Even though I still get annoyed by ignorant and dishonest people in politics all over the world, one good thing about Singapore's opposition is that the lunatics are unelectable and the only elected opposition MPs are providing more entertainment than harm.
We've just had the Leader of the Opposition, Pritam Singh, no less, motivating his party and supporters ahead of the General Election this year by reviving the old warning of a possible wipeout of all elected opposition:
"The opposition movement as defined by elected opposition MPs in Parliament is still in its infancy. At this stage of Singapore’s political development, there is a real risk of a wipeout of elected opposition MPs." – Pritam Singh
If you think you're suffering déjà vu I am happy to reassure you that it's neither a glitch in the Matrix nor your brain playing tricks on you – you simply heard the exact same phrase FIVE years ago ahead of the election in 2020.
Opposition has one source of risk: Pritam himself
This sort of fearmongering may work once but keep repeating it and people will see for what it is – a cynical electoral tactic, little else.
But if you look at the bigger picture it fits a pattern of poor decisions made in the past parliamentary term by none other but Pritam Singh himself.
Reviving a tired old slogan is just one of a string of many stumbles of the LOO who is less than a month away from hearing the verdict in his case of perjury.
Lying under oath is a big accusation for any parliamentarian, since MPs enjoy special protections in exchange for a solemn promise of ethical behaviour. Should he get convicted it will be a stain he won't be able to wash off.
But it would never have come to this if he hadn't decided to field an irresponsible, woke candidate with zero experience in anything, likely in an effort to pander to young, left-wing voters in 2020.
It's a domino chain that he set in motion five years ago, which is now threatening to take him down and undermine the chances of the entire Singapore opposition for a good electoral showing this year.
(As if that wasn't enough, he lost two major party names, Leon Perera and Nicole Seah, to an extramarital affair that he did nothing to address until it was made public.)
So, it is quite amusing to hear him now warn party members and supporters that opposition is facing a risk of a "wipeout", given that most of the major controversies it has had to deal since the last GE involved him directly.
