Leaders must be able to execute policies well, not just craft them: DPM Teo
Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean. TODAY file photo
SINGAPORE — How the People’s Action Party (PAP) is preparing the next generation of leaders to take over the mantle of running the country ranges from helping new candidates gain a good feel of how to work the ground to ensuring those who are already elected grasp the intricacies of governance.
The party’s first assistant secretary-general Teo Chee Hean, who is also Deputy Prime Minister, said this yesterday, as he stressed that crafting good policies is only half the work — executing them well is just as important.
The team of leaders must also know one another well to complement one another and work together, so that “when the time is right and they are ready, it’s not the PAP, but Singapore, as a team, that is ready for the future”, said Mr Teo.
He was speaking at a press conference after Nomination held at the party headquarters, which was also attended by party chief and Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.
Mr Teo said he has been working closely with Mr Lee to help the new candidates “get their ground and groundwork correct”, while also helping those in office and in Parliament to “understand the complexities, the interconnectivities of what governance is all about”.
He added: “Because it’s not just about making statements, but also about delivery and about execution. Making sure that the policies that we formulate in Parliament can be executed, and be executed well.”
Mr Lee said that to keep in touch with the new and younger generation, the next generation of leaders for Singapore also has to be of the “right generation”.
He added: “And this is why when we talk about government and leadership in the future, the leadership part is not the people who are already there, but it’s the people we are bringing in, who are going to determine the shape of the political landscape 10, 15 years from now.”
Asked which of the new candidates fielded by the PAP this round are potential office-holders, Mr Lee said “some are more (obvious), with the appropriate and relevant backgrounds”, but he did not name anyone.
“Others may have come from different backgrounds but will be able to make very interesting additions to the team and provide new perspectives and new experiences,” he added.
Mr Lee also noted that the party considers promoting backbenchers as and when they are assessed to be able to contribute, citing the examples of Minister for Communications and Information Yaacob Ibrahim, Senior Minister of State (Education and Law) Indranee Rajah and Senior Minister of State (Finance and Transport) Josephine Teo as examples.
“It’s like SkillsFuture, it’s never a single point. One day, we’ll have an upgrading programme for the MPs,” he quipped. Siau Ming En
