Prime Minister Lawrence Wong took aim at the opposition Workers’ Party (WP) on Sunday (25 Oct), saying that its position “seems to shift with the political winds”, noting that it did not have to reconcile competing demands nor take responsibility for the outcome.
In response, Sengkang GRC MP Jamus Lim said adjusting one’s position after erring is “a mark of wisdom and maturity” and how democracy is supposed to work.
Source: People’s Action Party on Facebook and Jamus Lim on Facebook
Mr Wong was addressing cadres during the biennial People’s Action Party (PAP) Conference on Sunday (25 Oct), where he noted that governing a country meant balancing competing needs and interests.
The ruling party has to consider the wider picture and choose what best serves Singapore’s wider and longer-term interests, instead of making promises to everyone, he said, adding:
We cannot just offer what sounds attractive today or offer easy promises. We have to make difficult choices that will stand the test of time.
In contrast, WP has not always taken consistent or coherent positions over time when speaking up on policy issues, Mr Wong said.
For example, in 2019 it argued that the Government should build fewer new flats when HDB resale prices were falling. But after Covid-19 disrupted the construction of new flats, it was criticising the Government for not building enough flats, he noted.
In another case, WP called for greater flexibility across different industries when the Government tightened foreign worker policies in 2012. Later, it proposed zero growth in the foreign workforce during a debate on population policy.
However, WP is now suggesting that foreign worker quotas are eased after small-and-medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) expressed concern over manpower shortages, he added.
Source: Lawrence Wong on Facebook
Mr Wong asserted that WP has “taken different positions at different times”, depending on what Singaporeans are concerned about at the time, or “what they believe will be popular”.
“But these positions do not always add up to a coherent approach that takes account of the trade-offs and longer-term consequences,” he said, noting that any change in policy has wider consequences.
In opposition politics, it’s easier to argue for a particular position when you do not have to consider all the factors nor take responsibility, he added.
He also cautioned against populism, i.e. giving in to the temptation to offer simplistic solutions instead of confronting difficult realities.
While we must take Singaporeans’ real concerns seriously, he maintained:
Above all, we must never allow our politics to become so divided that we lose the ability to work together for the good of Singapore.
In a Facebook post in the same afternoon, Dr Lim, who is also WP’s Head of Policy Research, described the speech as carrying an “incredible double standard”.
“After all, the PAP is known for massive U-turns in policy, some lasting barely one season,” he charged.
As examples, he cited the “stop at two” policy, unemployment insurance, minimum wages for local workers, and the repealing of Section 377A of the Penal Code.
Source: Jamus Lim on Facebook
He also noted the ruling party’s “notable reversals” in the current term of Parliament after it had “shot down alternatives till the last second”, such as over policies on smaller class sizes or Certificate of Entitlement (COE) categorisations by engine size.
Dr Lim said that the examples Mr Wong raised had a “lack of nuance”.
He explained that WP’s position on managing HDB supply was in the context of lease decay, not short-term construction blips due to the pandemic.
As for the presence of a foreign workforce, it is “not a fundamental issue” for a nation of immigrants, he maintained.
However, a legitimate contention is moderating the speed of inflows, and the impact of related stresses on our existing infrastructure, he added.
More importantly, Dr Lim said that political parties should be open to policy shifts and even welcome them “when justified”.
Adjusting a position after getting it wrong is a “mark of wisdom and maturity”, not opportunism, he asserted, adding:
This is precisely how democracy, at its best, is supposed to work: to be open to feedback, so that collective knowledge is harnessed.
He also felt that “back-and-forth debate” refines policy and keeps it relevant, urging the authorities not to “stubbornly cling to outdated and outmoded policy ideas”.
PAP publication Petir kept the discussion going in a Facebook post on Sunday evening, saying Dr Lim had “overlooked an important part” of Mr Wong’s speech.
The PM acknowledged that making difficult decisions “does not mean believing that the Government always knows best or is always right”, it said.
In fact, he stressed that listening to Singaporeans is important, as well as being prepared to change when policies are not working as intended.
Source: Lawrence Wong on Facebook
Petir clarified that policies can change based on new evidence, changing circumstances or lessons learnt.
But it questioned whether a political party can properly consider and explain the trade-offs and wider consequences before formulating a “clear rationale” to ground the changes, and adding up its different positions to a coherent approach.
Mr Wong’s central point was that this is what is required for responsible policymaking, Petir added.
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Featured image adapted from People’s Action Party on Facebook and Jamus Lim on Facebook.