Fearmongering? — PM Wong's comments on "formidable" opposition draw criticism
SINGAPORE: Concerns of fear-mongering have emerged online in the wake of Prime Minister Lawrence Wong's first election rally speech of the GE2025 season, yesterday (24 Apr).
Mr Wong, who faced his first election as PM, said there was already a 'sizeable' number of opposition members in Parliament.
Noting that the number of opposition MPs has been increasing and 'almost doubled' in the last election, Mr Wong said, 'The opposition is here to stay; they are determined, and they really want to grow.'
Aside from commenting on the WP's tactics of placing elected MPs in what he called 'safe seats' and deploying new candidates to 'break new ground' elsewhere, Mr Wong made special mention of how the Red Dot United (RDU) has launched the third-highest number of candidates, after his People's Action Party (PAP) and the WP.
He said, 'You have a new opposition party. You may have heard of them, RDU, Red Dot United. They are mounting a strong fight. In fact, they have the second highest number of candidates after the WP.'
He reiterated, 'RDU, a very new party, the second highest number of candidates, at 15.'
Mentioning other opposition parties like the Progress Singapore Party (PSP) and the Singapore Democratic Party (SDP), he continued: 'And then you have the other opposition parties, PSP, SDP, NSP. They all are pushing hard. Each one contesting at least 10 seats.'
He stressed, 'You add them all up, WP, RDU, PSP, SDP, NSP, it is a formidable challenge. And that is why, from the beginning, I've said it will be a tough contest, and I don't assume the PAP will automatically win. And that is why we will work extra hard to earn your confidence and trust.'
The head of government went on to note the opposition's call to refrain from giving the PAP 'a blank cheque.' He said, 'But I would also say, don't give the opposition a free pass. Apply the same standards to them as you do to the PAP, in terms of integrity, competence, and readiness to serve.'
He cautioned that once the election ends, it will not be the PAP versus the opposition but Singapore versus a troubled world.
The comments that the PM has made about the opposition have stirred some criticism online, with some netizens pointing out that the 'sizeable' opposition in Parliament Mr Wong was talking about comprises only eight opposition MPs compared to the PAP's 80.
Others said that the way the PM characterised the number of candidates the opposition is putting out and how he characterised this as formidable does not accurately capture what an underdog the opposition is compared to the super-dominant ruling party. The number of candidates the opposition is fielding is not new – every election since 2011, save for this one, has seen every seat being contested.
The opposition also has to grapple with a disproportionately uneven playing field, particularly in this snap election, with the electoral map undergoing severe changes and the Writ of Election being issued just about a week before Nomination Day.
Given this reality, some observers ask why PM Wong seems to be following the old PAP playbook instead of charting his own approach. It remains to be seen whether this tactic of making the PAP appear embattled will translate at the ballot box.
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