PAP, WP reopen clash over Singapore economic plan after Aug. 5 debate
What's new: The ruling party and opposition are now fighting online over whether the WP tried to shift growth away from multinationals.
Singapore’s ruling People’s Action Party and opposition Workers’ Party have revived their dispute over economic policy days after a parliamentary debate on the country’s growth model. Former senior minister of state Lee Yi Shyan criticized the WP’s Aug. 5 motion on the future of the economy, arguing its alternatives lacked a coherent plan and risked downplaying the role of multinational corporations. WP MPs Kenneth Tiong and Jamus Lim pushed back on Aug. 16, saying Lee misrepresented their position and created a false choice between foreign firms and local enterprises. The fight centers on whether the WP sought to reduce reliance on MNC-led growth. The party accepted three of four PAP amendments to its motion, then voted against the amended text.