PM Wong ambiguous on Singapore GE timing, cites busy schedule ahead

KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA: Speculation abounds regarding the timing of Singapore’s next General Election, with some suggesting it could occur in the coming months.

Prime Minister Lawrence Wong addressed this on Wednesday (12 June), highlighting that there is “still a lot of work to be done” on both domestic and foreign fronts.

Following his introductory visits to Brunei and Malaysia, Mr Wong faced questions from Singapore media about whether his upcoming international meetings would preclude an electoral contest this year.

He pointed out that the schedule of high-level international and regional gatherings in the months ahead is transparent and not confidential.

“You know when there is an ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) meeting, there's an APEC (Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation) meeting, when there's a G20 meeting. You know when they are held in the schedule and in the calendar this year,” he said.

“So you can already mark out which are the dates when I will be busy, when I will be away and which are the dates when I will be in Singapore. So it's really for people to speculate.”

The 44th ASEAN Summit is scheduled for October 6-11 in Vientiane, Laos, while Rio de Janeiro will host the G20 Summit on November 18-19.

Additionally, the APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting is slated for November in Peru.

Mr Wong emphasized that the timing of the election will be clear in due course.

“Eventually, at the time when we decide it's appropriate and the election has to be called, people will know. Same for the EBRC (Electoral Boundaries Review Committee). "

"Eventually when it is convened and it has done its work, people will know and then I suppose everyone will get ready for the elections,” he said.

“But for now, there's still a lot of work to be done, both for our own domestic agenda and also for me … to engage with our external partners and to take Singapore forward,” PM Wong added.

Convening the EBRC is a crucial step before calling a General Election.

According to an earlier report by Singapore state media The Straits Times, The committee had not been formed as of 3 June.

Since the transition to the country’s fourth-generation leadership led by Mr Wong, who was sworn in on 15 May, there has been much buzz about the timing of the next General Election.

Political analysts have suggested September this year as a potential date for the election, speculation has swirled regarding the timing of the next General Election.

A point to note is that in 2015, some opposition members preparing to participate in an overseas diplomatic trip in September were sceptical about the impending General Election in that same month when informed by The Online Citizen.

They were shocked when the election indeed took place as TOC’s sources had indicated and frustrated that they were misled to believe that the election couldn’t have happened due to the prearranged foreign mission.

Despite PM Wong's ambiguous response to a direct question about the election date, Singapore's alternative parties have intensified their ground outreach efforts, anticipating an early election call by the ruling People's Action Party (PAP) government.