Expect more scrutiny, pointed rebuttals in last days of hustings: Experts

May 1 will mark climax with opposition parties set to address points in PM's May Day Rally

- Anjali Raguraman

Amid the flurry of rallies and ripostes, new faces and new arguments, expect things to heat up even more in the last third of the hustings.

As the Republic races towards the May 3 general election amid a nine-day campaign that kicked off on April 23, observers say voters will likely see more scrutiny of parties' proposed policies and their past shortcomings.

It will mean more robust debate, with parties expected to continue using public platforms like rallies and media doorstops to "strike back" and respond to claims from the other side, said independent political observer Felix Tan.

This includes issues like the handling of the scuppered Income-Allianz deal, which has resurfaced in recent days, Dr Tan said.

The proposed $2.2 billion deal between NTUC's Income Insurance and German insurer Allianz fell through after a public outcry over Income's ability to continue its social mission after the sale. The Government eventually put a stop to the deal in October 2024.

On April 26, Workers' Party chief Pritam Singh said at a rally that no PAP labour MP had asked questions about the deal in Parliament when the issue surfaced.

At another rally the next day, Senior Minister Lee Hsien Loong pointed out that six PAP MPs and one WP MP had raised questions about it.

On April 28, Mr Singh countered by saying SM Lee had "sidestepped" the issue that no labour MP spoke up about the deal. He told reporters: "It puts into perspective the ratio of how many PAP MPs there are in Parliament, and how many Workers' Party MPs there are in Parliament. The ratio isn't one is to six, it's closer to one is to nine."

More questions may be asked on issues such as the Income-Allianz saga, observers said.