GE2025: General election must provide Singapore with a competent govt to lead country in crises, says SM Lee
[SINGAPORE] Elections in Singapore need to provide the country with a capable leadership that can run a competent and effective government, said Senior Minister Lee Hsien Loong on Monday (Apr 14).
Such a leadership must also be able to defend Singapore’s place in the world and lead the country safely through crises, he added in an hour-long speech outlining the stakes for the next general election.
That is ultimately what elections are about, he said, which is to, ideally, choose a team that can lead the country most successfully and effectively.
“If voters keep on electing more opposition MPs even when the government is doing a good job, then beyond a point, it must weaken the government’s ability to govern, to form the best possible team for Singapore,” he told labour union leaders as he sought their support in the upcoming polls.
SM Lee was speaking ahead of a closed-door dialogue at the NTUC Centre, attended by NTUC president K Thanaletchimi, secretary-general Ng Chee Meng and around 500 other union leaders. The ruling PAP has traditionally shared a symbiotic relationship with the labour movement.
His remarks comes amid an ongoing trade war between the United States and China, which has roiled global markets. Singapore’s leaders have warned that such developments could significantly slow global growth, with the Republic no exception.
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The unstable global outlook is among topics likely to feature in the hustings, along with the rising cost of living and a greater desire for more political opposition. Parties have started to unveil potential candidates, in the latest sign that the election is likely to be called soon.
Bringing home the implications of global uncertainties, SM Lee said Singapore must be united domestically to be effective internationally. Otherwise, investors and other leaders will ask if the prime minister can be taken seriously.
A big factor in Singapore being a safe haven is good and stable politics, added SM Lee. “That is why people want to put family offices here... That is why people have confidence and put factories worth billions of dollars here.”
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He acknowledged that Singaporeans want more opposition MPs as a stronger check and balance to the PAP, and said that the opposition has a role to play in a democratic system.
“It is here to stay. Opposition MP are never going to disappear from Parliament - I accept this. That’s the way democracies work,” he said.
“But Singapore also needs an effective system of government, which is led by a good and capable ruling party. And that depends on elections producing outcomes which work for Singapore.”
In the 2020 general election, the PAP returned to power with 83 out of 93 seats in Parliament, but with a reduced share of the popular vote, at 61.23 per cent, compared with 69.9 per cent in 2015. It lost a second GRC - Sengkang.
SM Lee said he called the last general election, held in the middle of the pandemic, as soon as was practicable, despite objections from others who called for it to be delayed.
“We must have our minds focused on fighting Covid, and we can’t do that if every day I want to make a new Covid policy, I have to ask myself, do I do this before or after the election.”
Thankfully, the PAP secured a good mandate, and was able to then focus on fighting the Covid-19 pandemic, he said.
But the labour movement suffered a setback when the PAP lost Sengkang, which was helmed by Ng, said SM Lee.
“Fortunately, Chee Meng had the staying power and gumption to continue serving as secretary-general, and fortunately the labour movement continued to support him,” he noted.
During the pandemic, the labour movement was well-led, and could be a good partner for the Government. NTUC played a key role in saving jobs, and advancing skills upgrading, he said.
He cited the Self-Employed Person Income Relief Scheme - which provided cash payouts to eligible self-employed workers - and Company Training Committees that supported businesses in upskilling.
“This is what tripartism means - the Government, unions and employers working together. This is what the symbiotic relationship between the PAP and the NTUC can do for workers and for Singapore.”
This is why Prime Minister Lawrence Wong and his 4G team have committed to strengthening tripartism, said SM Lee, as he called for their “full support” to Wong’s team this general election, especially for the labour leaders and PAP union advisors in the team.
The upcoming elections are crucial in a changed world and with a fresh team in charge, said SM Lee, adding that Wong is leading the PAP into elections for the first time, seeking his own mandate to take Singapore forward through the current crisis.
“I hope that Singaporeans understand what is happening, what is at stake, and what we must do together to secure our future.” THE STRAITS TIMES
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