SINGAPORE – Several young activists of the People’s Action Party (PAP) on Sunday urged fellow party members to embrace diversity, whether in views or within the party’s ranks, saying this will be key to the party’s and Singapore’s success.

PAP Jurong Spring division assistant branch secretary Hamid Razak, 38, Young PAP organising secretary Chua Wei-Shan, 36, and PAP Sengkang Central division branch chairman Elmie Nekmat, 42, were speaking for the first time at their party’s convention at the Singapore Expo.

The theme this year was “Charting the path forward: Every voice counts”.

In his speech, Dr Hamid, an orthopaedic surgeon at Sengkang General Hospital, stressed the importance of attracting activists from various backgrounds.

He grew up in Stirling Road before moving to Jurong, where he started volunteering at the grassroots level.

It included mentoring young people and working with migrant workers, said Dr Hamid, adding that the experience gave him a unique identity and personality.

“Each party member brings their unique life experiences to the table. These experiences can help us better understand and address the needs of the broader cross section of our constituents,” he said.

Appreciating diversity also helps build inclusivity, he said, noting that it sends a clear message to those within the party that their voices matter.

“When each of us firmly believe that our voice matters, we develop a strong sense of belonging and inclusivity. Every member will feel valued and heard,” he added.

Echoing the same sentiments, Ms Chua said she had come across fellow volunteers who left temporarily due to personal and professional commitments, such as going abroad for work or taking time off to care for family.

They later felt “paiseh” (embarrassed in Hokkien) to return.

Noting that there was nothing to be ashamed about, the entrepreneur said she believed volunteerism and activism should embody a spirit of flexibility, so that people can contribute in their “own time, own space” and in their own way.

She also called on fellow activists to ensure that the party’s activities foster a conducive environment to embrace diverse perspectives.

She cited how Young PAP has organised outreach efforts centred on themes that resonate with young people, to attract more of them to the party.

Over five years, the group engaged with hundreds of green activists, businesses, researchers, subject-matter experts, unions, and workers on the topic of environment sustainability.

The recommendations from these engagements were later discussed in Parliament in motions filed by PAP MPs in 2020 and 2022.

This showed that “our youth voices are not only heard but taken seriously and acted upon”, Ms Chua said.

She added: “I call upon my fellow youth Singaporeans to connect with the PAP, form a constructive force with us, and challenge yourselves to be a part of the solution, as I and my peers have done.”

Associate Professor Elmie, who teaches communications and new media at the National University of Singapore, cautioned against stereotyping the younger generations.

“There is ‘wokeness’ but there is no ‘woke generation’. We must remind ourselves to avoid painting the younger generation with such broad strokes and labels,” he said, referring to the propensity of young people to be concerned about social injustice.

Recounting a recent conversation with a Grab driver, Prof Elmie said the driver had shared that his daughters, aged 18 and 20, now addressed him as “bro” in conversations.

This got Prof Elmie excited, as he too had been reminded by his oldest daughter to be more “slay”, or impressive, as a dad.

“At the end of the journey, we agreed that the lived experiences of our children and their digital lives are starkly different from ours. And that we will only push them away if we were to judge and react to them based on our set of lived experiences and expectations,” he said.

“So let us begin conversations with our youth by appreciating their diversity as a generation. Their multiplicity of viewpoints and convictions to different causes because these are the ‘voices’ that we need in order to build a truly inclusive Singapore for generations to come.”

Earlier, party chairman Heng Swee Keat had issued a clarion call for party activists to be agents for creating good and effecting change in the community.

Addressing more than 1,000 party members at the biennial event, Mr Heng, who is also Deputy Prime Minister, said: “You are the voice and face of the party... you listen with humility and serve with heart, always seeking to make a difference, big and small.

“Through your actions and contributions, you have helped to deepen the trust that Singaporeans have in the party and the Government.”