Pritam Singh highlights perceived double standards and lack of transparency of PAP Govt

Opposition Leader Pritam Singh accused the Government on Wednesday of being slow to provide clarity or withholding information from Singaporeans when confronting potentially embarrassing issues during its current term.

The Workers’ Party (WP) secretary-general drew attention to the stark contrast in Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong's approach when dealing with former Parliament Speaker Tan Chuan-Jin's extramarital affair versus the Committee of Privileges' treatment of the Workers’ Party's delay in responding to former MP Raeesah Khan's false statements in Parliament in 2021.

Mr Singh, Aljunied GRC representative, pointed out, “The Prime Minister had no hesitation in lecturing the Leader of the Opposition on Confucian ethics, morality, and shame, all the while knowing about the affair between Speaker Tan Chuan-Jin and MP Cheng Li Hui.”

Following PM Lee’s ministerial statement concerning the corruption probe into Transport Minister S. Iswaran and the affair between Mr Tan and Ms Cheng, Mr Singh highlighted three instances where he felt the Government lacked transparency: the Ridout Road saga, Mr Iswaran’s arrest, and the usage of TraceTogether data for criminal investigations.

He reiterated his proposal for the Government to appoint an ethics advisor.

Singh criticized the handling of the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau’s (CPIB) investigation into Law and Home Affairs Minister K. Shanmugam and Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan for their rentals of state-owned bungalows. The public was informed about the investigations only on 28 June, a full month after PM Lee had directed the CPIB to investigate on 17 May.

Mr Singh pointed out that PM Lee didn't disclose the investigation in his 23 May statement, which announced that Senior Minister Teo Chee Hean was reviewing the matter.

He questioned the difference in treatment between the cases of former Speaker of Parliament Michael Palmer and Mr Tan, as well as the considerable time taken to arrange for the welfare of residents in Mr Tan's constituency.

Responding to PM Lee's point about sensitivity, Mr Singh said, “The Prime Minister believes it is appropriate to respond sensitively given the circumstances, and my point was we were dealing with a person who reported she had been raped, and I did not sense that sensitivity coming from the PAP (People’s Action Party) at that time.”