Workers' Party's Gerald Giam on why politics is like sports

Whatever the result, both players should shake hands and be gracious, says MP

- Natasha Ann Zachariah

Workers' Party (WP) MP Gerald Giam views politics the way he views sports: You compete according to the rules, you do your best, and at the end, there is a winner and a loser.

Whatever the result, both players should shake hands and be gracious.

"The loser would pick up the pieces, and try and do better the next time. And the winner, well, should make sure that they don't shift the goalposts to ensure that they win better the next time," he said.

"It's the way I want to see politics," explained the 47-year-old Aljunied GRC MP, who is looking after the Bedok Reservoir-Punggol division. He drew the analogy while sharing how he was introduced to pickleball by his residents, and has even joined them for a game.

He recently dropped by The Usual Place podcast, where he spoke about his first term as an elected MP and the party's morale after events such as Ms Raeesah Khan's lying in Parliament when she was an MP and WP chief Pritam Singh's recent trial.

In the lead-up to the upcoming general election, The Usual Place is featuring MPs and others involved in the event to find out how they are preparing for it.

Regarding the trials and resignations of fellow party members due to various reasons since the last general election, Mr Giam said that, internally, these events have "energised us in many ways".