GE2015: PAP’s post-election press conference

PM Lee's press conference





Support from all quarters, especially the young: PM
Cabinet reshuffle will put younger members into positions of greater responsibility quickly
By Rachel Chang, Assistant Political Editor, The Straits Times, 12 Sep 2015

The 2015 elections were a good result for the People's Action Party (PAP) and an excellent result for Singapore, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said today.

In an early morning press conference after final electoral results showed a 69.9 per cent national vote share for the ruling party, he said he was happy and "deeply humbled" by the strong mandate.

Such a broad, deep swing towards the PAP could not have happened without support from Singaporeans of all races and ages, he said, highlighting in particular the young.

This support from young Singaporeans was an "important conclusion" from the polls, he said.

"It shows that the young people understand what is at stake, support what we are doing to secure a bright future for Singapore, and, in due time, will be able to take up this responsibility and take the country further forward."

Flanked by nine other re-elected and newly elected PAP politicians, he said that one of his first orders of business is to reshuffle the Cabinet so that the younger members are put into positions of greater responsibility quickly.

PM Lee expressed the belief that the results would greatly bolster confidence in Singapore from foreign governments and investors.

The mandate is also "a strong signal of confidence to ourselves that we Singaporeans in the post-Lee Kuan Yew era are able to find the winning formula which can keep us progressing and succeeding".

Earlier, speaking in Mandarin, he said the results would have put the founding prime minister, who died in March, at ease.

Asked for his view of the factors that swung support towards the PAP, he pointed to policies that have increased social and economic assistance in the last four years, as well as measures taken to ease housing supply and to improve the public transport system.

He added that a certain moment of national reflection on the occasion of the country's 50th anniversary played a role: "It's time for introspection, time for commitment, time for resolution. And this election is part of that.

"I think Mr Lee Kuan Yew's passing reminded the people of these same verities and they are verities which have helped us come this far, and I believe are relevant to us as we go forward into a changed world. And I'm glad that Singaporeans understand that."

Deputy Prime Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam, whose Jurong GRC polled the highest across the nation at 79.28 per cent, attributed the results to Singaporeans' confidence in both the PAP's agenda and in the PAP leaders themselves as "trustees and stewards" who will take Singapore forward.

PM Lee expressed his delight that the PAP's Charles Chong had wrested back the Punggol East seat from the Workers' Party and in so doing showed that the PAP "can take the fight to the opponent, make the case to voters and win them back".

We very nearly won in Aljunied, lost by 0.9 percentage points. Next time we will get there: PM Lee Hsien Loong. #GE2015LIVE UPDATES: bit.ly/ge2015resultsWATCH LIVE: http://sgvotes.sg
Posted by Channel NewsAsia Singapore on Friday, September 11, 2015

The strides in PAP vote share in Hougang SMC and Aljunied GRC, which remain with the WP but by slimmer margins, were also encouraging, he said, and expressed confidence that the PAP would one day win those wards back.

In the next Parliament, there will be six elected MPs and three Non-Constituency MPs from the WP, PM Lee noted, adding that he hoped they would come "fully prepared to engage and have a robust exchange on significant issues", including topics they raised in the hustings like the minimum wage.

As for the PAP, it will "work very hard to meet the expectations of Singaporeans who have supported us", he said, concluding the long night for the PAP by saying: "Go forth to SG100."

Additional reporting by Charissa Yong and Nur Asyiqin Mohamad Salleh

It would not have been possible without Malay support: People's Action Party's Yaacob Ibrahim on the party's #GE2015 performance. http://bit.ly/1FCwHGt
Posted by Channel NewsAsia Singapore on Friday, September 11, 2015

‘High overlap’ between Opposition proposals and PAP policies

By Joy Fang, TODAY, 12 Sep 2015

Strip away the Opposition’s rhetoric, and you will find there is “high overlap” between what they are suggesting and what the People’s Action Party (PAP) already has been implementing or plan to do, said Deputy Prime Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam this morning.

He was responding to a question on whether the 79.28 per cent of votes his five-man team in Jurong Group Representation Constituency had won — the largest margin by a PAP team — was due to his popularity or other factors.

“I don’t read into the fine differences between the different constituencies as much as the very large swing (for PAP) we have seen across the country,” he said.

“One way of thinking about the confidence that Singaporeans have expressed in the direction we are taking is the fact that if you look at the Opposition proposals … strip out some of the outliers, and strip out some of the strength of the language used in rallies, there is a very high overlap between what they were saying and what we are already doing and what we are going to do in the future as part of the PAP government’s agenda.”

