On Sunday (Nov. 8), Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat shared the performance review for the People's Action Party (PAP) during GE2020, while speaking at the PAP Party Conference 2020 on Sunday (Nov. 8).
Heng, who is also Minister for Finance and the 1st Assistant Secretary-General of the PAP, said that although the PAP fought an extremely tough election, Singaporeans have signalled their desire for more diversity in Parliament, by electing more oppositions MPs.
The review was conducted and completed by Minister for National Development Desmond Lee, who reached out to PAP activists to gather their views, at the request of Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and Heng himself.
Opposition's call for alternative voices resonated on the ground
Heng said that the desire for greater diversity was clearly felt during GE2020, noting that the opposition's call for more alternative voices resonated on the ground.
Voters concerned about job security and cost of living responded to calls for stronger checks and balances, he said, and efforts to play up fears of an opposition wipeout gained traction.
Heng said that the desire for greater checks and balances is here to stay, and that subsequent GEs will only get tougher.
He emphasised that opposition parties will seek to deny the PAP a two-thirds majority in Parliament, and that the PAP must earn the right to lead, by continuing to govern well and earning the trust of Singaporeans.
Heng also warned that sharper contestation in the political realm can easily spiral into unstable and divided politics.
He said that this has already happened in other countries, where political opportunists seek political gains in the extreme ends of issues, by appealing to special interests.
Such individuals are focused on energising their base, said Heng, at the expense of other segments of society.
Polarised Singapore will not be able to combat Covid-19 crisis
Heng also warned against a polarised Singapore, emphasising the need for the PAP to take an inclusive approach to serve all Singaporeans, rather than pitting one group against another.
He said that the Covid-19 pandemic has plunged Singapore into the worst recession since independence, but the government was able to mount a series of swift and decisive budgets in order to alleviate the effects of the crisis.
Heng said that the government managed to do so without incurring a single cent of debt for future generations to pay, as they were able to use S$52 billion of past reserves to fund the various budgets.
According to Heng, the government would not have been able to build these reserves if Singapore had been a polarised society with a revolving door government.
He said that besides the government, businesses, community groups and individuals all played invaluable roles in helping to contain the spread of Covid-19, and that a polarised society would not have been able to work together to fight the virus.
Heng emphasised that although the results of GE2020 is very important to the party, it is the PAP's mission is to secure Singapore's long-term success, and SG100 and SG200 matters even more to the PAP.
He said that the party will continue to look beyond the immediate challenges, and look ahead, in order to emerge stronger.
Some voters responded to opposition's online portrayal more so than what they stood for
According to Heng, it is important for the PAP to complement their ground presence with stronger online outreach, as the impact of social media will only increase with time.
He noted that some voters responded to how opposition parties portrayed themselves online, more so than what they stood for and what they could do.
Heng did not specify which opposition parties he was referring to.
He urged his fellow PAP members to build a stronger online presence, while admitting that it will take time for them to adapt their content and messaging in new ways.
Heng said that several PAP MPs have successfully built a following on social media, allowing them to introduce political and policy issues while engaging with residents in interesting new ways.
For example, he raised Speaker of Parliament Tan Chuan-Jin as a positive example, noting that he not only explains policies and what the PAP stands for well, but has gotten people excited about how Parliament works.
Heng said that it will take time for the PAP to improve in this area, and that the party must do more and faster, in order to keep up with the increasingly digital world.
Top image via PAP.
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