KANGAR (THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK) - Malaysian Chinese Association (MCA) president Liow Tiong Lai on Saturday (Sept 12) congratulated Singapore's ruling party under Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong for its huge victory in the Republic's general election.

He said the mandate given to the People's Action Party (PAP) showed that Singaporeans wish for unity and continuous developments in the country.

"The rakyat (people) could see it for themselves that a country's administration which is effective could continue its economic growth and ensure security, harmony and unity of the country.

"Therefore the rakyat would continue to throw its support to the government of Singapore," he told a news conference after opening the Perlis MCA convention at the headquarters .

PAP secured a strong mandate with a popular vote share of 69.9 per cent. This was an almost 10 percentage point increase from the 60.1 per cent it got in the 2011 election. All wards saw huge vote swings to the ruling party, many by more than 10 percentage points and some by even more than 15 points.

The party took 83 of the 89 seats in 29 constituencies.