PAP must keep renewing and stay vigorous and in touch with Singaporeans: PM Lee

SINGAPORE - The People's Action Party must keep itself renewed, vigorous and in touch with the ground if it hopes to continue serving Singaporeans and Singapore for many years to come, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong has said.

This is especially so given today's challenging times, PM Lee said on Tuesday (July 12) at the PAP's appreciation dinner for its MPs who retired at the last general election.

Thanking the 20 MPs who retired in 2020, PM Lee said the PAP continues to need new generations of people to come forward, enter the political arena and fight for the support of Singaporeans.

Such men and women must not only possess integrity, commitment and ability, but also "the grit to take the rough and tumble of politics, and the passion and imagination to build a better Singapore", said PM Lee, who is also the PAP's secretary-general.

As he paid tribute to the retired MPs for their various community activities and constituency projects that have benefited their residents, PM Lee said most important was their political work to mobilise support for the PAP and win votes in elections.

"We must never do things solely for political advantage, but unless good policies and good work translate into votes and electoral success, they cannot endure," he told attendees at the dinner held at Parliament House.

Addressing the 100-strong audience - which includes current MPs and the party's branch chairs - PM Lee quelled the notion that PAP MPs are all cut from the same cloth.

"Some think that since PAP MPs all wear white and white, they are also monochrome in their ideas and perspectives," he said. "But this view is quite mistaken."

In fact, the PAP does its utmost to field a diverse team at each election and ensures that every MP brings something different to the table, he said. These varied perspectives help make the Government's policies more rounded and robust, he added.

"We must maintain this diversity in our ranks, keep our party a broad tent, and field the best possible team in the next general election," said the Prime Minister. "And that work is under way."

PM Lee also presented valedictory letters to 13 of the 20 retired MPs.

They are Mr Ang Hin Kee, Mr Cedric Foo, Mr Charles Chong, Dr Chia Shi-Lu, Professor Fatimah Lateef, Dr Intan Azura Mokhtar, Ms Lee Bee Wah, Mr Lee Yi Shyan, Dr Lily Neo, Mr Ong Teng Koon, Dr Teo Ho Pin, Mr Yee Chia Hsing and Mr Zainal Sapari.

The other seven - Emeritus Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong, Mr Khaw Boon Wan, Mr Lim Hng Kiang, Mr Lim Swee Say, Dr Yaacob Ibrahim, Mr Teo Ser Luck and Mr Sam Tan - had already received their letters when they stepped down from political office.

The longest-serving of the 20 retired MPs is ESM Goh, who served 10 terms or 43 years since 1977, followed by Mr Charles Chong, who served seven terms or 31 years since 1989.

In his speech at the dinner, PM Lee noted that the appreciation dinner was customarily held soon after each general election, but had been postponed due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

In preparing the valedictory letters, he said he was struck afresh by the wide range of issues that the retired MPs handled, the diversity of projects they implemented, as well as the intensity of their engagements with both residents and community groups in order to win their support and consolidate the ground.

Different MPs championed different issues close to their hearts, while others shaped their constituencies through various projects, he noted.

Former Jalan Besar GRC MP Lily Neo spoke passionately for the elderly and under-privileged, said PM Lee.

Some initiated schemes to expand common spaces, mobilised residents and brought different groups together to build the community spirit.

For example, Dr Teo Ho Pin, former Bukit Panjang MP and mayor of the North West District, popularised brisk walking groups in Bukit Panjang and North West Community Development Council, which grew into a national network, said PM Lee.

The Prime Minister said he was grateful that the outgoing MPs appreciated the need for the PAP to keep up leadership renewal and to make sure that Singapore always has the strongest team to lead it.

He thanked them for making way for their successors, and for guiding and supporting them.

Prof Fatimah, who was formerly MP for Marine Parade GRC and served for three terms, told The Straits Times that her time in politics taught her that serving patients and constituents has many evidence-based similarities.

For instance, excellent communication is needed, just like for a doctor's bedside manner, and clinical reasoning was useful in solving problems for her residents, just as it is for diagnosing her patients.

The emergency department senior consultant at Singapore General Hospital quipped: "Medicine and politics - not a difficult mixture to swallow."

Mr Yee, who was Chua Chu Kang GRC MP for one term, said it was good to have the chance to catch up with his comrades after two years of Covid-19.

"(I have) many happy memories and made a lot of friends with volunteers and residents," he said of his time in politics.

Dr Chia, who was Tanjong Pagar GRC MP for two terms, said he was very proud of having been able to advance healthcare in Singapore, as chair of the Government Parliamentary Committee for Health for several years.

"It was one of my personal and stated reasons for entering politics, and I felt proud and honoured to have been able to contribute in this respect."

He added that his most memorable moment was from the hustings in 2011 and 2015.

"Nothing really prepares you for the sheer passion and energy you feel during the days of campaigning," he said.

Asked what he will remember most from politics, Mr Lim Swee Say said it is the countless chit-chats he had with his residents to know their concerns and aspirations, and to help them appreciate the reasons behind government policy.

His top tip for the latest batch of new MPs: “People do not care how much we know until they know how much we care. So engage our residents deeply and pursue solutions innovatively.”