(Abridged version)
Members of the Workers’ Party,
My speech today will be a little different from those I have given during other Members’ Forums.
Like the election budget speech that will be delivered next month by the Prime Minister, my speech is also an election speech. I will make five points.
A balanced political system
First, it is the right of all Singaporeans to contest elections. We are not mere citizens with no agency. All Singaporeans are at liberty to organise and advance a vision of the Singapore they aspire to.
But no one can do this alone.
If you cannot operate in the context of a party – a team – with all members working for a common cause at multiple levels, your vision will have little chance of success.
This is so important that I will say it again. If you cannot operate in the context of a party – a team – with all members working for a common cause at multiple levels, your vision will have little chance of success.
The Workers’ Party believes in a more balanced political system for Singapore. This is one where the opposition is active and provides a choice for Singaporeans. Given today’s political context in Singapore, we believe that at least one-third of the elected Members of Parliament must be opposition MPs.
Multi-racialism
Second, Singapore has a multi-racial political system. This point is an afterthought for some, but it cannot be so.
The Workers’ Party cannot adopt a political stance that is communal, reaching out for the support of only one community to win at the ballot box. Today, that is a sure way for any opposition party to lose an election. We represent all Singaporeans.
Our political advocacy must be mindful of the laws and guardrails that protect Singapore’s multi-racialism. Multi-racialism is a critical rallying point for a united Singapore, given our domestic realities in the world of tomorrow. The Workers’ Party must always play its role to strengthen Singapore’s multi-racialism.
However, we will not shy away from debating issues with racial or religious overtones, like the tudung or Malay headscarf in Parliament, as MP Faisal Manap has responsibly done. Or like the Singapore-India FTA (Free Trade Agreement) called “CECA” (Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement), which a number of WP MPs past and present have queried. We took on these issues mindfully and sensibly – to shed light on them, while keeping the heat contained, and thereby reducing the political temperature. The Workers’ Party has made its mark representing the views of Singaporeans without resorting to rank populism or sloganeering.
Who are the WP’s candidates?
Third, I am sure many of you are thinking about how many candidates the Party plans to field and where. From a political standpoint, it serves the Party little purpose to reveal any of this before nomination day, unless there is a strategic or tactical reason to do so. Furthermore, everything can change when the Electoral Boundaries Review Committee releases its report.
What I will say is that the Party has been looking carefully at possible candidates. As with previous elections, the candidates will be a mix both of individuals who have walked the ground extensively, as well as new members.
As with previous elections, we will carefully consider candidates and the configuration of the team, if a GRC is being contested. It would not make sense to field individuals with similar attributes in one GRC, and we will do our best to deploy a balanced team, in terms of youth, experience and value-add, amongst other criteria.
The WP election committee has engaged commercial parties to assist in candidate screening and personality review, to assist in our deployment plans. Of course, none of these measures are foolproof, nor can they guarantee that all previous infractions of an individual will come to light. It is important that I set this expectation. But the Party will do our best.
There may be members who might be disappointed to miss out on candidature, despite walking the ground and playing your part for the Party over many years. But I do not apologise for the election committee, who must make its decisions with the interest and success of the WP firmly in mind. As SG, I take ultimate responsibility for the decision to field or not field any member or prospective candidate.
Such a decision will not be motivated by selfish considerations, so if you expect to be fielded and are not, please know that is not an indictment of your contributions to the Party. I assure members, and restate, that the decision taken will be one that places the Party’s interests as paramount.
If there are any members here who are interested in standing as candidates or have concerns about any member who is likely to become a candidate, please share your views and concerns with any member of the CEC.
As we look to field credible individuals for the general elections, the Party needs to keep one eye on party renewal. We need to bring newer, younger candidates on board.
None of us here are getting any younger and we need to work in a dedicated way to encourage and bring more Singaporeans on board. Here, I am not referring to only candidates, but members and volunteers as well.
These individuals must be motivated in wanting a more balanced political system in Singapore. And crucially, if we want the Party to be on a firm path towards future growth, we must bring in individuals who are better than us. The organisation will not grow if we do not bring in Singaporeans who are more capable than those we have today.
If we are not successful in bringing in new people, the Workers’ Party will have a big problem in the years to come. It will run a real risk of becoming irrelevant to Singaporeans.
Party First
Onto the fourth point of this speech. I want to stress that when the Party goes to the general elections, it is not just the candidates who are fighting the election. The entire Party is on the battlefield.
The Workers’ Party always contests as one team. All of us make a difference, and so any victory or defeat is not just down to the candidate, but to the Party and every individual who makes a sacrifice to this end.
This cohesion and unity will make a critical difference in the coming elections.
For those of you here who will be candidates, do not ever forget that you are fighting on the WP ticket, not as an independent. If ever you feel that you are indispensable, or that the Party will not move without you, take a look around.
Who put up your candidate posters, who campaigned in the markets, shops and door-to-door for you? Many of these individuals are volunteers who are invested in the success of the Workers’ Party.
If – and this is a big if – it is written in the stars that you will be victorious, it will not be just your victory, but the victory of everyone who invested time and energy. So, to candidates – much is naturally expected and demanded of you. We need from you not only a commitment to being a servant-leader – but also big amounts of humility and self-awareness, which will be very important in your public service journey.
Manpower Generation
Fifth, I would like to talk about something we perhaps underestimate as members. That is the subject of the manpower needed for our party work. I would like to take this opportunity to recognize all members who come regularly for Hammer outreach.
Thank you for your service towards this important work for the Party. This is one activity where the dividends are recouped long after each Hammer outreach event. Each generation of members pays it forward, so that more Singaporeans are always exposed to the Party and the work we do.
I appeal to all members to reach out to more of your friends and family to help us in Party-related ground work. Encourage Singaporeans to sign up as WP volunteers.
I say this because over the years, I have noted that some of us, particularly newer members and volunteers, may underestimate the importance of the thick-skin and confidence necessary to do the following:
One, explain why a loyal opposition is important for Singapore’s political development; two, explain why the Workers’ Party is a party they should consider joining and getting involved with; and three, reach out to members of the public for donations to the Party.
If you do not have the courage and confidence to do these things, the Party will stagnate and we will have difficulties in executing our political and grassroots work. Election candidates and MPs in particular, will have to lead the way in doing all of these.
And equally important, after you raise the manpower, you have to look after your volunteers and remind them to work in the interests of the Party. They have to be briefed on what is expected of them – of the Party’s values and discipline.
On that note, in late 2023, the Party Organising Department got together to review our volunteer management and outreach efforts. A small team of members have worked hard to organise volunteer orientation sessions each month for individuals who sign up online each month. These sessions include orientating new volunteers on how they are to behave in public. This is nothing new, and previous volunteer management teams have done the same. Related to this, during the Q&A later we can talk about the recent kerfuffle in Bukit Gombak and the expectations we have of our volunteers.
(See WP orientation slides at end)
Conclusion
In conclusion, 2025 is a critical year. The opposition movement as defined by elected opposition MPs in Parliament is still in its infancy. At this stage of Singapore’s political development, there is a real risk of a wipeout of elected opposition MPs. Such a development will set back the evolution of a more balanced political system. In my view, this will have significant, negative implications for Singapore’s solidarity, and by extension, national unity. All of us should keep this in mind. Let’s play an active role in the upcoming general elections and fight together as one WP for a better Singapore. I look forward to campaigning alongside all of you during the general elections.
Thank you very much.
11 January 2025
Office of the Leader of the Opposition 