The Worker's Party said in an official statement in response to the Prime Minister's National Day Rally speech on Sunday that they welcome the "shift" towards a nation where “we are all in this together”.

The message from chairperson Sylvia Lim said that WP has "long advocated" for the government to "move in this direction" in the areas of healthcare financing and education, but they will "await the concrete implementation of the directions announced".

Lim said that the overhaul of the MediShield insurance scheme to cover everyone was in line with WP's call for a universal hospitalization insurance to cover acute hospital bills.

She added that WP welcomed the use of Edusave for students in madrasahs, which had been advocated by WP in Parliament.

Reactions from WP members

While the official statement from the WP is positive yet sceptical, two WP non-constituency members of parliament (NCMPs) and a WP member have expressed a more nuanced take on PM Lee's NDR.

WP NCMP Gerald Giam wrote that he supported many of the NDR initiatives, and was "glad to see that the Government is now showing a willingness to take on more of the risks and responsibilities that are rightly theirs".

WP NCMP Yee Jenn Jong wrote that the "steps taken in education seem incremental" but were steps in the direction he wished to see.

He had hoped for bolder moves, such as having several primary to secondary through-train schools and smaller class sizes.

Recalling how he missed Mr Lee Kuan Yew's rallies, WP member and National University of Singapore (NUS) sociologist Daniel Goh shared on his Facebook that Mr Lee "would cut to the chase, state the problem, and propose the solution, all brutally clear and rational".

Although Goh was "initially disappointed" with NDR, he thought that PM Lee was "doing a pretty decent job" in listening to people, putting things together and making the necessary policy changes.