As a First World country, Singapore deserves a credible opposition and alternative voices in Parliament to provide robust debate on national policies.

Singaporeans should not forget that if it wasn't for the Workers' Party and the contributions of some other opposition representatives, such as Mr Chiam See Tong, there would not be progress made on issues such as the adjustment in ministers' pay.

Also, the cooling measures for the public housing market, medical enhancements for pioneers and MediShield Life were implemented only after the 2011 General Election, and it took some time for these benefits to be made available to Singaporeans struggling with high living costs.

In a First World country, citizens should not put their faith in just one party to make crucial national policies. Doing so would place them at the mercy of the said party, which may take its time to make changes and whose policies may not work.

Finally, Singaporeans should not take opposition members for granted and vote them only when national policies do not address their needs and well-being.

The opposition cannot be turned on and off like a faucet.

We should integrate the opposition into our Parliament to ensure that there will always be alternative views and that policies will be rigorously debated, discussed and critiqued before being implemented.

I give my respect to the opposition who spend their time, some of them unpaid, to speak for the welfare and diversity of Singaporeans' views.

Theresa Chin Moi Lan (Ms)