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SINGAPORE – The evolution of the political conversation in Singapore will depend, among other things, on the quantity and quality of information shared by the government in Parliament, Workers’ Party (WP) Chairman Pritam Singh said on Monday ( August 31).
“When it comes to information, the opposition’s output will largely depend on whether we can get the information we request. We intend to carry out specific consultations with government departments and public agencies, as such information is essential to develop alternative policies, ”said Singh, in his inaugural parliamentary speech as leader of the opposition (LO).
“For its part, the government should consider how it can present more information without being asked, in particular information and indicators compared to other countries.”
The 44-year-old alluded to his parliamentary question in early 2018 about the number of permanent residents who remained as PR for more than 10, 15, 20 and 25 years respectively, and the common reasons these people cited for not taking citizenship. from Singapore. . The information provided, Singh said, was “much more limited,” specifically that about 15 percent of PRs have been PRs for 20 years or more.
“The additional details that were not provided are important, so the opposition can consider and present alternative approaches to population and immigration policies. The data will also highlight the relevance of referring to someone as local in our statistical data, when it is clear that some PRs do not want to become Singapore citizens, or the state has no plans to extend citizenship to them. “
Recognizing that the government’s unwillingness to provide the data in the requested format or details may be due to genuine concerns about how such information could be misused to “rile the pockets of the population,” Singh advocated the formation of more committees. selected parliamentarians to address divisive issues.
“I strongly believe that parliament is an important safety valve and potential moderator of extreme conversations that are found offline and online on immigration and population issues.”
No shade cabinet
Using almost all of the 40 minutes the LO is allotted to speak on any topic of its choice, Singh noted that it is not feasible for the WP to establish a shadow cabinet in the tradition of Westminster parliaments, given that there are only 10 members. of Parliament. There are currently 16 ministries in Singapore, using the resources of 37 political officials.
“Despite not being able to follow every ministry, we intend to organize our parliamentarians to examine five areas that are critical for Singapore and of great importance to Singaporeans.”
These five areas are: aging health and adequacy of retirement; jobs, businesses and the economy; educational inequality and cost of living; housing, transportation and infrastructure; and national sustainability.
And among the things that need to change in Singapore, Singh said, is the way it manages and accommodates foreigners in the economy. “It is precisely because we need foreigners to help our economy that we must pay more attention to the Singaporean worker, some of whom feel excluded from the opportunities created in their homeland.”
In recent weeks, the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) has included 47 companies on the watch list of the Fair Consideration Framework, of which 30 were financial and professional services institutions. Singh referred to the MOM website, where examples are given of a wealth management company, where almost three-quarters of its PMET positions are held by people of the same nationality, and a bank where almost two-thirds are from the same nationality.
“The obvious question is, how did those two companies get to those stages without MOM taking action before this? Singaporeans may be justified in asking whether MOM has tolerated its unfair hiring practices for some time. “
However, acknowledging that this is a “complex issue”, Singh, who is also a deputy from Aljunied GRC, said: “The problem is that we just don’t know enough. And the void has left room for more toxic conversations to ferment. We should cut this off immediately … To this end, more information and not less is certainly more useful. “
WP ‘will set our own standards’
Earlier, House Leader Indranee Rajah delivered a Ministerial Declaration officially setting out the responsibilities and privileges of the LO. He reiterated the government’s warning that a greater diversity of voices in parliament must not lead to polarization.
Singh was appointed LO by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong in the wake of the July 10 general election, when the WP won a record 10 seats. “It would be an understatement to say that this announcement was a surprise to the Workers’ Party and members of the public … The Prime Minister has signaled a shift in the narrative and culture of how politics and government should be conducted, and I thank him for that, ”the WP boss said Monday.
He stressed that, like his predecessor Low Thia Khiang, who resigned as a deputy after 27 years, “my colleagues from the Workers’ Party and I will set our own standards and chart an independent course.”
As LO, Singh will be assigned an office in Parliament and will also be provided with support and staff resources, as well as an additional allocation. While each deputy-elect receives a budget to hire a part-time legislative aide (generally paid $ 1,300 a month) and a secretary assistant (generally paid $ 500 a month), the government has assigned the office of the LO a budget for three legislative assistants, with an administrative assistant also available.
However, all PAP attendees can also take advantage of the additional resources of the People’s Association, including community club staff for their grassroots work. Singh added that a functioning government has at its disposal the resources of 146,000 full-time Singaporean civil servants.
“The leader of the opposition office will not have the breadth and depth of the ruling party to propose alternative policies. However, the Workers’ Party will continue to look for alternatives that we believe are important to Singapore. “
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