By Elena
Torrijos | Yahoo!
Newsroom – Mon, Nov 28, 2011
The People’s
Action Party (PAP) will work differently
as Singaporeenters a new phase, said Prime Minister Lee
Hsien Loong on Sunday, when he bared the
party’s plans to transform itself following a watershed general
election.
Pledging a “new PAP for a new era” in his speech
during the ruling party’s convention, the PAP secretary-general
pointed out that members must fight to win in every constituency
and future elections would be tougher contests.
In the general election in
May, the PAP got 60 per cent of the total votes, its lowest share ever,
and lost a group representation constituency to an opposition party
for the first time.
Lee said that in its effort to reinvent
itself, the
PAP would be less centralised and more
interactive.
He acknowledged that Singapore is evolving, as a new
generation with diverse perspectives and a new political
environment that is more vocal and demanding come into
play.
Good policies, he said, will be essential, but they
need to go together with good politics.
“We must also recognise that policies alone are no
longer sufficient, because we must fight the politics, carry the
ground, convey a message that resonates with our people and inspire
Singapore to aim high and strive for further growth,” he
said.
As the PAP cannot expect any more clean sweeps or
“safe wards”, it must prepare early, he noted.
He said he agreed completely with the conclusion
from the party’s review of the General
Election that potential candidates must be
tapped earlier.
“We want a more diverse slate. We want our people
identified earlier, tested out earlier, put in place on the ground
earlier,” he said, adding that the party has already started
looking for candidates for the next round.
He also said that members must be convinced
that the PAP serves Singapore and Singaporeans first and foremost, and
that the party’s cause is right.
“There will be a few who will be against us,
whatever we say and some of these may have basically different
views from the
PAP. But others will want to displace us, and
really for them the issue is not policies, not whether we are doing
right or wrong but who is in charge… and they would like the PAP
out and eventually themselves in,” he said.
Noting that there are some “hard-core opposition
views on the Internet”, he said members should take such criticism
in stride and constructively.
“If it's valid, hear it, take it to heart, use the
feedback to improve ourselves,” he said. “If it's not valid, defend
our position, explain why it is mistaken, respond
firmly.”
Regarding Aljunied
GRC, which was won by the
opposition Workers’
Party, Lee said the party would not abandon its
activists there.
“We will continue to keep in touch with the
residents. For the next five years in Aljunied the PAP is in
opposition but the PAP does not intend to give the Workers’ Party
team in Aljunied a free run,” he said. “The party will back them
(activists) up with leadership and support and we will fight on and
eventually we will win back Aljunied.”
