SINGAPORE: Workers’ Party chief Pritam Singh no longer holds the official title of Leader of the Opposition, and his seat in Parliament has been moved, but when it comes to the actual work voters have chosen him to do, it appears that nothing has changed.
Netizens cheered Mr Singh on, but many wondered why so many seats in Parliament looked empty, though it had been much fuller on Jan 14, the day the motion passed, deeming him unfit for the role of Leader of the Opposition.
“Different seat, same work. #wecontinue #workingforsingapore #wpsg,” wrote Mr Singh in the caption of a Facebook post on Feb 3 (Tuesday), the first day that Parliament met since he was removed from his position by Prime Minister Lawrence Wong on Jan15. While PM Wong asked the Workers’ Party’s Central Executive Committee to nominate another WP MP for the position, they declined to do so.
During the session, House Speaker Seah Kian Peng read a letter from the Prime Minister that said the position of Leader of the Opposition would remain vacant “until such time that the Workers’ Party is ready to nominate another suitable elected Member of Parliament to take on this responsibility”.
Mr Singh, who used to sit in Parliament opposite the Prime Minister, now moved two seats down in the front row, and his former seat has been given to Deputy Speaker of Parliament Christopher de Souza.
Supporters cheer him on, but wonder where the other MPs are
On Mr Singh’s Facebook post, where he took a bloody-but-unbowed attitude, many commenters cheered him on, appearing to approve of his and the WP’s stance on the matter.
A “lion is a lion wherever it sits,” wrote one.
“Who cares about the seat? The most important thing is you’re still continuing your job and speaking up for the citizens,” another chimed in.
A popular comment came from a Facebook user who noted, “On the chessboard, the king and the queen still retain their powers no matter where their positions. With skills, they could checkmate their opponent’s king from any position.”
“It is not the seat that defines the person, but it is the work that defines the person,” wrote another.
A much-liked comment read, “It does not matter where they want to seat you or give you whatever title… What matters is that your supporters will always see you as the leader of the opposition. Period.”
As Mr Singh had posted a photo in his new seat amidst many empty seats, others pointed this out.
“Different seat better than empty seats,” one wrote, while another asked, “What’s the point of Parliament when there is no one in Parliament?”
“Where are the rest? Toilet break?” a commenter asked.
Another answered, “I am thinking the same thing, ‘why is the chamber so empty?’”
One commenter noted that the attendance had been much better on the day that Parliament voted on the motion to deem Mr Singh unfit as Leader of the Opposition.
“Wow. Where are the Members of Parliament who are expected to attend parliamentary sessions?” another asked.
There are currently 108 MPs. The attendance for each session is officially documented in the minutes of the sitting and the official report of debates on the Parliament’s website. /TISG
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