GE2025
He was addressing Prime Minister Lawrence Wong, who gave a press conference on keeping foreign elements out of Singapore affairs.
Belmont Lay
April 26, 2025, 10:47 PM
Pritam Singh, the Leader of the Opposition and Workers' Party (WP) chief, responded to Prime Minister Lawrence Wong during the Apr. 26 Tampines rally, held at Temasek Junior College.
PM Wong had called for a press conference earlier in the day to denounce identity politics in Singapore and the spectre of foreign interference in this general election.
Singh told a rally crowd that numbered at least several thousand people at the tail-end of his speech:
"My fellow Singaporeans, before I end, I want to share some thoughts on the prime minster's press conference earlier this afternoon.
It was a serious press conference, so please hear me out.
The prime minister took a break from the political campaign to speak as a Singaporean.
He said, and I quote: "'I'm not here to talk about my concerns about the party. I'm here to talk about my concerns for Singapore, and our country'."
So, let me give the prime minister the courtesy of doing the same for the next one minute.
I'm a Singaporean. This is the only home I know. I don't have investment properties overseas.
I entered politics to advance and champion a better Singapore than the one I was born in.
One that is more just and fairer for all Singaporeans, including our minorities.
I passionately believe in a race-neutral Singapore, where we are judged not by our race or the colour of our skin, but by our deeds and our common humanity.
My colleagues and I categorically reject the involvement of any foreign element whatsoever in our domestic politics.
Singapore is our business, nobody else's.
And if I can put on my party hat: To any foreign element, the Workers' Party does not need your support.
We only need the support of our people, our fellow Singaporeans."
Background
PM Wong called a press conference on Apr. 26, in the middle of the 2025 General Election, regarding recent online activity and social media posts by foreign actors, urging Singaporeans to vote along religious and racial lines.
Calling it a "matter of national interest", he said such online activity "crosses the line".
A day before on Apr. 25 , three foreigners were identified by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) and the Elections Department (ELD) as attempting to influence Singaporean voters.
As they attempted to exert influence through Facebook posts, the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) issued Corrective Directions to Facebook's parent company, Meta, to disable Singapore users' access to some of their posts during the election period.
PM Wong also addressed social media posts circulating online made by Singaporeans "attempting to bring race and religion into politics."
He cited a post by a self-identified religious teacher based in Malaysia, proposing that Muslims should vote for candidates willing to advance his religious agenda.
"These messages may be by Singaporeans, but we should also reject them. And were a Christian, Hindu or Buddhist group making the same demand, our response would be the same: mixing politics with religion is unacceptable in Singapore," PM Wong said.
Top photo via Workers' Party