Whether it is in areas of foreign worker policy, education, social security or uplifting the poor, the Opposition parties were saying things that the PAP is doing, with some saying it should do more, “but basically it’s the same agenda”, he noted.

The PAP has formed an agenda which reflects the consensus among the broad base of Singaporeans, and people have confidence in that agenda, he said. Beyond that, the people also have confidence in Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and his team and view them as people who can be seen as trustees and stewards, he added.

“That too is important in the elections. It’s not just the policies, it is who you see as a trustee and a steward, going forward. I think this combination of factors accounts for quite a good swing in favour of the PAP, which we take in the spirit of let’s work hard to put in place what we said we are going to do. Let’s put full effort into this.”

I understand desire for more diverse voices in political system: PM Lee
By Siau Ming En. TODAY, 12 Sep 2015

There has been a desire among the new generation of Singaporeans to have more diverse voices heard, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong acknowledged this morning.

Speaking at the People’s Action Party’s (PAP) post-election press conference held at The Treasury, Mr Lee said: “One issue in this election has been the desire for diverse voices to be heard more in our political system; I understand this.”

“We have a new generation, (with) better education, with access to social media, who expect their views to be heard and given more weight,” Mr Lee, who is also the PAP’s secretary-general, said. As a result of this, the PAP has been engaging Singaporeans directly, “enabling them to make a constructive contribution”.

The party has also taken to social media, he said with a smile as he joked that he himself had made two to three Facebook posts since the election results were released.

“We will redouble these efforts, but we must do this in a way that maintains the unique strengths of our system,” he said. “In Parliament, we look forward to a full discussion and open debate on important issues, because Parliament is where the most vital national issues should be debated and decided,” he added.

But Mr Lee said that such debate and discussion does not only depend on the Government, its ministers and Members of Parliament (MPs).

“(It) also depends on the Opposition and on other stakeholders, on them making the effort to master the issues, having the courage and commitment to take clear positions, upholding the same standards of integrity and acting to advance the national interests, and not for partisan advantage,” he added.

There will be nine Opposition MPs in the next Parliament, of which six are elected MPs and three are Non-Constituency MPs, he said. The Workers’ Party (WP) had retained its six elected seats from the Hougang Single Member Constituency and the Aljunied Group Representation Constituency.

Asked how he plans to tweak the system to accommodate more diverse voices, Mr Lee said there are mechanisms in Parliament for debate, and it is a matter of making full use of them.

“But really, it is the content which goes in which determines whether we have a good debate or not,” he said.

Mr Lee added that he looks forward to the Opposition candidates “coming fully prepared to engage and to have a robust exchange on significant issues”.

This, he noted, includes the issues raised during the hustings, but not in Parliament. “For example, the minimum wage is a new subject that they have brought up that they never mentioned during the last Parliament,” he added.

Terima Kasih atas sokongan anda!CONNECT with us: Get breaking news and live updates on the go >> http://bit.ly/pap_link_up#GE2015 #PAP4SG
Posted by People's Action Party on Friday, September 11, 2015

李总理：“谢谢你们的委托。你我同心，为国为民。”CONNECT with us: Get breaking news and live updates on the go >> http://bit.ly/pap_link_up#GE2015 #PAP4SG
Posted by People's Action Party on Friday, September 11, 2015

GE2015: Strong mandate means MPs must work extra hard to serve, says PM Lee
The Straits Times, 12 Sep 2015

PM Lee's opening remarks at his press conference early on Saturday (Sept 12) morning, following his party's resounding win in the 2015 General Election

Here are PM Lee's opening remarks at his press conference:

Friends and fellow citizens. It's very early in the morning but let me say a few words to sum up this General Election and the results.

I called this election because Singapore is at a turning point. We're advancing beyond SG50 and I needed and asked for a fresh and clear mandate from Singaporeans so that the PAP can work together with you in order to take the country forward.

I'm happy with the outcome of the election. The popular vote is 69.9 per cent, nearly 70 per cent. We won 83 constituencies out of 89 and what was particularly satisfying, we won back Punggol East.

It's a good result for the PAP, but it is an excellent result for Singapore.

#GE2015 Press Conference
Thank you Singaporeans for the strong mandate to take Singapore further forward. This result could only have been possible with your strong support. I am deeply humbled by your confidence. It is a heavy responsibility; my team and I will work hard with all of you to build a bright future for every Singaporean. - LHL#GE2015
Posted by Lee Hsien Loong on Friday, September 11, 2015

I'd like to thank voters of all ages, all races across the island for their confidence and for their support because it's not possible to have a result like this across the board and such a high number without strong support from all groups and, in particular, it could not have been done without strong support from the young.

