Tharman 'troubled' by SDP's politics of populism

Singapore

WHILE he is not against having a healthy opposition in Singapore, Deputy Prime Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam admitted on Thursday that he is "troubled" by the way the Singapore Democratic Party (SDP) chooses to conduct itself in the political arena.

Speaking at the People's Action Party's (PAP) second and final rally of the by-election campaign in Bukit Batok, he criticised the opposition party for "the politics of spreading fear and alarm, and the politics of populism".

"(They are) giving people promises, telling them the good things without stating what the costs are and what everyone will have to pay," said Mr Tharman, who's also the PAP's second assistant secretary-general.

"That's bad. Spreading fear and alarm, and being populist. That's the wrong type of politics for Singapore, and it's the wrong way to advance our democracy," he told the crowd at the Bukit Gombak Sta…