PAP must continue to represent all Singaporeans, earn strong mandate in next GE: DPM Heng

SINGAPORE – The People’s Action Party (PAP) must continue to represent all Singaporeans, even as it deepens its connection with a new generation of voters, said Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat.

While the party has continued to make good progress in uplifting Singaporeans and advancing the nation’s interests, the challenges ahead mean it needs to strengthen the country’s cohesion and bring all Singaporeans together, DPM Heng said on Nov 23, the opening evening of the two-day biennial PAP Awards and Conference.

DPM Heng, who is PAP chairman, also urged party members to rally the people’s support in order to earn a strong mandate in the coming general election, due by November 2025.

Speaking to more than 3,000 party activists and guests gathered at Singapore Expo, DPM Heng said the PAP is proud to celebrate its 70th anniversary this year.

“Against the odds facing a small, fledging nation, we secured water, food, jobs, housing and quality education for our people,” he said. “In the crucible of nation-building, we forged a deep trust with fellow Singaporeans.”

He also

paid tribute to the outgoing party secretary-general, Senior Minister Lee Hsien Loong

, who handed over the premiership to Prime Minister Lawrence Wong in May.

SM Lee’s contributions include leading Singapore’s development into a smart nation and a global city that connects Asia with the rest of the world, said DPM Heng.

However, the world is changing rapidly due to big power contestation, technological disruption, ageing populations and climate change, he added. “People around the world are stressed over bread-and-butter issues like the cost of living, jobs and immigration,” he said.

The PAP has responded with an exercise to refresh itself, led by PM Wong with input from more than 2,300 activists and partners.

“The message is clear: The PAP must continue to represent all Singaporeans – even as we deepen our connection with the new generation of voters,” said DPM Heng.

Other ways that the party has responded to ground concerns in the past year include the launch of two party groups on mental health and climate action, he added.

Meanwhile, the PAP’s Women’s Wing continued to champion women’s health and development, and the PAP Seniors Group introduced a playbook to strengthen community support for seniors, noted DPM Heng.

Its Malay Affairs Bureau has also advocated for the evolving needs and concerns of the Malay/Muslim community, he added.

DPM Heng said many of his foreign counterparts have expressed their admiration for Singapore’s ability to solve critical problems and make plans for the future.

“But with the more challenging external environment, we must continue to work hard, work smart and rise to the challenges ahead,” he added. “The starting point is to strengthen our internal cohesion and bring all Singaporeans together to chart our future.”

At the event, DPM Heng urged party members to support PM Wong – who is deputy secretary-general of the PAP – in rallying fellow Singaporeans in taking the country forward.

With a strong mandate at the coming election, the PAP can take Singapore forward together, he added.

“Let us live up to our name as a party of action, by Singaporeans for Singaporeans. Let us build a Singapore of hope and opportunity for our children and the generations to come,” he said.

In short remarks after he was feted, SM Lee said: “I wish the party all the best, and I think we all have to work hard. There is a general election coming next year.”

On Nov 24, PAP cadres will elect 12 members to form the party’s 38th Central Executive Committee (CEC) via secret ballot. This will set the stage for PM Wong to take the top party post, and to lead the ruling party in the next GE.

The formal handover of the secretary-general position will have to wait until elected members of the CEC hold their first meeting after Nov 24’s election, said PAP assistant organising secretary Alex Yam. It is at this CEC meeting that additional members are co-opted and the party’s office-holders appointed, the MP for Marsiling-Yew Tee GRC told reporters at the event.

When Mr Goh Chok Tong announced he was stepping down as PAP secretary-general in 2004, there was a three-week gap between the CEC election and the announcement that SM Lee had taken over the post.

Asked if the outgoing CEC would nominate certain names to be elected and what these names are, Mr Yam said he was not at liberty to comment, as the way the CEC elections are run is a secret kept within the cadre membership.

“Of course, within the party, it will be transparent and made known to our members, but I am unable to comment publicly on how the party decides its list of candidates (or) the process by which we arrive at the list together,” he added.