The opposition has been selling the “myth” that Singapore will continue to achieve the same results even if more opposition MPs and fewer PAP MPs are elected, said Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office Indranee Rajah on April 28.
Speaking at a lunchtime rally at UOB Plaza, Ms Indranee, who is contesting Pasir Ris-Changi GRC, likened the country’s leadership to a team project at work: “If you keep pulling out team members, you won’t be able to produce the same results no matter how hard you try,” she told the crowd, which included many office workers.
It’s not just about numbers but about experience and skill sets, she stressed. “New people can be brought on, but it takes time for them to get up to speed,” she said.
If the opposition truly believed it was only about numbers, then it wouldn’t matter which candidates they fielded and where, Ms Indranee added. But the way they have carefully calibrated their teams shows they know the importance of putting the right people in the right places, she said.
She also addressed the opposition’s frequent call for alternative voices in Parliament, noting that the PAP had amended the Constitution to guarantee at least 12 opposition MPs through the Non-Constituency Member of Parliament (NCMP) scheme.
“You are not choosing between having opposition voices or not — opposition voices are guaranteed,” she said. “You are deciding who will form the government and whether that team has the bench strength to do all the things needed for you and Singapore.”
New PAP Candidates Speak Up
Following Ms Indranee’s speech, seven PAP first-time candidates addressed the crowd.
Former Chief of Army David Neo, now contesting Tampines GRC, appealed to younger voters, saying: “You know the future of Singapore doesn’t depend on who shouts the loudest, but on who rolls up their sleeves and gets things done.”
Charity director David Hoe, contesting Jurong East-Bukit Batok GRC, acknowledged he was not the “typical” political candidate. “I will run faster, listen longer, write longer, ask for help — because at the end of the day, it’s about caring for every resident,” he said.
Former senior civil servant Goh Hanyan, standing in Nee Soon GRC, said she entered politics to build a better Singapore for her three children. “Hope is the belief that our children will live a better life,” she said, pledging that the PAP will continue fighting for good jobs and opportunities for future generations.
Singaporeans will go to the polls on May 3, with the election outcome deciding not just the balance of voices in Parliament, but the strength and experience of the team steering the nation forward.
