PAP questions Pritam's interview with Malaysian podcast, says politics should stop at water's edge
SINGAPORE – The PAP has raised questions about Leader of the Opposition Pritam Singh's decision to share his views on local politics with a Malaysian podcast.
Politics should stop at the water's edge, with domestic affairs debated on and decided by Singaporeans in Singapore, said the ruling party in a statement on July 3.
Mr Singh, who leads the Workers' Party, had made his first podcast appearance on Keluar Sekejap, a popular political podcast hosted by former Malaysian health minister Khairy Jamaluddin and former Umno information chief Shahril Hamdan. The almost two-hour-long session, filmed while Mr Singh was on a family holiday to Malaysia, was uploaded to YouTube on June 24.
The podcast covered topics such as the WP's strategy during
the May 3 general election and the party's role in Singapore's political landscape. Mr Singh had reiterated his view of WP's role as a check and balance to the ruling party, given the appetite of Singapore voters today.
The PAP said in its statement that Mr Singh had 'strikingly' chosen a non-local media outlet to 'share his views on our domestic political landscape', in what was his most extensive post-election interview.
'It raises serious questions about why the Secretary-General of the Workers' Party would choose to speak about Singapore's politics on foreign soil, to a foreign audience,' it said.
'This is not merely a matter of platform preference. It touches on a fundamental principle – that Singapore's domestic affairs should be debated and decided by Singaporeans, within Singapore.'
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The Straits Times has contacted Mr Singh for comment.
The PAP's statement comes days after it put up a similar post on its Petir.sg website. In that post, it also questioned Mr Singh's decision to go on the Malaysian podcast and underscored that Singapore's affairs are for Singaporeans to decide.
The PAP said on July 3 that the importance of this principle is not new.
It cited former opposition politician Chiam See Tong, who said that Singapore's opposition must be 'truthful...good patriotic Singaporeans...and not go around the world denouncing Singapore.' Mr Chiam was MP for Potong Pasir from 1984 to 2011 and is one of Singapore's longest-serving opposition politicians.
The PAP also said that concerns had been raised about the WP's past interactions with Mr Noor Deros. The Singaporean self-styled religious teacher based in Malaysia is 'known for views that are at odds with Singapore's commitment to multiracialism and religious harmony', it said.
On the third day of the hustings, the authorities had issued a warning that foreigners must not influence Singapore's elections in any way, and
blocked Facebook posts from three individuals on these grounds.
One of the individuals had shared posts by Mr Noor. Mr Noor, in a series of Facebook posts,
claimed he had spoken to all the Malay candidates from the WP , and that the party had agreed to take up concerns regarding the Malay/Muslim community in Singapore.
Prime Minister Lawrence Wong then called a press conference and
asked political parties to make clear their position on religion and politics . Mr Singh was among the party leaders who agreed that religion and politics should not mix.
On the podcast, Mr Singh was asked about multiracialism and multiculturalism in Singapore. Among other things, he said race should not be something to score political points on.
The PAP's July 3 statement said that despite the public interest, the WP had not explained what transpired in the meeting with Mr Noor, or why the preacher subsequently expressed public support for WP candidates during the general election.
The PAP also made reference to statements from WP's Punggol candidate Harpreet Singh about the PAP's stance on a minority prime minister, calling it a worrying 'pattern of misrepresentation'. Mr Harpreet Singh claimed the PAP had said that then-DPM Tharman Shanmugaratnam would not be put up as PM as some Singaporeans were not ready for a non-Chinese PM, and 'you would never, ever hear that from the WP'.
The ruling party also noted that politicians from Parti Islam Se-Malaysia (PAS) – an Islamist opposition party in Malaysia – had endorsed WP candidates on social media during the election.
'Mr (Pritam) Singh remained silent until the Singapore Government called out these acts of blatant foreign interference. Even then, his response left many critical questions unanswered,' said the PAP.
Mr Pritam Singh said during the campaign
that his party could not be successful if it plays 'the race and religion card' , and that it had not made promises to anyone in exchange for political support. He also said Mr Noor had turned up unannounced at a meeting that the WP had with Malay/Muslim religious leaders.
The PAP said Singaporeans are therefore 'entitled to ask' if Mr Singh truly stands by the principles he has stated, or if they are only invoked when convenient.
'Does he believe foreign involvement is acceptable when it benefits his party?' it said.
The PAP added in its July 3 statement that Singapore and Malaysia share close historical ties, 'but we also respect each other's sovereignty'.
'In the wake of the painful racial unrest of the 1960s, both sides have observed a careful boundary: we refrain from commenting on each other's politics, and from using each other's media to influence public opinion,' it said.
'This is a longstanding understanding that has served both nations well. Maintaining it requires political leaders of integrity who place national interest above partisan gain.'
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