These were the opening remarks I made at a dialogue organised by the NUS Political Science Society, titled “The Future of Political Leadership in Singapore”, on 23 Aug 2021.
Thank you to Nelle and the NUS Political Science Society for inviting me to join you tonight. SMS Sim Ann, Assoc Prof Bilveer Singh and Dr Gillian Koh — it’s so good to be on the panel with you.
I am always thrilled to have the opportunity to speak with students who have an interest in political, social and economic developments in Singapore.
The topics to be discussed today include the transition into the 4G leadership, the challenges of governance, and our crisis management response towards the Covid-19 pandemic.
The transition to 4G leadership is an internal party matter for the PAP to decide, although given their political dominance in Singapore, leadership succession in the PAP does take on national significance.
The Workers’ Party already had our fourth leadership transition in 2018 when our Party cadres elected Mr Pritam Singh as our secretary-general. He is now the Leader of the Opposition.
Regardless of who is at the helm of the Government or the Opposition in Singapore, there are practical realities that need to be dealt with. The world is changing at a breakneck pace, driven by technology, communications and changing values. Our citizens expect to be represented by men and women with a diversity of thought and a unity in purpose. This is what is needed for good governance — and good outcomes!
As Singaporeans, we must never develop a hubristic mindset, thinking we are better than others or that other countries are so “messed up” that there is nothing much we can learn from them. We must not get so carried away with praising ourselves, that we forget that our past performance is no guarantee of future success.
The Covid-19 pandemic presents an excellent case-in-point. The countries which did such a great job at the start in preventing the spread of infections, are now facing a quandary of whether to open up their economies or maintain their zero-Covid stance. Those countries that did well to vaccinate their populations early are seeing the delta variant breaking through and are tightening measures again. The lesson for Singapore is that we need to stay humble and continue to work hard to secure victory over this virus.
I am supportive of the Government’s moves to transition to a new normal of vaccinations, testing and cautious reopening. I hope the Government sticks to the plan for reopening and communicates this clearly to the people. We should, as far as possible, avoid rolling lockdowns as they have a very detrimental effect on businesses and livelihoods — and possibly even lives.
I still maintain, as I proposed in Parliament, that we need better metrics to measure our progress and gauge the risk of the virus. These metrics need to be more easily understood by the general public so that there will be greater buy-in and voluntary compliance with safe management measures.
It is very important for all political parties to place the national interest first and foremost, and especially so during times of crisis. Some of you would have seen the video of Mr Low Thia Khiang encouraging seniors to get vaccinated. I can share with you that not all our supporters agree with our stance on vaccinations. But we will support Government policies which we feel are good for the people, and oppose those that we feel will not benefit our society — like POFMA and the GST hike.
We don’t simply oppose, of course, but put forward proposals after considered study and consultation. We have been calling for the implementation of a national minimum wage since 2015 and are glad to see that there is finally some movement in this direction. We have also asked for a mandatory credentials assessment for all Employment Pass applications and the establishment of an independent and transparent electoral boundaries commission.
It is through constructive debate that I believe we can uncover the best solutions to the challenges we face as a nation. That is the spirit in which I look forward to our discussion today. Thank you.
