GE2025 results show S'poreans reject populism, but WP needs to 'justify its standing' as 'real alternative' to PAP: Ong Ye Kung

GE2025 was a hard-fought contest, but it was a "great relief" that Singaporeans rejected populism with their votes at the ballot box, said Minister for Health and Coordinating Minister for Social Policies Ong Ye Kung.

Speaking in Parliament on Sep. 23 during the debate on the president's speech, Ong said that "populism takes societies on the road to ruin" by "creating irreconcilable rifts between communities, and fuelling xenophobia and racism".

However, Singaporeans continue to be moderate and pragmatic in their political philosophy, and Singapore has not seen the surge in populism that has occurred in many countries, said Ong:

"More constructive engagement helps build up our defences against populism, but the best defence against populism is for the people to reject it.

To our great relief, that was what happened during GE2025.

No party or candidate won any seat by proposing unsustainable social welfare programmes, tearing down institutions, or by stoking anti-foreigner sentiments.

Instead, our better angels prevailed."

Voters said 'Make this composition work again'

In his speech, Ong commented on the implications of GE2025 on both the PAP and the Workers' Party (WP).

He said the PAP earned a decisive majority and "a clear mandate to govern", while the WP is now the only opposition in Parliament, with a sizeable presence to "provide a check on the ruling party".

Ong noted that "this is the outcome Singaporeans chose" and "we are witnessing first-hand this outcome reflected in the Chamber today".

4 takeaways from election results

Ong also shared four takeaways from the election results.

The first takeaway is that Singaporeans value a stable and effective government that will safeguard their well-being.

Ong said voters leaned towards stability amidst a uncertain global and economic environment, and chose a government with "a proven track record of steering the country through crises".

The second takeaway was that Singapore's political system is still evolving.

Ong said the results show that Singaporeans want the PAP to remain as the government, but also want an opposition to serve as an alternative voice in parliament.

Ong shared an anecdote involving two Canberra residents that he briefly chatted with at a zi char stall after GE2025, who told him they were happy with the new facilities at Bukit Canberra.

But before they left, they told Ong, “Minister, I want to tell you that we did not vote for you, because we have to give the opposition a chance.”

Ong said Singaporeans seem to be "judiciously balancing" between having a PAP government and an opposition presence, and were not swayed by calls to have one-third of the seats to be held by the opposition.

From the previous term of parliament, the PAP attended to state matters and guided Singapore through the pandemic, while the opposition amplified ground concerns on issues like cost of living, a composition which voters "must have felt worked well for Singapore", Ong inferred.

"Through GE2025, I believe voters are saying to us, 'Make this composition work for Singapore once again'." Ong said.

Voters rejected populism

The third takeaway is that Singaporeans rejected populism in favour of "moderate" and "pragmatic" political philosophy, according to Ong.

He took aim at how populists employ an "us versus them" framing which pits one group against each other, with policies such as heavy taxes on the rich and businesses, fights for labour rights, and the stirring up of anti-immigration sentiments.

Ong said populism has seen a surge in the U.S., Europe, U.K., Australia and Japan, and Singapore is not immune to it, as populism does not appear from nowhere but arises from "genuine, understandable concerns among the people".

For instance, after GE2020, Ong said allegations were made by the Progress Singapore Party (PSP) that Singapore's Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement (CECA) with India led to Indian professionals taking away jobs from Singaporeans.

"It was a seductive and simplistic argument, which took on an ugly racial tone. CECA-themed websites sprouted, filled with disturbing xenophobic views. Minister Shanmugam called out the behaviour in parliament," said Ong.

Ong added that while populism was kept at bay during GE2025, "we came dangerously close when race and religion got mixed with politics" and Prime Minister Lawrence Wong had to call it out mid-campaign.

Took aim at WP's role in '1.5 party system'

Ong said the last takeaway from GE2025 was that Singaporeans are holding political parties to higher standards.

He noted that many voters attended and watched rallies during GE2025, or turned to long-form podcasts to get quality information on the parties, candidates and policies.

"Voters showed us that they are not easily persuaded by slogans or catchy phrases alone. They carefully weighed in-depth opinions and substantive explanations of policy proposals, while populist and simplistic proposals were treated with suspicion," said Ong.

Ong also took aim at remarks made by Leader of the Opposition Pritam Singh on the Keluar Sekejap podcast in Malaysia, that the PAP "avoided engaging on difficult issues during the campaign".

Ong said he disagreed with Singh's remarks as he felt there was "substantive discourse" during the GE2025 campaign, such as on the issue of Goods and Services Tax (GST), which was addressed by PM Wong and PAP ministers at rallies and on podcasts.

As for the role of opposition parties in political discourse, Ong said that "for alternatives to be meaningful, they must go beyond tweaking at the margins of governance, or simply jumping on the bandwagon every time an issue goes viral".

He said the WP has "perhaps done this from time to time", such as in their positions on taxation, foreign worker inflow and spending of the reserves, which are clearly different from PAP's policies.

"I feel that if WP is positioning itself as the ‘0.5’ in a ‘1.5 party system’, I think it needs to present a principled, consistent, and coherent approach to the main challenges facing Singapore," said Ong.

"In a maturing democracy, voters deserve and want more than positions that agree with the PAP’s policies in general but suggest ‘let’s do a little more’, or offer something that appears to be more generous, more compassionate, and yet requires fewer hard choices. This falls short of being a real alternative."

Integrity must be upheld in politics: Ong

In his concluding remarks, Ong said the PAP will always strive to address issues of deep concern for Singaporeans.

He challenged the WP, as the sole opposition in Parliament, to "justify its standing and develop its own alternative vision, policies and pathways for Singapore".

Ong spoke about how integrity is critical in politics, and whether it is the prime minister or the leader of the opposition, the same standards must be upheld.

"Unfortunately, from time to time, we will have members that commit acts that are unethical, even illegal," Ong said, adding that how "we respond as a political party matters".

Ong also referenced President Tharman Shanmugaratnam's comments about prioritising unity and resisting divisive politics, and added that foreign actors are not allowed to influence Singaporeans' decisions.

"We must protect our common space. Reject populism. Never pit one group against another, nor sacrifice the common good for narrow interests or short-term political gains," said Ong.

Ong expressed his wish for both PAP and WP to come together to forge a strong system of governance for Singapore and all Singaporeans.

"Only then can politics truly serve the greater good of our country. Only then will we continue to draw strength from our diversity, as we always have so far. That is, and must remain, our unique Singapore advantage."

Top image from MDDI/YouTube & ELD