Pritam Singh addresses Nicole Seah & Raeesah Khan controversies, calls President Tharman his fave politician outside of WP

When asked who his favourite politician outside the Workers' Party (WP) was, its party chief, Pritam Singh, said it was President Tharman Shanmugaratnam.

Singh, who is also Leader of the Opposition, provided the answer on CNA's "The Assembly", which features an audience of neurodivergent individuals interviewing notable personalities.

Singh also fielded several other personal questions and questions about the party's recent controversies.

Why President Tharman is his favourite

Before Singh gave and explained his answer to who his favourite politician was, he commented that the question was "very loaded".

He then said his answer was President Tharman.

"Because I think the way he is able to explain an issue and the way he genuinely believes in what he is saying, and what he is putting forward, it is admirable," Singh explained.

"In my time in parliament, when he stood up to speak, it was a good opportunity to understand and to learn how to be a better politician," he added.

Prior to the question on his favourite politician, the audience member asked Singh about whether WP members are "friends" with members of the ruling party.

Singh characterised their relationship as "civil", saying: "They have a certain view of what Singapore should be like. We have a different view. But that shouldn't stop us from speaking [...] in a civil way to one another."

Running as the opposition

Explaining his decision to join WP instead of the People's Action Party, Singh repeated his belief that people have differing views about what Singapore should look like, and that these views have a place in Parliament.

"And I reached a point in my life where I felt, why don't you join mainstream politics and participate?" he elaborated.

Singh was also asked about the emotional toll of being the chief of a party which "constantly faces public scrutiny".

In reply, he related to the Sikh concept of "duk and sukh", which translates to "happiness and sadness", sharing that he copes best by accepting that there will be good and "not-so-good" days.

However, in overwhelming moments, it is the people who rally around him — in his case, his wife and children — that become his source of strength and energy.

While there had been initial concern from his close family when he first joined the opposition ranks, their reaction has since been positive.

Singh also shared that when he first ran for a parliamentary seat under the WP banner in the 2011 general election, his father had gone to the temple every day during the campaign to pray for him.

Party controversies

More political questions about WP's recent and past controversies were also put forth by the audience.

On being called a "liar" in Raeesah Khan's case, Singh said it was not something he lost sleep over.

He explained:

"I'll say that because I am in the business of politics, my political opponents will do whatever it takes to lower my esteem and the esteem of my party in the public eye. But ultimately, you answer to your conscience first. And if your conscience is clear, people can throw whatever they want at you, and you will still be standing."

"The court of public opinion can be a bigger court than any court in the world," Singh added, pointing to WP's showing in the recent general election.

On Leon Perera's and Nicole Seah's extramarital affair, Singh was asked about what happened when he confronted the two former party members about the issue.

Describing the question as a difficult one to answer, Singh said that both of them had already gone on with their lives and that he preferred to remember them for their "significant contributions" to the party.

The audience member then asked whether Singh felt betrayed or threatened when he was lied to.

Around late 2020 and 2021, Perera denied the affair rumours when Singh asked him about them, after Perera's driver informed the party chief about Perera's frequent meetings with Seah.

Singh said no, adding that while he wished he knew the truth at the time, it didn't amount to feeling betrayed, as some of the things that transpired were "private matters".

However, he conceded that in politics, there are very few private matters as things tend to "come in the open", and some of these things are "not so simple to deal with".

Familiarity with party members' activities

As to how well Singh knew about the goings-on of his party members, given the different controversies, the WP chief shared that diversity of backgrounds is part and parcel of any organisation, and that the WP was not the only party that has had to deal with similar controversies.

Singh was also asked who the biggest donors were to the legal fund in the Aljunied-Hougang Town Council lawsuit, to which he responded that he did not remember and that most of the donations came from ordinary members of the public.

"There are enough people in Singapore who do not want the Workers' Party to fail," he commented.

In between the personal and political questions, Singh also fielded light-hearted ones, such as what his favourite comedies were and why he always stuck to performing the same Hokkien song, "Ai Pia Jia Eh Yia" (To Win, You Have to Fight).

Singh shared that he enjoyed watching American sitcoms "Brooklyn 99" and "Big Bang Theory", and that the Hokkien Song was an uplifting one which conveys the importance of a strong and positive work ethic.

The interview wrapped up with Singh performing "Ai Pia Jia Eh Yia".

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Top image via CNA / YouTube