PAP must respond to desire for more debate, questioning of established ideas: PM Lee

INTEGRITY AND HONESTY

Mr Lee additionally reminded PAP activists of the social gathering's emphasis on integrity and honesty."If politicians are venal or dishonest ... voters will not trust their motives, cannot take what they say at face value, people will become disillusioned and cynical," he stated."They will lose faith not just from individual leaders or political parties but from the political system as a whole."There are too many examples the place belief has eroded all around the world, he stated."In Singapore, people expect MPs and political leaders to be clean, to be above reproach in their personal conduct, to be scrupulously truthful in what they say, inside Parliament or outside Parliament," he added.The PAP has upheld "stringent standards" and anybody who misbehaves can be disciplined, and if somebody misspeaks, the social gathering will insist he "puts it right"."The PAP’s rigour sets the tone for Singapore politics. And voters have to apply these same standards of integrity and honesty to every group and every person who participates in politics and public life, whichever side he may be on," stated Mr Lee."Otherwise, we are signalling that we are prepared to lower standards, and this will eventually drag our system down."

POLITICS "CARRIES ON" EVEN DURING PANDEMIC

Mr Lee stated that to stay a high-trust society, Singapore must get its politics proper in order that the system can ship outcomes for Singaporeans."Politics is about people’s lives and futures and it carries on even during a pandemic. We have to continue addressing people’s concerns, and striving towards our aspiration of a fair and inclusive society."The Singapore Government has "pressed on" with essential objectives whereas tackling the pandemic, he stated. Listing latest initiatives launched, Mr Lee stated that it's enhancing social mobility and "redoubling efforts" to strengthen social cohesion.This contains initiatives to uplift kids from lower-income households and guarantee honest alternatives on the office via anti-discrimination laws."These are long-term endeavours and results will take time, but we are moving in the right direction, and we are making progress," he stated.It's additionally not sufficient to have good insurance policies, the Government must additionally assist folks respect how these insurance policies make a distinction of their lives, he stated."We must mobilise everyone in order to realise our common vision for Singapore. We have to help Singaporeans make that political connection: All these good things – social mobility, better jobs and better lives – they don't happen just by themselves," he stated. "In many international locations, they don’t occur in any respect."If you want to continue to get good results in Singapore, we've got to get our politics right, you have to support the PAP government, and we must work together to build the nation that we aspire towards."