The Workers' Party MPs will maintain a "broadly united front" with the ruling People's Action Party MPs when representing Singapore overseas.

WP chief Pritam Singh said this in a Facebook post on Aug. 28, following his trip to Bangkok, Thailand.

This position, while appearing strange to many, including outsiders, is in line with the opposition party's desire to seek a better future for the country, Pritam added.

Pritam was part of the Singapore delegation at the Asean Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (Aipa) in Bangkok in the last week of August 2019.

The WP leader is among 12 MPs at the 40th General Assembly of Aipa, along with Speaker of Parliament Tan Chuan-Jin.

For a better Singapore

Pritam's post comes in the wake of him having been asked occasionally how it was possible for opposition MPs to work with PAP MPs in a bipartisan manner at such events overseas.

Pritam reiterated the WP's long-standing position that opposition MPs also want Singapore to succeed, even if they may disagree with the government's approach, philosophies or policies.

This makes representing Singapore overseas possible, even when both parties sit on different sides in Parliament.

Pritam wrote: "Our parliamentary democracy gives us the platform to have different views represented in Parliament and to debate and criticise ideas and policies."

"But once we leave our shores, a broadly united front amongst all MPs is consistent with the better future we in the WP seek for Singapore."

Pritam was with others from the PAP, which included MPs Lim Biow Chuan, Gan Thiam Poh and Joan Pereira.

Nominated MP Lim Sun Sun was also present.

Thailand's youngest MP a Eunos resident

While in Thailand, Pritam got to meet the Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-Cha, as well as Thailand’s youngest MP, Phetchompoo Kijburana.

Coincidentally, Phetchompoo used to be a Eunos resident, having lived in a HDB flat at Bedok Reservoir Road and went to Bedok North Secondary School in Eunos.

The Bedok Reservoir area is situated in Aljunied GRC, which is where the WP MPs have been elected to serve in since the May 2011 general election.

Pritam wrote that Phetchompoo left Singapore after her O-level in 2010 -- a year before the WP won a GRC in an election.

Speaker of Parliament: "We are one Team Singapore"

Tan, in a Aug. 28 Facebook post, wrote that he was grateful to his fellow MPs for representing Singapore at the six-day meeting.

He wrote: "Sessions like these are important because it gives Asean a platform to engage the world."

"It also allows us to meet with each other at bilateral sessions, and to further strengthen our ties."

In a follow-up post on Aug. 29, Tan wrote that bipartisanship allows alignment on issues, despite differences: "I read Pritam’s comments in the ST article. He is absolutely right. We are one Team Singapore when we deal with others."

"I’m not sure if everyone takes the same approach because it can be politically expedient to run the Government down and we know some do."

"But as far as our Parliamentary colleagues are concerned, I have no doubt as to where they stand on this, whichever side of the house they may be. We have differences but there are probably more issues that are aligned than not."

The MPs also had bilateral dialogues with Singapore's Asean neighbours, as well as countries such as Norway and Russia.