And that's a particularly important conclusion from this election because it shows that the young people understand what is at stake, support what we are doing, really to secure a bright future for Singapore and for the young and, in due time, will be able to take up this responsibility and take the country further forward.

At the same time I'm deeply humbled by the confidence which Singaporeans have shown in me and my team and by the heavy responsibility which the voters have entrusted to us.

I'd like to remind all my newly elected MPs that you're elected to serve the people; that this mandate means that you have to work extra hard to serve because we are trustees and stewards.

We're elected to take care of Singapore to the best of our ability and we will have to account for our performance at the next general election.

After the hustings, now we need to pull together to resume our nation-building efforts. We will work with all Singaporeans, including those who voted against us, in order to take Singapore forward.

This election results show that Singaporeans understand what is at stake - that we can prosper only if we stay united and that we need to get the best team possible assembled in order to serve Singapore.

The results are also an endorsement of the policies and the performance of the PAP Government.

We've worked hard to engage Singaporeans, to partner you, to solve problems, to open new opportunities and to work out policies which suit our needs.

These elections have been closely watched. You read the international newspapers, BBC, International Herald Tribune, Financial Times. They all write about it, they all have some analysis and they're all waiting to see what this election will show.

So the results tonight will be noted by the outside world, by the media, of course, but by investors, by other powers and by our neighbours. And I believe these results will greatly bolster confidence in Singapore and in Singapore's future.

These results are also a strong signal of confidence to ourselves that we Singaporeans in the post-Lee Kuan Yew era are able to find the winning formula which can keep us progressing and succeeding.

One issue in this election has been the desire for diverse voices to be heard more in our political system.

I understand this. We have a new generation with better education, with access to social media, who expect their views to be heard and given more weight.

And we have been engaging Singaporeans directly as a result of this, enabling them to make a constructive contribution.

We also have gone into the social media. Since the election results, since 12 o'clock, I've already had two Facebook posts. And I'm sure so have other candidates.

We will redouble these efforts but we must do this in a way that maintains the unique strengths of our system. What are they, these strengths?

The ability to maintain a national consensus over the long term, the ability to keep our politics clean and non-corrupt, the ability to contain populist pressures while being responsive to popular needs, the ability to solve short-term issues but also focus on long-term opportunities and challenges, and the ability to advance the shared interest of a broad majority of Singaporeans.

In Parliament, we look forward to a full discussion and open debate on important issues because Parliament is where the most vital national issues should be debated and decided.

That depends on the government, ministers and MPs. But it also depends on the opposition and on other stakeholders - on them making the effort to master the issues, having the courage and commitment to take clear positions, upholding the same standards of integrity and acting to advance the national interests and not for partisan advantage.

In the next Parliament, there would be nine opposition MPs - six elected MPs and three Non-Constituency MPs - and we look forward to their contributions in Parliament.

I'd like to thank all the PAP activists and candidates who have worked so hard to serve voters to win their support, to campaign during these nine days, but much more than these nine days, to have served during the past term of government and often for many years before that.

I'd like to mention particularly my satisfaction that we have won back Punggol East. I've sent Charles Chong there. He did an outstanding job as he has done more than once in his career. And it showed that even though it may be an opposition ward, we can make the fight, take the fight to our opponent, make the case to the voters and win them back and serve them well.

I'm also pleased with the result in Hougang SMC. We did better this time than the last round. We improved on our vote share.

We knew it would be a tough fight. I sent Lee Hong Chuang there. He knew it would be a tough fight, but he has done well, he has shifted the sentiments. And we will keep working hard to win over the voters in Hougang. And one day we will win it back.

I'm very pleased with the result in Aljunied GRC. I spoke to the candidates this evening and congratulated them on what they had succeeded in doing. We very nearly won - to the point where we forced a recount. And we missed only by 0.9 percentage point, and that's it. But next time we will get there.

So I'd like to thank Victor Lye, Yeo Guat Kwang, Murali, Chua Eng Leong, Shamsul Kamar for an excellent job. And I'd especially like to thank Mr Lim Boon Heng who has been their coach and mentor and has helped to guide them to reach this point.

I should mention also the public servants who have worked hard throughout the day to serve Singaporeans voting, taking care of them, making sure everything will run smoothly.

Thank you very much. You made double efforts. Finally I thank my fellow Singaporeans for your strong mandate. The elections are over but our work has just begun. So let us unite - those who voted for us, as well as those who didn't vote for us, to build a bright future for every Singaporean.