In the midst of a global pandemic and financially tumultuous times, Singaporeans are most concerned about protecting their rice bowls as the country’s economy shrinks.
In PAP’s biennial conference today (8 Nov), PM Lee said Singaporeans must be convinced that keeping the country open for talents and business, is the best way to protect their livelihoods and families.
He also affirmed that PAP has stayed in power due to its effective and fresh policies on housing, education, and healthcare.
You can check out his speech below in full.
During the conference, PM Lee addressed a slew of national issues and concerns, mostly to do with tackling the Covid-19 pandemic, getting the economy back on track, and how PAP has successfully retained power since independence.
Of note, he addressed another worry that Singaporeans have, which was competition from work pass holders.
He said Singaporean workers must feel reassured that the government will help them to hold their own against competition from abroad, and ensure they are fairly treated compared to migrant workers.
But at the same time, they must convince Singaporeans that the best way to protect their livelihoods and families, is to keep Singapore open for talents and business.
If we just close ourselves up and send away work pass holders, it will result in fewer jobs for Singaporeans and more hardships for our workers and their families.
The issue is delicate and they have to strike a good balance when it comes to addressing it.
Urging the party not to falter, PM Lee said they must rally the people and give them hope, especially when times are tough for every country.
He asserted that PAP has managed to retain power since 1959 because it constantly reinvented itself and its policies.
For the party to continue its rule, he said it must keep “rejuvenating” itself and keeping the “policies fresh”.
Contextualising PAP’s efforts, PM Lee described it as a “virtuous circle” where each success feeds into the next cycle, which in turns contributes back to future policies.
Some of the areas in which he cited strong policy effectiveness include housing, education, healthcare and security.
PM Lee added that it was because the party could deliver better lives to Singaporeans that it has attained strong political stability and support.
In Singapore, everything works, and everyone expects everything to work, because together we have made it work.
The effectiveness and success of the policies were seemingly echoed by Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat.
In a speech prior to PM Lee’s, he shared that being proactive and acting on the needs of Singaporeans was the PAP’s main strength.
In a time of crisis like this, a government needs to be better and more effective in providing for its people.
For Singapore, this includes keeping the demographic of society diverse by letting global talents and companies thrive on our little red dot.
With the new CEC appointed, we look forward to its leadership and direction in leading Singapore out of this turbulent time.
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Featured image adapted from Facebook.
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