{"id":95474,"date":"2026-10-25T13:26:00","date_gmt":"2026-10-25T05:26:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/?p=95474"},"modified":"2026-10-25T13:26:00","modified_gmt":"2026-10-25T05:26:00","slug":"wps-position-seems-to-shift-with-political-winds-pap-must-take-wider-view-pm-wong","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/?p=95474","title":{"rendered":"WP\u2019s position seems to shift with \u2018political winds\u2019, PAP must take wider view: PM Wong"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<p class=\"text-primary article-summary font-tertiary-body-baseline-regular\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">SINGAPORE \u2013 The Workers\u2019 Party has not always taken consistent or coherent positions on policy, said Prime Minister Lawrence Wong on Oct 25.<\/p>\n<p class=\"text-primary font-tertiary-body-baseline-regular\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">Instead, the opposition party has taken different positions at different times, depending on the concerns of the day, or what it believes will be popular, PM Wong told the PAP\u2019s cadres at the party\u2019s biennial conference at the Singapore Expo.<\/p>\n<p class=\"text-primary font-tertiary-body-baseline-regular\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">These positions do not always add up to a coherent approach that takes account of the trade-offs and longer-term consequences, he said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"text-primary font-tertiary-body-baseline-regular\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">The PAP\u2019s approach is different and as the governing party, it must take a wider and longer-term view, he said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"text-primary font-tertiary-body-baseline-regular\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">He raised two examples: housing and foreign manpower.<\/p>\n<p class=\"text-primary font-tertiary-body-baseline-regular\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">On housing, PM Wong said the WP had in 2019 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.straitstimes.com\/opinion\/forum\/forum-wp-glossing-over-own-proposal-to-cut-back-bto-programme?ref=inline-article\" rel=\"noopener\" class=\"gap-x-04 items-center inline text-primary-60 select-auto\" aria-label=\"link\" target=\"_blank\" data-testid=\"custom-link\"><span class=\"inline font-tertiary-body-baseline-regular\" data-testid=\"typography-test-id\">argued that the Government should build fewer new flats.<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"text-primary font-tertiary-body-baseline-regular\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">Then, Housing Board flat resale prices were falling.<\/p>\n<p class=\"text-primary font-tertiary-body-baseline-regular\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">Later, when the Covid-19 pandemic struck, construction was disrupted and there was a shortfall of new flats.<\/p>\n<p class=\"text-primary font-tertiary-body-baseline-regular\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">By 2023, the WP was criticising the Government for not building enough flats, PM Wong said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"text-primary font-tertiary-body-baseline-regular\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">\u201cYet there was no acknowledgement of what it had advocated just a few years earlier.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"text-primary font-tertiary-body-baseline-regular\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">Now the housing situation has stabilised, but the Government still needs to build more new flats to meet the needs of different groups of Singaporeans including singles, he added.<\/p>\n<p class=\"text-primary font-tertiary-body-baseline-regular\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">At the same time, it wants to protect and grow green spaces.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"PM Wong says the Workers\u2019 Party takes different positions based on what they believe will be popular\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/bLJ5Gyi-xds?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p class=\"text-primary font-tertiary-body-baseline-regular\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">Every new development involves difficult choices, PM Wong added, and when it <a href=\"https:\/\/www.straitstimes.com\/singapore\/housing\/upcoming-gillman-barracks-housing-estate-will-retain-25-heritage-buildings-green-spaces?ref=inline-article\" rel=\"noopener\" class=\"gap-x-04 items-center inline text-primary-60 select-auto\" aria-label=\"link\" target=\"_blank\" data-testid=\"custom-link\"><span class=\"inline font-tertiary-body-baseline-regular\" data-testid=\"typography-test-id\">considers sites like Sunset Way or Gillman Barracks,<\/span><\/a> it has to weigh these competing demands carefully.<\/p>\n<p class=\"text-primary font-tertiary-body-baseline-regular\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">The two sites were discussed in Parliament in August, after MPs from both the PAP and WP raised concerns from residents about the selection of these green spaces for redevelopment into housing.<\/p>\n<p class=\"text-primary font-tertiary-body-baseline-regular\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">\u201cThere is no option that will satisfy everyone. But we must make a choice. And we will choose what best serves Singapore\u2019s wider and longer-term interests.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"text-primary font-tertiary-body-baseline-regular\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">On foreign manpower, PM Wong said when the PAP tightened foreign worker policies in 2012, the WP called for greater flexibility across industries.<\/p>\n<p class=\"text-primary font-tertiary-body-baseline-regular\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">Later during the debate on population policy, amid concerns over the population projections of 6.9 million, the WP proposed <a href=\"https:\/\/www.straitstimes.com\/singapore\/politics\/foreign-workforce?ref=inline-article\" rel=\"noopener\" class=\"gap-x-04 items-center inline text-primary-60 select-auto\" aria-label=\"link\" target=\"_blank\" data-testid=\"custom-link\"><span class=\"inline font-tertiary-body-baseline-regular\" data-testid=\"typography-test-id\">zero growth in the foreign workforce,<\/span><\/a> he said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"text-primary font-tertiary-body-baseline-regular\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">More recently, when small and medium-sized enterprises faced manpower shortages, the WP called for easing of foreign worker quotas, he added.<\/p>\n<p class=\"text-primary font-tertiary-body-baseline-regular\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">\u201cYou can see how their position seems to shift with the political winds. But foreign manpower policy cannot simply shift back and forth with the pressures of the moment,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"text-primary font-tertiary-body-baseline-regular\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">Any change has wider consequences, and even relatively small adjustments to work permit and S Pass rules can lead to substantial increases in foreign worker numbers across the economy, he added.<\/p>\n<p class=\"text-primary font-tertiary-body-baseline-regular\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">It is easier to argue for a particular position when one does not have to reconcile all the competing demands, or take responsibility for the outcome, said PM Wong.<\/p>\n<p class=\"text-primary font-tertiary-body-baseline-regular\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">This is part of opposition politics. But as the governing party, the PAP must consider the wider picture, he said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"text-primary font-tertiary-body-baseline-regular\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">\u201cWe cannot simply tell everyone what they want to hear, or promise everyone what they hope to get.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"text-primary font-tertiary-body-baseline-regular\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">Governing is different, and the PAP cannot just offer what sounds attractive today, he added.