2024 wrapped: The biggest political stories of the year, and what’s next

SINGAPORE – A once-in-a-generation handover of power, court cases involving two prominent politicians, and a refresh by the ruling party ahead of its 70th anniversary – it was an eventful year for politics here, even as a much-anticipated general election has to wait for the new year.

Here are six of the top political stories of 2024, and what can be expected in 2025:

1. 4G leadership handover

Mr Lawrence Wong was

sworn in as Singapore’s fourth prime minister

on May 15, with the transition to the fourth-generation (4G) leadership completed on Dec 4 when he was

elected secretary-general of the People’s Action Party (PAP)

by the party’s top body.

He

named his first Cabinet on May 13

with key portfolios largely unchanged, save the appointment of Minister for Trade and Industry Gan Kim Yong to deputy prime minister.

Alongside Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat, DPM Gan would provide a steady hand during the initial transition and help mentor the younger office-holders, said the then incoming prime minister.

A more significant Cabinet reshuffle can be expected after the general election, as PM Wong said he plans to rotate the younger 4G ministers to different portfolios to give them wider exposure, should the PAP be re-elected.

With the two deputy prime ministers being seasoned hands, it is not yet clear whom PM Wong considers his key 4G lieutenants. But the PAP’s latest internal appointments could provide some clues. 

Notably, Education Minister Chan Chun Sing and National Development Minister Desmond Lee stayed put as assistant secretaries-general. 

Mr Chan was also promoted from vice-chairman to chairman of the headquarters executive committee, a party post previously held by PM Wong. 

2. Court cases involving S. Iswaran, Pritam Singh gripped the nation

High-profile criminal cases involving former transport minister S. Iswaran and Leader of the Opposition Pritam Singh caught the imaginations of Singaporeans in 2024.

Iswaran, 62,

pleaded guilty to five charges

on what was to have been the first day of his trial, obviating the need for what many had expected to be a long-drawn-out legal battle over charges that included corruption.

In October, he was

sentenced to 12 months’ jail

over four counts of obtaining valuable items as a public servant and one charge of obstructing the course of justice.

Following this, PM Wong reiterated the Government’s

no-tolerance policy towards corruption.

As painful as it was to act against a colleague and friend, PM Wong said it was the Government’s duty to do so, to ensure Singapore’s system of government and politics stays clean and free from corruption.

Mere weeks later, Singh, 48,

claimed trial to two charges of lying

under oath to a parliamentary committee.

Over 13 court days across five weeks, the trial delved into the Workers’ Party (WP) chief’s testimony in December 2021 to the Committee of Privileges, which had been convened to investigate

a lie told by former WP MP Raeesah Khan.

Witnesses called to testify included Ms Khan, former WP cadres and former WP secretary-general Low Thia Khiang. The trial sometimes saw tense exchanges between the prosecution and the defence.

The case has put a spotlight on the opposition – and in particular the WP’s inner workings – ahead of the next general election, due by November 2025.

Singh is

the Republic’s first Leader of the Opposition.

The verdict in Singh’s case

is expected on Feb 17, 2025.

If convicted, he faces up to three years’ jail, a fine of up to $7,000, or both for each charge.

3. Major reset at National Day Rally

In

his maiden National Day Rally speech,

PM Wong set out a vision for a more egalitarian Singapore, and the major reset of policies and attitudes needed to meet this ambition.

The largest announcement was an

additional 10 weeks of shared leave

on top of current leave entitlements for new parents, bringing the total amount of government-paid parental leave to 30 weeks by April 2026.

To further signal that fathers must also be caregivers, mandatory paternity leave will also be doubled from two weeks to four by 2026.

From April 2025, a

SkillsFuture Jobseeker Support Scheme

will give temporary financial support to those who have lost their jobs. This underscores the renewed social compact that the Government will have Singaporeans’ backs, but each person must make an effort to pull themselves up, said PM Wong.

In education, he announced that the Gifted Education Programme

will be discontinued in its current form

and made available to all primary schools, in a move to make such resources accessible to all children – including those in neighbourhood schools – and not just early bloomers.

Moves were also made to enhance public housing equity. The Enhanced CPF Housing Grant will be increased, particularly for lower-income groups, while singles applying for Build-To-Order flats

will have the same priority access as couples

when buying a home with or near their parents from mid-2025.

4. PAP refresh

Apart from a national-level reset, the PAP also set out to refresh itself as it turned 70 in 2024. In June, the PAP

pledged to engage more widely and communicate better with Singaporeans.

This means the PAP needs to have its own effective communication channels and cannot just rely on the civil service or government channels, PM Wong said at an event then that capped off a six-month internal exercise.

The party will do so through its government parliamentary committees, which are party organs organised along ministry lines.

The PAP also created two groups to address mental health and climate change – challenges that cut across traditional demographic lines. The party’s other groups are targeted at women, young people, seniors and the Malay/Muslim community.

Reiterating this at the PAP conference on Nov 24, PM Wong

said the party can no longer “operate from the back”

in a more contested political landscape. Instead, it must “come out in front” to explain its policies. 

