Singapore election: PAP to campaign on bread-and-butter issues, PM Lee says

Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, facing a July 10 snap election, on Saturday said his People's Action Party (PAP) will campaign on bread-and-butter issues amid the coronavirus crisis, in a departure from its usual practice of addressing long-term issues during elections.

Unveiling the party's manifesto, Lee said the plans he was announcing differed from a normal election, when the campaign agenda would "focus on all our long-term ideas to improve and transform Singapore".

In normal times, "Singaporeans expect everything to continue running smoothly and the PAP to continue to govern properly before and after election", Lee said.

Singapore is heading into an election in the midst of one of the worst crises to hit the nation since independence. Photo: EPA-EFE alt=Singapore is heading into an election in the midst of one of the worst crises to hit the nation since independence. Photo: EPA-EFE

"But this time is different. This is not a normal election and we are not in a normal situation," Lee said in a live-streamed address. "We are in the middle of the most severe crisis ... that the world has faced in many decades. The immediate running of Singapore is anything but routine."

While the PAP is expected to extend its 61-year-rule of the island state with relative comfort, Lee described the contest as a "tough election", given how "Singaporeans have lost jobs, families have suffered [and] many are hurting from the pandemic".

"We cannot take any vote for granted," Lee said. "The Singaporean voter is a tough judge. We must fight hard for every single vote in every single constituency."

Ten small opposition parties will face off with Lee's PAP for 93 parliamentary seats.

The 68-year-old prime minister earlier this week instructed the president to trigger elections due next April, arguing that the government needed to "clear the decks" now to obtain a fresh mandate to govern in the midst of the worst crisis to hit the country since it attained independence in 1965.

"Keeping Singapore going, flying straight and level safely through the turbulent weather, is the most challenging and urgent priority for the government," Lee said in his speech on Saturday.

Singapore's PM Lee Hsien Loong says the PAP will focus on issues such as creating new jobs amid the wave of retrenchments. Photo: AFP alt=Singapore's PM Lee Hsien Loong says the PAP will focus on issues such as creating new jobs amid the wave of retrenchments. Photo: AFP

Lee said the manifesto, headlined "Our Lives, Our Jobs, Our Future", would focus on issues such as keeping the population safe from the coronavirus disease, ensuring the health care system is not overwhelmed, restarting the trade-reliant economy and creating new jobs amid the wave of retrenchments.

"These issues are at the top of people's minds," Lee said. "Singaporeans understand that this is not business as usual. You want to know how the government will work to solve your pressing worries."

While bread-and-butter issues will take precedence, Lee said the PAP's new manifesto would also address plans farther afield.

"Our aim is not just to survive the storm, but also to maintain the long-term direction for the country," Lee said.

The PAP is fielding 27 new candidates in the election and "about 20 MPs" will be retiring, the prime minister said.

He paid special tribute to Goh Chok Tong, the former prime minister from whom he took power in 2004, and Khaw Boon Wan " a stalwart lieutenant who helmed the crucial health, housing and transport portfolios in a 19-year political career.

The official nine-day campaign period will begin on Tuesday, after candidates submit their nomination papers. Mass election rallies that are a key tool for opposition parties " which complain of bias from the incumbent-friendly local media " will be banned in light of the public health crisis.

Instead, much of the electioneering is expected to take place online and through walkabouts. Candidates must adhere to prevailing guidelines that mandate the use of masks outdoors and for people to gather only in groups of five or less.

While the official hustings period has yet to begin, tongues have already been wagging over several surprise developments.

Lee Hsien Yang joined the opposition Progress Singapore Party this week. Photo: AFP alt=Lee Hsien Yang joined the opposition Progress Singapore Party this week. Photo: AFP

Among them was the revelation on Wednesday by Prime Minister Lee's estranged younger brother, Lee Hsien Yang, that he was joining the ambitious new Progress Singapore Party (PSP) formed by ex-PAP stalwart Tan Cheng Bock.

The party has remained coy on whether the younger Lee, a former corporate figure, will contest the polls.

The PSP will contest 24 seats while the Workers' Party, the sole opposition group in the last parliament, will contest 21 wards " making them the PAP's two biggest opponents in the election.

Meanwhile, the PAP has been contending with a controversy surrounding new candidate Ivan Lim Shaw Chuan. Since his candidacy was unveiled on Wednesday, several people have written public posts on social media detailing complaints about the 42-year-old's purported "elitism", arrogance and condescending behaviour.

Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat, the party's No 2 leader and the de facto successor to Prime Minister Lee, on Saturday was quoted as saying that the complaints "should be properly clarified".

"I would like to see Ivan himself coming out to clarify this comment so that we can hear both sides of the story," the local portal Mothership.sg quoted Heng as saying on Saturday morning.

In his speech on Saturday, the PM Lee touted the new candidates' diverse profiles.

While a significant number of the new candidates were from the PAP's go-to talent pool in the military and civil service, some of the newcomers unveiled this week were established names in the private sector and the social services arena.

"What I'm most proud of is that collectively, the new candidates represent a wide range of life experiences and backgrounds," Lee said. "This is what makes the PAP the mainstream party in Singapore, a broad tent that occupies the middle ground and represents the vast majority of Singaporeans."

This article originally appeared on the South China Morning Post (SCMP).

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