GE2025: Easy to come up with policy ideas, but the challenge lies in implementing them, says PAP’s Rahayu Mahzam

SINGAPORE: The act of coming up with a policy idea is "very easy", but the challenge lies in how these policies are implemented, said Minister of State for Health and Digital Development and Information Rahayu Mahzam on Thursday (Apr 17).

She was responding to a question when asked about the Workers’ Party’s (WP) claims on Wednesday. In a Facebook post, the opposition party said that 15 of its policy proposals in the last term of parliament had been adopted "in some form" by the People’s Action Party (PAP) government.

“Oftentimes, it's very hard to say it comes from any one source. The reality is that everyone contributes to this,” said Ms Rahayu.

“That is the way we want to move forward. We cannot run on just the government alone.”

Ms Rahayu said the ruling party has always acknowledged that the work of forming policies requires collective effort and feedback from all around.

“We have robustly consulted a lot of people in the community through REACH, through even our own PAP backbenchers,” she said.

REACH is the government’s feedback and engagement unit.

She was among the PAP’s potential candidates for the May 3 polls who spoke to the media on Thursday, following the launch of the party’s election manifesto.

The slogan of its manifesto this year is "Changed World, Fresh Team, New Resolve".

PAP secretary-general Lawrence Wong said it is the ruling party’s roadmap to navigate a world that is going through profound changes and becoming more uncertain.

Hours after the PAP’s roadmap was launched on Thursday, the WP also unveiled its manifesto, calling for GST exemptions, minimum wage and a wealth tax among other measures.

TRACK RECORD

Dr Faisal Abdul Aziz, a new candidate who is on the PAP’s slate in WP-held Aljunied GRC, said that because the PAP government is an inclusive one that consults widely when formulating policy proposals, there are bound to be iterations of ideas mentioned before.

“So if someone has said something, I think you will have some iterations of it embedded in whatever policy proposals the government has put up,” said the dental surgeon, who also gave a speech at the launch event.

Ms Rahayu said it is important to consider the party’s track record and capability in translating ideas into actions and looking through the pros and cons of policies, when deciding who to lead Singapore forward.

“That’s usually not easy, because often giving an idea is very easy, just saying it is easy, but when you actually have to implement, when you actually have to deal with stakeholders and balance the needs of different communities, that is the challenging bit,” said Ms Rahayu.

For that, good and trusted people are needed, especially in times like this, she said, emphasising that it is something the ruling party would ask voters to think about.

“We welcome the positions shared with different parties, but we have this to offer to voters: a team that's strong, that's committed, has a track record and is willing to go through the difficulties of actually navigating policies, making the necessary trade-offs and delivering something that's meaningful for Singaporeans,” said Ms Rahayu.

Mr Jeffrey Siow, who was announced as a potential candidate for Chua Chu Kang GRC, called the manifesto “a very human-centred plan” when CNA asked about WP's claims. “It is not just a list of government policies. It is a reflection of Singaporeans’ voices.”

“A lot of the things that are in the manifesto are plans in progress, both short-term and long-term,” noted Mr Siow, who was second permanent secretary at the Ministries of Manpower and Trade and Industry before he left public service earlier this month.

He said that Singaporeans can see for themselves the progress of these plans, and that “we have not come up with it (all of a sudden)”.

“Certainly everyone has a place to contribute to Singapore, and I think that it's for Singaporeans to decide who best is able to bring all the voices together, unite the country together and put forth what's best for our country,” said Mr Siow.

Editor's note: The PAP's slogan has been amended in this article after the party updated the information it had initially provided to the media.