GE2025: WP expects more multi-cornered fights this election, says Pritam Singh (2025)

SINGAPORE - The Republic can expect more three-cornered fights in the coming election as the WP has no interest in making way for other parties, said WP chief Pritam Singh.

Asked about other opposition parties indicating interest in constituencies where the WP has been seen walking the ground, he said the WP does not attend talks organised to avoid multi-cornered battles. “It’s an open system, and you can certainly expect there to be more three-cornered fights from here on,” he said.

He was speaking at a press conference at the WP’s Geylang headquarters on April 19 to unveil the party’s third batch of new candidates for the upcoming election.

Apart from Sengkang GRC, Aljunied GRC and Hougang SMC, the WP has yet to make known where else it intends to run, although potential candidates have been spotted around PAP-held constituencies such as Tampines and East Coast.

Asked how confident the WP was in retaining Sengkang, its newest constituency and only the second GRC secured by the opposition, Mr Singh highlighted the narrow margin of its 2020 victory over the PAP.

In a major upset then, the WP team secured 52.12 per cent of the vote there, besting a team led by former minister Ng Chee Meng, who on April 19 confirmed that he will contest in Jalan Kayu SMC this round.

“It will be a very difficult fight,” said Mr Singh.

“So my message to the residents in Sengkang: The more balanced political system that will be good for Singapore and Singaporeans starts with you and your vote.”

The rematch will pit the WP’s Sengkang team of Ms He Ting Ru, Mr Louis Chua, Associate Professor Jamus Lim and new face Abdul Muhaimin Abdul Malik against the PAP’s refreshed line-up, led by Dr Lam Pin Min, the only candidate retained from the ruling party’s previous slate.

Like Mr Muhaimin, the bulk of the WP’s 11 candidates introduced over the past three days are in their 30s.

Mr Singh, 48, said the youth of these candidates reflects not just a generational shift, but also the party’s growth and desire to stay in touch with Singaporeans.

Bringing up a chat with former party chief Low Thia Khiang, Mr Singh recalled that the former Aljunied GRC MP said his decision to step down was because he did not have the pulse of the younger generation.

Said Mr Singh: “It is important for us to always look to bring in people who can carry the dreams, aspirations, and hopes and fears of their generation, and to present these in Parliament, because it’s the highest law-making body in our land.”

It has become more common to have people asked to stand as candidates for opposition parties, said party chairwoman Sylvia Lim, adding that she was the first lecturer in Temasek Polytechnic to contest under the WP banner when she stepped into politics during the 2006 General Election.

The 60-year-old said: “We of course look forward to the day when employers will have no issues at all.

“Some are very supportive, others perhaps not too sure about what the implications are, but I think the landscape is evolving and we should continue in that way.”

Asked about the decision to comment on foreign policy by proposing the formal recognition of the state of Palestine in its latest manifesto, Mr Singh said this move does not mark a departure from the norm, citing the party’s comment on the South China Sea in its previous manifesto.

Mr Singh noted that the Government has said in principle that it is prepared to accept the establishment of the state of Palestine, so it is not unusual for the WP to share its own view.

“It doesn’t change the fact that we take a very circumspect view on getting involved in foreign policy, but that doesn’t mean we can’t speak about it,” he said.

After the WP’s manifesto was launched on April 17, Singapore’s Ministry of Foreign Affairssaid in response to media queries: “Singapore has consistently supported the right of the Palestinian people to a homeland based on a negotiated two-state solution.

“As Minister for Foreign Affairs told Parliament in July 2024, we will recognise the Palestinian state at an appropriate time.

“This position is also in line with relevant United Nations Security Council resolutions, which seek to enable Palestinians and Israelis to live side by side in peace and security.”

Mr Singh also said that for the time being, the WP is focusing its efforts on its traditional stomping grounds in the north-east and east of Singapore.

“Right now, a lot of our advocacy and our political work still extends around the north-east and places we have contested before in the prior elections,” he said.

“So if you’re assuming there will be a journey to the west at some point, at the moment our focus is still very much on the areas where we have walked for many, many years.”

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