SINGAPORE: In his first-ever televised interview, Workers’ Party (WP) chief and Leader of the Opposition (LO), Pritam Singh, fielded a number of intense and interesting questions, including one where he was asked what makes him angry and who his favourite politician is outside of his fellow WP members.
Mr Singh sat down with a group of young people, all of whom are neurodivergent individuals, in a CNA programme called The Assembly. While he was actually interviewed in July, the episode was posted on Wednesday (Nov 5).
When one of the moderators asked the interviewers to share their thoughts on the WP chief before the interview began, one young woman said she had admired Mr Singh for a very long time, and a young man pointed out that the LO has had many ups and downs, but has bounced back over and over again.
When asked what made him say yes to the interview, Mr Singh said that he believed the concept of the programme to be an interesting one as well as a good opportunity to speak to Singaporeans from all walks of life.
He answered questions ranging from his PSLE score to why he enjoys reading about war, whether he’s quiet, and why he loves comedies.
When he told the group that he enjoys watching the American sitcom Brooklyn 99, it elicited happy responses from many in the group.
“I also enjoy watching reruns of The Big Bang Theory,” he added fittingly, as one of its leads is a neurodivergent man.
He also fielded several difficult questions, including a few that revolved around former WP MP Leon Perera and WP Youth Wing Head Nicole Seah, who resigned in 2023 after their extramarital affair was made public.
Mr Singh spoke delicately on the matter, mentioning the families of Mr Perera and Ms Seah, and acknowledging that both had made significant contributions to the WP.
Other questions concerned the Raeesah Khan scandal, the Aljunied-Hougang Town Council lawsuit, and other WP controversies.
Two particular questions stood out. One was when a young interviewer asked Mr Sibgh what makes him angry at work.
“Not just at work, but most of the time, I get angry when I know that somebody is bullying somebody else. I get quite upset about that. I don’t like bullies. I don’t like people who bully others, and I wish people would put themselves in the other person’s shoes. Yeah, so that can make me quite angry sometimes,” he said.
The LO was also asked about his favourite politician outside of the WP.
While he called the question a “very loaded” one, he readily answered that it is President Tharman.
“I think the way he is able to explain an issue, and the way he genuinely believes in what he is saying, and what he is putting forward, it is admirable. In my time in Parliament, when he stood up to speak, it was a good opportunity to understand and to learn how to be a better politician,” said Mr Singh.
Towards the end of the interview, he was asked, “If you were Prime Minister, how would you run the country?”
He simply answered with a laugh, “I would run the country very well.” /TISG
Read also: Pritam Singh praises the work of Project Dignity among the differently-abled
