SINGAPORE: Leader of the Opposition and Workers’ Party chief Pritam Singh urged Speaker Seah Kian Peng to ensure that Singaporeans’ voices are heard in Parliament throughout the new parliamentary term.
He warned that citizens would continue to have concerns and questions about the nation’s direction.
“Throughout this parliamentary term Singaporeans will have concerns and questions about the nation’s direction.
More conversation, debate, openness and transparency will be the order of the day,” Singh said in his address on 5 Sept.
Opening of the 15th Parliament
Singapore’s 15th Parliament convened at 5pm on 5 Sept, following the general election held on 3 May.
The sitting began with Seah’s re-election as Speaker of Parliament and the swearing-in of 99 Members of Parliament, including two Workers’ Party members appointed as Non-Constituency MPs.
In his congratulatory remarks, Singh outlined the challenges ahead and the role of Parliament in responding to them.
Transition as the defining theme
Singh described the new parliamentary session as one framed by both external uncertainty and pressing domestic concerns.
He argued that “transition” is the unifying theme across these challenges, even though the term conceals the deep uncertainties Singapore will face in the near future.
He pointed to economic issues such as job security, youth unemployment and underemployment, opportunities for senior workers, and the need for skills upgrading in an artificial intelligence age.
Small and medium-sized enterprises are facing high rentals and broader challenges of doing business in Singapore, Singh noted.
stressed that these issues are regular subjects of public concern, not confined to parliamentary debate.
He also referenced recent remarks by the Deputy Prime Minister suggesting the potential for 5 per cent economic growth.
Singh said such projections had prompted questions from Singaporeans about whether growth would come from productivity gains or an increase in labour, given the nation’s constraints in land, manpower and carbon.
The role of Parliament
Singh reiterated the three core functions of Parliament: to make laws, to undertake a critical and inquisitorial role in checking government policies and actions, and to scrutinise the state’s finances.
With transition looming, he predicted that Parliament would become an increasingly active arena, where both opposition and government backbenchers would play greater roles in holding the government to account.
Social concerns alongside economic issues
Beyond the economy, Singh highlighted social concerns including integration and an ageing society.
These, he observed, were frequent topics in conversations among Singaporeans and required sustained attention from policymakers.
He warned that these pressures, combined with economic uncertainties, could shape the national mood during the parliamentary term.
Push for select committees
Singh recalled his earlier call, made five years ago, for more parliamentary select committees.
He argued that such committees could help inform Singaporeans about policy choices and trade-offs, while ensuring transparency and deepening public debate.
“Select committees, if organised effectively with a non-partisan purpose, represent a valuable means for Parliament to address, communicate with and assuage Singaporeans over national priorities and concerns,” Singh said.
He added that these committees could play a “vital role in forging unity in difficult and challenging times like the transition Singapore will traverse in the years to come.”
Workers’ Party pledge of support
Singh concluded his speech with a pledge of support from the Workers’ Party.
He said that both elected MPs and Non-Constituency MPs from the party would work to ensure Singaporeans’ voices are represented in Parliament.
He also expressed support for the Speaker’s efforts to raise the standing of Parliament and the country both domestically and internationally.
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