Workers’ Party (WP) chief Pritam Singh took to his Facebook on Sunday (21 June) to reply a question raised by Law and Home Affairs Minister K Shanmugam, who had asked whose side is Mr Singh on in regards to his support towards local playwright Alfian Sa’at.

“When it comes to Singapore’s sovereignty, there can be no doubt where the WP has stood and will continue to stand. We stand with Singapore,” Mr Singh wrote.

In fact, he went on to quote a statement made by the Law Minister himself in a public forum last year. Mr Shanmugam said, “… I’m glad to tell you, at least based on my experience so far, there has been no gap, no party politics has supervened or interfered with our pursuit of foreign policy. This is a blessing … certainly with the current Opposition, they have played their part, and we have taken them into confidence. So it makes my job so much easier.”

Based on this, Mr Singh asserted that there is no doubt that his Party’s support is always for Singapore.

This latest exchange between the politicians started after People’s Action Party (PAP) Member of Parliament (MP) Tan Wu Meng denounced Mr Singh’s support towards Mr Alfian on Friday (19 June).

Dr Tan, who is the MP for Jurong Group Representation Constituency (GRC), said that Mr Alfian is not a “loving critic” of Singapore and that Mr Singh should read all his previous writings “carefully” before praising the playwright.

In the article, Dr Tan highlighted a number of Mr Alfian previous remarks on Facebook, some going back as far as 2011, where the poet penned his take on Malaysia and other issues. He claimed that the poet’s posts showed his disdain for Singapore.

Commenting on his use of the term “loving critic” in Parliament earlier this month, Mr Singh on Sunday noted that veteran diplomat Tommy Koh had “originally coined” the phrase for Mr Alfian “and Singaporeans like him”.

“Prof Koh, a Singaporean diplomat of international stature who built his reputation by tactfully protecting Singapore’s foreign interests over many decades, needs no introduction. I found Prof Koh’s use of the term ‘loving critic’ to describe Singaporeans like Mr Alfian Sa’at apt. Why?

“I do not specifically track what our playwrights say about Malaysia. But I have always appreciated the perspective of theatre practitioners in Singapore, regardless of their race or choice of language medium, on subjects considered taboo or sensitive by mainstream standards.

“Such reflections, which are commonly critical and provocative, give rise to a thinking population,” said Mr Singh in his post.

As such, the WP chief noted that Mr Alfian should not be “admonished” in Parliament due to some of his previous works. However, if a Singaporean consistently shows that he or she “rejects Singapore or our Constitution or runs Singapore down with a political agenda overseas”, then Mr Singh stated that both him and his party will not support such conduct.

Mr Shanmugam responds

Following Mr Singh’s reply, Mr Shanmugam took to his Facebook this morning (22 June) to pen a reply.

The Law Minister expressed that he is glad that Mr Singh said that “the WP will continue to stand squarely with the government when it comes to foreign relations”.

He added that this is the same stance that former WP leader Mr Low Thia Kiang took.

However, Mr Shanmugam asserted that he still wants to know if Mr Singh “still believes that Mr Alfian Sa’at’s views on Malaysia and Singapore merit his support”.

“He admits now that he hadn’t examined these statements before declaring Mr Sa’at a ‘loving critic’ and admonishing the government for not heeding Mr Sa’at’s wisdom. He need not rush to examine those statements, (set out in Dr Tan’s post), but I hope to hear his views on them in good time,” he wrote in his post.

Mr Shanmugam added, “And let me make clear- this is not about artistic freedom, or license, those are not being questioned. This is specifically about Mr Singh asking the Government to listen to a specific individual.”

Subscribe
Notify of
7 Comments
Newest
Oldest Most Voted
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
You May Also Like

李显龙:将提高退休和重新雇佣年龄

新加坡总理李显龙昨日在星耀樟宜,录制国庆献词。今年他在献词中提到,针对那些想要继续工作的国人,政府会提高退休年龄和重新雇佣年龄。不过具体详情,在8月18日的国庆群众大会才会公布。 总理称,政府打算减轻本地家庭在学前和高等教育方面的负担,尤其是为中低收入家庭提供实在的帮助。我们也努力满足年长国人的医疗和退休需求,更好地保障他们的晚年生活。 他承认今年我国经济增长放缓,国际需求和贸易额减少,进而影响本地制造业和一些服务业。尤其是去年表现比较强劲的电子业,今年也 因为全球电子业下滑而受到波及。 “不过,一些领域目前的表现还算比较好。 这类经济放缓的情形,我们也曾经历过。我们这次也将沉着应对。如果有必要,我们会采取刺激经济的措施。” 他说,面对全球性问题如贸易保护主义探头、大国之间摩擦加剧和气候暖化等,我国也难免受影响,全球供应链打乱, 改变了贸易模式以及国际投资的流向。 “我们必须做好准备,迎向截然不同 的未来。”他表示,为确保经济增长,将积极推动企业转型,取得不错的进展,例如制造先进的飞机零件,同时不断研发新的疾病治疗法,并推进金融科技服 务的发展。 政府正在扩建海港和机场,以满足亚洲蓬勃发展所带来的需求;提升两座综合娱乐城的设施,以吸引更多游客。本地的科技与创新领域发展良好。多个政府机构正在帮助企业增强实力、扩充业务和 进军国际市场。…

Chan echoes PM Lee assuring that same team still in place despite Heng stepping aside as 4G leader

At a press conference yesterday (8 Apr) when Deputy Prime Minister Heng…

Hairline cracks found on 11 LRT trains on Sengkang-Punggol Line in July

Hairline cracks were found on eleven first generation Light Rail Transit (LRT)…

教育部推数码学习 冀2024所有中一生都有电子学习配备

教育部放眼2024年,所有中一学生将各有一台个人学习电子配备,登录学生学习平台或其他网上学习平台。 教育部长王乙康在国会辩论部门开支预算时表示,教育部在今年起将逐步推行全国数码学习计划,旨在通过搜索、思考、应用和创造等模式,以加强学生的数码通识能力。 其中将为中学生提供个人电脑,借助科技提升学习成效。 为了确保学生能够负担得起购买电子配备的费用,教育部将拨款7千500万元为中小学和特别学校的公民学生,学生能透过教育储蓄(Edusave)购买个人电脑。除了储蓄额,教育部还为中小学学生的提供额外200元 另外,低收入户家庭也会获得另一笔额外津贴,以减轻低收入户购买电子设备的负担。 为了能够因应未来数码科技的时代,当局会开发更多学习编码、开发应用程序、设计网站或游戏等课程。 明年起,将会有更多学校提供剑桥O和A水准的电脑应用计算课程。预计届时将有30所中学和10所初级学院提供这个课程。 王乙康表示,这会让更多学生受益,而且培养他们对数码科技的兴趣,高等院校也将为学生建立基础数码能力以及提升网络安全意识。 目前无论是在金融、制造、物流和网络安全领域均急需数码科技人才,因此提早培养他们的数码科技能力更能让他们在未来有更多的竞争力。