lim.
In his letter to the WP Central Executive Committee on Thursday (Jan 15), Mr Wong said the party’s nominee must be an elected MP who “should not have been implicated in the earlier findings of the Committee of Privileges” regarding ex-MP Raeesah Khan’s lie to parliament and “must be able to meet the high standards expected of this office”.
While it is not mandatory for the WP to nominate someone, it would be better off taking up Mr Wong’s offer due to the resources and opportunities the Leader of the Opposition position brings in parliament, said analysts.
National University of Singapore associate professor of political science Chong Ja Ian said that parliament will still function and WP MPs will still speak up and vote in the House, even without a Leader of the Opposition.
“Remember, the Singapore parliament did not have a Leader of the Opposition until very recently and it continued to debate and pass laws,” he said.
Associate Professor Tan Ern Ser, an adjunct principal research fellow at the Institute of Policy Studies, said that if the WP does not pick a nominee, it would send a signal that the party still acknowledges Mr Pritam Singh as their leader and maintains “that he is innocent”.
Likewise, independent political analyst Dr Felix Tan said that the WP can indeed choose to leave the seat vacant, which would indicate that they believe that the WP and Pritam Singh are still valued highly and that this is “a clear demonstration of partisan politics”.
WP chair Sylvia Lim had on Wednesday called the motion a "party political exercise".
But doing so “might lead to a missed opportunity to continue the good work that the Leader of the Opposition has done prior to this entire fiasco”, added Dr Tan.
Forgoing the nomination will be “a bad move” because of the “extra resources provided, the extra speaking time, and the ability to mould the office of the Leader of the Opposition given it is still relatively novel in our parliamentary system”, said Singapore Management University associate professor of law Eugene Tan.
He added that the party would likely wait for its disciplinary inquiry into Mr Singh to conclude before deciding on its next step.
The position of Leader of the Opposition was first formally designated by then-Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong after the 2020 general election and offered to Mr Singh, who had held the office for over five years.
The role receives certain privileges, such as confidential briefings by the government on important national issues. He or she is also given an office in parliament, additional staff support and resources, as well as double the allowance of an elected MP.
In parliament, the Leader of the Opposition is also given the right of first response and more time for speeches, equal to a minister's speech time.
On Thursday, Mr Wong said he hoped to receive the WP’s nomination soon “so that this important position does not remain vacant for too long”.
Confirming receipt of the letter, the WP said it will "deliberate on its contents carefully" through its internal processes and respond in due course.
RETAINING OFFICE OF THE LEADER OF THE OPPOSITION
As for why the prime minister decided to remove Mr Singh from the position and invite the WP to pick a new nominee, experts said this was because parliament had voted on Wednesday to deem Mr Singh unsuitable for the position.
Mr Wong technically still did not have to go along with it, as the appointment of the opposition leader is up to his discretion, said Assoc Prof Chong.
“Doing so, however, goes against the majority sentiment of parliament and can set a precedent of the executive ignoring the legislature,” he said.
Analysts said Mr Wong’s decision to remove Mr Singh but keep the role of Leader of the Opposition open to be filled by the WP shows the significance of the role in local politics.
“He recognises that the Leader of the Opposition position has become a mainstay of the political landscape in Singapore as it is in the public interest to have it and has proven to be beneficial to parliament,” said Dr Mustafa.
Ground sentiments may hence have played a part, as getting rid of the position may not go down well with segments of the domestic populace, he added.
In asking the WP to nominate a replacement, Mr Wong is also making it clear that the office of the Leader of the Opposition “is important for Singapore’s political development”, said SMU’s Assoc Prof Tan.
“He has effectively placed the ball in WP’s court,” he said.
Related:
POSSIBLE SUCCESSORS
When asked who are the possible successors to the office, political analysts said that the list is a short one.
For a start, this would have to be a sitting WP MP and be a senior member of the party’s top decision-making body, the Central Executive Committee, and also not be linked to the events leading to Mr Singh’s removal.
The criteria stated by Mr Wong mean that WP chair Sylvia Lim is ineligible to be nominated.
Wednesday’s motion meant that the High Court’s judgment and COP findings have implications for Ms Lim and WP vice-chair Faisal Manap, which have to be considered separately.
Dr Mustafa Izzuddin, senior international affairs analyst at policy and business consultancy Solaris Strategies Singapore, noted that Ms Lim would have been the prime candidate, as she is the most experienced of the current WP MPs in parliament.
Of the party’s remaining nine elected MPs, three are first-term newcomers – Aljunied GRC MPs Kenneth Tiong and Fadli Fawzi, and Sengkang GRC MP Abdul Muhaimin.
Political analysts pointed to WP’s head of policy research Gerald Giam and organising secretary Dennis Tan as potential candidates for the role of Leader of the Opposition.
SMU’s Assoc Prof Tan identified them as the frontrunners as they are the most experienced MPs after Ms Lim and Mr Singh, and importantly are “trusted by the party leadership”.
Assoc Prof Tan from IPS said that Mr Giam has served as both Non-constituency MP and elected MP before last year’s general election and “is kind of a veteran by now”.
“He is visible in terms of his active participation in parliamentary speeches and debates,” he added.
Meanwhile, his fellow MP Dennis Tan holds the support of the Hougang base – the longtime stronghold held by the WP since 1991 – and also sat in the COP, said Dr Felix Tan.
Mr Malminderjit Singh, managing director of political consultancy Terra Corporate Affairs, identified party treasurer Ms He as a frontrunner, due to the "more senior role" she holds in the WP's highest decision-making body.
Dr Felix Tan also said that second-term MP Jamus Lim "has been quite vocal in parliament and active as an MP of Sengkang GRC", which makes the WP deputy head for policy research another possible candidate for the WP’s nomination.
Related:
MUST THE LEADER OF THE OPPOSITION BE THE PARTY LEADER?
While Mr Singh has been Leader of the Opposition since the designation of the office in 2020, analysts noted that the opposition leader does not necessarily have to be the party’s secretary-general.
The prime minister “is not wedded to the convention that the Leader of the Opposition must be the top leader of the WP”, said SMU’s Assoc Prof Tan.
Assoc Prof Chong noted that “the rules on the Leader of the Opposition in Singapore are unclear and not formally codified” and that “nothing spells out explicitly the criteria” of the role.
He cited the contrast with the role of the Speaker, which is stated explicitly in the Constitution, and the role of the Leader of the House, which is referred to in parliament’s standing orders.
Dr Felix Tan said that the Leader of the Opposition should be “represented at the highest level within the party”, especially if he is expected to lead all opposition voices, including in a future parliament with more than one opposition party.
IPS’ Assoc Prof Tan noted that in Westminster systems, such as in Britain, the Leader of the Opposition fills the role of prime minister in the “shadow cabinet”.
“I reckon it’s because the position and role of Leader of the Opposition is still in its infancy in Singapore, and the ruling party prefers to consider its long-term implications for Singapore democracy,” he said.
Continue reading...