On May 14, Chan Chun Sing, the new minister for trade and industry, thanked the Workers' Party stalwart and former Secretary-General Low Thia Khiang for his contributions towards “building a better Singapore”.

In his speech, Chan put on record the government’s appreciation of Low as leader of his party and the opposition for the last 17 years:

"Although Mr Low is a member of the opposition, he is nevertheless a fellow Singaporean and very much a part of Team Singapore. While we may not always agree with his methods or perspectives, we nevertheless appreciate his efforts to work together to build a better Singapore as leader of the Workers’ Party."

However, this was not the first time that a leader from the ruling party has said good things about a member of the opposition.

Low previously praised

Low first became an MP in 1991, during a time when Goh Chok Tong was Prime Minister and Lee was serving as Senior Minister.

And with opposition veteran Chiam See Tong losing his parliamentary seat in 2011, Low became the longest-serving opposition MP in Parliament.

In 2017, the then-Secretary-General of the Workers' Party Low gave a speech about rising China’s implications to Singapore’s place in the world.

Low identified Singapore's foreign policy position as well as strategic partners, and then questioned if "our foreign policy principles need to be updated in view of the changing world order."

The thoughtful speech drew praises from both the Foreign Minister and Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong on their Facebook accounts.

PM Lee wrote:

"Some opposition MPs made good speeches too. Mr Low Thia Kiang set out succinctly how the strategic landscape is changing, and how this challenges our foreign policy. He asked: how can we protect and advance the national interest of our multi-racial country?"

Foreign minister Vivian Balakrishnan also noted that Low posed a "thoughtful question" reflecting the level of "bipartisan support for our foreign policy efforts."

LKY praised Chiam See Tong

At the age of 50, Chiam See Tong served his first term in Parliament after winning Potong Pasir SMC during the 1984 General Elections.

That year, JB Jeyaratnam was also re-elected to parliament.

Both Chiam and Jeyaratnam were the only opposition Members of Parliament (MPs) during that time.

In his memoirs, From Third World To First, Lee Kuan Yew observed:

"Chiam took the “shrewder line than Jeyaretnam, was more in tune with the sentiments of the population, that the PAP was doing a fair job, but could do better and should listen more to criticism”."

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Room for common ground

The times when the ruling party have praised the opposition are few and far between.

However, despite each party having different views, there is some common ground between them.

When members of the opposition perform well in areas where the ruling party agrees is of utmost importance, such as being cognisant of our strategic foreign policy or being in touch with the nation's needs, praise is dished out.

For Low, the speech that won him praise demonstrated his astute awareness of Singapore's foreign policy principles and geopolitical positioning.

As for Chiam and Low, their hard work to further the population's interests was also recognised.

In his speech, Chan Chun Sing added:

"Agreeing with us (the ruling party) is not the prerequisite. Agreeing to put Singapore first and foremost is the prerequisite."

Top photo from Workers' Party, PM Lee Facebook page & NAS