Strong mandate for Government in GE2025 big advantage for S’pore globally: Vivian Balakrishnan
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Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan (second from right) and his fellow Holland-Bukit Timah GRC MPs (from left) Christopher de Souza, Sim Ann and Edward Chia retained their seats in the constituency with 79.29 per cent of the votes.
ST PHOTO: SYARAFANA SHAFEEQ
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SINGAPORE - For a new prime minister to emerge from the 2025 General Election with a strong mandate is a very big advantage for Singapore, said Minister for Foreign Affairs Vivian Balakrishnan.
In an interview with The Straits Times on May 4, he said that the PAP’s strong showing during the general election is beneficial to the nation’s global standing.
The PAP secured 87 of 97 seats and won 65.57 per cent of the vote
Stressing the importance of Prime Minister Lawrence Wong receiving a strong mandate, Dr Balakrishnan said: “If the Prime Minister says something, other leaders know we can deliver and can make it stick. When any of the ministers say something, you know that the position is coordinated.
“No one is freelancing, this is not a solo performance. This is a finely tuned, coordinated team.”
The world is transitioning into a new order, a period of maximal danger, Dr Balakrishnan said, although it is not possible for now to define what shapes the new world.
As Singapore is a tiny city-state for whom trade is three times its gross domestic product and which depends on unimpeded free trade, the way things are shaping up in the world will create severe headwinds for the country, he said.
Likening Singapore to a “little ship”, he said that one would need to make sure the boat is shipshape and that everyone on board feels secure when going into a storm.
“In times like that, you need a captain who has got an overview of the larger picture, that has a sense of direction, of where you want to sail, and has got all hands on deck.
“The next few years are not going to be easy. We mustn’t believe that the success of yesterday suddenly means everything is fine. It’s not. We are preparing to get our ship and everyone on board safely to the other side.”
Dr Balakrishnan was speaking to ST after greeting residents at Bukit Panjang Plaza with fellow Holland-Bukit Timah GRC MPs: Senior Minister of State for Foreign Affairs and National Development Sim Ann, 50, lawyer Christopher de Souza, 49, and businessman Edward Chia, 41.
The team retained its seats in the constituency with 79.29 per cent of the votes
It is historically the best performance for the four-member group representation constituency, apart from a walkover in 2006 when the GRC was created.
On whether they expected such a rise in vote share, Mr de Souza said that though it is a strong encouragement and incentive, the team is not focused on numbers.
“We are completely focused on the residents and their priorities. The nine days of campaigning were really an extension of what we have been doing for the past five years, week in and week out.”
The team conducted a relatively quiet campaign, choosing to do house visits and walkabouts instead of holding rallies.
Dr Balakrishnan said: “The voters are very discerning – they are aware of global issues and the state of the world. What we have decided is to spend more time on intimate conversations on these issues, which you can’t really have at rallies.”
Mr de Souza pointed out that adversity does not discriminate. “You can live in a landed home and be very lonely, or live in a rental home and life can be difficult, too.”
Rallies can sometimes be a monologue or a unilateral message, he said. “So, when we look at what is best for our residents, we thought having face-to-face and personal interactions to understand the concerns on the ground and translate that into real action to improve lives was important.”
With hustings over, the work continues, said Ms Sim.
She has been familiarising herself with the work Mr Shawn Huang has done in a part of Jurong GRC that was added to Holland-Bukit Timah GRC after electoral boundary changes were announced in March. “I want to build on that work and identify the top concerns of residents in the area.”
Mr Chia said he is “laser-focused” on executing the many plans the team has announced during campaigning, such as renovating a local community centre, the upgrading of sports facilities, and extending park connectors.
