Jamus Lim responds to PM Wong's criticisms that WP 'shifts with the political winds', Petir responds in turn

Workers' Party (WP) Member of Parliament Jamus Lim replied to Prime Minister Lawrence Wong's comments that the WP's policy position "shifts with the political winds", in an Instagram post on Oct. 25.

PM Wong made the remarks earlier that day at the People's Action Party (PAP) Awards and Conference, in his opening address as Secretary-General of the PAP. 

In his speech, he took aim at what he termed "populism", claiming that opposition parties did not have to take into account trade-offs and deal with the consequences when making policy proposals.

In response, Lim said that PM Wong is entitled to his views but called his claims "an incredible double standard", and proceeded to explain the WP's position and suggest that political parties should be open to changing their stances "when justified".

In turn, PAP's party publication Petir published a Facebook post criticising Lim for missing the "nuance" of PM Wong's speech.

PAP's "U-turns"

In his post, Lim claimed that the PAP was similarly guilty of its own reversals in policy, with "some barely lasting one season".

" ...a few to jog the memory: stop at two, redundancy insurance, minimum wages for locals, and 377A.

I’m sure you can even think of cases even within this term of Parliament where there have been notable reversals by the PAP, even after they shot down alternatives till the last second (such as smaller class sizes or COE categorization by engine size)."

Lack of nuance in PM Wong's points: Jamus Lim

PM Wong's speech also singled out the WP's position on HDB flat construction and foreign worker policies, claiming that they were inclined to tighten or loosen said quotas depending on which was more politically favourable.

But Lim said that this "betray[ed] a lack of nuance".

Regarding HDB supply, he explained, the WP's position was formed in the context of lease decay, "a looming policy problem that will unfold over the next two decades—not the short-term construction blips due to the pandemic."

As for foreign worker quotas, the WP's proposals have been about "moderating the speed of inflows" and managing the stress that it places on our infrastructure.

The WP's stance is ultimately "that the presence of a foreign workforce is not a fundamental issue, for a nation of immigrants," he clarified.

This is how democracy is supposed to work: Lim

He went further to suggest that political parties should be open to, or even "welcome" shifts in policy positions "when justified".

"Having gone down an erroneous road, adjusting one’s position is a mark of wisdom and maturity, not opportunism.

"This is precisely how democracy, at its best, is supposed to work: to be open to feedback, so that collective knowledge is harnessed."

In fact, the back-and-forth debate this generates helps to refine policy, he suggested.

Noting that PM Wong was speaking in a partisan setting in his capacity as Secretary-General of the PAP, Lim remarked that it was "par for the course" for him to make attacks at the opposition.

This was nevertheless "disappointing", he said, claiming that it failed to understand how Singaporeans "would like to see their political leaders tackle constructive challenges to the policy choices of the ruling party."

"Changing policies is not the issue"

Petir replied a few hours later.

It suggested that the PAP was in agreement that parties should change their positions when circumstances change.

This was something that PM Wong explicitly said in his speech, it said.

However, the issue is whether or not a party's positions "add up to a coherent approach", and if the party is "prepared to confront the trade-offs and consequences."

Returning to the example of HDB supply, Petir noted that the WP wants to lower the BTO eligibility age for singles from 35 to 28, but is simultaneously opposed to the proposed housing developments at Maju Forest and Gillman Barracks. 

This would increase the demand for housing and decrease its supply respectively, Petir suggested.

"How does the WP propose to reconcile these objectives? Where should the additional homes be built? What compromises would it accept?

"It is easy to champion popular causes. Governing means making tough choices and taking responsibility for the consequences."

Similarly, it claimed that the WP would have tightened foreign worker inflows to the point of zero growth in the foreign workforce in 2013, and then allow many more foreign workers a few years after.

Petir questioned if this was a "carefully considered approach to managing our foreign workforce".

"To be clear, changes in policy can reflect new evidence, changing circumstances or lessons learnt. But such changes must be grounded in a clear rationale, with the trade-offs and wider consequences properly considered and explained. That is what responsible policymaking requires.

That was PM Wong’s central point.

Judging from Mr Lim’s reply, it seems the WP has yet to fully appreciate this distinction."