Pritam Singh criticises NTUC-PAP ties, says PAP candidates can still serve workers if unelected

SINGAPORE: Speaking at The Workers' Party rally on 26 April 2025, Pritam Singh took aim at the longstanding symbiotic relationship between the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) and the People's Action Party (PAP). Singh urged voters to support Workers’ Party (WP) candidates Andre Low in Jalan Kayu and Kenneth Foo in Tampines Changkat at the upcoming general election. Singh stated that Labour Chief Ng Chee Meng and NTUC Assistant Secretary-General Desmond Choo, both contesting single seats, would likely continue their work in the labour movement even if they were not elected. Addressing the crowd at Temasek Junior College in Tampines during WP’s second rally, he said the two PAP candidates would continue to serve workers with the support of “rank-and-file unionists and workers who are truly the backbone of NTUC”.

NTUC as a 'Guaranteed Trampoline' for Losing PAP Candidates

Referring to the NTUC as a “guaranteed trampoline” for defeated PAP candidates, Singh highlighted the unique advantage afforded to ruling party politicians through their relationship with the labour movement. “It is the safest trampoline for a politician anywhere in Singapore, and maybe anywhere in the world, but you must be a PAP candidate to earn the right to bounce on it,” Singh remarked, rounding off a nearly three-hour-long rally. Singh encouraged voters to allow Ng and Choo to focus fully on union work by not electing them into Parliament. This, he argued, would enable them to generate fresh ideas or even implement ideas proposed by the WP. “We need to give the PAP candidates more time for their NTUC work, so they can come up with new ideas, or maybe even implement WP ideas,” Singh added.

Criticism of SkillsFuture Jobseeker Support Scheme Portrayal

Earlier in his speech, Singh criticised a social media portrayal of Ng’s role in launching the new SkillsFuture Jobseeker Support scheme. He reminded the audience that the WP had also advocated for similar initiatives to support lower- and middle-income Singaporeans who had lost their jobs through retrenchment or business closures.

Attacks on PAP’s 2025 Election Manifesto

Singh further condemned the PAP’s 2025 election manifesto, citing a lack of substance and specific policy proposals. He pointed out critical gaps, particularly on issues of housing affordability, the decaying leases of Housing and Development Board (HDB) flats, and the roll-out of the Voluntary Early Redevelopment Scheme (VERS). He said many families were purchasing resale flats with only 60 or 70 years left on the lease, sometimes at prices nearing or exceeding one million dollars. Yet the PAP’s manifesto, he stressed, said “nothing at all” about how these concerns would be addressed.

Workers' Party's Alternative Proposals Highlighted

In contrast, Singh said WP’s manifesto advanced practical ideas on alleviating high rental costs for businesses and offering more flexibility for seniors using MediSave, Singapore’s national medical savings scheme. “Singapore is a far more complex society now, and it will always need fresh thinking. Yet we have a PAP manifesto without specific policy ideas. I believe it is because PAP wants Singaporeans to sign a blank cheque,” Singh argued. Singh also emphasised the need for Parliament to foster rational, responsible, and respectable debate rather than merely serving as a “rubber stamp”. He cautioned that voting in PAP candidates with close ties to NTUC would not promote genuine scrutiny or accountability. Citing the proposed S$2.2 billion sale of Income Insurance to German multinational Allianz, which was abandoned following public backlash, Singh observed that no PAP labour MPs had filed questions or contributed to the parliamentary debate when the issue arose. “Elected PAP MPs who champion NTUC... should fight hard in Parliament when NTUC issues are raised, particularly issues that Singaporeans are concerned about,” he said. Singh reassured voters that WP’s candidates, if elected, would work diligently on the ground and manage town councils effectively in the constituencies they contested. “Tampines wins, Tampines Changkat wins, Jalan Kayu wins, Singapore wins, everybody wins,” he declared.

Firm Rejection of Foreign Interference

Towards the end of his speech, Singh addressed remarks made earlier by Prime Minister Lawrence Wong regarding Facebook posts from two Malaysian politicians and a former Internal Security Act detainee. These posts had been blocked for alleged attempts to interfere in Singapore’s election. Singh categorically rejected any foreign interference in Singapore’s domestic politics. “My colleagues and I categorically reject the involvement of any foreign element whatsoever in our domestic politics. Singapore is our business. Nobody else’s,” he said. Singh concluded by reiterating his vision for a race-neutral Singapore. “I passionately believe in a race-neutral Singapore, where we are judged not by our race or the colour of our skin, but by our deeds and our common humanity,” he said. Echoing this sentiment, WP Vice-Chair Faisal Manap, who is leading the party’s Tampines GRC team, made a similar pledge. “I am a minority candidate, a Malay/Muslim. Regardless, I will serve the residents of Tampines GRC – regardless of race, language or religion – equally and to the best of my ability,” Faisal said in his rally speech.

Former NTUC Income CEO urges Jalan Kayu voters to demand accountability from Ng Chee Meng over failed Income-Allianz deal

Separately, Former NTUC Income CEO Tan Suee Chieh has appealed to Jalan Kayu voters to hold Ng Chee Meng accountable for his leadership role in the failed 2024 sale of Income Insurance to Allianz. In an open letter, Tan disclosed that he had privately written to Ng and NTUC President K Thanaletchimi but received no response. He also highlighted his public efforts to raise concerns, which Ng allegedly did not address. Tan urged voters to seek answers, stressing that speaking up is an essential duty in safeguarding Singapore’s future.