'Out of this world': PSP on Ong Ye Kung's claims a stronger opposition could lead to a Parliament gridlock

The Progress Singapore Party's (PSP) has dismissed Health Minister Ong Ye Kung's claims that the Singapore government doesn't need a strong opposition.

In a rally (April 30) to support Sembawang West SMC's PAP candidate Poh Li San last night (April 30), Ong said he believes a strong People's Action Party (PAP) government with a constructive opposition as a check and balance will make an effective system of governance.

"We don't need a strong opposition. We need a strong ruling party, which is the PAP," the 55-year-old said then, adding that a stronger opposition presence in Parliament could lead to a Parliament gridlock. 

In response to Ong claims, PSP's chairman Dr Tan Cheng Bock told reporters at Boon Lay Place today (May 1) that he is used to the rhetoric and "that rhetoric is very old". 

The 85-year-old shared: "When we have more opposition in the Parliament, we are going to receive very diverse views and ideas."

He believed the ruling government should respond to questions raised by oppositions because they are "replying to Singaporeans".

"We are only representing those people who voted us. So the government should just give us the answer and don't brush it off as, 'There are too many of them, we will be weakened.'"

PSP's secretary-general Leong Mun Wai added: "I think Minister Ong Ye Kung is out of this world. In Singapore today, I think most Singaporeans would agree that there's a need for more opposition."

The 66-year-old shared that PAP had also lost ministers and GRCs in past elections, but that did not "weaken" the government.

He said: "Would a weak government be able to pass through or bulldoze the GST [increase] in 2022? It must be a strong government with all the power to amend Constitutions.

"So the argument that the minister had about losing some ministers or GRCs would weaken the government is not quite accurate."

The party's first vice-chair Hazel Poa also pointed out that President Tharman Shanmugaratnam once said that "a stronger opposition is good for the PAP and Singapore". 

She added that Ong had also lost in the 2011 general election when PAP lost Aljunied GRC to Workers' Party (WP), but returned in the 2015 general election to contest for Sembawang GRC, which his team won.

Ong is the anchor minister for the PAP team contesting Sembawang GRC in this year's general election, which also comprises Mariam Jafaar, Vikram Nair, Ng Shi Xuan and Gabriel Lam.

'Not a personal attack'

Leong also addressed Prime Minister Lawrence Wong's statement during a rally on April 26 that opposition parties turn to personal attacks when they cannot win an argument.

WP chief Pritam Singh and other party candidates had criticised the PAP team in Punggol, led by Deputy Prime Minister Gan Kim Yong, during their rally on April 28.

Said Leong: "I think some of these comments are made by candidates out of the general context of talking about certain policies and all that. I don't think there are many comments that are just directed at the person. For one thing, PSP has not adopted such as strategy or say such things.

"But I think when we sometimes discuss certain policies, for example, comments about [National Development] Minister Desmond Lee, it is targeted at the fact that he has not given a concrete respond to some of the policy debates we are trying to have with him, so it is not a personal attack."

Leong said in a media doorstop on Wednesday (April 30) that Lee, who is contesting PSP for West Coast-Jurong West GRC in the May 3 general elections, had not responded to several policy issues relating to housing that were raised by the opposition party.

Lee responded on the same day that the claims were "untrue", adding that he had addressed the issues on "multiple occasions" throughout the campaigning period — which Leong countered in the evening that he didn't provide any new information in his responses and the issue remained unsolved in Parliament.

Truth of incident affect voters' impression of PSP and PAP

Yesterday, Dr Tan also urged that the results of the police investigation into PAP and PSP's harassment allegations during a walkabout in Bukit Gombak in January be made public during the campaign period.

When asked why did he only brought this up close to the Polling Day, he told AsiaOne that the party had been waiting for a response to be released.

Leong added the truth of the incident will affect the impression Singaporeans have on PSP and PAP.

"It's only right that during the election, just like I talked about the policies, that all of us should come out and clear out stances and we should put all the truth on the table, so that voters, residents can make a right decision."

'We want to have a fair fight'

With much of the intense debate during this campaign period focused on the PAP and WP, particularly on their contests for Tampines GRC and Punggol GRC, PSP was asked if they had hoped for more attention.

Dr Tan said: "I think the fact that there is not much confrontation between PSP and PAP is a testimony to the fact that we want to have a fair fight."

"I think they find that the ground that we have built for the party is strong enough. When they take us, we can reply. Our rebuttals are there. We don't have to resort to shouting."

He added that it is important that people see PSP as a "very responsible party coming to Parliament".

Leong added: "We are confident that the residents of West Coast-Jurong West GRC will be able to see that PSP is a credible opposition party and PSP MPs in Parliament will be able to contribute a lot to their life and livelihood."

Dr Tan, Leong, Poa together with Sumarleki Amjah and Sani Ismail will be standing against PAP incumbents Lee, Ang Wei Neng and new candidates Cassandra Lee, Hamid Razak and Shawn Huang in the May 3 general election.

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yeo.shuhui@asiaone.com

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