PM takes aim at Workers’ Party over ‘constructive politics’

SINGAPORE — The key to realising policies for a better future is to get Singapore’s politics right, said Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong in Parliament today (May 28).

Weighing in on constructive politics, Mr Lee took aim at comments by Workers’ Party chief Low Thia Khiang earlier this week, noting that Mr Low had nothing to say about the substance of the Government’s programme.

Mr Low’s comment that “in whatever way ‘politics’ is described and coloured, it is still politics” was a “breathtakingly cynical view of politics”, said Mr Lee.

Constructive politics is the development of effective policies, putting good leaders forward and having robust and open debate, he said. The Opposition has offered few ideas and proposals in Parliament for scrutiny and debate, he added.

Constructive politics is also about maintaining high standards of integrity, and rallying people around a common cause, he said. The Workers’ Party “did flipflop” on the issue of foreign workers, and he said Mr Low’s suggestion for a motion to be filed to debate the issue is “not a bad idea”.

Citing the United States and Thailand as countries that have gotten into trouble after they did not get their politics to work, Mr Lee stressed that Singapore must maintain constructive politics.