Some PSP members concerned with ‘racial undertones’ of NCMP Leong Mun Wai’s Ceca speeches; closed-door meeting to be held

• Some PSP members told TODAY that the political party's focus on Ceca could be seen as "targeting" the Indian community
• They plan to take these concerns up with the party’s leadership on July 18
• Its party leader said the focus is not race but Singaporeans’ jobs and livelihoods

SINGAPORE — Some Progress Singapore Party (PSP) members have raised concerns about the party’s stance on the India-Singapore Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement (Ceca), which they plan to take up with the party’s leadership this weekend.

Several members that TODAY spoke to said that the emphasis on Ceca, a bilateral free trade deal, during recent parliamentary debates could give the impression that PSP was singling out a certain race and nationality.

The party leadership, however, has rejected these claims.

PSP's secretary-general Francis Yuen said that the party’s concerns about the jobs of professionals, managers, executives and technicians (PMET) have nothing to do with race, but are solely focused on the livelihoods of Singaporeans.

Mr Yuen also confirmed that some of these members will be speaking to party chairman Tan Cheng Bock and Non-Constituency Member of Parliament (NCMP) Leong Mun Wai on Sunday (July 18) in a closed-door meeting to address these concerns, though Mr Yuen will not be present.

Earlier this month, Mr Leong and Ms Hazel Poa, the opposition party’s two NCMPs, engaged in testy exchanges in Parliament with government ministers over Ceca.

While the NCMPs conceded that the movement of people under Ceca was not used “as a bargaining chip” during trade negotiations, they did not unequivocally withdraw their claim that Ceca allowed the unfettered entry of certain Indian professionals here.

'CECA IS THE WRONG TARGET'

One senior PSP member, who declined to be named, said: “Taking a very antagonistic stance might ruin trade relations… when (political party members) come out and ask for numbers of jobs that have been lost and replaced by Ceca Indians, you are targeting the Indian community."

He added: “Focusing on Ceca alone is just cheap politics.” 

He also said that several party members shared the same sentiments, but declined to say how many.

While a group consisting of senior members was formed to address the Ceca debate, there was no concerted effort to reach out to Indian members for their feedback, he said.

Some other members who spoke to TODAY, including Indians, agreed that the issue of Ceca should not have been the focus whenever the topic of PMET jobs surfaced.

A PSP cadre member, Mr Khush Chopra, said that while he does not believe the party is xenophobic or racist, he is concerned that the party had been portrayed during the Ceca debate to be against India nationals.

“Ceca is the wrong target,” Mr Chopra, who is a lawyer, said. “We should take a holistic approach to the question of identifying the reasons for PMET job displacement, which I have always felt has to do with our immigration and population policies.”

Another PSP member, Mr Abhijit Dass, said that there are “racial undertones” with how Ceca has been raised in Parliament by PSP.

He said that “the real problem in Singapore is not about Ceca”, as India nationals are important to the functioning of the economy due to the skills they bring to the workforce.

“It is totally a racial undertone, but (the party) doesn’t realise it,” Mr Abhijit, who is a former pilot, said.

He added that during the meeting on Sunday, he will be raising these issues with the party leadership.

'ABOUT LIVELIHOODS, NOT RACE, RELIGION'

Speaking to TODAY, Mr Yuen said it is normal that there are “murmurings” within the party given the recent Ceca debate.

He added, however, that it is “quite unfortunate” that there have been members who see the debate on Ceca as having a racial undertone on PSP’s part.

“It has nothing to do with race… this debate is about the plight of our PMETs and how we should better manage our so-called Singaporean core.

“Irrespective of race, religion or language, it has nothing to do with all this, it is about the livelihoods of our people.”

In addition to the meeting on Sunday, Mr Yuen said that the party will be hosting a town hall in the coming months, when the Ceca debate is over, so members may give their feedback on this issue.

“Members can pose questions to the leadership, who can answer them,” he said. “I think it is quite normal that every party will have people murmuring about these things.”

When TODAY reached out to Mr Leong, he said that he was not aware of any party members who had raised their concerns about the party’s portrayal of Ceca.

“Whatever our stance is has already been communicated. I’ve spoken (about it) so many times in Parliament,” he said.