SINGAPORE: It is a “mistaken” view that all Members of Parliament from the ruling People’s Action Party hold the same perspectives, said party leader Lee Hsien Loong on Tuesday (Jul 12).
“Some think that since PAP MPs all wear white and white, they are also monochrome in their ideas and perspectives. This view is quite mistaken,” the Prime Minister said.
“In fact we do our utmost to field a diverse team, and make sure that every MP brings something different to the table.”
Mr Lee was speaking in his role as party secretary-general at an appreciation dinner that would have been held shortly after the 2020 General Election if not for the COVID-19 pandemic.
The PAP won 61.24 per cent of the votes in the July 2020 polls, winning 83 seats out of an available 93. A total of 20 PAP MPs retired that year.
HONOURING RETIREES
During the appreciation dinner at Parliament House, Mr Lee presented valedictory letters and mementoes to the retired MPs.
Among them are party stalwarts like Emeritus Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong, former Deputy Speaker of Parliament Charles Chong, as well as former Cabinet ministers like Khaw Boon Wan, Lim Hng Kiang, Lim Swee Say and Yaacob Ibrahim.
The others are former MPs: Ang Hin Kee, Cedric Foo, Chia Shi-Lu, Fatimah Lateef, Intan Azura Mokhtar, Lee Bee Wah, Lee Yi Shyan, Lily Neo, Ong Teng Koon, Sam Tan, Teo Ho Pin, Teo Ser Luck, Yee Chia Hsing and Zainal Sapari.
Mr Lee highlighted some ways in which each of them brought about change and how they contributed to the party and their constituencies.
He gave examples of how these former MPs transformed public areas, became advocates for the likes of lower wage workers and the elderly, and the ways in which they won over residents at elections.
“They give a sense of the scope and significance of MPs’ duties, and explain why being an MP is so demanding, yet so fulfilling,” Mr Lee said.
“That is also perhaps why for many MPs, stepping down is not an easy adjustment to make. It is hard to let go of the close ties formed with your residents. For me too, it has been a difficult task to ask you to step down to make way for your successors.”