GE2025: 'Co-driver' will not bear responsibility if car crashes, says Ong Ye Kung of growing opposition presence

SINGAPORE: A co-driver with one hand on the steering wheel and one foot on the pedal makes for a dangerous ride, but if the car crashes, it is the main driver who will be made to bear the responsibility, said Health Minister Ong Ye Kung on Wednesday (Apr 30).

Speaking at a rally for Sembawang West SMC, Mr Ong brought up an analogy from the 2011 General Election, when the opposition was seeking to make inroads into parliament.

Back then, the presence of the opposition was labelled as a co-driver sitting next to the main driver - the ruling People’s Action Party (PAP) - whose job was to “slap his head” when the main driver falls asleep, explained Mr Ong.

“I must say, by and large, I do not disagree with that analogy and that there is a role for the opposition. That GE, the opposition won Aljunied GRC. But then when the opposition presence grows and expands to another GRC, that co-driver becomes more than a co-driver. He becomes also a backseat driver,” he said.

That person would start instructing the main driver on what to do and what route to take, but ultimately the driver can still make the call. “You are still in charge, but you just take in the ideas and process it,” said Mr Ong.

“But if after this GE, the PAP loses another three, four GRCs, then I think likely the co-driver will have one hand on the steering wheel and say ‘I also want to drive’. If he’s bold enough, he says, ‘My one leg also go over. You step the accelerator, I step the brake. We drive together’,” he said.

“It will then become very dangerous. We may be at risk of crashing.”

And if the car crashes, “the PAP driver” will have to bear the responsibility as the co-driver will claim to be just that – a co-driver.

“I fear and I worry this is the direction that we are heading towards,” said Mr Ong, who is anchoring the ruling party's Sembawang GRC slate. He was speaking at Wednesday’s rally in support of the PAP’s candidate for Sembawang West SMC, Ms Poh Li San.

OPPOSITION FOR CHECK AND BALANCE

Mr Ong said that the desired outcome of the General Election is not to “produce a certain number of opposition MPs”, but instead to create “an effective system of government for the people”, in which the PAP government has a strong mandate.

“We can get work done, we can be decisive in a difficult situation. The opposition is there as a check and balance. They raise questions, they offer alternatives, they play a role that’s loyal to Singapore. It is an equilibrium that works for Singapore,” he said.

Singapore makes up for its small size by being fast and decisive, but if it becomes slow and uncoordinated, it will be in trouble, said Mr Ong.

Mr Ong noted that Workers’ Party vice-chairman Faisal Manap, who is leading its Tampines GRC slate this year, had thanked him and President Tharman Shanmugaratnam during a rally for “supposedly agreeing that Singapore needs a strong opposition”.

“I'm afraid he's badly mistaken. In fact, my belief is the opposite, which is that we don't need a strong opposition. We need a strong ruling party, which is the PAP,” he said.

With a strong ruling party and a “constructive opposition presence to provide check and balance”, there will be an effective governance system, said Mr Ong.

Mr Ong said that he was one of the first Cabinet ministers to say, even before the hustings began, that “there was no chance of an opposition wipe-out in this GE”.

“But what I said is not the same as wanting a strong opposition. In fact, I express my great fear, my great worry, that the opposition can be so strong in parliament in Singapore, we get caught up in paralysis," he said.

"Everything gets jammed. We cannot move forward. It has happened in many democracies around the world. It can happen here.”

PROPOSALS THAT "DON’T MAKE SENSE"

In his speech, Mr Ong identified the Singapore Democratic Party’s (SDP) mental health policy as an example of a proposal that “sounds appealing, but actually not workable”.

The SDP is one of three parties contesting Sembawang GRC, against Mr Ong’s PAP line-up and a team from the National Solidarity Party.

Noting that mental health is a rising problem globally, Mr Ong said the PAP government had declared it “a national priority” and introduced various initiatives to tackle it.

For instance, guidelines on children’s usage of smart devices have been introduced, while the ruling party has set up a Mental Health Group, which includes his own Sembawang GRC team-mate Mariam Jaafar.

“The SDP now says mental health problems are due to government policies. And then they say let's nationalise mental health treatment. I look at these two sentences, actually both don't make sense,” he said.

Mr Ong said he helms the Ministry of Health, which is a “scientific evidence-based organisation”.

He noted that there are various mental health conditions attributable to different complex interlinked factors, such as physical health, biological factors like genetics and social factors, among others.

“You can't just look at one complex problem and simplify it and say it's due to government policy, because it’s election time,” said Mr Ong.

“Scientific evidence is needed when we consider health policies. For many people with mental health conditions, what they also need is a change in lifestyle, mostly more exercise, more social engagement. Slowly, like therapy, they improve.”

He added that most of such remedies are achieved through peer support, friends, mentors and coaches, and are done through social organisations, volunteers, schools, workplaces and support groups.

“You don't really nationalise these community groups,” said Mr Ong.

The minister also said the SDP’s plan for a single-payer system in Singapore’s healthcare system is something which is “bound to collapse” if implemented.

Currently, hospital bills are paid through three ways, with a government subsidy, a health insurance claim through MediShield Life and also with MediSave, explained the health minister.

The SDP’s proposal is to keep the national health insurance component, which would lead to the removal of government subsidies and also higher insurance premiums that may keep rising, said Mr Ong.

"NO FREE PASS" FOR OPPOSITION

Mr Ong also called for the opposition to be held to high standards if they want to have a place in parliament.

“I hope voters will ask, ‘If the PAP has no blank check this GE, shouldn’t the opposition have no free pass?’,” he said.

“As PAP candidates, we are always held to very high standards because we are the ruling party, and we accept that. But opposition candidates aspiring to have a presence in parliament cannot just be all sound and fury either. Surely they must also be held to certain standards.”

He said voters should assess if they have demonstrated their abilities to run a town council properly, and if they can propose “sound, coherent, sensible policies” that are different from current ones.

“Most importantly, do they possess good character, integrity and honesty?” asked Mr Ong.

He said that Singapore’s current system of government before this election was working well, with decisiveness, flexibility and also checks and balances. This meant that during the COVID-19 pandemic, “the opposition did not obstruct us”.

“Singapore remains a safe and trusted node in Asia, so we rebounded from COVID very strongly. And now we have a trade war, a looming crisis. The future of our country is at stake,” he said.

“Let's make sure we maintain this stability, make sure we maintain our position in the world after the elections. So that even with a trade war, we can seize opportunities, we can create jobs, we can attract investments to come, we can still be a shining red dot.”