SINGAPORE: While the opposition presence in Singapore politics is here to stay, Prime Minister Lawrence Wong on Wednesday (Apr 23) urged Singaporeans to "equip yourselves with the best team" to take the country forward in a much changed world.
"In the past, people would say, in challenging times, in difficult times, Singaporeans would tend towards voting for the PAP,” he said.
“I don’t take that for granted at all. Certainly, when we went to the last election amidst COVID, this did not happen. So I fully expect this election to be a tough contest.”
Mr Wong was speaking to reporters from the party’s headquarters in East Coast, accompanied by five other Cabinet ministers in the party leadership — Education Minister Chan Chun Sing, Minister for Sustainability and the Environment Grace Fu, Minister in the Prime Minister's Office Indranee Rajah, and Minister for Social and Family Development Masagos Zulkifli.
In his opening remarks, the prime minister emphasised that the stakes are high in this election.
“We are in a changed world with turbulence all around us. It's not the first time you have elections amidst challenging circumstances,” he said.
He noted that the last election in 2020 was held under similar circumstances with the COVID-19 pandemic. This time round, the challenges are more severe, said Mr Wong.
Through his interactions with businesses and union leaders, he has seen that they are worried as they can already feel the slowdown, and are also concerned about the impact of the global uncertainty on jobs and incomes.
He shared that he had met with investment advisors to Singapore’s sovereign wealth fund GIC after nomination proceedings on Wednesday, and found that “across the board, there is a consensus that things will not go back to the way they used to be”.
Mr Wong said that this uncertainty is not something that can be addressed within this year, as it may stretch on for quite some time.
“The opposition says, ‘Don’t fear. This is an overreaction. The PAP is overdoing it.’. But I think if you truly examine the facts and ask yourself: Is the world changing? Is something different? The answer is yes,” he said.
With no knowing what a new global order would look like amid a very messy and unpredictable transition, so much is at risk for Singapore as a trading nation, said Mr Wong.
“Who Singaporeans select to be the elected government in this changed world is critical. Under these circumstances, I asked Singaporeans to equip yourselves with the best team to take our nation forward,” he said.
Mr Wong also fielded several questions about the PAP’s deployment strategy for this year’s General Election.
“Preparing for an election is always a dynamic matter,” he said, after the ruling People’s Action Party (PAP) sprung several surprises on Nomination Day.
He was responding to a question from CNA on how voters will take to the party’s Nomination Day late swapping of anchor ministers across some constituencies, given that the slates in several wards had already been unveiled in the lead up to Wednesday.
Noting that unexpected changes in candidates have happened before, Mr Wong said there are various moving parts and different considerations that the party needs to take in deciding where to deploy its candidates.
“We try our best not to have too many movements, but from time to time, we have to make some of these, and we have done so in this election,” said Mr Wong, who is also secretary-general of the PAP.
The party unveiled several electoral surprises on Nomination Day, after keeping mum about its slate in five slates: East Coast Group representation Constituency (GRC), Tanjong Pagar GRC, Punggol GRC, as well as two SMCs Queenstown and Radin Mas.
PAP's Teo Chee Hean interacting with supporters at the nomination centre at Yusof Ishak Secondary School on Apr 23, 2025, ahead of Singapore's General Election. (Photo: CNA/Raydza Rahman)
It kept others guessing whether Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat and Senior Minister Teo Chee Hean would be fielded. In the end, both were not.
What eventually happened on April 23 was a surprising move to Punggol GRC by Deputy Prime Minister Gan Kim Yong. As to Mr Gan’s former ward at Chua Chu Kang, it was Manpower Minister Tan See Leng who shifted from east to west to stand there.
Both Mr Gan and Dr Tan had been formally introduced to the electorate by the PAP. Mr Gan was introduced on April 14, and Dr Tan was unveiled on April 20.
This also meant that several newcomers, who were spotted walking the ground in other constituencies, had to stand in constituencies where they had not been introduced.
Mr Wong noted that the movements of senior Cabinet ministers on Wednesday morning ensures a better spread of coverage, if they are elected.
“If you look at the overall picture, I will be in the west in Marsiling-Yew Tee, Senior Minister Lee (Hsien Loong) will be in the centre in Ang Mo Kio, and DPM Gan will be in Punggol in the east,” he said.
“That’s a better distribution of our senior leadership for the campaign and if we are elected, that's also a better spread of leadership to make sure that we can cover the whole of Singapore, and make sure that we do our best to serve all residents.”
