SINGAPORE: In the run-up to the General Election on May 3, a speech from the Workers’ Party’s Pritam Singh at the Aljunied GRC rally in 2011 has been making waves online. It appears to have impressed viewers all over again, and perhaps even gained Mr Singh some new supporters.
Mr Singh, who is now the party secretary-general and the Leader of the Opposition, was just about to make history as part of the WP team which won at Aljunied that year. It marked the first time an opposition party won a group representation constituency (GRC). The WP went on to win again at Aljunied in 2015 and 2020, and the area is now considered one of the party’s strongholds.
Though Mr Singh was only 34 years old in 2011 and contesting an election for the first time, he spoke with confidence and poise. He requested that no acts of vandalism be committed against the ruling People’s Action Party (PAP) campaign materials at Aljunied — a remark which drew cheers from the crowd.
Mr Singh can be seen taking his time with his speech, and when the crowd begins to chant “Workers’ Party!”, he patiently waits for them to stop instead of speaking over the shouts.
“The Workers’ Party has been fighting for Singapore since 1957, and we plan on continuing to do so in the future…. Let us work to keep our politics civil and clean,” he said, underlining that the WP raised national issues “rationally, respectably, and responsibly”.
Read related: ‘It was an honour to be your loyal opposition,’ Pritam Singh thanks Aljunied, Hougang, & Sengkang residents
Addressing the youth, he said that the elections that year were not just ordinary events, but were about “changing the spirit and substance of Singapore politics…. I hope I am right that this signals a new and honorable brand of politics in Singapore, where opposition MPs and Singaporeans who support opposition parties are treated as equal citizens who are loyal to Singapore”.
He also expressed the hope that no matter who won the election that year, Singaporeans would hold the government to the highest standards of transparency and accountability.
At one point, he said, “Singapore is larger than the PAP,” which again drew loud cheers.
On Reddit, where the video was shared earlier this week, a commenter wrote, “He was a fantastic orator even at his maiden election.”
Another agreed, remarking that Mr Singh appears to have taken after his father, lawyer and district judge Amarjit Singh.
When a Reddit user remarked how young Mr Singh was at the time, another agreed, calling him “fresh-faced,” but remarking that “he already had such charisma.”
“For someone in such a stressful role, he’s certainly ageing very well,” a commenter noted.
“One of my favourite moments of him was in the video showing the Aljunied team’s reaction after winning in 2015 where everyone was celebrating while he was just standing there with a serious expression knowing that there is a lot of work to be done since they won by only a small margin and that they cannot take anything for granted, a true leader who has come so far,” one wrote.
“This feels surreal to watch and how far Singapore politics have come,” commented another. /TISG
