PAP candidates make pitch for party’s track record and able leadership
New PAP candidates on stage with Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong during the launch of the party's manifesto. Photo: Ooi Boon Keong/TODAY
SINGAPORE — The Republic has come a long way and while things are not perfect, it has advanced “incredibly” with good leaders and governance, said new People’s Action Party (PAP) candidate Ng Chee Meng today (Aug 29).
“Each generation of leaders have rallied Singaporeans to come together as one united people, to collectively build our Singapore and chase our rainbows,” said Mr Ng, who was one of several new faces who spoke at the launch of the party’s 88-page manifesto.
The former chief of defence force said that while Singapore is in a good position now, it faces looming challenges. Terrorism is at its doorstep and the world economy is uncertain, he said. “We are neot immune to global tides, nor even regional upheavals,” he said.
Domestically, the ageing population could result in scarce labour, affect businesses and put increasing pressure on hospitals and healthcare services. “In time to come, it will impact our economy, our economy may become less competitive, less dynamic… and our very livelihoods may well be affected,” he said.
Adding that Singaporeans’ bread and butter concerns must not be neglected, he said: “Singaporeans must see, must feel Singapore’s success first hand.”
While the PAP has done much to address issues such as housing, transport, jobs and income inequality, Mr Ng said the question to ask, as the country heads into the General Election (GE), is whether Singaporeans feel the improvements in their lives. He said the country’s leadership must be ready to make tough decisions. “There are no easy, ready solutions on the table,” he said.
Having organised the state funeral for Singapore’s founding Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew, Mr Ng recalled how he witnessed the good qualities of Singaporeans in the aftermath of Mr Lee’s death in March. National Servicemen stepped forward to provide manpower, while businesses sponsored food, water and umbrellas for Singaporeans, he noted. “I saw a Singaporean spirit giving each other strength, I saw a Singaporean spirit ignited, our pledge in that week came alive,” he said.
MacPherson candidate Tin Pei Ling, who has served one term in Parliament, also gave a speech at the launch. In her Mandarin speech, she also made reference to Mr Lee. It was because of Mr Lee and his team that Singaporeans got to raise their families in the country, enjoy racial harmony, live in a clean and green city, and have a good government, she said. In her English speech, Ms Tin said she has a “deep personal interest” in Singapore’s future now that she has a three weeks-old son. “I’m naturally concerned about the future for him - whether he will have good opportunities, whether he can hold his own in an increasingly competitive world both locally and globally… I want to make sure a future Singapore continues to be a land of opportunities, a society that is open and yet inclusive, and that offers different pathways so that whatever he aspires to be, he can pursue it and succeed. I believe all parents feel the same for their children,” she added.
The younger generation should also be taught values such as honesty, multiracialism, meritocracy, self-reliance, and compassion, said Ms Tin.
Singapore stands at a critical juncture in history and should not rest on its laurels, she said. “We, the PAP, the party who has served Singapore for well over five decades, owe a duty to Singapore and Singaporeans to continue serving the nation to the best of our abilities,” she said.
Other new PAP candidates who spoke included Aljunied GRC candidate K Muralidharan Pillai, who pledged to maintain a relationship of “trust and candour” with the residents. He noted that despite the PAP Aljunied GRC team’s loss in the 2011 GE, the PAP “did not pack up and leave”. “We don’t have a divine right to be employed or for our wages to go up every year, we need to fight for this, we need to create the right conditions for this. For that, we need visionary, capable, dedicated government working hand in hand with the people,” he added. “It is in the Aljunied residents’ interest to ensure this, their vote for the PAP means voting to support good government, voting to get the best chance to the future that accords to their aspirations.”
