SINGAPORE: The Workers’ Party (WP) in rally speeches on Monday (Apr 28) focused their attacks on General Election opponents Deputy Prime Minister Gan Kim Yong and Senior Minister of State Janil Puthucheary, with WP chief Pritam Singh telling voters in Punggol GRC to send “a strong message” to the People’s Action Party (PAP).
At the WP’s third rally leading up to the May 3 polls, Mr Singh and his Punggol GRC candidates levelled criticism at the ruling party across a range of issues, from the aborted Income-Allianz deal to the supposed “parachuting” of candidates into Group Representation Constituencies.
Mr Gan and Dr Janil, who is Senior Minister of State for Health and Digital Development and Information, are both in the PAP’s Punggol GRC slate.
Mr Pritam Singh, who was the second-last speaker of the night, told Punggol GRC voters that their role in this General Election was “significant” due to ever-shifting electoral boundaries.
“These changes may harm the Workers’ Party’s chances of building a more balanced political system. So Punggol, you can send a strong message to the PAP,” he said. “You can change some electoral boundaries every year, but don’t mess with Punggol.”
WP candidates also made several jibes throughout the night about Mr Gan’s remarks at a PAP rally last Saturday, where he said he would talk to his “good friend” Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Lawrence Wong to get more funds for infrastructure in Punggol.
Mr Pritam Singh said: “I am sorry Punggol, but I cannot say that the Prime Minister and I are friends.
“But do I need to be his friend for taxpayer funding to be allocated to Punggol? No,” he added. “As a Singaporean, I expect fair allocation of taxpayer resources to all our people. And the civil service will allocate funds and projects fairly.”
Mr Pritam Singh also commented on the fact that Mr Gan was not elected into the PAP’s Central Executive Committee in November 2024.
“This is very strange for a Deputy Prime Minister,” he said. “Could it be that he was ready to retire and did not plan to run in these elections? If so, can he be so critical to the PM’s plans? You mean the PM has no one else in his Cabinet that can negotiate with the United States on tariffs?”
Earlier in the night, Ms Alia Mattar, a WP new face and Punggol GRC candidate, also referenced Mr Gan’s “good friend” remark, mentioning how “some people have friends in higher places where they can ask for special help”, as part of an argument against how significant discussions in Singapore take place “behind closed doors”.
Her Punggol GRC teammate Alexis Dang, also a new face, then brought up what Minister of State for Social and Family Development and Home Affairs Sun Xueling, another candidate on the PAP’s Punggol GRC slate, told supporters at a rally on Saturday – that “we do not need strangers to come to Punggol… to find out what’s on your mind”.
