Independent candidate Darryl Lo shares thoughts on PM Wong’s decision to remove Pritam Singh as LO, criticised by netizens
Independent GE2025 candidate Darryl Lo has criticised Prime Minister (PM) Lawrence Wong’s handling of Pritam Singh’s removal as Leader of the Opposition (LO), calling it “a failure of leadership”, sparking debate online.
Mr Singh was removed from the LO position on Thursday (15 Jan), a day after Parliament passed a motion expressing regret over his conduct and stating that he was unsuitable to continue in the role.
Source: Lawrence Wong on Facebook
A failure of leadership: Darryl Lo
In an Instagram post published on the same day (15 Jan), Mr Lo argued that the Prime Minister should have exercised his executive authority directly, rather than anchoring the decision to a parliamentary motion.
“If he had already concluded that Mr Pritam Singh should be removed, he could have exercised his executive authority to do so without seeking Parliament’s endorsement,” Mr Lo wrote.
He said relying on Parliament suggested “an unwillingness to take responsibility for an executive decision squarely within his own remit”.
Source: @darryl.sg on Instagram
“By outsourcing political accountability to Parliament, while having himself voted in favour of the motion, the Prime Minister demonstrates a reluctance to take decisive action,” Mr Lo added.
Netizens say parliamentary process adds legitimacy
Mr Lo’s remarks quickly drew responses from netizens, many of whom disagreed with his assessment.
One commenter said that while they were “personally deeply disappointed by the outcome”, they believed the parliamentary debate itself was necessary and meaningful.
Source: Instagram
Another netizen said Mr Lo had misunderstood how Singapore’s system of governance works.
“SG isn’t governed by a single strongman approach…It’s by consensus,” they wrote.
Source: Instagram
Political commentary page DIU Singapore also weighed in, criticising Mr Lo’s post and saying it reflected “a fundamental misunderstanding of how a parliamentary democracy works”.
According to the account, involving Parliament was not about avoiding responsibility, but about institutional legitimacy, adding that unilateral action by the Prime Minister could have been perceived as authoritarian.
Source: @diusingapore on Instagram
Ravi Philemon questions opposition framework
Meanwhile, Red Dot United secretary-general Ravi Philemon took a different stance, arguing that the episode exposed deeper structural flaws in Singapore’s opposition framework.
In a lengthy Facebook post on Thursday (15 Jan), Mr Philemon said the incident showed that the LO position ultimately exists “at the pleasure of the Prime Minister”, rather than being entrenched in the Constitution or Parliament’s Standing Orders.
Source: Ravi Philemon on Facebook
“In other Westminster systems, the government of the day does not get to hire and fire the person whose job is to scrutinise it,” he wrote, describing the situation as “almost absurd”.
He titled his post: “The Day Singapore’s PM Sacked the Leader of the Opposition: Our Parliament Has Become the Laughing Stock of the World”.
Comments under his post were similarly divided, with some rejecting his characterisation of Parliament as a “laughing stock”, while others urged the Workers’ Party to reject the Prime Minister’s invitation to nominate a new LO.
Also read: PM Wong removes Pritam Singh from LO role a day after motion that sparked public debate
PM Wong removes Pritam Singh from LO role a day after motion that sparked public debate
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Featured image adapted from @diusingapore on Instagram and Ravi Philemon on Facebook.
