I'm quite surprised that in the heat of controversy about Pritam's surprise appearance on a Malaysian podcast, nobody has picked up on the subtle but important admission that he made there.
Basically, he said the quiet part loud about why he's not gunning for premiership, openly forswearing to even pursue it.
To careful observers it has always been obvious, of course, but it's the first time he has actually said it. It has nothing to do with what he on WP stand for or would like to achieve one day but is rather just a very conscious calculation.
In other words, Pritam is afraid that exhibiting ambition to lead Singapore would hurt him and his party in the polls. That's it. Here's his response to Khairy's question about WP's political strategy and the last GE:
"I have to have a good finger on the pulse of Singaporeans. I've got to understand what they want and I've got to understand how they respond to language which reflects ambition.
If that language is not in sync with their broad understanding of what they want out of politics in Singapore then ambition can be a death knell for any politician.
If we accept that Singaporeans are pragmatic and there's no demand for a change of government, then going out there flying a flag which says I'm your prime minister in waiting is probably, with respect, an act of foolishness."
Here it is on video.
Where in that is he claiming he "doesn't want to" be the PM?
Catastrophic failure of local journalism
I'm rarely in agreement with Bertha Henson, but one topic where our viewpoints meet is the sorry state of local journalism. In fact, I am far more critical of it than she is (picking on stylistic errors and whatnot). Far too often it is simply factually inaccurate and it seems to be a result of pervasive incompetence.
Take a look at the stories ran after the podcast in the two largest local outlets – CNA and the Straits Times (a few minor ones repeated it too):
CNA:
The Straits Times:
Is that really what he said?
The best part is that they even quoted the same passages but still failed to notice the open admission not that he doesn't want to be the PM but rather that it is what he considers to be politically beneficial at this point in time.
It's a very important difference.
It's one thing to claim "oh, I just want to be an alternative voice" and something else entirely to effectively admit that "I'm just saying whatever I think Singaporeans want to hear."
Isn't that exactly what's going on here?
Is he wrong, though?
Of course, the nature of democracy is such that politicians are motivated to say and do whatever helps them win seats. PAP does the same, after all, as do all political parties in the world. They just rarely go on record with an admission.
The difference is in the scale of bullsh*t they employ – at least in Singapore (in most other places it's hard to find anybody competent across the entire political spectrum).
Perhaps the spirit of LKY is still around, cautioning the government that following opinion polls "shows a certain weakness of mind - an inability to chart a course whichever way the wind blows, whichever way the media encourages the people to go, you follow. If you can't force or are unwilling to force your people to follow you, with or without threats, you are not a leader.”
While PAP may generously dish out handouts to boost its popularity and occasionally make promises or enact hollow policies that are meant to do little else than signal good intentions (e.g. on environment or climate change), it still has to deliver on key issues like housing, prices, employment or economic growth (and, unlike in other countries, had to make the money it spends). It also occasionally takes difficult, painful or controversial decisions, when necessary (like the GST hike).
Workers' Party, on the other hand, can say whatever it wants knowing that it bears no responsibility for anything. It can freely experiment with dangerous narratives (like race & religion) or make things up outright (about inflation, housing or that it doesn't want to be the government), testing what works for them at the polls.
Pritam has effectively admitted not only that this entire story about not wanting to be the PM is made up, but that the party itself really has no programme for Singapore and exists solely to oppose for opposition's sake, not to meaningfully contribute to the nation.
His sole goal is to win more seats. What for? He can't say. It's a game.
He's the antithesis of a leader as described by Lee Kuan Yew. Instead of providing ideas or vision to rally and lead people, he's just permanently occupied with trying to feel out what Singaporeans are ready to buy from him this time.
