PM says sorry if his "fix" oppostition remark offended anyone

By Ahmad Osman
May 05, 2006
AsiaOne Special Political Correspondent

Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong proferred his apologies today (May 5) if he offended anyone with the words he used at the People’s Action Party lunch-time rally at UOB Plaza on Wednesday to describe what he would need to do if there were too many Opposition MPs in Parliament.

He had told the audience that day that if the opposition were to hold 10 to 20 seats in Parliament, he would have to spend much more time thinking what was the right way to “fix” them.

A statement today from his press secretary clarified that what he meant by his remark was that if there were many more op position MPs in Parliament, the government and opposition would spend all their time and energies countering each other, and Singapore would be worse off for it.

“He used direct language to get this important point across to a mass rally crowd,” the Prime Minister’s press secretary Chen Hwai Liang said in a statement.

“If the exact words he used offended, he is sorry."

Speaking at a Workers’ Party (WP) rally on Thursday night, WP chief Low Thia Khiang asked the Prime Minister how he proposed to “fix” the opposition MPs.

He also asked if the Prime Minister was unable to govern in the presence of 15 to 20 opposition MPs, and whether he was worried by the challenge mounted by the opposition, particularly the WP.

Read PM Lee's statement here