GE2025: Election not just about who wins more seats, but who we want to be, says PM Wong in final night of rallies
SINGAPORE: After nine frenzied days of campaigning that saw 20 People's Action Party (PAP) rallies held across the island, Prime Minister Lawrence Wong on Thursday (May 1) sought to distill for voters what it all comes down to as they soon head to the polls.
"This election is not just about who wins more seats. Your vote is a vote of what we believe in, who we want to be, what kind of Singapore we want," said Mr Wong, who is also secretary-general of the PAP.
Mr Wong was speaking at Yusof Ishak Secondary School for a rally in Punggol GRC, after giving another rally speech in Sengkang on a hectic night as all parties pressed home their final pitches ahead of Cooling-Off Day on Friday. Mr Wong also spoke at the May Day Rally in the morning.
In his speech at the Punggol GRC rally, Mr Wong urged Singaporeans to choose unity over division, integrity over half-truths, and action over posturing.
'Let's choose Singapore and build our future together,' he said.
Mr Wong said that no party - including the PAP - is perfect.
'We make mistakes. But we have always been upfront with you. We own up. We learn. We improve,' he said.
'Through it all, every step of the way, we put Singaporeans at the centre of everything we do. We don't just take the easy road. We don't just offer sweet and easy promises.
'We are prepared to take the hard road – so long as it is the right and responsible thing to do.'
Mr Wong acknowledged that the WP now has what it calls its safe seats, in the words of one of its own candidates, while battling it out in 'hotly contested' constituencies in Punggol and elsewhere.
'Some may well make a breakthrough - I don't know - but if they do, they will add to the opposition presence in the next parliament,' Mr Wong said.
Mr Wong did not name the WP candidate who talked about the safe seats, but its Punggol candidate Harpreet Singh had said in an Apr 11 interview with national broadsheet The Straits Times that he did not want to be 'parachuted anywhere safe'.
On the other hand, Mr Wong highlighted that the PAP teams in hotly contested GRCs this election are helmed by experienced ministers alongside new candidates who could be future leaders.
This comes after the retirement of experienced ministers like current President Tharman Shanmugaratnam, former Senior Minister Teo Chee Hean, former Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat and former Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen.
'I have made a great effort to bring in new blood in this election … but the new faces will take time to develop and grow, before they can take on leadership positions,' Mr Wong said.
'Now what happens if we were to lose a few ministers in this election – and we're not just talking one or two, but possibly three or four … If I lose another four in this election – that's eight ministers.'
Mr Wong rejected the WP's assertion that it can do the same job of ministers at a cheaper price, stressing that ministers would have accrued years of policymaking experience, ground engagements and personal relationships with foreign counterparts.
'How would any new backbencher be able to come in immediately and do the work at the same level?' he asked.
'Ultimately, you will weaken ourselves - Singaporeans - at a time when Singapore is facing a very serious and growing challenge,' Mr Wong said.
While voting for the PAP will not elect the 'contrarian voice' the opposition will surely make in parliament, Mr Wong said, it will give Singaporeans a 'dedicated and experienced team' serving them both on the ground and in parliament.
'Importantly, you will have capable leaders in government who will help steer Singapore safely through this storm and take our country forward,' he said.
CHARACTER MATTERS
Earlier, at the Sengkang GRC rally held at North Vista Secondary School - one of five PAP rallies on Thursday, Mr Wong had appealed to voters about the importance of character in choosing their representatives in parliament.
'To me, character is important,' said Mr Wong.
'I will vouch for our PAP team – they are men and women of character and integrity, they will serve you with all their hearts.'
In his Punggol speech, Mr Wong urged Singaporeans to consider carefully the character of the individuals they choose - whether they are 'honest, truthful, upfront and upright'.
'Do you trust that they will always put Singapore's interests first, above all else – the interests of Singapore and Singaporeans? Do you trust that they will uphold the fundamental ideals that we all cherish here in Singapore?' he asked.
'I believe a lot comes down to character. Character matters.'
Mr Wong said he can personally vouch for the character of Deputy Prime Minister Gan Kim Yong, who is also anchoring the PAP team contesting Punggol GRC.
'Here is a person who has served Singapore all his life – he's a servant leader, steady, sincere, with a heart for our people,' he added.
'Kim Yong is not alone. The others in the Punggol team … they are people you know, people you trust; they are committed, capable and they are here to serve you … Please give our PAP team your full support.'
Speaking before Mr Wong at the Punggol rally, Mr Gan began his speech acknowledging how his shock move to Punggol on Nomination Day took many by surprise.
But he said that he 'readily accepted the challenge' when approached by the prime minister with the task, as he fully supported Mr Wong's intentions to have someone senior take over the retiring senior minister Teo Chee Hean.
