Pritam Singh calls for balance of collective good and individual rights in debate on President’s Address

The idea of “we” is central to Singapore’s identity but must not diminish the individual, said Leader of the Opposition Pritam Singh on 22 September 2025. Speaking in Parliament at the opening of the debate on the President’s Address, Singh said perspectives of “we” and “me” exist on a continuum, not in opposition. He noted that a binary treatment was limiting and argued that individuals must be respected regardless of race, language, religion, or background. Earlier this month, President Tharman Shanmugaratnam urged Singaporeans to adopt a “we first” mindset, stressing collective good as the nation enters a new phase of economic transformation. In his speech on 5 September, Tharman said Singapore would nurture a society that prioritises the collective before self, starting from the community. His remarks echoed Prime Minister Lawrence Wong’s National Day Rally message in August, where Wong emphasised shared responsibility and resilience. Singh said that while putting “we before me” was a timeless idea, Singapore must also avoid overemphasis on the collective. He pointed out that past debates, including a 1991 white paper on shared values, reflected concern about communitarian concepts overshadowing individual ideas.

Reflections from Singaporeans after the pandemic

Drawing on a series of conversations held after the COVID-19 pandemic, Singh observed that Singaporeans’ main concerns were national identity, shared values, and social support, rather than only bread-and-butter issues. He said this demonstrated how both collective well-being and individual purpose mattered deeply. A sense of fulfilment, Singh argued, was often achieved when people contributed to something larger than themselves. “Singaporeans are well and truly in the driver’s seat of shaping the Singapore they want to see,” he said.

Workers’ Party priorities outlined

In his speech, Singh also set out the Workers’ Party’s direction for the parliamentary term. He recalled that five years earlier, the party pledged to chart an independent path as a loyal opposition. That commitment, he said, remained. The Workers’ Party’s loyalty, Singh stressed, was to the people and the nation, not partisan interests. For this term, the party would focus closely on the three functions of Parliament: making laws, checking government actions, and scrutinising state finances.

Scrutiny as a feature of democracy

Addressing perceptions that Workers’ Party Members of Parliament (MPs) seek to embarrass the government by asking questions, Singh rejected this characterisation. He described parliamentary scrutiny as part of the system’s design, recalling that Singapore’s early leaders understood its role in the Westminster system. “Questioning the government in Parliament is a feature, not a bug,” Singh said, quoting a phrase from technology. He added that the Workers’ Party would embrace this function fully and raise alternative proposals when necessary.

Opposition’s growing presence

Following the last general election, the Workers’ Party’s parliamentary presence grew to 12 seats, including Non-Constituency MPs, the largest in its history. Singh said the party would not file parliamentary questions simply to increase numbers. Instead, every question raised would be necessary, especially since the opposition did not receive government briefings or have access to parliamentary select committees. This, he said, heightened the importance of opposition MPs in ensuring that issues were recognised and addressed by government.

Rail reliability and government accountability

Citing recent MRT breakdowns, Singh noted that many Singaporeans found the incidents unusual given the significant taxpayer resources spent over the last decade to improve rail reliability. He said Parliament would have to scrutinise both the incidents and the recommendations of the Land Transport Authority’s new task force on the matter. Earlier in the day, Acting Minister for Transport Jeffrey Siow responded to 18 parliamentary questions on rail reliability. Siow said he welcomed scrutiny from all MPs, including Singh, and pledged openness and transparency in addressing transport issues. Singh concluded that the Workers’ Party’s role in Parliament was to ensure fidelity to democratic checks, not to obstruct governance. He stressed that scrutiny of government policies and finances was integral to maintaining trust and ensuring that Singaporeans’ voices were represented.