Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said Singaporeans cannot both wish for the PAP to continue to form the government while being made to keep on its toes by the election of more opposition MPs.
In a speech at the PAP Conference on Sunday (6 Nov), he said the PAP cannot govern without a strong mandate from the people.
“Unfortunately, we cannot have it both ways. Whether voters give the new government a strong or weak mandate makes a very big difference,” he said.
Only with a strong mandate can the government make the “tough calls” during turbulent periods, he warned.
A good report card or manifesto is not enough. Good is not enough, PM Lee said.
Singapore has a unique challenge in that many Singaporeans wish for the PAP to continue as the ruling party. At the same time, they also want more opposition MPs in Parliament to keep the PAP in check.
But PM Lee said Singaporeans can’t have their cake and eat it too, where the PAP government still delivers on their plans and programmes regardless of the support it receives at the elections.
Source: People’s Action Party on Facebook
A strong mandate, where the PAP has the majority of votes in the elections, shows that the Government is acting with the people’s support, PM Lee said.
He continued, “In stable times, this enables the Government to implement measures that may require sacrifice, but will improve people’s lives in the longer term.”
And during turbulent periods, the Government will have the confidence and the backing to make the tough calls and steer Singapore safely through the ups and downs.
An example of this was during the Covid-19 pandemic. PM Lee had called for an election during the pandemic to obtain a strong mandate to bring Singapore through these times decisively.
“We could only implement all these measures successfully because there was no doubt the people had full confidence in the PAP government,” he concluded.
Voting more opposition MPs would not just keep the PAP in check, PM Lee continued.
PM Lee posited that if PAP had only won 51% of the votes at GE2020, they would still have formed the government, but they would have lost many capable MPs and ministers.
The MTF would not be the same, even. And Singapore would have gone into the pandemic divided, said PM Lee, making it more challenging to respond with tough measures cohesively and resolutely.
Just look at other countries and you know how different it can be.
Whichever party the voters may choose to form their government, the voters have to give a clear mandate for the party to do its job, he continued. But with each successive election, it becomes harder.
Though the PAP has delivered on its policies and promises over the decades, PM Lee emphasised that this wasn’t enough to bring them back into power.
“We need to convert the people’s approval of our performance and support for our policies into strong votes for the PAP to continue standing out as the clear choice for voters,” he said.
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Featured image adapted from People’s Action Party on Facebook.
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