PUBLISHED ONNovember 06, 2025 5:18 AMBYKoh Xing YingHaving an opposition is important in maintaining a balanced political system, said Leader of the Opposition Pritam Singh on an episode of CNA's series The Assembly 2.
In his first national TV interview published on Wednesday (Nov 5), Singh was interviewed by a group of neurodiverse individuals where he fielded questions regarding the Nicole Seah and Leon Perera affair, why he joined the Workers' Party (WP) and the Raeesah Khan case.
During the session, one interviewer Steph asked "Why did you choose WP over the People's Action Party (PAP)?" Singh laughed and replied "Wow, that's an intense question" which drew laughter from the audience.
He then went on to say that he has always believed in the importance of a balanced political system. And that the PAP have been a very important and central part of the Singapore story for a long, long time.
"They've done much good work for the country but in a parliamentary democracy, you also always need to have an opposition. And the word opposition is a very strong word. But the reality is that people have different views about what Singapore should look like and what the future should look like," said Singh.
"And I've always felt that these views should also have a place in Parliament."
He then shared that he had reached a point in his life where he felt that he should join mainstream politics and participate.
"Organise, get similar minded people to work to also work for Singapore and Singaporeans, but in a different way," he added.
During the episode, Singh was also asked about some of the controversies faced by the WP, including the incident in 2021 when he was accused of lying in relation to Raeesah Khan's case.
He is currently appealing against his conviction and sentence for lying to a parliamentary committee about this case.
"This is something I don't lose much sleep over... My political opponents will do whatever it takes to lower my esteem and the esteem of my party in the public eye," he said.
"If there was something my conscience was not in agreement with, I don't think I will be sitting here today."
Another major controversy that the party had to address was an affair involving two senior WP members, after a video of them was leaked online in 2023.
Responding to a question about that, Singh acknowledged that it was a "difficult question", and shared that upon reflection, he did not feel betrayed.
"I wouldn't say I felt betrayed because some of the things that had happened with them its quite a private matter," said Singh.
"For both of them, they have made significant contributions to WP and I prefer to remember them as that."
Recently, Singh faced scrutiny after making his first appearance on a Malaysian podcast on June 24, which raised concerns from the PAP about discussing Singapore politics on foreign soil.
In a statement released on July 3, the ruling party emphasised that domestic politics should remain within Singapore's boundaries.
"Politics should stop at the water's edge. Singapore's affairs are for Singaporeans to decide, based on what is best for our national interests," said PAP then.
In response, WP said that Singh is not a member of the executive, which includes Cabinet ministers and political office-holders, and there is "no legal convention that has been communicated to him which fetters his freedom of speech, locally or overseas".
"Should there be such a guideline, it should be made known," said the party in a Facebook post that month, adding that the PAP was "opposing for the sake of opposing".
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xingying.koh@asiaone.com
