Leader of the Opposition (Singapore)

The Leader of the Opposition is an official parliamentary appointment in the Parliament of Singapore, conferred onto the elected politician who leads the opposition party with the greatest number of elected opposition Members of Parliament (MPs) in Singapore.[1] The elected politician, by convention, leads the largest party not within the ruling government - if one party wins outright, the role is offered to the elected party leader of the second-largest political party in the Parliament of Singapore. The first inaugural Leader of the Opposition in Singapore is Mr Lee Kuan Yew in the Legislative Assembly in 1955, when Singapore was still a Crown Colony of the British Empire. The current Leader of the Opposition is Pritam Singh, Leader of the Workers' Party, who was elected to the leadership of the Workers' Party on 8 April 2018.[2]

Leader of the Opposition of the Republic of Singapore
Incumbent Pritam Singh since 8 April 2018
Parliament of Singapore
Appointer	Central Executive Council of the largest opposition party in Parliament
Term length	Elected leader of the largest opposition party in Parliament
Inaugural holder	Lee Kuan Yew (Legislative Assembly 1955)
Formation	6 April 1955
Salary	S$385,000 per annum

Prior to the 2020 Singaporean general election, the position was considered as an unofficial role. However, in a press conference by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong after the electoral results, Lee announced that WP secretary-general Pritam Singh would be formally appointed as the first official Leader of the Opposition in Singapore. As a consequence, Singh would be provided with the appropriate manpower support and resources[3][4] to perform the parliamentary role.[5][6] In other Commonwealth countries with a Westminster parliamentary system of government, the parliamentary appointment is supported with a secretariat and is additionally given office space in the Parliament buildings.[1]

Due to its former status as an unofficial role prior to the 2020 general election, the Leader of the Opposition then did not draw any additional allowance by virtue of holding the position. They were entitled to the usual ordinary remuneration allowance granted to other regular Members of Parliament. However, following the first formal appointment of the Leader of the Opposition in 2020, Parliament announced that the Leader of the Opposition will draw an annual salary of S$385,000, double the salary of a regular MP.[7]

Seating in Parliament

The Leader of the Opposition sits on the left side of the Parliament chamber, directly opposite the Prime Minister of Singapore and for a short time in the 13th Parliament, the Deputy Prime Minister of Singapore.

Duties

The Leader of the Opposition is expected to lead the opposition in presenting alternative views in parliamentary debates on policies, bills and motions, and organise the scrutiny of the Government’s positions and actions in Parliament and be consulted on the appointment of opposition members to Select Committees, including Standing Select Committees such as the Public Accounts Committee.

In addition to his parliamentary duties, the Leader of the Opposition may be called upon to take on other duties such as attending official state functions and taking part in visits and meetings alongside members of the Government and the Public Service.[8]

Power & Resources

In Parliament, the Leader of the Opposition (LO) will generally be given the right of first response among Members of Parliament (MPs), and will be allowed ask the lead question to the Ministers on policies, bills and motions, subject to existing speaking conventions. The LO will also be given a longer speaking duration for speeches, equivalent to that given to political officeholders.

In addition to the government data or information available to other MPs, the LO will receive confidential briefings by the Government on select matters of national security and external relations, and in the event of a national crisis or emergency.

The LO will be provided an office and the use of a meeting room in Parliament House. He will also receive allowances to hire up to three additional Legislative Assistants. This is in addition to the allowances all MPs receive for one Legislative Assistant and one Secretarial Assistant. The LO will also be provided with a secretary to support him administratively with Parliamentary business.[8]

List of Unofficial Leaders of the Opposition

Leader of the Opposition		Party		Took office	Left office	Parliament
	Lee Kuan Yew MP for Tanjong Pagar (1923–2015)		People's Action Party	22 April 1955	31 March 1959	1st Legislative Assembly
	Lim Yew Hock MP for Cairnhill (1914–1984)		Singapore People's Alliance	1 July 1959	3 September 1963	2nd Legislative Assembly
	Lim Huan Boon MP for Bukit Merah (born 1929)		Barisan Sosialis	22 October 1963	8 August 1965	3rd Legislative Assembly
				9 August 1965	31 December 1965	1st Parliament
	Chia Thye Poh MP for Jurong (born 1941)		Barisan Sosialis	1 January 1966	7 October 1966
No Leader of the Opposition (1966-1981)
	J. B. Jeyaretnam MP for Anson (1926-2008)		Workers' Party	22 December 1981	4 December 1984	5th Parliament
				25 February 1985	10 November 1986	6th Parliament
	Chiam See Tong MP for Potong Pasir (until 1988) MP for Potong Pasir SMC (from 1988) (born 1935)		Singapore Democratic Party	10 November 1986	17 August 1988
				9 January 1989	14 August 1991	7th Parliament
				6 January 1992	17 May 1993	8th Parliament
	Ling How Doong MP for Bukit Gombak SMC (born 1934)		Singapore Democratic Party	17 May 1993	16 December 1996
	Chiam See Tong MP for Potong Pasir SMC (born 1935)		Singapore People's Party	26 May 1997	18 October 2001	9th Parliament
			Singapore Democratic Alliance	25 March 2002	20 April 2006	10th Parliament
	Low Thia Khiang MP for Hougang SMC (until 2011) MP for Aljunied GRC (from 2011) (born 1956)		Workers' Party	2 November 2006	19 April 2011	11th Parliament
				10 October 2011	25 August 2015	12th Parliament
				15 January 2016	8 April 2018	13th Parliament
	Pritam Singh MP for Aljunied SMC (born 1976)		Workers' Party	8 April 2018	23 June 2020

List of Official Leaders of the Opposition

Leader of the Opposition		Party		Took office	Left office	Parliament
	Pritam Singh MP for Aljunied GRC (born 1976)		Workers' Party	24 August 2020	Incumbent	14th Parliament

References

1. "Leader of Opposition Pritam Singh could be given access to govt data, resources but Shadow Cabinet can wait: Analysts". TODAYonline.
2. "Pritam Singh elected new WP chief, succeeding Low Thia Khiang". Channel NewsAsia. Archived from the original on 2018-04-08. Retrieved 2018-04-29.
3. "PAP's openness to sharing information will determine extent of realistic policy alternatives, says WP's Pritam Singh". The Straits Times. July 18, 2020.
4. "WP will continue to question Government, release working papers on issues affecting Singaporeans: Pritam Singh". CNA.
5. "Singapore GE2020: WP chief Pritam Singh to be named Leader of the Opposition". The Straits Times. July 11, 2020.
6. "GE2020: PAP has a 'clear mandate', but popular vote share 'not as high' as hoped: PM Lee". cna. 11 July 2020.
7. Kurohi, Rei (2020-07-28). "Parliament sets out duties and privileges of Leader of the Opposition Pritam Singh". The Straits Times.
8. https://www.parliament.gov.sg/docs/default-source/default-document-library/press-release-on-leader-of-opposition.pdf

See also

• Prime Minister of Singapore
• Leader of the Opposition