OPPOSITION REACTS TO PM LEE’S APOLOGY

By Wayne Sim

Staff Writer

 

Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong’s admission of his government’s mistakes, as well as his subsequent apology, appears to have been a game-changer in the general election campaign.

 

Though many have brushed it off as an election ploy, coming just four days before Polling Day, it has succeeded in shifting sentiments on the ground in the PAP’s favour.

 

Many swing voters were previously frustrated and even angry with what they perceived as the PAP’s arrogance and refusal to admit their mistakes, but they have since been placated by what was the first time ever that a PAP Prime Minister had apologised in public to the people of Singapore for having failed to address their concerns. As such, Mr Lee’s move has thrown a curve ball to the opposition, who were previously seen as favourites to wrest at least one GRC and two SMCs from the ruling party.

 

Speaking at rallies across the country on the penultimate and final days of the campaign, opposition politicians have sought to remind Singaporeans why they were angry with the PAP in the first place, in an attempt to mitigate the damage that has been done to their chances as a result of the Prime Minister’s apology.

 

At the SDP’s lunchtime rally at Boat Quay, Dr Ang Yong Guan, who is contesting Holland-Bukit Timah GRC, noted that many of the crowd were professionals, such as bankers, accountants, lawyers and brokers. He said that they were in “zero error” jobs, and that even one mistake in their work – such as an omitted or misplaced decimal point – could result in termination by their clients.

 

“Your clients pay you $100,000 a year, they expect you not to make mistakes. There is zero margin of error in your jobs because you are professionals. Well, we are paying our Prime Minister $4 million a year, because he is an irreplaceable talent and a professional, so it can’t be that he makes mistakes that affect our livelihood and just says ‘sorry’, ‘we’ll get it right next time’, and the famous ‘let’s move on’,” said Dr Ang.

 

Other opposition politicians also made comments on Mr Lee’s apology:

 

“We do not want a ‘sorry’. I want the Prime Minister to regret, or maybe, repent. I want them to see, who are the judges? Are they the gods or are we the gods?” — Goh Meng Seng (NSP, Tampines)

 

“They’ve apologised, PM stood up and apologised. That is a symbol. Where is the substance? Have the rest of his ministers apologised? Have the rest of his MPs apologised? Can’t these ministers stand up in front of everyone and speak for themselves?” — Jimmy Lee (SPP, Bishan-Toa Payoh)

 

“What are they sorry for? Are they sorry for putting 200 people in jail who didn’t do any crime? Are they sorry for torturing them? Are they sorry for bankrupting J B Jeyaretnam and humiliating President Ong Teng Cheong? Are they sorry for losing hundreds of millions of our dollars? Is Dr Balakrishnan sorry for squandering $200 million and then refusing to explain why? Is Dr Teo Ho Pin sorry for losing $2 million of your conservancy charges? Are they sorry for insulting the native people of our land, our Malay brothers and sisters? Are they sorry that old people cannot eat and families cannot go to the doctor? Are they sorry that 70,000 children go to school without pocket money every day? Are they sorry that they have grabbed millions of dollars every year in salaries? Today, we are not impressed by their apology, we are not impressed by their remorse. It is contemptuous in the extreme. We want good government.” — Vincent Wijeysingha (SDP, Holland-Bukit Timah)

 

“Without strong opposition to challenge them in this election, do you think you will get a ‘sorry’? I have a question for the PM. Why move so slowly? The reason is there are not enough opposition MPs in Parliament to push them to move faster.” – Low Thia Khiang (WP, Aljunied)

 

“Do you want leaders who have the humility to apologise and take total responsibility immediately when they make mistakes, and not wait until four days before polling day?” – Gerald Giam (WP, East Coast)

 

“Mr Lee Hsien Loong, you have said sorry, but I ask you, is anything going to change? I ask you this today, Mr Prime Minister, so next time you do not have to wait till a few days before Polling Day to apologise.” — Pritam Singh (WP, Aljunied)

 

 

 

 

–

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

• Share