Ong Ye Kung: Singapore must be decisive, but with checks & balances

It was just yesterday (April 23) that the candidates for the general elections were announced, and things are heating up.

From a shocking walkover to multi-cornered fights, Singapore is expecting fierce contests between political parties for potential parliamentary seats, with numerous factors influencing the outcome.

Singaporeans are concerned about the US tariffs

An issue that has dominated headlines leading up to GE2025 is the US tariffs, which have since significantly disrupted the global trade system. However, some believe that the average Singaporean might not understand its impact.

Singapore’s Minister of Health, Ong Ye Kung, who previously served as the Deputy Trade Negotiator behind the Singapore-US Free Trade Agreement (FTA), shared his worries on a live stream with The Daily Ketchup.

Mr Ong started by saying that the introduction of the tariffs had raised questions on whether the rules of free trade are bound to change and how the international trade system will continue to operate, which is highly dependent on how other countries respond to it.

However, it brings a “long period of uncertainty,” which directly affects the global economy and job market.

“I am hearing from several sectors that people are saying that things are slow. There’s no investments [coming in], people are holding back, even real estate agents are telling me that it’s hard to see transactions.”

As Singapore is heavily reliant on trade for its growth, the city-state plays an active role in the international ecosystem. This creates a domino effect that encourages other world leaders and trade ministers to understand the overall sentiment and engage in free trade.

Checks and balances are necessary in Parliament

Navigating global issues is often complex, and Singaporeans look to their country’s leadership for guidance and direction.

However, as the city-state has a dominant party, the People’s Action Party (PAP), which has held the majority for decades, some have questioned whether the Parliament lacks diversity in views.

Mr Ong, who is currently running under the PAP as an anchor minister for Sembawang GRC, shares the same sentiment.

“If any parliament is just one party, surely there is a lack of diversity. Nobody will argue against that,” he said. “So, therefore, I think we have to embrace the fact that people want some different views.”

In GE2020, Singapore witnessed a surge in opposition voices in Parliament, with the Workers’ Party securing 12 seats and the Progress Singapore Party gaining two seats under the Non-Constituency Member of Parliament (NCMP) scheme.

Reflecting on the performance of the previous Parliament, Mr Ong believes that the politics has been “stable” and there is discourse amongst different members.

On one hand, I feel that the PAP can still be decisive, we can still adapt, we can still move quite fast for a small country. On the other hand, we can’t push things around and bulldoze things, because there is a check and balance, so much so that these days, when we put out a legislation, we have to think about what the opposition would say.

Impact of the opposition getting 1/3 of the seats

Some netizens have also spoken out online, expressing the need for a stronger opposition in Parliament, with the hopes of them occupying one-third of the seats. However, Mr Ong remains wary of having more opposition voices, as that could result in an adverse outcome.

On the livestream with The Daily Ketchup, he explained the opposition will continue to be loyal, but once they occupy one-third of the seats, they might harbour a new ambition to become the majority party in Singapore and obstruct the current government.

Over the years, the world has seen cracks in democratic countries, notably the US and the UK, which are marked by political turmoil. A global watchdog warned in its report that the US could lose its democratic status, and 63% of the UK’s young adults believed that democracy is “in trouble.”

However, the US and the UK are global superpowers, with populations and geographical size vastly larger compared to the tiny red dot, which implies that there is a high probability that Singapore may not survive similar levels of chaos experienced in larger and more mature democracies.

Chaos doesn’t work for us, we are already small and that’s a disadvantage. If we are small and chaotic, finish lah! At least be small and decisive, but with checks and balances.

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During the live stream, Mr Ong also spoke about a range of other topics—including some lighthearted ones, such as his MBTI personality type. You can catch the full stream here:

Check out our GE2025 microsite for the latest election-related news, find out which constituency you belong to, and who’s running where on the election battleground here.

Featured Image Credit: The Daily Ketchup