Singapore GE2020: PAP candidates round up campaign in Mandarin, Malay and Tamil talk shows

PAP candidates held talk shows that were streamed on Facebook last night to round up the party's campaign for the general election, ahead of Polling Day tomorrow.

Here are the key points from the Mandarin, Malay and Tamil shows.

A leading issue that has been raised in the nine days of campaigning is why the People's Action Party (PAP) needs a supermajority in Parliament, or why the opposition needs at least one-third of the seats in Parliament.

But the key question to ask is not what the political parties need at the election, said PAP assistant treasurer and Education Minister Ong Ye Kung, but what Singaporeans need.

"Based on my exchanges with Singaporeans in recent days, what they are most worried about is whether we can control the Covid-19 pandemic, whether we can retain jobs, and whether their children have a future," he said.

He was joined by senior parliamentary secretaries Baey Yam Keng and Sun Xueling, and new PAP candidate Desmond Tan.

Mr Ong stressed that the needs of Singaporeans are not tied to the needs of political parties. "They need an election result that can unify the country. Only with unity can we, amid this global crisis, protect jobs and livelihoods."

In order to ensure this outcome of unity, he urged Singaporeans to base their vote on the past performance and actions of the political parties, as well as their future plans for Singapore.

"If we are all able to do that, no matter the outcome, then I trust that this (election result) will be able to represent the collective wishes of Singaporeans," he said.

Mr Ong also spoke about how the fourth-generation (4G) leaders have been working as a team to manage the Covid-19 crisis. They have also been taking suggestions and receiving support from the third-generation ministers at critical junctures, he said.

Working together like this paves the way for key values to be passed on from one generation to the next, he said, adding that the right balance for leadership succession has to be struck.

If this is done too fast, the younger leaders may not be mature enough. But if there is a delay, the baton cannot be smoothly handed over to the next generation. This may result in implications for the party, he said.

Health, jobs and concerns about the future are issues that people have on their minds in this election, said PAP vice-chairman Masagos Zulkifli, making the need for a strong government necessary.

Mr Masagos said he was encouraged by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong's assurance that he would steer Singapore through the current Covid-19 crisis alongside senior Cabinet colleagues and the 4G ministers, as this would provide Singapore with the leadership it needs in these challenging times.

The Minister for the Environment and Water Resources was joined by fellow PAP candidates Amrin Amin and Rahayu Mahzam.

He noted that while there will be differences in opinion about various issues within the Malay community, what is important is that the community remains united and continues uplifting each other.

Some things that people say, be they on online or offline platforms, might not sit comfortably with the community's beliefs or way of life, he noted. "I think definitely we can expect this (division) to happen, but I hope that after the election, we can all forgive each other, because we have to be united."

Jobs, economy, health, housing and children's future are some of the concerns that people have in the midst of the Covid-19 situation, Home Affairs and Law Minister K. Shanmugam said yesterday.

He urged voters to look at the two big challenges ahead - the Covid-19 crisis and the economy - and ask themselves who can take them through the crisis.

"We need a strong mandate from the people which will give us the strength to keep going. The Government and the people have to join hands and forge our path together, and this should be on their minds on Polling Day," said Mr Shanmugam, who is the PAP's treasurer.

"A strong mandate is important to get through this crisis with long-term policies, which is why the GE has to be held now."

Mr Shanmugam added that after the election, the nation needs to have a serious discussion about race and religion.

"Singapore's approach on race and religion has been different from other countries. But the younger generation wants a different approach," he said.

"We have to find a way in which we come to an understanding on how we can discuss about these things and whether we have to do anything differently in future - whether our laws have to change, whether we have to allow more criticisms of each other's race and religion," said Mr Shanmugam.

"That is what the younger generation wants. If they think that is good, then the situation has got to change."