PAP must carry forward Singaporeans’ mandate with humility and purpose: Desmond Lee
[SINGAPORE] The People’s Action Party (PAP) must continue working with Singaporeans to navigate change and uncertainty, and deepen the trust it has built over generations, said Education Minister and PAP chairman Desmond Lee on Nov 9.
The party’s exercise in 2024 to refresh itself to “engage wider, communicate better and organise stronger” was not a one-off, but signalled a long-term commitment to strengthen how it listens, serves and connects with Singaporeans, he added.
Speaking at the PAP Awards and Convention 2025, Lee said Singaporeans had given the party their trust and confidence during the May general election.
The PAP increased its nationwide vote share from 61.24 per cent in 2020 to 65.57 per cent at GE2025, going against past trends of a dip in vote share after a new prime minister took over.
“(Singaporeans) wanted unity, progress and stability. It is a trust that we must carefully cherish and protect,” he added.
“For each generation judges us – not just by our past or the promises that we make – but by how we act, how we listen and how we care for Singaporeans. So our responsibility is clear: to carry this mandate with humility and purpose, and to keep Singapore exceptional in an increasingly fractured world.”
In his first public speech since becoming party chairman in May, Lee said the PAP’s work is guided by the Forward Singapore agenda led by its fourth generation leadership.
This includes strengthening the city-state’s social compact to give every Singaporean more assurance and better opportunities throughout life, and building a dynamic economy that stays competitive while uplifting every worker.
The party must also foster a more caring and united society where success is shared, and where no one is left behind, he added. “The road ahead will not be easy, but we can be confident that our best days will be ahead of us if we continue to move forward as one party and as one people.”
Lee said the PAP has built on the foundations of its Refresh PAP exercise, which the party announced at its 2023 convention.
During the six-month exercise, concerns about mental health and climate change came to the fore. At a June 2024 event to cap off the exercise, the PAP launched a new Mental Health Group and Climate Action Group. Prime Minister Lawrence Wong also promised that the PAP will engage more widely and communicate better with Singaporeans.
On Nov 9, Lee said the PAP’s community groups have reached out to new partners to make common cause with the party for impactful change.
The PAP has also widened its conversations with Singaporeans online and offline, and refreshed the party’s structures, capabilities and leadership across various levels to serve Singaporeans better, he added.
Speaking to reporters after the convention, Minister of State for Home Affairs and Social and Family Development Goh Pei Ming said as a new member of the team, he is constantly telling himself that he has to learn his two portfolios as quickly as he can. Goh is also involved in the Economic Strategy Review.
Beyond the policy work, it is also about learning from party veterans, his grassroots and activists on the ground, and getting to know his Marine Parade residents, Goh added.
Minister of State for Digital Development and Information and for Health Rahayu Mahzam said while the party has enduring values, it also continues to evolve to remain relevant.
“With people becoming more educated, a lot more exposed and connected to the world, they have different world views, and we want to make sure that we hear them out, we understand and that we also come to a consensus and understanding of what that narrative is for Singapore, what is that common vision we have for our nation,” she told reporters.
Dr Hamid Razak, who is part of the PAP’s Mental Health Group, said it is casting its net wide to engage people and agencies, to tap their expertise and roll out initiatives on the ground.
The group wants to engage with as many people as possible, said Hamid, an orthopaedic surgeon who helms the Jurong Spring-Gek Poh division in West Coast-Jurong West GRC.
The gathering at the Singapore Expo was attended by more than 1,800 party activists.
At the party awards ceremony held during the convention, 426 activists were recognised for their dedication and service.
The highest honour went to former labour chief Lim Swee Say for his contributions to upholding tripartism, and service to the party and Singapore over the past 29 years.
He entered politics in 1997 as a Member of Parliament for Tanjong Pagar GRC, and later served in the Holland-Bukit Panjang and East Coast GRCs until his retirement in 2020.
He held key portfolios including Minister for the Environment, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office and Minister for Manpower. As Minister for Manpower and former secretary-general of the National Trades Union Congress, he championed for workers, advancing fair employment, quality jobs and lifelong learning.
Thanking Lim for his steadfast service to the party and nation, Lee said: “Always cheerful, always energetic and always pushing us to ‘futurise’ and be ‘cheaper, better, faster’, Swee Say is one who has never stopped urging Singapore to move from better, to betterer, to betterest.”
Lim told reporters he joined politics because he was “pro-Singapore” and wanted to do whatever he could to contribute to the country’s progress.
He hopes more young Singaporeans will follow in his footsteps.
“We must make sure that we continue to build trust between the NTUC and the workers, between the government and the people, so that the development, the progress of Singapore can be sustained into the future,” he said. THE STRAITS TIMES
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