Pritam Singh, Singapore’s Indian-origin politician created history on Monday when the city-state’s Parliament conferred the duties and privileges to Singh as the country’s first Leader of the Opposition.
However Singh’s Workers’ Party won 10 parliamentary seats out of the 93 it contested in the July 10 General Election, making it the biggest opposition presence in Singapore’s parliamentary history.
Addressing Parliament, Singh underlined the need to focus on foreigners and their living conditions.
“Their (foreigners) presence gives Singapore a vitality that keeps us economically relevant and also provides jobs and opportunities to our fellow Singaporeans. Many of us count the foreigners in our midst – regardless of race, language or religion – as our friends,” Channel News Asia quoted Singh as saying.
“It is precisely because we need foreigners to help power our economy that we need to pay more attention to the Singapore worker… some of whom feel excluded from (the) opportunities created in their homeland,” Singh said.
