GE2025: PAP’s solutions are grounded in the present, but with steady eye on the future, says Desmond Lee
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National Development Minister Desmond Lee pointed to various initiatives that have been rolled out to address current concerns on cost of living and housing.
ST PHOTO: BRIAN TEO
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SINGAPORE – Many opposition parties have suggested that the ruling PAP is taking Singapore in the wrong direction, but the party has always planned to help the country overcome present-day challenges while keeping an eye on the future.
Minister for National Development Desmond Lee, who is the anchor minister for the PAP team contesting West Coast-Jurong West GRC, said this during a rally on April 27, pointing to various initiatives that have been rolled out to address current concerns on cost of living and housing.
He said: “The message that you hear from the opposition is that we are moving in the wrong direction. And the PAP is doing wrong by Singaporeans. That is not true.”
The minister added: “The PAP has always planned for you and our future generations in mind. We may not have all the answers all the time, but we are staying on course and charting our new way forward.”
In his address to the crowd at Jurong West Stadium, Mr Lee also said the PAP is looking out for future challenges. “We have come up with solutions grounded in the present, with a steady eye on the future,” he said.
He cited plans to develop the Greater Southern Waterfront,
“That is how we have built a better Singapore, and that is how we will continue to secure our future together. We will never stop doing so,” he added.
Mr Lee said the PAP has the ability to take the long-term view, and the discipline to follow through with implementation.
He outlined the party’s future plans for the young and old, including more public housing options for higher-income young couples and singles, and new models of housing and care for seniors who wish to age in place.
He acknowledged his team has heard voters’ concerns about issues including employment, housing and the rising cost of living.
“We must also look ahead, and prepare our workers and businesses to do well in a very different world,” said Mr Lee, adding that he was working on this in the new Singapore Economic Resilience Taskforce
He further noted that the Government has finally completed building all the homes that had been delayed due to the Covid-19 pandemic, and significantly ramped up the supply of new housing, so it is “confident that the market will stabilise”.
Mr Lee was the final speaker during the rally, which kicked off with speeches from party volunteers in West Coast-Jurong West GRC and Pioneer SMC, who shared their experiences with the incumbent MPs and drummed up support for them.
The PAP’s four other candidates for West Coast-Jurong West, as well as its candidate for Pioneer, took turns to speak at the rally, which also saw a political heavyweight, Senior Minister Teo Chee Hean, attending in support.
Senior Minister Teo Chee Hean at the PAP’s rally for West Coast-Jurong West GRC on April 27.
ST PHOTO: BRIAN TEO
SM Teo gave his endorsement of Mr Lee, telling residents: “You know how hardworking he is. He is dedicated to our residents. He works tirelessly for you, night and day.”
He added that Mr Lee is a “core part of Prime Minister Lawrence Wong’s 4G team”, and is now at the forefront of dealing with the tariff crisis as a member of the economic resilience task force. “Even in the middle of this GE, this team has been hard at work dealing with this crisis,” SM Teo said.
One of the night’s hosts was local comedienne Irene Ang, who revealed she was a resident of Jurong West during the 1980s and 1990s and rallied the crowd by leading them in a “Jurong Wave”.
West Coast-Jurong West GRC is one of the key constituencies to watch in this election, as PAP faces a rematch with a PSP A-team
In the 2020 election, the PAP won the constituency in its previous form – West Coast GRC – with 51.68 per cent of the vote against a PSP team led by Dr Tan. It was the narrowest win for the ruling party in that election.
Besides Mr Lee, the PAP slate includes Senior Parliamentary Secretary for Finance and Education Shawn Huang, three-term MP Ang Wei Neng, and two new faces – orthopaedic surgeon Hamid Razak and lawyer Cassandra Lee.
The other two candidates in PSP’s team are in-house legal counsel Sani Ismail and Mr Sumarleki Amjah, head of packaged food and business development at a food and beverage firm.
On issues related to the West Coast-Jurong West GRC, Mr Lee reiterated the constituency’s five-year plan,
Earlier, the team had also promised new sports and fitness facilities will be built, including the redevelopment of Clementi Stadium and former West Coast Recreation Centre.
Mr Lee said Mr Huang will focus on education and work with Mr Patrick Tay, incumbent PAP MP for Pioneer SMC and assistant secretary-general of the National Trades Union Congress, to bring “good jobs” to residents, while Ms Lee will look out for young families. Dr Hamid, he added, “feels strongly about seniors and healthcare”.
Calling Mr Ang their “Mr Infrastructure”, Mr Lee said he will revitalise the neighbourhood and lead efforts to support those with special needs or mental health concerns.
In his first rally speech, Dr Hamid said while some may clamour for “grand new policies” every day, not every problem can be solved by policy alone.
His remarks seemed to address comments made earlier by PSP’s Mr Leong,
In his first rally speech, Dr Hamid Razak said while some may clamour for “brand new policies” every day, not every problem can be solved by policy alone.
ST PHOTO: BRIAN TEO
Mr Leong was, in turn, responding to an earlier comment by Mr Lee during the launch of PAP’s five-year plan for the GRC that residents should ask contesting parties about their plans for the constituency.
Dr Hamid said that good policies are needed to address concerns faced by residents on the ground, but these policies can be improved. For instance, the doctor said if given the chance, he would want to champion more flexibility in utilising Medisave for chronic problems, and to fight for employment benefits.
He added: “There is also a need for local programmes and ground-up initiatives to complement this in the community.”
Dr Hamid, who addressed the crowd in English, Mandarin, Malay and Tamil, said: “Our community cannot rely on policies or programmes alone. It is made alive by us... by residents, volunteers and neighbours who look out for one another.
“If we start dividing and giving up on one another, there is no policy or programme that can save us. All it takes is one tree to uproot, and the entire forest will crumble.”
The PAP’s other candidates for the two constituencies also highlighted the ways they hope to contribute. Incumbent MP Mr Ang said he would expand support for caregivers of those with special needs, while Mr Huang described the Singapore spirit to uplift others. Newcomer Ms Lee promised to invest in families.
Mr Tay, who will face off against former lawyer and PSP newcomer Stephanie Tan, promised to lobby for measures to ensure better wages and job prospects.
