Workers' Party positions 'not always consistent or coherent', S'pore 'must guard against populism': PM Wong

PM Lawrence Wong criticised the Worker's Party (WP) for what he deemed an "inconsistent" approach towards policy proposals and called for a rejection of populism in politics.

These comments were made at the biennial People's Action Party (PAP) Conference on Oct. 25, where PM Wong, who is also the Secretary-General of the PAP, addressed various subjects, including policymaking and planning for the future.

PM Wong said: "The opposition has taken different positions at different times, depending on the concerns of the day, or what they believe will be popular.

"But these positions do not always add up to a coherent approach that takes account of the trade-offs and longer-term consequences."

The PAP's approach must be different, he stressed to party cadres, and "take the wider and long-term view."

Worker's Party stances

He named two examples in particular.

Building HDB flats

PM Wong first said the WP had proposed that the government build fewer flats when HDB resale prices fell in 2019.

However, when the Covid-19 pandemic struck, construction was disrupted and caused a shortage of flats.

"By 2023, the WP was criticising the government for not building enough flats," he continued. "Yet there was no acknowledgement of what it had advocated just a few years earlier."

Now that the housing situation has stabilised, he added, the PAP government will continue to build more new flats while weighing trade-offs, such as the need to protect and grow green spaces, acting in Singapore's "wider and long-term interests."

Foreign workers

On labour issues, PM Wong said that the WP called for greater flexibility when the government tightened foreign worker policies.

However, years later amid concerns over the projected population of 6.9 million, the WP then proposed zero growth in the foreign workforce.

"More recently, when SMEs faced manpower shortages, the WP called for easing of foreign worker quotas," he remarked.

"You can see how the WP’s position seems to shift with the political winds."

"Difficult choices"

It is easier for opposition politicians to argue for a particular position when they do not have to “reconcile all the competing demands” or “take responsibility for the outcome”, PM Wong added.

In contrast, the PAP must “make difficult choices that will stand the test of time” instead of “quick fixes”.

He noted how unrest is sweeping parts of the world, from France to various countries in Asia over economic pressures and anxiety about the future.

The difficulty, however, is the "temptation" to offer quick fixes despite there being "no easy answers" to such problems, causing frustrations to persist and loss of trust in institutions.

Guard against populism

He called on PAP cadres to take Singaporeans' concerns seriously, while attempting to "guard against populism."

To do this, the PAP must consider the interests of Singapore and Singaporeans as a whole, especially for groups whose concerns are "less visible", he said.

But the challenge also lies in confronting difficult political issues.

This includes the updating of ministerial salaries, he added as an example, something that the PAP knew would elicit "strong reactions".

"The politically convenient option would have been to avoid the issue altogether. But we could not keep putting off a decision that matters for Singapore’s ability to build a strong political leadership team for the future.

"So I decided to address the issue openly in Parliament, explain our decision, and take responsibility for it."

Not doing so would amount to passing on such problems to future generations, he said, leaving them with "even harder choices" later.

"So we must have the courage to act – not just for Singaporeans today, but also for our children and grandchildren who will inherit the Singapore that we build."