Singapore will allow more opposition lawmakers, says Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong

Singapore’s prime minister on Wednesday announced constitutional amendments that would result in more opposition politicians in Parliament, long dominated by his ruling People’s Action Party.

Lee Hsien Loong, who is also secretary general of the party, said the changes will ensure the government is “always kept on its toes.”

The PAP has ruled the island nation since independence in 1965. It won 83 of 89 seats in last September’s general election, securing nearly 70 per cent of all votes and boosting its confidence after winning only 60 per cent of the votes in the 2011 general election.

“In raising this major issue now, my aim is to strengthen our system to make it more open and contestable, and to keep it accountable to the people,” Lee said.

He said Parliament should “always be the place to debate and decide on important policies, where alternative views always have a place, where the opposition will never be shut out, and the government will be held to account”.

The move to give more room to the opposition in Parliament comes as a surprise. Lee’s father, Singapore founding leader Lee Kuan Yew, who died last March, had no tolerance for opposition voices and often took detractors to court on defamation charges.