WP Leader of Opposition Trade-offs

SINGAPORE‌ – ‌Just⁢ hours after Workers’ Party chief Pritam Singh was removed as Leader of the Opposition (LO), he was knocking on ‌doors in his Eunos ‍ward of Aljunied GRC.

Dressed in a⁣ blue-checked shirt, he chatted with residents and posed for photographs with them.

“The work continues ⁣today, and it⁢ will‌ continue tomorrow,” he said in social‌ media posts put up around⁢ 11pm.

The message echoed the slogan his party had put⁤ out the day‌ before, after parliament‌ had voted to⁢ declare him⁤ unsuitable as LO over⁤ his⁣ convictions for lying under oath.”#WeContinue”,‍ it said.

A video hammered home the point with snippets of the party’s MPs including Mr Singh, Ms Sylvia Lim and Mr Gerald ⁣Giam repeating the same phrase earlier in Parliament.

For the WP, the message ​it seeks to​ project is clear:⁢ The LO ⁣title may be gone,⁤ but it is business as usual.

The party has been ⁣projecting a united front even as Mr Singh’s position as party chief has been called into question.

For the past two weekends, party leaders and members have been out in force selling the WP’s Hammer newsletter in Aljunied GRC ​and ⁤Sengkang GRC. Even former WP chief Low⁢ Thia ⁤Khiang, who is ⁤not always seen at all of the party’s ⁤activities,⁤ was⁢ notably present.The party’s ‌leadership also appears to be firmly behind Mr Singh, who took over as⁢ chief in 2018.At the

tabled⁢ by Leader of​ the House Indranee⁣ Rajah to deem Mr Singh unsuitable as LO, all ‍of the⁤ WP mps who spoke stoutly defended⁤ him.

They included⁤ his fellow Aljunied GRC MPs – ‍WP chairwoman Lim who called it a⁤ “political exercise”, and WP policy research head Giam who questioned why Mr Singh was paying a “further political penalty” beyond a legal one.

At⁢ the debate, Mr Singh had lifted the party ⁢whip‍ so ‌the ​WP MPs could ​vote “as they consider‍ fit”.

The​ eventual unanimous rejection of ⁣the motion by ⁣all⁤ 11‌ WP mps present – all of them are ⁣also on the WP central executive committee -‍ seems to indicate that the party’s⁢ leadership has closed ranks ⁢behind him.

According to an Institute of​ Policy Studies post-election survey conducted in 2025, the WP was deemed by Singaporeans as equally credible as the PAP.

Given ⁢the​ benefits of having an LO, some political observers have suggested ‌that the WP will be ⁢better off nominating another one of its MPs for the role, so as not to lose the extra resources and profile that come with ⁤it.

Already, some pundits have started to speculate who the next LO might potentially be.

the names of long-time WP members, such as⁣ Hougang MP Dennis Tan and Mr⁢ Giam, have been thrown up as likely candidates.

Despite the benefits of having an‍ LO, there are other factors the WP must consider.

It may not have much room to manoeuvre after its strong defense of Mr Singh in parliament.

After all, nominating another MP, no matter what justification⁤ is given, will be taken as an acknowledgement ⁢that​ Mr Singh is unfit for the role.

In this term of Parliament, the WP is the onyl opposition party in the House.

This ​means that regardless⁢ of the​ LO title, should Mr Singh remain ⁣as ‌secretary-general of‌ the party, he will also be the de facto leader ⁣of the opposition.

that alone had been enough for his predecessor, Mr Low, to build up⁤ not just​ his own but also the WP’s profile, as he‌ led the party to the‍ frist⁢ ever​ group representation constituency victory by an opposition party in Aljunied in 2011.

Today, the WP, no doubt, sees itself in a stronger position.

Despite Mr Singh’s case, the party had retained its strongholds.