GE2025: WP has been stress-tested and is a ‘force for good’ in times of crisis, says Pritam Singh (2025)

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SINGAPORE - Despite the uncertain economic climate, Singaporeans should vote the WP into Parliament, as the party has shown that it can be a “force for good” in times of crisis, said party chief Pritam Singh.

Speaking at a rally in Sengkang on April 24, Mr Singh devoted much of his speech to addressing why global uncertainty triggered by the trade war between the US and China should not discourage voters from backing the WP.

A Parliament with “more rational, respectable and responsive” WP MPs will not hamper Singapore, he said.

“The Workers’ Party has been stress-tested when Singapore was in crisis,” he added, citing the party’s actions during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Even the PAP acknowledged how the WP supported the national effort during the pandemic, Mr Singh said.

“The Workers’ Party is a force for good.We coalesce as one people with Singaporeans in the face of danger. The Workers’ Party has proven itself to be a loyal opposition in Parliament, loyal not to the PAP, loyal to Singapore and the people of Singapore,” he added.

Taking the stage at around 9.45pm, Mr Singh was the last to speak, after his fellow WP candidates brought up issues ranging from the cost of living to the importance of having a diversity of views in Parliament.

The WP did the right thing for Singapore in times of crisis like Covid-19, he said, listing several other reasons why Singapore should vote for the party amid uncertain times.

Mr Singh said the WP counters the groupthink of the PAP, and suggests alternative ideas to improve the lives of Singaporeans.

The next few years may provide opportunities to make structural improvements to Singapore’s economy, like less reliance on foreign workers and better protection for workers from retrenchment, he said.

“We have proposed a concrete, realistic vision in our manifesto, and have not resorted to motherhood statements like the PAP,” he added.

The WP, he added, will also continue to pressure the Government in Parliament by being the voice of Singaporeans and raising the concerns of the people.

“We are working towards a balanced political system to check the PAP and prevent it from acting however it wishes,” he said, to cheers from the crowd.

Mr Singh said Singaporeans cannot be passive citizens, but active participants in the country’s democracy.

They have to be fighters, “just like what the people in Hougang have taught us”, he added.

The WP chief also repeated his allegation made in Parliament that the Government turbocharged inflation by raising the GST – a claim that had been rebutted by Prime Minister Lawrence Wong.

“The PAP dominates our political scene. It can make such serious errors in judgment and timing and then give out teddy bears, ice cream and toothbrushes,” Mr Singh said, citing some gifts that PAP candidates had given out.

“How do you show that you disagree with the PAP’s poor judgment?” he said. “A vote for the Workers’ Party is your instrument of change.”

He noted that the WP is not even contesting one-third of the seats in Parliament – it is fielding 26 candidates in five GRCs and three SMCs.

There is no way the WP will form the next Government, he said. “So give Singapore a chance to build, to grow a more balanced political system. It is the best insurance for the future.”

Mr Singh said the WP will continue to be a loyal opposition as Singapore navigates the long transition to a new world order.

The WP, he said, will “always be on the lookout to improve the lives of all Singaporeans”.

“The reality is this: When you have a position in Parliament, your alternative voice, your views, are heard by the Government,” Mr Singh said.

“There is pressure, real pressure, on the PAP to act, particularly if the views advanced by the Workers’ Party are shared by all Singaporeans.”

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