SINGAPORE: On Thursday (Jan 15), one day after Parliament passed a motion deeming Workers’ Party chief Pritam Singh unsuitable as the Leader of the Opposition, Prime Minister Lawrence Wong announced that Mr Singh’s designation would cease with immediate effect.
PM Wong also wrote a letter to the party’s Central Executive Committee, which, in effect, passes the decision to the WP as to who would fill the role.
“I invite the Workers’ Party to nominate another elected Member of Parliament to serve as the next LO. This nominee should not have been implicated in the earlier findings of the Committee of Privileges, and must be able to meet the high standards expected of this office,” he wrote.
This would eliminate WP chair Sylvia Lim, who has been representing Aljunied in Parliament since 2011.
The Prime Minister added, “I hope to receive the Workers’ Party’s nomination soon, so that this important position does not remain vacant for too long.”
On Thursday afternoon, the party issued a media statement that read, “The Workers’ Party confirms that it has received a letter from the Prime Minister, Mr Lawrence Wong, addressed to the Central Executive Committee (CEC).
We will deliberate on its contents carefully through our internal processes and respond in due course.”
Some netizens commenting on the events as they unfolded have said that the WP may rally behind Mr Singh, who has been secretary-general since 2018, and opt not to nominate anyone for the role of Leader of the Opposition, which would serve to keep the party united.
Others, however, have floated names such as Aljunied MP Gerald Giam and Sengkang MPs He Ting Ru and Jamus Lim as those who might possibly take on the role.
On Wednesday, Mr Singh pointed out in Parliament that “the Leader of the Opposition appointment is not a constitutional or statutory one. I have never operated on the assumption that the Leader of the Opposition appointment is a given, nor have I hankered for it.
I have done my best to work with my colleagues to advance the interests of Singaporeans with the Workers’ Party as a responsible opposition through the office.”
The motion to deem Mr Singh unfit to be Leader of the Opposition came in the wake the High Court upholding the Feb 17 verdict finding the Workers’ Party chief guilty of two counts of lying to a parliamentary committee. It was filed by House Leader Indranee Rajah.
Eleven MPs from the Workers’ Party objected to the motion despite the party whip having been lifted, allowing each MP to vote as they saw fit. Non-constituency Member of Parliament Eileen Low was not present at the Jan 14 session. /TISG
