The Workers' Party (WP) has issued its response to a pointed comment from Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong's lunchtime rally.

Lee had said that opposition parties were "completely silent on how to tackle Covid-19".

"At this moment of danger and alarm, the Opposition parties are talking as if we can just keep to our old ways, and the crisis did not exist. They show no recognition that we are facing the crisis of a generation."

7 policy proposals

In what seemed like a reference to the WP, PM Lee questioned the value of the "contrast" that elected opposition members of parliament could bring to the discussions.

However, the WP has rebutted the Prime Minister in a July 6 Facebook post which pointed out seven policy proposals from their manifesto related to Covid-19.

These include:

1. Forming an independent medical advisory board to make recommendations to the government's medical team.
2. Expanding the Covid-19 testing regime to include more widespread community testing.
3. Ensuring that TraceTogether remains open-source and gathers only the information it needs for contact tracing.
4. Requiring vaccinations for residents of all ages, where safe and medically recommended
5. Convening an independent commission of inquiry to examine the lessons learned from the crisis and institutionalise changes to current pandemic preparedness plan and protocols
6. Setting up more domestic production capabilities for critical supplies
7. Strengthening the social safety net for retrenched workers through a Redundancy Insurance scheme

"Responsible opposition"

Under their manifesto's chapter on tackling the Covid-19 crisis, WP acknowledged the government's efforts in dealing with the crisis.

"We support the safe distancing measures put in place to contain Covid-19 and urge fellow Singaporeans to comply with them," the party wrote.

The party also said that their duty as a "responsible opposition party" is to add to policy discussions with "constructive contribution".

"Not oppose for the sake of opposing"

The party also published two more posts as responses to other points that PM Lee made.

The second reply pertained to PM Lee dissuading constituents from voting for the opposition "if what you really want is a PAP MP to look after your constituency and town council, and a PAP government to look after Singapore".

WP responded by acknowledging that the PAP will form the next government and reiterated its assertion that the party does not oppose for the sake of opposing.

Additionally, WP said that it had managed its town council well both in terms of its residents welfare and its finances.

"Scrutinise government policy"

Lastly, the WP countered PM Lee's call to voters not to be "taken in just to have more choices".

"Look carefully at the choices they offer you and ask if they can deliver," PM Lee said.

To this, WP levelled criticism at the PAP's handling of the Covid-19 pandemic before saying that the government's leadership "must be checked by constructive opposition".

"The Workers' Party will carry your mandate into parliament, scrutinise government policy to safeguard the rights and interests of all voters, and hold the government to account."

Top image from Workers' Party Facebook page