Mr Wong added that Mr Teo and Mr Heng both retired for reasons that are “personal to each one of them”.
PAP's Heng Swee Keat waves as he arrives at the nomination centre at Yusof Ishak Secondary School on Apr 23, 2025. (Photo: CNA/Wallace Woon)
With their departure, he had to in turn make some adjustments to the PAP’s line-up, including in the new Punggol GRC, an area which had been anchored by Mr Teo for many years, said Mr Wong.
He was referring to Punggol when it belonged under the Pasir Ris-Punggol GRC before the latest electoral boundaries review.
“And it's really not easy to have a senior office holder of a similar stature to take over from him,” he explained.
“That’s why I considered it very carefully and eventually decided to deploy DPM Gan Kim Yong there.”
With Mr Gan’s move, Manpower Minister Tan See Leng then shifted over to fill that gap, with Parliament speaker Seah Kian Peng remaining to anchor Marine Parade-Braddell Heights GRC.
(Left to right) PAP’s team for Marine Parade-Braddell Heights GRC, Goh Pei Ming, Tin Pei Ling, Muhammad Faishal Ibrahim, Seah Kian Peng and Diana Pang at the nomination centre at Kong Hwa School on Apr 23, 2025, ahead of Singapore's General Election. (Photo: CNA/Nuria Ling)
Mr Wong also reiterated his focus on leadership renewal within the party and at the national level, something which has always been a priority of his since taking office.
As for the party’s slate in Marine Parade-Braddell Heights GRC, Mr Wong said that the decision on the line-up was not made on the basis that there would not be a contest.
The renamed ward will see the country’s first walkover in a General Election in 14 years, after the Workers’ Party (WP) decided not to field a team there.
The five-member team fielded by the PAP there does not consist of a full Cabinet minister, and will instead be anchored by Parliament speaker Seah.
The party leadership first heard that “there wasn’t a presence of WP in the nomination centre”, said Mr Wong. However, the PAP would not have been able to confirm whether or not there would eventually be a contest.
“We were surprised that the WP had decided not to contest in Marine Parade,” said Mr Wong.
“But even if it had been contested, I have confidence that Seah Kian Peng … will be able to anchor the Marine Parade team and hold their own in Marine Parade.”
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"In the past, people would say, in challenging times, in difficult times, Singaporeans would tend towards voting for the PAP,” he said.
“I don’t take that for granted at all. Certainly, when we went to the last election amidst COVID, this did not happen. So I fully expect this election to be a tough contest.”
Mr Wong was speaking to reporters from the party’s headquarters in East Coast, accompanied by five other Cabinet ministers in the party leadership — Education Minister Chan Chun Sing, Minister for Sustainability and the Environment Grace Fu, Minister in the Prime Minister's Office Indranee Rajah, and Minister for Social and Family Development Masagos Zulkifli.
In his opening remarks, the prime minister emphasised that the stakes are high in this election.
“We are in a changed world with turbulence all around us. It's not the first time you have elections amidst challenging circumstances,” he said.
He noted that the last election in 2020 was held under similar circumstances with the COVID-19 pandemic. This time round, the challenges are more severe, said Mr Wong.
Through his interactions with businesses and union leaders, he has seen that they are worried as they can already feel the slowdown, and are also concerned about the impact of the global uncertainty on jobs and incomes.
He shared that he had met with investment advisors to Singapore’s sovereign wealth fund GIC after nomination proceedings on Wednesday, and found that “across the board, there is a consensus that things will not go back to the way they used to be”.
Mr Wong said that this uncertainty is not something that can be addressed within this year, as it may stretch on for quite some time.
“The opposition says, ‘Don’t fear. This is an overreaction. The PAP is overdoing it.’. But I think if you truly examine the facts and ask yourself: Is the world changing? Is something different? The answer is yes,” he said.
With no knowing what a new global order would look like amid a very messy and unpredictable transition, so much is at risk for Singapore as a trading nation, said Mr Wong.
“Who Singaporeans select to be the elected government in this changed world is critical. Under these circumstances, I asked Singaporeans to equip yourselves with the best team to take our nation forward,” he said.
ELECTIONS ‘A DYNAMIC MATTER’
Mr Wong also fielded several questions about the PAP’s deployment strategy for this year’s General Election.
“Preparing for an election is always a dynamic matter,” he said, after the ruling People’s Action Party (PAP) sprung several surprises on Nomination Day.
