Nation built on special partnership between PAP, people: Lawrence Wong
The PAP’s candidates for Marsiling-Yew Tee GRC serving lunch to residents at Marsiling yesterday. From right to left: Mr Alex Yam, Mdm Halimah Yacob, Mr Lawrence Wong and Mr Ong Teng Koon. Photo: Wee Teck Hian
SINGAPORE — Noting that the nation’s success over the past 50 years was founded on the “special partnership” between the people and the People’s Action Party (PAP), Minister for Culture, Community and Youth Lawrence Wong said the looming elections is an important time for voters to think about strengthening this bond for Singapore’s future.
“It will be an important election for Singapore because this is an inflection point for our nation. We’ve had 50 years of nation-building ... and a lot of that is due to that special partnership between the PAP and the people. It’s a partnership that’s built on trust — on the people trusting in the PAP leadership, on PAP upholding its values of acting for the people and serving the people,” said Mr Wong.
“While we recognise that we may have differences, there’s much more that unites us than divides us. And so, as we get into election and as Singaporeans think about what choice to make for the next five years and beyond that, the question is, ‘Do we want to strengthen this special partnership and build an even better Singapore?’,” he added.
Mr Wong was speaking to reporters at a press conference to confirm the PAP’s slate for the new Marsiling-Yew Tee GRC, which he will be co-anchoring with Speaker of Parliament Halimah Yacob. Taking up the last two spots on the four-man team are incumbent MPs in their respective wards Mr Alex Yam and Mr Ong Teng Koon.
In the only new constituency this election, Mr Yam’s Yew Tee ward was carved out from Chua Chu Kang GRC Tee in the recent electoral boundaries review exercise, as was Mr Ong’s Woodgrove ward from Sembawang GRC.
Earlier last week, Mr Wong said the division of wards among his team will be sorted out after the election. Mr Wong is also new to the constituency, having moved over from West Coast GRC.
Mr Yam and Mr Ong are expected to continue helming their respective wards while Mdm Halimah could take over Marsiling ward from Mr Hawazi Daipi, who is retiring from politics.
On whether the team will be able to forge bonds between communities of the two towns, which are a distance apart, Mdm Halimah said: “If you adopt a people-centric focus, a residents-centric focus, I think we don’t have a problem because we always think about residents first (and) how to connect them.”
Besides enhancing connectivity between the two towns, Mr Wong said his team will also look at adding more community spaces and activities for residents to get closer. Strengthening social networks on the ground to provide help for the disadvantaged groups is another area of focus, he added.
Responding to a question on the potential electoral contest against the Singapore Democratic Party, Mr Wong said: “This GRC may be new but the areas covered under this GRC have been under the stewardship of PAP for many years ... So collectively, we have a track record; we have proven what the PAP team can do and will build on the legacy of the work the PAP has done before.”