5. Israeli-Palestinian conflict

More than a year on from

the 2023 Hamas attack

that triggered the devastating Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Singapore continues to take a clear stand and express its concerns on the grave situation in Gaza.

The Republic, which supports a two-state solution, has repeatedly called for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, the safe and unconditional release of all remaining hostages, and for humanitarian assistance to flow unhindered to affected civilians there.

In August, Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan said Singapore

must be prepared to call out violations of international law,

breaches of the UN Charter, or where fundamental principles are at risk.

Singaporeans must also stay united and maintain its cohesion, as the foreign policy of a divided Singapore will be irrelevant, he said at an annual forum organised by the National University of Singapore.

In June, three women

were charged with public order offences

for allegedly organising a pro-Palestine procession along the perimeter of the Istana, including soliciting attendance online.

Police have said that public assemblies relating to the Israel-Hamas conflict

are not allowed here without a police permit.

Following pushback from parents on the handling of the Ministry of Education’s Character and Citizenship Education lessons on the Israel-Hamas conflict,

lessons were amended

to cater to different age groups, with more sensitivity and inclusion of diverse views.

Singaporeans have raised funds and delivered more than $18 million of humanitarian aid to Gaza so far.

Most recently, over a period of almost three months,

more than $2.6 million was raised by charity and humanitarian groups,

including through street donations, ongoing fund-raising campaigns and an injection of funds from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

6. Foreign interference law took effect

Singapore’s anti-foreign interference law came into full force on Dec 29, 2023, and was invoked by the authorities three times in 2024.

The Foreign Interference (Countermeasures) Act (Fica), which empowers the authorities to tackle foreign meddling in domestic politics,

was passed in Parliament on Oct 4, 2021,

following a 10-hour debate.

On Feb 2, Hong Kong-born businessman Philip Chan Man Ping

became the first person here to be designated a politically significant person.

The 59-year-old naturalised Singaporean believed in uniting overseas Chinese to tell China’s story.

The designation means he has to make annual disclosures of political donations of $10,000 or more that he has received and accepted, and to declare his foreign affiliations and any migration benefits. 

On July 11, the National Trades Union Congress

was similarly designated,

as a pre-emptive measure to mitigate its risk of being a future target of foreign interference.

On July 19, Fica was invoked once again

to block a network of 95 accounts

that published coordinated posts spreading allegations that Singapore was being controlled by China. 

Looking ahead

1. A general election, guaranteed

The “life” of each Parliament is five years from the date of its first sitting, which puts Nov 23, 2025, as the ultimate deadline for when the next general election must be held.

The first milestone is the formation of the Electoral Boundaries Review Committee.

This committee lays out changes to constituency boundaries, and recent general elections were called between one and three months after the committee released its report.

But neither the PAP nor opposition parties are waiting for the confirmed boundaries to walk the ground, and potential candidates have already been

spotted in several constituencies.

Some level of horse-trading between opposition parties also seems to have begun. This is to avoid three-corner fights, which have historically been seen as a bad thing as they split the opposition vote.

For instance, Red Dot United (RDU) chief Ravi Philemon told The Straits Times on Dec 14 that his party started walkabouts in Nee Soon GRC in August, after learning that the Progress Singapore Party is no longer active there.

RDU is part of a four-party coalition with the National Solidarity Party, Singapore People’s Party and the Singapore United Party. In 2020, most opposition parties had to broker bilateral pacts, after a proposed coalition of seven opposition parties failed to take off.

PM Wong has characterised the

next general election as a high-stakes one,

pointing out the risk that Singapore ends up with a much weaker government should there be even a modest swing in votes against the ruling party.

The PAP could lose another three or four GRCs, which might translate to a loss of four or five ministers, he warned in November.

2. An election Budget

When asked about top-of-mind concerns, such as the cost of living, PM Wong has asked Singaporeans to watch the upcoming Budget in February 2025.

On Nov 8, he

said the 2025 Budget will look to support Singaporeans across different life stages.

This includes the sandwiched group with both children and ageing parents, as well as those entering the workforce or starting families. 

The Budget will also look to help people upskill and ensure better incomes, on top of existing efforts such as enhancements to SkillsFuture, he added.

Public consultations for Budget 2025 are

ongoing till Jan 12, 2025.

Industry organisations have also begun issuing Budget wish lists. The Singapore National Employers Federation (SNEF) and

the Singapore Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCCI)

have drawn up proposals to give businesses the resources to meet an environment of rising costs.

SNEF has

called for continued financial relief,

including through the corporate income tax rebate, the Enterprise Financing Scheme and rental rebates to alleviate near-term cost pressures.

It also asked that government schemes such as the SkillsFuture Enterprise Credit scheme and the CPF Transition Offset be extended to help defray rising manpower costs.

The SCCCI has recommended that taxes for commercial properties be reviewed and rebates provided, to blunt the impact of the considerable property tax increases over the past two years.