The office of the Leader of the Opposition (LO) will remain vacant until the Workers’ Party is ready to nominate someone to take on the responsibility, said the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO).
In a statement on Jan 21, PMO said the Government has accepted the WP’s decision not to nominate another elected MP to the post.
The opposition party had said in a statement posted on the party website on Jan 21 that it takes the view that the leader of the largest opposition party in Parliament is the leader of the Opposition.
It added that it was “unable to accept” Prime Minister Lawrence Wong’s invitation as it has its own established processes for electing its leaders.
This came after PM Wong on Jan 15 removed WP chief Pritam Singh as the LO, citing Mr Singh’s court convictions and a Parliament motion that found him unsuitable for the role.
In response, PMO said the leader of the main opposition party in Parliament is “indeed the natural choice” to serve as Leader of the Opposition.
“However, we are in an exceptional situation. Mr Singh has been criminally convicted by the courts of lying to Parliament, and Parliament has resolved that his conviction and conduct render him unsuitable to continue in the role,” it said.
PMO added that in other jurisdictions, members convicted of crimes involving dishonesty or lying under oath would ordinarily have resigned. “This has not happened here.”
Singaporeans place a high premium on honesty and integrity in their political system, and on respect for the rule of law, it said. “Members of Parliament, especially those in leadership positions, must exemplify these values and uphold the integrity of our system.”
In its Jan 21 statement, the WP said that the LO appointment is conventionally extended to the leader of the largest opposition party in Parliament, or decided by the opposition party in question.
In a letter to PM Wong posted on its party website the same day, WP’s leadership said: “In Singapore, the position of LO is a discretionary appointment that the prime minister makes.
“Despite not having any constitutional or statutory eligibility criteria, we hold the view that the only tenable candidate for the LO position would be a Member of Parliament who is the leader of the largest opposition in Parliament, the Workers’ Party.”
The Straits Times
