Politicians should focus on addressing issues like jobs and the COVID-19 pandemic at the hustings as these are the issues that Singaporeans want to know, said the Minister of Law and Home Affairs K Shanmugam on Tuesday (23 June).
During his interview with The Straits Times on Tuesday, Mr Shanmugam said that Singaporeans are concerned about the plans to prevent a new wave of COVID-19 outbreak and whether the economy will pull through after the pandemic.
“For the Government, another question is not just pulling through, but when the world pulls through, how are we placed to really soar ahead of everyone else?” he said.
According to him, the COVID-19 pandemic has caused Singaporeans to think about the economy in a way that it is “impacting them directly” – their jobs and their children’s jobs – and how the Government will reopen the economy without causing a second wave of the virus.
“As PM [Lee Hsien Loong] said, we are at one of the hinges of history, and I think it behoves the politicians to really focus on this and deal with these issues during the election,” said the Minister.
Singaporeans are aware that the four Budgets provided by the Government will not be enough to help companies to survive, and thus they questioned on who will be able to make sure that their companies or jobs will survive after the pandemic.
“These are critical questions for them and this is where our focus has been ever since COVID-19 started,” he said. “All of us [in the Government] are totally focused on this, and during the campaign, that is what voters will want to hear about.”
The task is to tell the people honestly about the issues that Singapore is facing, and propose the best solutions, he said.
Mr Shanmugam said the pandemic could “break apart society” as it has put many countries under tremendous strain. He added that “crazy politicians” will try to appeal in “a very populist way” and “seduce the population” with their solutions when the nation faces such pressures.
“Every time there are these kinds of stressors, crazy politicians come to the fore and they will appeal in a very populist way, and they will try and seduce the population that the solution is very simple, and that they have the solution.
“And it’s always got to do with identifying a different grouping – whether it’s foreigners or whether it’s a different race within the community, or a specific religion, or people of religious persuasion,” the Minister asserted.
With that said, Mr Shanmugam noted that the Government provides opportunities across all races, but it does not mean that there is no racism.
“We handle race relations in a very different way, we integrate our societies, we don’t allow ghettos to develop,” he remarked.
Mr Shanmugam indicated most Singaporeans have “a salutary sort of understanding” from what has been happening in other countries and support the Government’s approach, which encourages more civility, safety and security.
“When you say, I want 500,000 Singaporeans to go on the streets to protest, I don’t think many Singaporeans will agree with that,” he added.
Meanwhile, Mr Shanmugam noticed from his previous conversations with residents that there is “a quiet confidence and a determination” that the nation can pull through from the pandemic.
“Across all age groups, there is a certain quiet confidence, a trust that has been built up not over one month or three months or one year, but over a period of 60 years… through successive generations,” he said.
K Shanmugam questions whose side is WP chief Pritam Singh on in regards to his support of playwright Alfian Sa’at
Previously, when the People’s Action Party (PAP) Member of Parliament (MP) Tan Wu Meng denounced Workers’ Party chief Pritam Singh’s support towards local playwright Alfian Sa’at – in an opinion article – Mr Shanmugam described the article is “very thoughtful”.
The article, which was published on the PAP website on 19 June, highlighted a part of Mr Singh’s speech in Parliament on 5 June.
Mr Singh said, “We should count ourselves fortunate that we have citizens who are the loving critics amongst us, some of whom have been questioned in this very House in this term of government. Members would recall one citizen’s poems were nit-picked with a view to cast wholly negative aspersions on his character, even though that individual was not present in the House to defend himself.”
Although Mr Singh did not name anyone in his speech, Dr Tan said that “it is clear that he was referring to Alfian Sa’at”.
In his opinion piece, he highlighted a number of Mr Alfian previous remarks made on Facebook, noting that the posts clearly illustrated the poet’s disdain for Singapore. Dr Tan also stated that Mr Alfian likes the Malaysian Bumiputera policies, and that he said the “Singaporean Chinese are being selfish, in not wanting merger with Malaysia”.
Following that, Mr Shanmugam asked Mr Singh whose side is he actually on, in regards to his support towards Mr Alfian.
“When Mr Pritam Singh as Leader of the Opposition stands up in Parliament and supports Mr Alfian Sa’at, and saying he is a loving critic of Singapore, then I think we are entitled to ask, in a healthy democracy, which side do you stand on?” he remarked.
Mr Shanmugam highlighted that the former WP’s leader Low Thia Khiang had clearly raised issues concerning the people of Singapore, but never take “another country’s side against Singapore”.
In response to Mr Shanmugam’s remarks, Mr Singh cited a statement made by the Law Minister in a public forum last year, saying that there is no doubt that his Party’s support is always for Singapore.
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.”
As for his use of the term “loving critic” in Parliament, Mr Singh noted that veteran diplomat Tommy Koh had “originally coined” the phrase for Mr Alfian “and Singaporeans like him”.
“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,” he stated.
