Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong called upon his party activists to convince the rest of Singapore to give the PAP a strong mandate in the next General Election.

The prime minister made this call to action on Sunday, Nov. 10 at the Singapore Expo when he addressed more than 2,500 party activists at the PAP65 Awards and Convention.

This year marks the 65th anniversary of the PAP’s founding on Nov. 21, 1954.

The trust in PAP when Lee Kuan Yew was in charge

PM Lee said the election is "not just to return a strong PAP Government, but also to secure Singapore for the long term".

The next election must be held before April 2021.

Recalling a conversation he had with the late Lee Kuan Yew's PAP branch secretary of Tanjong Pagar, PM Lee said during his speech to rally his activists: "He once told me that in the most difficult days of Singapore's independence struggle, people used to say, 'If you follow LKY, you will be alright'."

"They saw what Mr Lee and his generation of leaders stood for, how they fought for their convictions and what they did for the people."

The late Lee was Singapore's first prime minister who had served as Tanjong Pagar MP throughout his political career.

PM Lee said the PAP must sustain this faith in successive generations, which was what he had strived to do in his 15 years as secretary-general.

Election is not just about PAP

He also said the General Election will decide the "future of Singapore".

"We have done a lot. We have a lot more to do. But there is a lot we can lose too if politics turns unstable, or becomes dysfunctional," he said.

"The next election is about the future of Singapore. You have been working the ground for more than four years now... Soon it will be time for battle again," he added to cheers from his activists.

"We must convince Singaporeans that the PAP continues to be their champion, and that the PAP will work with them and for them and advance Singapore towards a brighter tomorrow."

Give fourth generation leaders the mandate

His speech also turned to the fourth-generation PAP leaders.

PM Lee said the job of building this team to carry on this job of building Singapore was a key task from day one.

PM Lee said the 4G leaders are aware of what is expected of them and have a difficult task ahead.

He urged activists: "They deserve our full support. Back them, they are our team, they are Singapore's team."

"This election is not just about the PAP doing a little bit better or a little bit worse. This election will decide if Singapore can sustain a good and stable government, to be different from other countries for a long time to come."

PM Lee's speech also emphasised the challenges that Singapore faces amid the jostle between the United States and China, as well as with her immediate neighbours, Malaysia and Indonesia.