While the Workers' Party supports the government's 2024 Budget, Pritam Singh, the Leader of the Opposition (LO), during the debate in parliament on Feb. 26, 2024, said that WP would "agree to disagree" with the People's Action Party on certain issues.

"There may be a few issues where there is consensus on the final outcomes and yet others where there is none" the WP chief said. "This is how a parliamentary democracy works."

He said that the government intends for the Budget to be a step towards Forward Singapore, which he believed aims for a "shared future" for "a Singapore that will be vibrant, fair, resilient, inclusive, thriving, and uniting".

However, he believes that the "real challenge" is the "extent" to which the government is "prepared to accommodate the diverse views of Singaporeans".

He noted that the call for "a fair, inclusive and united Singapore" must also "accommodate and respond" to the "citizens' demands for greater transparency and civic participation".

"Otherwise, Forward Singapore could easily fall victim to political cynicism."

Called for transparency from government

Singh laid out five points regarding the WP's stance on the budget.

First on the WP chief's list was his call for the government to be "more forthcoming with information" so that Singaporeans can have "meaningful participation" in the "most critical matters" affecting them.

He said Singaporeans had asked for more information so as to "analyse and understand to a deeper degree" about what the government is doing.

"Such calls for information cannot be set aside as red herrings," Singh said. "These calls represent a desire to shape a political environment that is fit for Singapore's purposes."

Growing mismatch in Singapore between aspirations and reality

Singh next raised his concerns about the "growing mismatch in Singapore between the aspirations of Singaporeans and the reality facing them".

He said that Forward Singapore calling on Singaporeans to move beyond the five 'C's was an "admission, perhaps unintended," that "a fair number of" them are "unattainable for most Singaporeans today".

"The reality is that things are very difficult for not a small number of Singaporeans, regardless of what definition of success one deploys," Singh said.

Citing an OCBC financial wellness survey, Singh said that "fewer Singaporeans can comfortably spend on things beyond the basics, and more do not have sufficient emergency funds or savings to meet their family's needs".

He said he welcomed the Budget's "structural moves to invest more in the future", such as the SkillsFuture top-up, which he described as "important and critical".

While Singh also acknowledged the "temporary cost of living support", he said that WP "foresees a need for even greater investments in our human capital in future, especially in view of how rapidly the workplace landscape is changing".

For example, Singh pointed out that some SkillsFuture courses may cost more than the S$4,000 top-up announced and suggested that the government introduce an "interest-free SkillsFuture education loan" to "further facilitate skills training and help Singaporean workers".

Government must improve retirement adequacy

Singh said the government must improve "retirement adequacy" and that it would be an "ongoing concern for the decades to come".

He said WP see the sufficiency of CPF balances of Singaporeans for retirement as a "serious and ongoing concern", and the affordability of HDB flats is "on the minds of many Singaporeans".

Singh then said that while the government can make HDB flats more "affordable" by increasing subsidies, they do not actually become "cheaper" — merely transferring the cost to taxpayers.

He said WP will continue to "closely monitor" the government's moves on the issues and will "hold it to account" if it allows HDB flats to continue to rise in price beyond wage growth and if it allows the retirement adequacy of Singaporeans to be "compromised".

More support for employees

Singh said employers need to show more support for employees following concerns expressed by "business groups" on the new local qualifying salary cap of S$1,600.

"If Singapore really wishes to embrace the philosophy of Forward Singapore, then we need to show stronger support for our financially vulnerable workers," Singh said.

"If we have a shared future where there's a lack of support for paying our lowest paid workers in step with economic fundamentals, that will reflect very poorly on Singapore."

He believes the government should see Forward Singapore as an opportunity to introduce protections "beyond wages". For example, retrenchment benefits and redundancy insurance for blue-collared workers.

Uniting Singaporeans

On his final point, Singh asked for Singaporeans to be united.

"In this uncertain world, Singaporeans need to be committed to being united even as we must remain multiracial and multicultural," Singh said.

He said that what stood out in DPM Wong's speech was his assessment of the uncertain outlook on Singapore, where Wong said that "the international outlook has darkened dramatically".

Singh said that this "new era of conflict and confrontation" can expect to bring rise to a world that will be "more violent", "more fragmented", "messier", and "more unpredictable".

"Our bonds as one united people may be severely tested in the years to come," he said.

Singh said WP agrees with PAP that "polarization must not happen in Singapore" and should not dismiss this "potential reality" as a society facing an "unpredictable world".

"We must guard ourselves against this prospect by deepening our commitment to fellow Singaporeans and representing them and their views faithfully," he said.

He said a Singapore with a "robust opposition presence playing its role" makes for "a fair and inclusive society".

"Ultimately, what it does. It makes us a better, more confident and an authentic Singapore."

Top photo from MCI/Youtube