Ex-Workers’ Party Cadre says he can no longer support the party he once believed in ahead of Cooling-Off Day

“But, why is she called paati?” I remember asking as a toddler, growing up on the outskirts of Hougang in the late 1990s. You see, there was Indian aunty, an ardent supporter of JBJ, whose nickname was “Workers’ Party” who lived in a block not far from mine. At 3, I mistakenly thought people were calling her “paati”, which means grandmother in Tamil. She was awfully young to be a grandmother, I thought.

By 7, I attended my first WP rally in Hougang SMC. By 12, I had gone to several. Mr Low Thia Khiang’s clarion call to the people of Hougang was deeply inspiring – he called on them to return him to Parliament for they had a special role to play in our democracy, to prevent a PAP monopoly. In those days, there were only 2 elected Opposition MPs. As I grew older, my understanding of Singapore politics was shaped by the politicians who inspired me the most – Mr Low, Ms Sylvia Lim and Ms Indranee Rajah.

By JC, the WP had won its very first GRC – Aljunied. By NS, as fate would have it, I moved into Punggol East SMC (a misnomer as it was really Sengkang East), weeks after WP’s Lee Li Lian won the seat in a by-election. With more time on my hands, I took the step to volunteer with Li Lian. Instead of waxing lyrical about politics online, I could now do my own little part to help the WP. The WP was never a perfect party. But its approach, shaped by Mr Low, was clear. It believed in “rational, responsible, respectable” Opposition politics. A constructive Opposition.

By uni, GE2015 came about. The Punggol East team campaigned hard, just as we worked hard on the ground prior to the polls. But, alas, we lost to the PAP. It was the first time the WP had lost an incumbent MP in an election. Soon after, I immersed myself in different aspects of party work – grassroots, policy, youth wing and, of course, the media team. The WP became a big part of my life, my identity. I became a card-carrying member and then, a cadre member.

By end-2018, those of us who held the fort in Punggol East under Li Lian suspected that a new GRC could be formed in Sengkang. We requested the party leaders to send a team to walk the ground with us. Half a year later, they sent Jamus, Louis and Raeesah. Another half a year went by and before we knew it, we were in the midst of the hustings in a new Sengkang GRC which we unexpectedly won.

Then, Raeesah lied. Members of the public will know what happened next. The COP, a police investigation and, eventually, a court case – where Pritam was found guilty on both charges he faced. The verdict is available online for anyone to read. At present, it would be improper for me to comment further on the case because the matter is being appealed before the Court.

Now, we come to the present election before us.

What is most worrying to me, this GE, is the WP’s approach to sensitive matters. The party’s playbook this GE is plain to see. It seems like the WP is willing to poke at sensitive issues – even arguably co-opting people’s opposition to a genocide – if it means propelling people to vote for it, nevermind the cost. To be clear, you can’t fault voters with genuine concerns from voting one way or another. Politicians who claim to be rational, responsible stewards of our democracy but who resort to poking at sensitive issues should be held to account. Singaporeans of all walks of life should ask – is this the kind of politics we want in Singapore – one where sensitive matters become fodder to play political games at the ballot box?

To make matters worse, other actors, including foreign ones from across the Causeway, have openly asked voters to vote along racial and/or religious lines. It’s probably the first time in decades that this has occurred.

On fiscal policy, the WP continues to oppose the GST increase. However, there are three key problems with its approach. Firstly, the WP has not provided a good counter-argument to the government’s explanation that after transfers (e.g., the permanent GST vouchers) are accounted for, the GST system becomes a progressive one which does not “turbocharge” inflation and where low- and middle-income households get back more than they give. Secondly, the WP’s newly proposed alternative sources of revenue will harm Singaporean workers more than they will help. What the party isn’t telling Singaporeans is that you can only raise corporate taxes (one of its new proposals) by so much before we become less competitive and MNCs either move jobs overseas or engage in cost-cutting measures that will make it harder for workers to become employed, stay employed or enjoy higher wages. Thirdly, WP candidates have indicated publicly that there was no need to raise the GST at the time the government did. One WP MP even recently said that Singapore’s public spending needs for which the GST was raised do not kick in until 2026. Is this a rational, responsible approach to public finances? Or is this populism at play?

Meanwhile, since Parliament was dissolved and the Writ of Election was issued, the WP Secretary-General and Chair have been empowered by the party’s CEC to direct any party member to remove any online post, comment or interaction. This new resolution is in effect until the day after Polling Day. Which other political party in the world has a rule like this?

Five years ago, I was proud to have been in the team of residents who nominated Jamus, Ru, Louis and Raeesah as our Workers’ Party candidates in Sengkang GRC as their Proposer and to have campaigned for them. But how can I vote for a party which neglected Compassvale for so long, leaving volunteers in limbo? How can I vote for a team that let municipal issues – from rodent infestations to lifts left broken for weeks to months – go unresolved for so long?

Many Singaporeans continue to believe that they will be voting for checks and balances if they vote WP. But what if they’re unknowingly voting for a party more interested in its self-preservation than in channelling the people’s voice as Mr Low intended and envisioned?

This isn’t the WP I knew growing up.

It’s not the WP I joined.

And I never thought I’d say this – but it’s not the WP I’ll be voting for on the 3rd of May.