<\/p>\n<p class=\"text-primary font-tertiary-body-baseline-regular\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">\u201cWe have to make difficult choices that will stand the test of time.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"text-primary font-tertiary-body-baseline-regular\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">The party must also guard against populism \u2013 the temptation to offer simplistic solutions instead of confronting difficult realities.<\/p>\n<p class=\"text-primary font-tertiary-body-baseline-regular\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">\u201cAbove all, we must never allow our politics to become so divided that we lose the ability to work together for the good of Singapore,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"text-primary font-tertiary-body-baseline-regular\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">He pointed to global developments where traditional political parties have lost ground and the political centre has weakened, and protests have erupted on the streets.<\/p>\n<p class=\"text-primary font-tertiary-body-baseline-regular\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">There are no easy answers to these problems, yet there is always the temptation to offer quick fixes, he added, but these do not solve the underlying problems.<\/p>\n<p class=\"text-primary font-tertiary-body-baseline-regular\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">\u201cSo the frustrations persist. Trust in institutions weakens. Politics becomes more polarised,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"text-primary font-tertiary-body-baseline-regular\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">Then it becomes harder to find common ground, build consensus and make the difficult decisions needed for the common good, PM Wong said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"text-primary font-tertiary-body-baseline-regular\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">Singaporeans also worry about their livelihoods and their children\u2019s futures \u2013 and these are real concerns that the PAP must take seriously, he added.<\/p>\n<p class=\"text-primary font-tertiary-body-baseline-regular\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">The Government must keep opportunities open, address the pressures Singaporeans face, and sustain their confidence in the future.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"font-primary-headline-md-semibold\" data-testid=\"article-subhead-test-id\">Tackling politically difficult issues head on<\/h2>\n<p class=\"text-primary font-tertiary-body-baseline-regular\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">Sometimes, the challenge is not about balancing competing interests, PM Wong said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"text-primary font-tertiary-body-baseline-regular\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">It is about confronting an issue that would be much easier, politically, to leave alone.<\/p>\n<p class=\"text-primary font-tertiary-body-baseline-regular\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">PM Wong raised the example of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.straitstimes.com\/singapore\/politics\/changes-to-salaries-of-political-appointment-holders-and-mps-explained?ref=inline-article\" rel=\"noopener\" class=\"gap-x-04 items-center inline text-primary-60 select-auto\" aria-label=\"link\" target=\"_blank\" data-testid=\"custom-link\"><span class=\"inline font-tertiary-body-baseline-regular\" data-testid=\"typography-test-id\">updating political salaries, which he announced in Parliament in September.<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"text-primary font-tertiary-body-baseline-regular\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">Then, he said political office-holders will get a one-off pay increase of up to 9%, as the Government had accepted the recommendations of a committee convened in December 2025 to review political salaries.<\/p>\n<p class=\"text-primary font-tertiary-body-baseline-regular\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">The PAP knew there would be strong reactions, PM Wong said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"text-primary font-tertiary-body-baseline-regular\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">The politically convenient option would have been to avoid the issue altogether.<\/p>\n<p class=\"text-primary font-tertiary-body-baseline-regular\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">But the PAP could not keep putting off a decision that matters for Singapore\u2019s ability to build a strong political leadership team for the future, he said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"text-primary font-tertiary-body-baseline-regular\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">\u201cSo I decided to address the issue openly in Parliament, explain our decision, and take responsibility for it,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"text-primary font-tertiary-body-baseline-regular\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">Summing up his points, PM Wong said housing, manpower and political salaries are very different issues.<\/p>\n<p class=\"text-primary font-tertiary-body-baseline-regular\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">But the PAP\u2019s approach is guided by the same principles \u2013 it listens carefully, explains the trade-offs honestly, and makes the call, he said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"text-primary font-tertiary-body-baseline-regular\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">\u201cAnd we take responsibility for the consequences,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n<p class=\"text-primary font-tertiary-body-baseline-regular\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">The party cannot shy away from difficult decisions just because they are unpopular, nor tell people what they want to hear today, only to leave others to deal with the consequences tomorrow, he said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"text-primary font-tertiary-body-baseline-regular\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">Because postponing difficult decisions does not make the problems disappear.<\/p>\n<p class=\"text-primary font-tertiary-body-baseline-regular\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">\u201cWe simply pass them on to those who come after us \u2013 and we often leave them with harder choices later.<\/p>\n<p class=\"text-primary font-tertiary-body-baseline-regular\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">\u201cSo, comrades, we must always have the courage to act. Act not just for Singaporeans today, but also for our children and grandchildren who will inherit the Singapore we build.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><br \/>\n<center><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.straitstimes.com\/singapore\/politics\/wps-position-seems-to-shift-with-the-political-winds-pap-must-take-the-wider-view-pm-wong\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Read Full Article At Source <\/a><br \/>\n<center\/><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>SINGAPORE \u2013 The Workers\u2019 Party has not always taken consistent or coherent positions on policy, said Prime Minister Lawrence Wong on Oct 25. Instead, the&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":95476,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[2611],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-95474","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-buzz-headlines","wpcat-2611-id"],"brizy_media":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/95474","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=95474"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/95474\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/95476"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=95474"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=95474"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=95474"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}