Indian-origin Pritam Singh formally takes charge as Singapore's first Leader of Opposition
Singapore: Pritam Singh, Singapore's Indian-origin politician scripted history on Monday when the city-state's Parliament conferred the duties and privileges to him as the country's first Leader of the Opposition.
Singh's Workers' Party won 10 parliamentary seats out of the 93 it contested in the July 10 General Election, making it the biggest opposition presence in Singapore's parliamentary history.
As the House began proceedings on Monday, one of the first orders of business was a ministerial statement by the Leader of the House Indranee Rajah on formally recognising Singh, 43, as the country's first Opposition leader.
Addressing Parliament, Singh underlined the need to focus on foreigners and their living conditions. He said how foreign workers are managed and accommodated needs to be improved.
Their (foreigners) presence gives Singapore a vitality that keeps us economically relevant and also provides jobs and opportunities to our fellow Singaporeans. Many of us count the foreigners in our midst - regardless of race, language or religion - as our friends, Channel News Asia quoted Singh as saying.
It is precisely because we need foreigners to help power our economy that we need to pay more attention to the Singapore worker... some of whom feel excluded from (the) opportunities created in their homeland, Singh said.
Leader of House Indranee, who is also of Indian-origin from the ruling People's Action Party (PAP), said, "With more opposition MPs reflecting a 'strong desire among Singaporeans for a greater diversity of views in politics' as noted by the Prime Minister (Lee Hsien Loong) in his swearing-in speech.. It is timely and appropriate that the position of the Leader of the Opposition be more formally recognised."
The PAP has an absolute majority in the House with 83 elected members.
The House passed a motion to double Singh's speaking time from 20 minutes -- which is allotted to backbenchers -- to 40 minutes, the duration allotted to office holders.
Singh took the seat directly opposite Prime Minister Lee in the chamber. This is similar to the practice in other countries that formally recognise the role of the Leader of the Opposition, Indranee pointed out.
Singh called on the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) to publish the names of "recalcitrant" employers who do not give locals a fair chance in hiring and promotion.
The MOM had recently placed 47 companies on the Fair Consideration Framework (FCF) watchlist for discriminatory hiring practices.
A wealth management firm on the list was found to have almost three-quarters of its professionals from the same country, he said. In another similar case, a bank was found to have two-thirds of its professionals from a particular country.
The obvious question is, how did those two companies get to those stages without the MOM taking action? he asked.
MOM website states at one point and I quote: MOM does not tolerate unfair hiring practices and employers who do not give locals a fair chance in hiring and promotion will face scrutiny and stiff penalties if found to have unfair hiring practices, he said.
Following the General Election, Prime Minister Loong had said Singh will be designated the Leader of the Opposition in the 14th Parliament, and that he would be given staff support and resources to perform his duties.
There have been de facto leaders of the Opposition in the past, such as former Singapore People's Party chief Chiam See Tong. However, this is the first time the position is being recognised officially.
During her address on Monday, Indranee, 57, reiterated that Singh will be given an office in Parliament, staff support and resources, as well as additional allowance.
The Leader of the Opposition will generally be given the right of first response among MPs to ask the lead question to ministers on policies, bills and motions in Parliament.
This will be at the discretion of the Speaker and subject to existing conventions, she said.
As Leader of the Opposition, Singh's duties include leading and organising the Opposition's parliamentary business. He may also take on other duties such as attending official state functions and taking part in visits and meetings with members of the Government and the public service.
He will also, from time to time, receive briefings by the government on confidential issues, and the matters to be briefed will be determined by the government, said Indranee.
These duties and privileges are based on the conventions and practices of other Westminster-style parliamentary systems, but reflect adaptations to Singapore's political and parliamentary context, she added.
"With greater diversity of views, we can expect more robust debate and, in some cases, sharper exchanges. But we should work to ensure that diversity does not lead to polarity, of the country or of the people," said Indranee.
"Experience elsewhere shows that unity in diversity is not an assured outcome. Our goal should be to harness this diversity of views in a constructive manner, so that we can as a Parliament better serve the interests of Singaporeans and Singapore."
