PAP will engage more widely with Singaporeans; to create 2 new groups on mental health, climate change

THE ruling People’s Action Party (PAP) has promised to engage more widely with Singaporeans, including through new channels to foster two-way dialogue.

Prime Minister Lawrence Wong said on Jun 8 that the PAP will create two new groups within the party to address cross-cutting issues of mental health and climate change, while he will personally do more in his public communications.

The party will also step up its engagement efforts through its government parliamentary committee (GPCs) – party organs organised along ministry lines – he said at an event to cap off a six-month exercise to refresh and strengthen the PAP.

Addressing a 400-strong crowd at a thank-you event for party activists and partners, PM Wong said PAP MPs want to engage not just within the party but also wider community groups and stakeholders.

This is so that “we can represent your views in Parliament, and we can have more effective discussions and debates in Parliament”, said Wong, who is also the PAP’s deputy secretary-general.

While the PAP currently has various groups such as its women’s wing, Young PAP and PAP Seniors Group that actively engage their respective communities, he said that key challenges facing Singapore increasingly cut across traditional demographic lines.

As such, the party will set up a new mental health group to be led by Senior Minister of State for Communications and Information and for Health Janil Puthucheary, and a climate action group under Senior Minister of State for Manpower and Sustainability and the Environment Koh Poh Koon.

“These happen to be, amongst other things, two key national issues and also priorities for the PAP government,” said Wong.

“As a party, we want to use these groups to better engage our activists and also all stakeholders, be it healthcare professionals, environmental groups, community organisations, or individuals,” he added.

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He urged people with views and ideas around these issues to join the two groups in their deliberations, so that the PAP government’s policies and plans in these areas are better informed.

Those who join need not be a party activist, he stressed. “You may not be an activist. You may be just a citizen with an interest in these issues. Join the groups too,” he said. “We will engage you, involve you in our deliberations and discussions.”

The PAP said it will also pave the way for its GPCs to give greater voice to Singaporeans in specific topic areas.

GPCs are an existing set-up within the PAP, where certain MPs are assigned scopes that are carved out along broad ministry clusters, such as trade and industry, and national development.

In essence, they were set up by the PAP to scrutinise legislation and programmes of various ministries and to let its MPs give feedback to the government, Leader of the House Indranee Rajah said during a parliamentary debate in March.

Ministries do not have to brief GPCs, but can choose to do so when they want to seek the input of GPCs, she added.

Wong said MPs will step up their engagement efforts through GPCs. This will pave the way for GPCs to better act as proxies for Singaporeans in Parliament, said the PAP. THE STRAITS TIMES