PM takes WP to task for 'breathtakingly cynical' stand

PM takes WP to task for 'breathtakingly cynical' stand

SINGAPORE - Politics in Singapore must be constructive, if policies to better the country are to be realised, said Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong yesterday, as he criticised the opposition Workers' Party (WP) for not being up to par.

He said he found it striking that WP secretary-general Low Thia Khiang's speech in Parliament to debate the President's Address offered "no critiques, no suggestions, no alternatives - nothing" on the Government's way forward.

On Monday, Mr Low had kick-started a fiery debate on the topic of constructive politics, which was raised by President Tony Tan Keng Yam, on May 16, in his call to put the nation and Singaporeans first.

Mr Low said then that "in whatever way politics is described and coloured, it is still politics" - a view which Mr Lee lambasted yesterday as being "breathtakingly cynical".

"Constructive politics can help us to scale new heights. Wrong politics will doom us," said Mr Lee.

Constructive politics, Mr Lee said, must develop effective policies for Singaporeans and solve problems. Besides having a robust debate, high standards of integrity must also be maintained.

The WP chief defended his position, saying that with Singapore becoming "more diversified", it was important to discuss how the Government will deal with different views.

Mr Low said that going by Mr Lee's speech, it appeared that "constructive" politics was dictated by the People's Action Party (PAP), rather than "in terms of the society that is moving forward".

Mr Low said that while his colleagues from the WP would talk about a range of issues, he had chosen to focus on constructive politics.

This, however, drew a sharp rebuttal from Mr Lee, who said that as a leader, Mr Low had a "responsibility" to state where the WP stands on the big issues.

In a wide-ranging speech touching on the progress of policies related to housing, transport, and population, Mr Lee stressed that "politics cannot just be about politics alone".

And while society is more diverse now, constructive politics means rallying people together around a common cause, to achieve broad objectives and accommodate differences, Mr Lee noted.

He said the PAP does its best to practise constructive politics and this involves admitting to wrongdoings, irrespective of whether or not it is politically convenient.

"Opposition parties must uphold the same standards too," Mr Lee said, adding that Mr Low's denial of his party's flip-flopping on foreign worker policies is "simply false".

Refuting this, Mr Low said that he had explained in Parliament previously that his speeches had been misunderstood. He said that in cases where PAP had to make a "policy U-turn", they called it a "policy shift".

Mr Lee said the PAP has acknowledged a shift when it makes one, but when the WP changes position, they pretend that they have not.

Mr Lee went on to charge that the WP maintained a "low profile" in Parliament but turned into "tigers and heroes" when it came to elections.

He asked whether WP still stood by its position, articulated during the debate on the Population White Paper, that Singapore could get by with zero foreign worker growth.

Mr Low said that based on calculations back then, his party had felt this was the case. But WP had said its piece and respected the Government's decision.

Mr Lee said this was the "mark of a substandard opposition" to leave the number crunching to the Government.

Mr Low said it was the mark of a "responsible opposition" not to jam up the Government and allow it to move forward after its views were given.

However, Mr Lee said: "If you have changed the position and your previous position was wrong, say so... But to weasel away, play with words, avoid the issue and then claim to be responsible, that is what we fear can drive Singapore's politics into the same place where many other countries have gone."

This article by The Straits Times was published in MyPaper, a free, bilingual newspaper published by Singapore Press Holdings.

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