Indian community has made outsize contributions to S’pore, will be among new PAP faces: PM Wong
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Prime Minister Lawrence Wong taking a wefie at a dialogue with Indian youth on April 13.
PHOTO: TAMIL MURASU
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SINGAPORE – New PAP candidates in the upcoming election will certainly include members of the Indian community, said Prime Minister Lawrence Wong, as he affirmed the ethnic group’s contributions at a dialogue with Indian youth.
Indians in Singapore have made outsized contributions to the country in many areas, including in business, industry and the Government, said PM Wong.
Speaking at the dialogue on April 13, PM Wong said: “You may be a small community, but, certainly, your contributions to Singapore and the impact that you have on Singapore are not small at all.
“In fact, I would say you already reflect that Singapore spirit. Your story is a story of Singapore – small and yet punching above your weight.”
Indians represented 7.6 per cent of Singapore’s citizens, while Malays and Chinese made up 15.1 per cent and 75.6 per cent of the population, respectively, in 2024.
The Vaanga Ippo Pesalaam Chat (Come, Let’s Chat in Tamil), or VIP Chat, was organised by newspaper Tamil Murasu and held at Huone Singapore, an event space in Clarke Quay. During the 90-minute dialogue, PM Wong and Senior Minister of State for Digital Development and Information Janil Puthucheary engaged with about 130 youth.
In the 2020 General Election, the PAP did not field any Indian candidates
In his opening remarks, PM Wong said Singapore has benefited from many Indian civil servants, such as Dr Janil, who is also Senior Minister of State for Health.
The Prime Minister said there will be new Indian candidates from the PAP for the upcoming election but did not give further details or names.
New faces who have been spotted with political leaders recently include former Agency for Integrated Care chief executive Dinesh Vasu Dash
Managing partner at law firm Tito Isaac & Co, Mr Kawal Pal Singh,
And among the new faces in PAP’s team to contest opposition-held Aljunied GRC is Mr Jagathishwaran Rajo, a trade unionist for 13 years
A day earlier, PM Wong unveiled eight new PAP faces in a video
One of them is Indian orthopaedic surgeon Hamid Razak, who has been spotted at community events in Jurong Spring since 2024. He is expected to be fielded in the newly minted West Coast-Jurong West GRC
In his remarks, PM Wong also encouraged participants to continue building a distinctive Singaporean Indian identity.
He said the Indian community here is very diverse and has retained its traditions while evolving into a different culture.
“For the Singaporean Indian, your values, your norms, your way of thinking, are different from Indians in India. And it is something precious that we have created here. It is a Singaporean attitude, mindset, way of life.
“You can be proud of your ethnic roots and at the same time proud to be a Singaporean, and that is what we mean by being Singaporean,” said PM Wong.
He encouraged participants to embrace their roots and also engage with fellow Singaporeans outside their community to “enlarge the common space we share”.
PM Wong added: “This is how we can try, even as a little red dot, how we can ensure we remain strong and united. We can continue to have harmony with one another, even in a very turbulent world which we already see today.”
Dr Janil noted that the small size of the Indian community could be a boon. “We can remain in close contact with everybody, leverage the connections, the networks, the friendships, the trust that we have. It is an advantage of being a small and potentially much more closely knit community,” said Dr Janil.
He also said that though most youth in Singapore share the same concerns, the Indian community represents issues of race, religion and language differently.
The young people at the dialogue were between the ages of 18 and 35, and they represented four universities and 14 community organisations. They asked a variety of questions ranging from protecting the Indian community amid growing ethno-religious violence, to concerns including cost of living, housing and employment.
In response, the panellists called for Singaporeans to be vigilant against extremist views and reassured participants that the Government is tackling the bread-and-butter issues raised.
The dialogue was held under Chatham House rules, which allow for reporting of what was said but not who said it – including participants and panellists – to foster candour.
Christine Tan is a journalist at The Straits Times reporting on crime, justice and social issues in Singapore.