He said that there has been whispers on the ground on whether he would be able to look after Punggol, given his age as well as his role as deputy prime minister and 'Task Force Man', leaning into the nickname Mr Wong gave him at a recent rally.
'Let me say this: I've been in politics for almost 25 years now. Since I started in 2001, my first priority has always been my residents. I can only be a minister if I'm an MP. So, being your MP is my first priority,' said the 66-year-old.
'Yes, I'm Task Force Man. I have many tasks. But none more important than the task of looking after you. I am Task Force Man for Punggol.'
KEEPING SINGAPORE 'EXCEPTIONAL'
At the Punggol GRC rally, Mr Wong said Singapore's best chapters lie ahead.
'That's what I have tried so hard to do, and worked so hard to do over the past year – to bring Singaporeans together and to chart our new way forward as one people,' he said.
Mr Wong then said it has only been a year since he took over as prime minister.
'In the course of this campaign, I heard one of the opposition parties said Lawrence Wong is nowhere like Lee Kuan Yew. So different, standards have dropped. And I kind of laughed, because who in Singapore is like Lee Kuan Yew?
'There is only one Lee Kuan Yew. No other. I don't compare myself to him. I am my own person,' said Mr Wong.
Together with his team, Mr Wong said he has been charting the outlines of a new vision for Singapore.
'A Singapore that is more caring; more fair and more just. Where every child has a good start; every worker gets a fair shot. Where families feel supported, not stressed,' he said.
'Where our seniors live with dignity and peace of mind. Where progress is measured not just in dollars and cents; but in lives uplifted; dreams fulfilled; and a sense of purpose shared by every Singaporean.'
Mr Wong said 'these are not just words', pointing to changes the PAP government has made in the past year, in areas like costs of living, education, housing, healthcare and support for families.
'But with your trust and with your support, we can go further. We can make this vision real for every Singaporean,' he said.
Senior Minister Lee Hsien Loong, who spoke at the PAP's rally for Tampines GRC, also sought voters' help to keep the government and Singapore 'exceptional'.
'Not to reward the PAP for anything which it may have done, but for your own sake,' he said.
'Because to deal with this world, to succeed in this world, you need an exceptional team and an exceptional quality of government. And the PAP will do our best to provide you with that.'
Mr Lee said the opposition is asking Singaporeans to vote in more alternative voices in parliament, just like 'most other democracies in the world'.
While Mr Lee said the PAP accepts that opposition parties have a role to play in the country's democracy, and that it listens closely to all views and adopts all proposals that make sense, he cautioned against becoming an 'ordinary democracy'.
'If we become an ordinary country, an ordinary democracy, then our performance, I can tell you, will become ordinary and you have to be prepared for that,' he said.
'And if our performance is ordinary, many of the things we have gotten used to, the quality of education, the quality of housing, the quality of healthcare, the quality of government, the standing in the world, your red passport, will not be the same as before.'
The world has 'no lack of examples' of how things can go wrong in democracies, Mr Lee said, citing issues like a lack of consensus, constant turnover of leaders, no policy continuity, and inability to carry out long-term plans.
'If big countries do this well, maybe they muddle along, one day they come out from the troubles,' said Mr Lee.
'If Singapore does this, we go into these troubles, we will never come out. It would have been very different the last 60 years, and we would not have made it here today.'
SINGAPORE NEEDS STRONGEST POSSIBLE TEAM
Mr Lee reiterated that Singapore needs the 'strongest possible team' amid unprecedented challenges such as the economic uncertainty triggered by the US tariffs and US-China trade war.
This team will also need to tackle domestic issues like cost of living, housing and healthcare, as well as secure investments and jobs for Singaporeans.
'But unfortunately, getting investments and jobs is going to be much harder than before,' he noted.
Multinational corporations are hesitating due to uncertainty, and will first look at the stability and capability of the country's government, Mr Lee said.
'So we have to be able to give the best possible answers to these searching questions, which we must expect investors to be asking of us,' he said.
'And the way to give them a good answer is to put the right vote the day after tomorrow at the polls.'
Warning that the road ahead will not be easy, Mr Wong said in his Punggol speech that the storm of geopolitical uncertainty is already upon Singapore and more turbulence is expected ahead.
'We cannot avoid these storms. It's everywhere in the world, we will be impacted by it, but we can choose how we respond to it,' he said.
Singaporeans can give in to anger, cynicism and division, or they can choose compassion, solidarity and strength, he said.
'What the PAP offers is very clear: We choose to build; we choose to pull together; we choose to unite Singapore,' he said.
Mr Wong said his PAP team will focus on what matters: Solving problems, improving lives and taking Singapore forward.
'So this Saturday, I ask all Singaporeans: You have heard from all the different parties; calm down, consider your options,' he added.
'And if in your heart of hearts, if you truly believe that the PAP is still the best party for Singapore in these uncertain times, then stand with us; support me and my team.'
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