Committee of Supply 2024 debate, Day 7: Raj Joshua Thomas on attracting the very best to become MPs

The People’s Action Party has for a long time been very candid about the challenges that it faces convincing good people to enter politics, said NMP Raj Joshua Thomas in Parliament on Thursday (Mar 7). He noted as well, that the Leader of the Opposition and Workers’ Party (WP) chief Pritam Singh had also said that WP’s search for candidates was always an ongoing process. Mr Thomas added that over the years, it is not only the demands on MPs that have grown, but also the exposure to "toxic social media" and encroachments on their private lives. Expressing concern that many good people may be deterred by these changing demands, he asked how Parliament can continue to attract the very best people. He highlighted that there needs to be realistic expectations about what makes a good politician. Turning to the use of social media, he noted the many complaints about MPs online and urged Singaporeans to also post positive accounts of their MPs. He suggested for grassroots organisations to consider highlighting positive cases with the consent of the resident and properly anonymise them. Mr Thomas also stated his opinion that the loss of privacy is one of the biggest deterrents to persons entering into politics. He added that it is “absolutely critical” to not allow MPs’ private lives to be politicised.