Hri Kumar hits out at WP again for sitting on the fence

SINGAPORE — People’s Action Party (PAP) Member of Parliament (MP) Hri Kumar Nair has taken another hit at the opposition Workers’ Party (WP), criticising it for continuing to sit on the fence when it comes to “difficult issues”.

In a second Facebook post last night — which came less than three weeks after he first called out the WP for not taking a stand on issues — Mr Hri Kumar said opposition parties have long campaigned on the premise that it is unhealthy to have only one party in Parliament, and that it is good for alternative views to be expressed.

“Singapore is at a critical phase of her development ... Important policies on healthcare, education, welfare, taxation and redistribution are currently being re-examined. The interests of Singaporeans are not advanced when the opposition’s instinct is to say only what it thinks people want to hear and then retreat from difficult questions,” he said.

He noted that the WP had yet to respond to his comments, and that it recently declined to send a representative to a panel discussion organised by the Singapore Forum on Politics and Policy, to which Mr Hri Kumar was also invited. The WP declined to comment when contacted.

Mr Hri Kumar also said Singaporeans are best served by politicians who make a stand; not those who sit on the fence.

“Let me be clear — there is nothing wrong with asking the Government to do more. But a call to “do more” does not require any genius. The more difficult questions include ‘How much more?’, ‘Where is that more going to come from?’, ‘Will there be better outcomes?’ and ‘Are there any downsides to the Government doing more?’.

“These are necessary to test the feasibility and rigour of any proposal. Unless you offer your views on these questions as well, you are giving the misleading impression that there are simple solutions to every problem.”

He added: “A multi-party system works only if there is a genuine clash of ideas, and the pros and cons of policies and alternatives are scrutinised.”