The PAP's recent landslide victory at the general election clearly shows strong endorsement of its policies by the majority of pragmatic Singaporeans ("PAP wins big with 69.9% of vote"; Sept 12).

Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam's astute observation of what he called "interesting new faces" in the opposition must be put to work for the benefit of the nation as we move forward to meet new challenges ("Opposition 'can continue to contribute to Singapore'"; Sept 14).

Some new, prominent, high-calibre opposition candidates who bravely stood for a chance to be alternative voices in Parliament should be invited to a forum where national issues can be debated and discussed by them and the PAP.

Such open debates may expose weaknesses in our system and clarify any misunderstood government policies.

At the press conference after the election results, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong did say he looked forward to robust debates in Parliament.

Let us tap the ideas of the brave people who did not get the chance to enter Parliament, through a forum.

Kang Choon Tian