Indranee added that the role of the Leader of the Opposition in Singapore will evolve with the country's politics.
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'Creator of modern India': Cong pays tributes to Jawaharlal Nehru on birth anniversary
New Delhi (PTI): The Congress on Thursday paid rich tributes to India's first prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru on his birth anniversary, with Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi saying his democratic, progressive and inclusive values are the cornerstone of India and will always remain so.
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge hailed Nehru as the architect of modern India and the one who took India from zero to the peak.
Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra also paid floral tributes to Nehru at his memorial 'Shantivan' here.
India's first and longest-serving prime minister, Nehru was born on this date in 1889 in Uttar Pradesh's Allahabad (now Prayagraj). He was one of the leading faces of the country's freedom struggle. He breathed his last on May 27, 1964.
In a post in Hindi on X, Rahul Gandhi said, "Respectful tribute to the creator of modern India, creator of institutions, first Prime Minister of India, Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru, on his birth anniversary. Democratic, progressive, fearless, visionary, inclusive ' these values ''of 'Hind Ke Jawahar' are our ideal and the cornerstone of India and will always remain so."
In his post in Hindi on X, Kharge said, "On the 135th birth anniversary of 'Hind ke Jawahar', the architect of modern India, the one who took India from zero to the peak, the one who made India develop in scientific, economic, industrial and various fields, the one who constantly gave the message of 'unity in diversity' to the country, the fearless sentinel of democracy and our source of inspiration, we remember his unprecedented contribution to the country."
He also shared an excerpt from Nehru's 'The Discovery of India'.
Priyanka Gandhi shared a quote by Nehru which states that fear is the foundation of all the evils in the world.
"When we achieved independence after decades of struggle and countless sacrifices, there were still people who used to play the politics of scaring and misleading the innocent public. Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru ji fought them bravely and told the common people - 'Daro Mat (Do not be afraid)'!"
"People who spread fear among the public cannot be true representatives of the public. Public servants stand in the forefront with their heads held high so that people can live without fear. Pandit Nehru ji always taught the people to be fearless and serve without fear, and on the other hand kept the public supreme at every stage of nation building," she said in her post in Hindi on X.
She hailed him as "the creator of modern India".
Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh recalled that on November 14, 1949, India's prime minister was presented with an Abhinandan Granth as he turned 60.
"The Editorial Board for the preparation of this magnificent 700-page volume had some of the most distinguished names in Indian public life as members-- Rajendra Prasad, Puroshottamdas Tandon, Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, K.M. Munshi, Govind Das, Vishwanath More, Nandalal Bose, S.H. Vatsyayan, and Lanka Sundaram. Over a hundred personalities and scholars from across the world contributed to the Granth," he said.
Governor General C Rajagopalachari's opening was very brief but was, as always, telling and conveyed much, Ramesh said.
"Then came the Iron Man of India, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, who laid bare his heart and revealed the true meaning of his relationship with the Prime Minister. This was some eight months after the Prime Minister had unveiled a statue of the Sardar in Godhra," he recalled.
"There has been so much written by and on him that it is timely that the Jawaharlal Nehru Memorial Fund (JNMF) has just announced its initiative to create a cutting-edge, multimedia digital archive. The archive will be launched on November 14, 2025," Ramesh said in his post on X.
Congress general secretary, in-charge organisation, K C Venugopal also paid rich tributes to Nehru on the occasion of his birth anniversary, hailing him as the architect of modern India, the visionary that laid the foundation of our republic, and the world leader who was truly admired by every nation across the globe.
"His unique role in our history, of being a crucial part of the freedom struggle and then leading independent India for nearly two decades, makes his contributions truly remarkable especially because of the values he upheld during his time," Venugopal said.
His unflinching commitment to democratic principles, secularism and welfare of the poor and marginalised was the hallmark of his governance and will continue to inspire us for generations to come, he said on X.
The Congress, on its official X handle, said Nehru, envisioned India's destiny and shaped it through his relentless pursuit of freedom, democracy and progress.
"He laid the foundation for a modern and self-reliant India, giving her the wings to reach for the stars," the party said.
"Today, we honour his unmatched & exemplary legacy," it added.
