Kenneth Tiong hits back at PAP over ‘false binaries’ in WP’s Economy of the Future motion
A Workers’ Party (WP) member has hit back at criticisms of the party’s economic proposals, accusing the People’s Action Party (PAP) of presenting “false binaries” instead of engaging with the WP’s ideas.
Kenneth Tiong shared a Facebook post on 16 Aug, where he mentioned that he was reminded of “that same politics of false binaries” after attending the rally to preserve Maju Forest and Gillman Barracks.
Source: Kenneth Tiong on Facebook
The posts come after a parliamentary debate on the WP’s motion titled “An Economy of the Future that Works for All”.
WP member says PAP ‘mischaracterised’ its proposals
Mr Tiong, who is a Member of Parliament (MP) for Aljunied GRC, argued that the debate over the forest should not be reduced to a choice between preserving forests and building housing.
Source: Progress Singapore Party on Facebook
“The real questions are ‘where?’, ‘how?’, and ‘to what ends?'” he wrote.
Mr Tiong said he saw a similar approach in PAP posts about the WP’s economic motion.
“The real world is not black and white, and neither are the trade-offs in it,” he said.
He then addressed three points which he said had been “mischaracterised”.
WP says it did not propose choosing SMEs over MNCs
Mr Tiong rejected the suggestion that the WP wanted Singapore to choose between supporting local enterprises and multinational corporations (MNCs).
He cited an exchange between WP MP Jamus Lim and Transport Minister Jeffrey Siow during the parliamentary debate.
Source: MDDI Singapore on YouTube
According to Mr Tiong, Mr Lim had described the suggestion as a “false dichotomy that we did not draw”.
Mr Tiong said the WP had instead proposed measures to strengthen local enterprises, including automatic support for new businesses, seconded experts, wider research and development tax deductions, grants to match MNC starting salaries and German-style internships.
He stressed that these proposals were not intended to replace MNCs.
‘Domestic demand is necessary, not sufficient’
Mr Tiong also disputed the suggestion that the WP believed Singapore could rely on domestic demand alone to drive economic growth.
He quoted Lim as saying that the WP was “not blind to how domestic demand alone is insufficient to drive our economic engine”.
Mr Tiong also cited his own remarks during the debate: “What we are saying is that domestic demand is necessary. We are not saying that domestic demand is sufficient.”
He pointed to comments from Minister for Manpower Tan See Leng, who had discussed how a strong domestic market could help businesses establish credibility and prove their business models before expanding regionally and globally.
Source: MDDI Singapore on YouTube
Says WP did not ‘back down’
Mr Tiong also rejected former Senior Minister of State Lee Yi Shyan’s claim that the WP had backed down on its proposals.
He said Mr Lee had cited phrases from the opening of Mr Lim’s speech, including “wean ourselves”, “pivot toward SMEs” and “conscious shift”.
However, Mr Tiong argued that these phrases had been taken out of context.
Source: @papsingapore on Instagram
He pointed to the conclusion of Mr Lim’s speech, where the WP MP said the party was not calling for a “wholesale overhaul” of Singapore’s existing economic model.
Mr Lim had also said the party was not proposing to abandon foreign investment or “shut the door to foreign capital flows”.
Mr Tiong concluded his post by arguing that democracy depends on competing ideas rather than reducing complex policy questions to binary choices.
“After all, democracy is built on a contestation of ideas,” he wrote.
Mr Tiong also called for a form of “stakeholder politics”, where Singaporeans have a say in weighing the trade-offs the country faces.
“If a ‘stakeholder politics’ is what you seek, the Workers’ Party is your Party. We will deal with the complexities of life as they are, so as to achieve the better tomorrow all Singaporeans aspire to,” Mr Tiong wrote.
Also Read: Parliament passes amended WP motion, opposition MPs reject final version
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Featured image adapted from MDDI Singapore on YouTube and Kenneth Tiong on Facebook.
