As Singapore navigates trade wars and a new world order, it needs the strongest possible team to head off these unprecedented challenges, said Senior Minister Lee Hsien Loong.
“We need a government with a clear mandate, to act effectively on your behalf to secure your interests,” he added, calling on Singaporeans to vote for PAP to keep the government and the country exceptional.
Speaking on May 1 at a rally for Tampines GRC in Temasek Junior College, he said the general election and its results are being watched very closely by investors and foreign leaders, and will have a big impact on Singapore.
“Therefore, please make sure that we send the right signal internationally,” he said, adding that the country’s political stability and the “exceptional state of affairs” here is its superpower.
Opposition parties are asking for more alternative voices to be voted in, Lee noted, saying that opposition MPs will, for the foreseeable future, be in Parliament.
“But if we become an ordinary country, an ordinary democracy, then our performance, I can tell you, will become ordinary. And you have to be prepared for that.”
The quality of education, housing, healthcare, leadership, and even the nation’s international standing would no longer be what Singaporeans have come to expect, Lee said.
He noted that there are no lack of examples around the world of how things can go wrong in ordinary democracies.
Citing the example of international climate agreements, he said one government may join a treaty, the next may pull out, and another may rejoin – making it hard to plan or maintain continuity.
“If a small country with no natural resources like Singapore functioned like this, it would be in big trouble.”
Lee said Singapore’s ability to deliver strong outcomes over the decades, from education and housing to social security and healthcare, was not by chance.
It was made possible by an “exceptional brand of politics”, defined by honest, capable leadership, a trusted rapport between the government and people, and a deep sense of national unity.
In closing, Lee said that for 40 years, ever since he entered politics, he has done his best to keep Singapore exceptional.
PAP, he said, had kept the faith, done right by Singaporeans, and brought the country to where it is today.
But keeping Singapore exceptional, he added, would always require honest, capable and committed people. This includes not just a strong prime minister and key ministers, but a whole team that works well together.
Ultimately, he said, the vote is about whether Singapore can keep its progress going for future generations.
“Let them take our nation forward for many years to come.” — The Straits Times/ANN
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