WP 50th Anniversary Dinner Speech
By Mr Low Thia Khiang, Secretary General and MP for Hougang
Leaders of Political Parties, Members and Supporters, Distinguished
Guests:
Good Evening.
Thank you for your presence here tonight. Special thanks to those
who have contributed to the successful publication of the Partys
50th year anniversary commemorative book. The presence here this
evening of the family of our party founder - Mrs David Marshall and
their son - has added much meaning to the dinner to mark the 50th
year milestone of the Workers Party.
The Workers Party has been a constant feature of Singapores
political scene for half a century, witnessing the different stages
of political development in Singapore and at each stage, played its
role as an opposition party. The outcome has been mixed and the
effect has been limited. However, despite the difficult political
climate, WP has remained resilient, challenging the ruling party
during each general election to provide a choice to Singaporeans.
This is our contribution to the political process of our system of
Parliamentary Democracy.
Since 1959 when the PAP became the only dominant party, the mass
media has often portrayed opposition to be against the national
interest and a source of instability to the nation. Opposition
parties were labeled as irrational, opposing for the sake of
opposition. The Workers Party has had to battle such propaganda to
change this negative image.
In my view, the party has made good progress in this aspect after
years of painstaking effort, through public policy discourse and
ground work. We have to continue in this direction in a sustainable
and consistent manner, so as to build public confidence in
WP.
The WP leadership is committed to this direction and has executed
strategies in the confidence-building process. However, the
ultimate key lies in the people. Whether Singaporeans are prepared
to do their part by joining WP and remaining actively involved in
WP to build up the party is a decisive factor to determine whether
the Workers� Party will be able to mark another milestone 50 years
down the road.
The quality of members is a very important factor in a political
party. Cadre members elect the core leadership and decide the
direction and manner of political engagement of the party. To give
every member a sense of ownership, we must encourage internal
debate, discussion, and those with potential to assume leadership
roles. But an individual leader, however capable, has a limited
capacity. Without teamwork from trustworthy and responsible
members, the party will not go far. And worse, if members leverage
on the party for the pursuit of personal ambitions or
self-interest, at the expense of the party interest, a party split
is inevitable.
Members of the Workers Party have come from all walks of life;
they have played different roles in the party. Without them, we
wouldnt be here this evening to celebrate 50th anniversary. Just
as WP has had a 50 year journey, many members are now in their 60s
and older.
In GE 2006, WP was fortunate to have a group of younger
Singaporeans born after independence who responded to the call to
come forward to serve. But the numbers are still insufficient to
make WP as effective as we would like it to be, i.e. to be able to
provide an effective alternative choice to the people, to protect
the political rights of the people and to contribute towards the
move to make Singapore a First World Democracy.
Recently, during the sale of our Hammer newspaper, someone remarked
to me that he would not want to buy the Hammer because WP is
useless. I respect his view, but the reality is that WP would not
be able to meet the expectations of everyone. The fact is that
members of WP are like other ordinary Singaporeans facing time
constraints and the need to balance work, career and family. We
also face limitations in political space and the shortage of
resources. We are not a profit making corporation, and our members
and office bearers are all volunteers.
For those who feel that WP is not up to the mark, how about coming
forward to do some public service? I challenge the critics of WP to
join the Workers� Party to make it better! Only when there is a
pool of credible human resources, can WP perform better. Only when
there is new blood, can WP continue its renewal to meet societys
expectations.
On a broader level, when one talks about success at elections, the
single most important factor is the will of the general public. I
am of the view that there is a general aspiration in Singaporeans
wanting opposition party to thrive, to articulate the peoples
sentiments in Parliament, and to certain extent, to balance the
power of the govt.
But a general will for opposition has not been able to materialize
for two reasons. First, the ruling party has used its incumbent�s
advantage to amend legislation to limit political space, to change
election ground rules, redraw electoral boundaries; it has also
used stick & carrot strategies during GE to block the wishes of
the people. Secondly, voters do not have enough confidence in
opposition parties for one reason or another.
The changes made by the ruling party via the GRC system has
effectively divided contest at General Elections into two leagues.
The first league is the GRC, the second league is Single Member
Constituency or SMC. No opposition party has been able to win a GRC
so far. Even in SMCs, no opposition candidate has unseated an
incumbent MP for 15 years. If the situation continues, the
opposition will be significantly weakened and its ability to
contest elections to allow Singaporeans to exercise their political
rights will be affected.
On the other hand, for the PAP, new candidates are sent to GRCs to
contest and easily elected into Parliament. So the PAP achieves its
objective of renewal easily. Even in the second league of SMCs, the
PAP can redraw electoral boundaries to dissolve SMCs and create new
ones depending on their assessment of ground support. SMCs are now
contested by PAP candidates who are either office holders like
Ministers of State, or incumbent MPs with strong grassroots
support. Hence, to win in SMC now is also not an easy feat for
opposition either.
In my view, as long as opposition is unable to secure a
breakthrough in a GRC, the opposition remains a marginal player and
at risk of extinction one day. Any talk of checks and balances and
alternative government would be just talk, let alone the dream of
seeing an opposition party winning an election and taking over the
government like in mature western democracies.
In the history of the Workers Party, the watershed moment had been
the 1981 by-election victory of the first opposition member of
Parliament in Singapore since independence, Mr JB Jeyaretnam.
If we want our system of Parliamentary Democracy to be able to
function properly, to allow Singaporeans real choices, and to
promote good government for the next generation, seeking an
opposition breakthrough in a GRC is a must.
The Workers Party had targeted winning GRCs since their inception
in 1988, but without success. Let me assure you that we shall work
toward another watershed at the next election to breakthrough a
GRC!
To achieve this breakthrough, teamwork, party discipline and unity
are vital.
The Workers Party will continue to strive hard without any let up.
We believe that, notwithstanding any political arm-twisting tactic
the PAP may deploy, voters are the backbone of WP. As long as the
one man, one vote system remains in operation, the right to
decide is still in the hands of the voters.
It has certainly been no mean feat to survive this journey of ups
and downs in opposition politics throughout the past 5 decades.
While there have been breakthroughs and milestones, WP still needs
your continuing support to ensure good governance and develop a
First World Democracy where the People are empowered to determine
the direction of the Nation.
The power to decide the future of our nation lies in your
hands.
You have a Choice - Exercise this power or relinquish it.
Ultimately, this is your legacy!
Thank You.
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