He was responding to a question from CNA on how voters will take to the party’s Nomination Day late swapping of anchor ministers across some constituencies, given that the slates in several wards had already been unveiled in the lead up to Wednesday.
Noting that unexpected changes in candidates have happened before, Mr Wong said there are various moving parts and different considerations that the party needs to take in deciding where to deploy its candidates.
“We try our best not to have too many movements, but from time to time, we have to make some of these, and we have done so in this election,” said Mr Wong, who is also secretary-general of the PAP.
The party unveiled several electoral surprises on Nomination Day, after keeping mum about its slate in five slates: East Coast Group representation Constituency (GRC), Tanjong Pagar GRC, Punggol GRC, as well as two SMCs Queenstown and Radin Mas.
PAP's Teo Chee Hean interacting with supporters at the nomination centre at Yusof Ishak Secondary School on Apr 23, 2025, ahead of Singapore's General Election. (Photo: CNA/Raydza Rahman)
It kept others guessing whether Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat and Senior Minister Teo Chee Hean would be fielded. In the end, both were not.
What eventually happened on April 23 was a surprising move to Punggol GRC by Deputy Prime Minister Gan Kim Yong. As to Mr Gan’s former ward at Chua Chu Kang, it was Manpower Minister Tan See Leng who shifted from east to west to stand there.
Both Mr Gan and Dr Tan had been formally introduced to the electorate by the PAP. Mr Gan was introduced on April 14, and Dr Tan was unveiled on April 20.
This also meant that several newcomers, who were spotted walking the ground in other constituencies, had to stand in constituencies where they had not been introduced.
BETTER DISTRIBUTION OF SENIOR LEADERSHIP
Mr Wong noted that the movements of senior Cabinet ministers on Wednesday morning ensures a better spread of coverage, if they are elected.
“If you look at the overall picture, I will be in the west in Marsiling-Yew Tee, Senior Minister Lee (Hsien Loong) will be in the centre in Ang Mo Kio, and DPM Gan will be in Punggol in the east,” he said.
“That’s a better distribution of our senior leadership for the campaign and if we are elected, that's also a better spread of leadership to make sure that we can cover the whole of Singapore, and make sure that we do our best to serve all residents.”
Mr Wong added that Mr Teo and Mr Heng both retired for reasons that are “personal to each one of them”.
PAP's Heng Swee Keat waves as he arrives at the nomination centre at Yusof Ishak Secondary School on Apr 23, 2025. (Photo: CNA/Wallace Woon)
With their departure, he had to in turn make some adjustments to the PAP’s line-up, including in the new Punggol GRC, an area which had been anchored by Mr Teo for many years, said Mr Wong.
He was referring to Punggol when it belonged under the Pasir Ris-Punggol GRC before the latest electoral boundaries review.
“And it's really not easy to have a senior office holder of a similar stature to take over from him,” he explained.
“That’s why I considered it very carefully and eventually decided to deploy DPM Gan Kim Yong there.”
With Mr Gan’s move, Manpower Minister Tan See Leng then shifted over to fill that gap, with Parliament speaker Seah Kian Peng remaining to anchor Marine Parade-Braddell Heights GRC.
(Left to right) PAP’s team for Marine Parade-Braddell Heights GRC, Goh Pei Ming, Tin Pei Ling, Muhammad Faishal Ibrahim, Seah Kian Peng and Diana Pang at the nomination centre at Kong Hwa School on Apr 23, 2025, ahead of Singapore's General Election. (Photo: CNA/Nuria Ling)
Mr Wong also reiterated his focus on leadership renewal within the party and at the national level, something which has always been a priority of his since taking office.
As for the party’s slate in Marine Parade-Braddell Heights GRC, Mr Wong said that the decision on the line-up was not made on the basis that there would not be a contest.
The renamed ward will see the country’s first walkover in a General Election in 14 years, after the Workers’ Party (WP) decided not to field a team there.
The five-member team fielded by the PAP there does not consist of a full Cabinet minister, and will instead be anchored by Parliament speaker Seah.
The party leadership first heard that “there wasn’t a presence of WP in the nomination centre”, said Mr Wong. However, the PAP would not have been able to confirm whether or not there would eventually be a contest.
“We were surprised that the WP had decided not to contest in Marine Parade,” said Mr Wong.
“But even if it had been contested, I have confidence that Seah Kian Peng … will be able to anchor the Marine Parade team and hold their own in Marine Parade.”
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