A few weeks ago, Pritam Singh proposed that all new citizens in Singapore should pass an English proficiency test and I have to say this proposal has given me mixed feelings - mostly of surprise and disgust.
Not that it is not (or may not) be a valid topic of discussion but because that clearly was not his intent.
It was a dog whistle for xenophobic anti-foreigner voters, which effectively disavowed the very foundations of the Workers' Party.
It certainly was not the first time Pritam showed his ability to sacrifice anyone or anything to score political points - even if it could have disastrous effects to the country and Singaporean society.
So, yes, I find it disgusting because I don't think it was a genuine attempt to start any discussion but rather a move calculated to compete with other opposition populists like LMW and political plankton aka PVP et al.
But I also find it surprising because were it not for Low Thia Khiang's Teochew speeches, would the Workers' Party even mean anything today?
Let's remember that he flipped Hougang and effectively cemented it for WP, fortifying himself in the parliament for thirty years, paving the way for WP's victory in Aljunied as well.
And let's not kid ourselves that that would have been possible were it not for his close connection with the Teochew minority built on his language proficiency.
If Pritam Singh wants to test new citizens on English skills, expressing worry for their assimilation into the society, does he suggest that current Singaporean citizens who don't speak or are not very fluent in English, suffer marginalisation and should somehow be helped to fit in better?
And doesn't addressing minorities in their languages by politicians (desperate to score votes) alienate both new and existing citizens at the same time?
If the society is to be built on one language, why should there be a need to do this and exclude non-speakers?
For 30 years the Workers' Party has been quite content with trying to monopolize one community thanks to the party's leader linguistic proficiency but now his successor suddenly suggests that non-English speakers may not assimilate well in Singapore?
Of course I wouldn't expect him to stop LTK from addressing voters at WP rallies in the future, since it's politically expedient to do so.
Workers' Party appears to only be promoting ideas that serve its political interests, little else.
Let's exploit one minority tongue for our benefit when it suits us - but, at the same time, let's strive to ban anybody who doesn't speak English from settling in Singapore, so we can score votes among the frothing xenophobes.
Is that responsible politics?
