The People’s Action Party (PAP) has publicly questioned why Leader of the Opposition Pritam Singh chose to talk about Singapore’s political situation on a Malaysian podcast, calling it an address to a “foreign audience” on “foreign soil.” In a statement released on Thursday (July 3), the PAP highlighted that this decision “raises serious questions.” They pointed out, “Strikingly, he chose not a local media outlet, but a podcast hosted by Malaysians and recorded in Malaysia to share his views on our domestic political landscape.”
The podcast in question, “Keluar Sekejap,” is a well-known Malaysian political podcast hosted by former health minister Khairy Jamaluddin and Mr. Shahril Hamdan, who was previously UMNO’s information chief. A video of Mr. Singh’s interview was released on YouTube on June 24. This conversation marked Mr. Singh’s most detailed interview since the May 3 General Election, where the PAP secured its power with 65.57 percent of the vote. Mr. Singh later explained his reasoning for appearing on the podcast, stating he aimed to “provide a perspective from a different angle and reading of the Singapore ground.” During the lengthy interview, which lasted over an hour and a half, Mr. Singh covered various topics, including the Workers’ Party’s (WP) election strategy and how race, religion, and politics intertwine in Singapore. When asked directly if he aspired to be prime minister, Mr. Singh responded no. He also said that Singaporean voters were not looking for a change in government.
The PAP stressed that their concern was “not merely a matter of platform preference.” They explained that “It touches on a fundamental principle – that Singapore’s domestic affairs should be debated and decided by Singaporeans, within Singapore.” The party brought up a quote from former opposition figure Chiam See Tong, who once said, “The opposition must be ‘truthful … good patriotic Singaporeans … and not go around the world denouncing Singapore’.”
The PAP also challenged Mr. Singh’s earlier claim that his party does not “score political points based on race or religion.” They specifically referred to the WP’s connections with Mr. Noor Deros, a religious teacher from Malaysia known for “views that are at odds with Singapore’s commitment to multiracialism and religious harmony.” The PAP stated that despite public interest, “the WP has not explained what transpired in that meeting, or why Mr Deros subsequently expressed public support for WP candidates during GE2025.” They also mentioned that the WP’s Punggol GRC candidate, Harpreet Singh, had made “misleading statements about the PAP’s stance on a minority prime minister,” which were later shown to be incorrect by public records of PAP leaders’ speeches. The PAP called this a “pattern of misrepresentation” that is “worrying.” Additionally, they highlighted endorsements of WP candidates by Malaysian politicians from Parti Islam Se-Malaysia (PAS) on social media during the election, claiming “Their messages contained racial and religious overtones, designed to encourage segments of Singaporean voters to vote along racial and religious lines.”
The PAP underlined its position by stating that Mr. Singh remained silent until the Singapore government “called out these acts of blatant foreign interference.” They added, “Even then, his response left many critical questions unanswered.” The PAP’s statement urged Singaporeans to question Mr. Singh’s consistency: “Does Mr Singh truly stand by the principles he has stated? Or are they only invoked when convenient? Does he believe foreign involvement is acceptable when it benefits his party?” The party emphasized the long-standing practice between Singapore and Malaysia to avoid commenting on each other’s politics, especially since the racial unrest of the 1960s. They concluded with a strong message: “As a sovereign nation, we must be clear: Politics should stop at the water’s edge.” and “Singapore’s affairs are for Singaporeans to decide, based on what is best for our national interests.”
In response to the PAP’s criticisms, the Workers’ Party issued its statement titled “PAP opposing for the sake of opposing; LO’s podcast had no impact on Singapore’s national interests.” The WP stated that Mr. Singh’s podcast appearance “had no detrimental impact whatsoever on Singapore’s national interests,” and that Singaporeans had a positive view of the podcast. They noted that “It exemplified how a non-government Singaporean politician can speak fairly and frankly about Singapore and the Singapore government, without denouncing either. This particular point continues to be well-received by many Singaporeans.” The WP also argued that as the Leader of the Opposition, Mr. Singh is not part of the executive, and there is “no legal convention that has been communicated to him which fetters his freedom of speech, locally or overseas.” They suggested that “Should there be such a guideline, it should be made known.” The WP then pointed out that PAP leaders frequently give interviews to foreign media about local matters, claiming that “These interviews are not out of the ordinary. Some of these interviews have gone viral and are well-received by an international audience, embellishing the PAP.” They concluded on this point by stating, “In these circumstances, no right-thinking individual would accuse the PAP of ‘foreign involvement’ to benefit the party.” The WP also claimed that one PAP member had remarked “Pritam did well” after watching the podcast, and other PAP members “happily posed for pictures” with one of the podcast hosts during his visit to Singapore.
However, the PAP issued a further response on Thursday evening, stating that while ministers do talk to foreign media about various topics, “What is unusual here is that the Leader of the Opposition gave his first in-depth interview on GE2025 to Malaysian podcasters – and the discussion focused almost entirely on Singapore’s internal politics.” The PAP also mentioned that Mr. Singh had turned down invitations from local podcasters. They added that the WP “continued to brush aside serious concerns about its engagement with Noor Deros, as well as the public endorsements made by Parti Islam Se-Malaysia (PAS) politicians in support of its candidates.” The PAP ended by asserting that the questions they raised were not minor issues and “go to the heart of maintaining a clear boundary against foreign involvement in our domestic affairs,” concluding that “Many important questions raised remain unanswered.”
