[ad_1]
SINGAPORE: The desire of Singaporeans for more diversity and more checks and balances is “here to stay” and the general election will become more difficult, said Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat at the People’s Action Party conference on Sunday (8 June November).
Noting that the opposition’s call for more alternative voices “resonated on the ground,” Heng, who is the party’s first deputy general secretary, said: “The opposition parties will try to deny us a two-thirds majority in the Parliament and later us and form the government. The right to lead must be earned. We must continue to govern well and earn the trust of our people. “
This comes after the PAP obtained a 61.2% share of the votes in the 2020 elections. In 2015, the PAP obtained 69.9% of the votes, more than eight percentage points more.
READ: GE2020: PAP has a ‘clear mandate’, but the percentage of popular votes ‘is not as high’ as expected: PM Lee
READ: GE2020: PAP will do more to win back the support of middle-aged voters in financial pain, says Lawrence Wong
Heng said “we must be vigilant about what is at stake.”
“A sharper response can easily turn into unstable and divided politics,” he said, noting that political opportunists in other countries have sought political gain at the “extreme end of the problem” and appealed to special interests.
“They focus on energizing their base, often at the expense of other segments of society. Rather than being honest about the tough tradeoffs, they advocate easy and unsustainable ways out. “
While that polarization has not taken hold, Singapore is “not immune” to such trends.
Singapore’s opening can “be hijacked quite easily,” especially during an economic downturn, Heng said. For example, supplementing the small local workforce with foreigners can be used to exploit the anxieties of local workers during recessions and easily elicit “anti-foreign sentiments”.
Race, religion, and inequality are other dividing lines. These differences can be “easily amplified” and used to “create unhappiness or insecurity” between different groups of Singaporeans, he said.
“Therefore, the PAP must do everything possible to resist such pressures. We must take an inclusive approach to serve all Singaporeans and not pit one group against another. If our unity is lost, Singapore will stumble. “
Engaging Singaporeans
Many Singaporeans want to have a stronger voice and greater involvement in nation-building, Heng said, which the PAP should “take advantage of.”
So far, the government has launched Our Singapore Conversation, the Singapore Together movement, and Emerging Stronger Conversations.
READ: New Task Force on Economic Resilience to Help Singapore Recover from COVID-19 Crisis
LEE: The Singapore Together movement has made ‘good’ progress: Indranee, Desmond Lee
The deep commitment to people at Our Singapore Conversation has helped the government better understand their needs, concerns, fears and aspirations, and this has resulted in “significant policy changes”.
The PAP must “fully embrace this spirit,” Heng said, adding that every party activist can make a difference.
The party must reach out to all Singaporeans, including those with different views, “provided they take into account the interests of Singapore and Singaporeans.”
And where differences arise, the PAP must engage them in an “inclusive and constructive way,” he said.
“Working closely and sincerely with other Singaporeans is how we will hold the ground and maintain trust in the PAP. So while we have a good mandate, we must be humble and work together to win the support of our people. “
“Strong” participation on the ground remains critical and has been one of the PAP’s strengths, Heng said.
“Singaporeans should not see the PAP only as a capable government, but also as people they can relate to, who they can trust.”
People meeting sessions and home visits are “important” ways to “show concern and concern for our people of all ages, races, and backgrounds,” he added, and given the current pandemic and recession, activists must be attentive to affected residents and offer their support.
But you need to find new ideas and new ways of working together, he said.
For example, East Coast Conversations invites residents to work together on new initiatives, while other divisions have held discussions on topics such as employment, caring for residents, and sustainability.
“I encourage you all to find new ways to engage our people, to deepen understanding of our challenges as a country, as a nation and the actions we can take together,” he said.
Meanwhile, the PAP needs more reach online, Heng said, noting that some voters have responded to how opposition parties portray themselves online.
“The impact of social media will only increase over time, as the world becomes more digital,” he said.
“As experiences elsewhere and in Singapore show, bad news and the negative turn travel faster and further. Solid facts and figures are considered heavy. Substance is essential, but we must strive to master the new environment. We must have a stronger presence online.
“It will take experimentation and imagination to adapt our content and messages in new ways. It will also take time. We have been improving, but we must do it faster and faster ”.
