PAP questions WP chief Pritam Singh for discussing Singapore politics 'on foreign soil, to foreign audience'

SINGAPORE: The decision by Leader of the Opposition Pritam Singh to speak about Singapore’s politics on a Malaysian podcast “raises serious questions” as to why he chose to address the topic "on foreign soil to a foreign audience", the People’s Action Party (PAP) said on Thursday (Jul 3).

“Strikingly, he chose not a local media outlet, but a podcast hosted by Malaysians and recorded in Malaysia to share his views on our domestic political landscape”, the party said in a statement.

In a video released on YouTube on Jun 24, the Workers’ Party (WP) secretary-general spoke to Keluar Sekejap, a popular Malaysian political podcast hosted by former health minister Khairy Jamaluddin and Mr Shahril Hamdan, previously UMNO's information chief.

In an earlier episode released on May 8, the hosts discussed the results of the Singapore General Election held on May 3 and among other things, Mr Khairy questioned the lack of ambition by Mr Singh and WP to form an alternative government. Mr Singh said subsequently that he was going on the podcast to "provide a perspective from a different angle and reading of the Singapore ground". 

It was Mr Singh's most in-depth interview since the polls, in which the PAP retained power with 65.57 per cent of the vote.

The PAP said the issue was 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."

Quoting former opposition stalwart Chiam See Tong, the party added: "The opposition must be ‘truthful ... good patriotic Singaporeans ... and not go around the world denouncing Singapore’.” 

During the interview, which lasted more than one-and-a-half hours, Mr Singh addressed a wide range of topics, including the WP's electoral strategy, and the intersection of race, religion and politics. 

Asked by Mr Khairy if he aspired to be prime minister, Mr Singh said no.

Mr Khairy also asked if there was a “lack of ambition” from the WP and if it should have pivoted from the goal of winning one-third of the seats in parliament, to which Mr Singh said that Singaporean voters were not seeking a change in government.

"PATTERN OF MISREPRESENTATION"

The PAP also challenged Mr Singh's claim that his party does not “score political points based on race or religion”.

It referenced the WP’s interactions with Mr Noor Deros, a self-styled religious teacher in Malaysia known for “views that are at odds with Singapore’s commitment to multiracialism and religious harmony”.

In the lead up to the elections, the religious teacher, who is Singaporean, had published a list of demands for Singaporean politicians and claimed to have met the WP’s Malay candidates. He also called on his followers to vote for WP candidates, such as Mr Faisal Manap, who contested in Tampines GRC.

“Despite public interest, the WP has not explained what transpired in that meeting, or why Mr Deros subsequently expressed public support for WP candidates during GE2025,” said the PAP.

In addition, it said WP's Punggol GRC candidate Harpreet Singh had made “misleading statements about the PAP’s stance on a minority prime minister”.

The claims were later disproven with public records of PAP leaders speaking on the issue, including Prime Minister Lawrence Wong, Senior Minister Lee Hsien Loong and Coordinating Minister for National Security K Shanmugam, it said.

“This pattern of misrepresentation is worrying,” PAP said.

It also cited endorsements of WP candidates by Malaysian politicians from Parti Islam Se-Malaysia (PAS) on social media during the election.

“Their messages contained racial and religious overtones, designed to encourage segments of Singaporean voters to vote along racial and religious lines,” it said.

"POLITICS SHOULD STOP AT THE WATER'S EDGE"

The PAP said that Mr 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 party.

Mr Singh had told reporters during the election campaign that a member of the Muslim community at an Aljunied mosque had asked to speak to Mr Faisal and WP’s Malay members. “There was no indication that this individual would be joining the meeting,” Mr Singh said then.

He also said the WP did not agree to any demands made by Mr Noor.

But the PAP said in its statement that Singaporeans should question the WP chief's consistency: “Does Mr Singh truly stand by the principles he has stated? Or are they only invoked when convenient? Does he believe foreign involvement is acceptable when it benefits his party?” 

The party said that while Singapore and Malaysia share close ties, they have long refrained from commenting on each other’s politics and from using each other’s media to influence public opinion, especially after the racial unrest of the 1960s.

This understanding has served both countries well, and maintaining it requires “political leaders of integrity who place national interest above partisan gain”, said the PAP.

“As a sovereign nation, we must be clear: Politics should stop at the water’s edge,” it said. “Singapore’s affairs are for Singaporeans to decide, based on what is best for our national interests.”

“NO DETRIMENTAL IMPACT”

In response, the WP said that Mr Singh’s podcast appearance “had no detrimental impact whatsoever on Singapore’s national interests”.

In a statement titled "PAP opposing for the sake of opposing; LO's podcast had no impact on Singapore’s national interests" published on its social media platforms, the WP said that public reception in Singapore to the podcast has been positive.

“It exemplified how a non-government Singaporean politician can speak fairly and frankly about Singapore and the Singapore government, without denouncing either. This particular point continues to be well-received by many Singaporeans,” it said.

The WP noted that the Leader of the Opposition is not a member of the executive, and that “there is no legal convention that has been communicated to him which fetters his freedom of speech, locally or overseas”.

“Should there be such a guideline, it should be made known,” it said.

PAP leaders routinely give interviews and share their views on domestic matters to foreign media outlets, noted the WP.

“These interviews are not out of the ordinary. In fact, some of these interviews have gone viral and are well-received by an international audience, embellishing the PAP,” it said.

“In these circumstances, no right-thinking individual would accuse the PAP of ‘foreign involvement’ to benefit the party.”

The party added that it is aware that one PAP member remarked that “Pritam did well” after viewing the podcast, while other PAP members “happily posed for pictures” with one of the podcast hosts when he was here over the weekend.

“MANY IMPORTANT QUESTIONS RAISED REMAIN UNANSWERED”

In response to the WP’s statement, the PAP said that while ministers do engage with foreign media, they discuss a wide range of topics, "be it on international and regional affairs or domestic matters".

“What is unusual here is that the Leader of the Opposition gave his first in-depth interview on GE2025 to Malaysian podcasters – and the discussion focused almost entirely on Singapore’s internal politics,” the PAP said in a statement on Thursday evening.

Mr Singh has declined invitations from Singaporean podcasters, it added.

“The WP also continued to brush aside serious concerns about its engagement with Noor Deros, as well as the public endorsements made by Parti Islam Se-Malaysia (PAS) politicians in support of its candidates,” it said.

The PAP said the questions it asked in both its statement and the article in Petir were not trivial matters.

“They go to the heart of maintaining a clear boundary against foreign involvement in our domestic affairs,” it said.

“Many important questions raised remain unanswered,” the PAP added.