Govt will be ‘open-minded and listen to different voices’ with greater opposition presence in Parliament: PM Lee

• Government will take an open and constructive approach to policy-making
• Both the Government and Opposition must share an overriding objective of working for Singapore 
• Adversarial dynamic that is inherent in the Parliamentary system can go wrong, Mr Lee said 

SINGAPORE — With a stronger opposition presence in Parliament, the Government will be open-minded, listen to different voices and take a constructive approach when it comes to policy-making, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said on Wednesday (Sept 2). 

It will also make sure discussions are “supported by facts and logic, and informed by our context and experience”, he added. 

Mr Lee, who was speaking on the third day of the parliamentary debate on the President’s Address, also commended Workers’ Party (WP) chief Pritam Singh for his speech on Monday where he laid out how he intends to perform the role of Leader of the Opposition.

“I applaud his tone and approach. The Government benches will do our part to work with him, to keep Parliament a constructive forum for debate.” 

While it is good to have an adequate number of opposition Members of Parliament (MPs) in Parliament, Mr Lee said this does not mean that the more opposition MPs and “the more fiery the debate in Parliament, the better”. 

Since Monday, MPs and political officeholders have been making their speeches in the 14th Parliament, which features the largest opposition presence since Singapore’s independence — 10 WP MPs and two Non-Constituency Members of Parliament (NCMPs) from the Progress Singapore Party.

“The adversarial dynamic that is inherent in the parliamentary system can go wrong. We all hope that diversity will make a hundred flowers bloom but how do we prevent diversity from producing polarisation? How do we make sure disagreement does not result in paralysis?”  

Singapore’s political system, which is modelled on the British Westminister style democracy, is adversarial by design. 

The seat of the Leader of the Opposition in Parliament is directly opposite the Prime Minister, Mr Lee pointed out. 

“He is not there as a supportive cheerleader, helping the government to perform better. He is there to challenge the incumbent PM and the government to point out their faults, to highlight where the government has fallen short, to keep chipping away at the government’s and the PM’s credibility.

“So that at the next general election, or sooner if the opportunity arises, the opposition can knock the government out of power, and take its place,” Mr Lee said.

He gave the example of Question Time for Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison and his predecessors that happens every day when Parliament is sitting, where “every encounter is a gladiatorial contest, lots of drama and theatre, and prepared soundbites — the wittier, and more contemptuous, the better”.

“In today's Singapore, the tone of our parliamentary debate is less combative,” Mr Lee said, adding that a divide between political parties has caused polarisation in many other countries.

“Politics permeates every issue, every subject becomes partisan. Even public health issues, whether to wear a mask or not becomes a partisan issue. If you wear a mask you're a Democrat, if you don't wear a mask you're Republican.”

When this happens, politics becomes toxic and bitter, Mr Lee said, causing a country to be divided and to go into a downward spiral.

“If this happens to Singapore, we will not just cease being an exceptional nation. It will be the end of us. We must not go down this path.”

At the most fundamental level, to make our politics work, both the Government and Opposition must share an overriding objective — to work for Singapore, and not just for their party or their supporters, Mr Lee said.

He explained that for Singapore’s politics to work, debate must be based on principles and facts and guided by shared ideals and goals.

MPs must speak up for what they sincerely believe in, he added.

“We must be in politics in order to protect Singapore’s security, grow our economy and secure our future. If we do that, then there is a basis for us to manage the inherent tensions in our system, and for politics to work out productively.” 

What sort of politics the country has also ultimately depends on Singaporeans, Mr Lee said.

Singaporeans have a “vital responsibility” to engage in the public discourse, to send the right signals at the ballot box and reward political parties “that do the right thing and deliver for the people”.

“The standards they demand of political leaders, the People’s Action Party and Opposition, will influence the quality of political leadership, the level of discussion and debate in Parliament. They will determine whether our politics enables us to thrive and prosper, or divides and destroys us,” he said.