Ex-PAP MP Inderjit Singh echoes Opposition's calls for GE to be held after Covid-19 under control

The government should wait until June to decide on an election date, former People's Action Party (PAP) MP Inderjit Singh wrote in a Facebook post on March 31.

Singh, who retired from politics in 2015, called on the government to hold off calling a general election (GE) until the Covid-19 outbreak has "settled" and to "give comfort that the health issues can be managed".

Based on how the Covid-19 situation played out in China, the government should wait at least four months from our first reported Covid-19 case before making a decision, he said.

China reported its first confirmed case of Covid-19 last December. It has since turned the tide on the virus and is preparing to lift the lockdown of Wuhan, the epicentre of the pandemic, on April 8.

Waiting four months would allow Singapore to evaluate if the crisis has been successfully managed, Singh added.

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Besides health concerns, the 59-year-old also noted that holding an election in "an environment of fear" could put opposition parties at a disadvantage.

"Voters will vote for safety and go for a proven government and will not take the risk with their vote," he explained, citing the results of the 2001 GE, which was held soon after the 9/11 attacks.

In that election, PAP achieved 75.3 per cent of the vote, a 10.3 per cent jump and its best result since 1980.

"Thus far, the 4G leadership has done very well in handling Covid-19 health issues. And [Deputy Prime Minister] Heng Swee Keat has responded with a good Resilience Package," he wrote. "I am sure the PAP and the 4G leadership will be rewarded well even if the GE is held later, once they bring Singapore to safety from the health and economic problems."

Singh's remarks came amid speculation that the election could be called soon following the release of the electoral boundaries report on March 13.

The deadline for the next general election is April 2021.

Singh's comments echoed those made by several opposition party leaders.

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Singapore Democratic Party chief Chee Soon Juan said last month that the next election should only be called when there are "clear signs that the [Covid-19] situation has abated".

Progress Singapore Party's Tan Cheng Bock went further, suggesting that the government should call the election after the crisis is over, at the end of the term in April 2021, or form a caretaker government.

In response, Senior Minister Teo Chee Hean said that it would be "unconstitutional" to delay the GE beyond the deadline.

Speaking to reporters last Friday (March 27), Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong did not rule out holding elections in the midst of the virus outbreak, citing Israel's legislative elections on March 2 and the United States' recent primary elections as proof that "life still goes on".

Holding an election would "clear the decks" and enable the government to "deal with whatever lies ahead", he said.

The ideal situation would be for the election to be held after things settle within the next six months, but things "may well get worse", he warned.

Meanwhile, the Elections Department Singapore is expected to introduce the Parliamentary Elections (COVID-19 Special Arrangements) Bill next week.

The bill will include the "necessary legislative provisions" to ensure a "safe" election should the next GE take place in the midst of the Covid-19 situation.

For the latest updates on the coronavirus, visit here.

kimberlylim@asiaone.com