It was somewhat odd that PAP Member of Parliament Hri Kumar should ask the Workers’ Party to take a stand on issues just after The Independent of Singapore had told the Singapore Government to say once and for all what was its decision on the hijab controversy.In a Facebook post yesterday, Kumar analysed WP’s questions and statements on issues like Ashley Madison, hijab, detention without trial, Section 377 A of the Penal Code and organ transplants and concluded with this quote from a founding father of the US, Alexander Hamilton:
“Those who stand for nothing fall for anything.” Screen grab of MP Hri Kumar video
The WP’s strategy of staying in the centre has worked so far. They tapped on to a growing angst with the ruling party over issues like immigration, transport and housing to work up a frenzy at the last GE. The time has come for it to move away from the check-the-driver strategy to one that will tell Singaporeans that they mean business when or if it comes to governing Singapore one day.
Having said that, MP Kumar needs to come to grips with modern-day politics and ask himself if the PAP has always taken a stand on issues. The hijab debate is one. The 1987 arrest of the so-called Marxist conspirators is another. Before we go into identifying other issues, will the honourable MP say where he stands on these issues? Does he agree that Muslim nurses should not wear the headscarf? Does he believe that the people arrested in 1987 were Marxists?
If he is not prepared to give unqualified answers to these questions, then he should think twice before throwing the next stone.
