Orderly transitions in political leadership cannot be taken for granted: SM Lee in last speech as PAP chief

SINGAPORE: While Singapore has carried out smooth transitions for its top political leadership, such orderly processes cannot be taken for granted, said the People’s Action Party's (PAP) outgoing secretary-general Lee Hsien Loong.

Speaking at the party's biennial conference on Sunday (Nov 24) in his last speech as PAP chief, Mr Lee said he intends to propose to the new central executive committee (CEC) to elect deputy secretary-general Lawrence Wong to take over as the next secretary-general.

He added that he will continue in the CEC - the party's top decision-making body - in a supporting and advisory role after Mr Wong becomes chief. 

“In the CEC, as in the Cabinet, I will neither be the first responder, neither will I be the final decider," he said. 

“Instead, I will do my best to support the new secretary-general. Offer him the benefit of my experience, help him to strengthen the party and mobilise support from Singaporeans, to collectively tackle the problems and the challenges ahead of us,” he added. 

Mr Lee handed over the prime minister position to his successor Mr Wong in May this year.

Political leaders have a duty to ensure that Singapore has good leadership, not just during their term in office, but also beyond, said Mr Lee.

"I am very happy that this leadership transition has gone well over the past two years, and I fully expect this final stage to also go smoothly," he added.

"Singapore has carried out orderly transitions for our top political leadership, three times in a row now."

During his speech, Mr Lee shared that quite a few foreign leaders he met had expressed astonishment at how uneventful Singapore’s leadership transition was. 

“It is amazing to them, because in other countries all sorts of things can happen and do happen. Often when a party does badly in a general election and loses its mandate to govern, its leader is forced to resign to take responsibility,” he said. 

Sometimes, a ruling party may lose public support even before elections are held, causing ministers and Members of Parliament (MPs) to lose confidence in their leader, resulting in the party having to change leaders in hopes that someone will do better, he pointed out. 

“In all these cases, disruptive leadership changes bring discontinuity, upheaval, and uncertainty and misfortune for the party and for the country. Both the party and the country suffer.”

Mr Lee said Singapore has been very fortunate to have avoided all these bad scenarios and to have stayed cohesive so far, with the PAP winning successive elections and retaining the support of Singaporeans, even during difficult times. 

“The party leadership is united, it shares a common goal: To serve the best interests of the country, and not to advance anyone’s political ambitions,” he said. 

He added that the seamless handovers have provided the country with a “tremendous advantage”, allowing Singapore to maintain consistent leadership and direction for the country as well as mobilise the people to focus on difficult and long-term issues and make steady progress year after year. 

This is the mark of a well-functioning political system, said Mr Lee. 

“That is why we must do our best to keep our system stable and to elect good leaders always who will selflessly prepare their successors and hand on their responsibility when the time comes.”

HARD FIGHT AHEAD

Turning to the next general election, which Mr Lee said will be held by the end of next year, he said that it will be a hard-fought one.

While the PAP can present a "strong report card" at the next general election, Mr Lee pointed out challenges including changes in people's expectations as well as a new generation of voters.

"High standards and good government are now taken for granted and in itself, this is not a bad thing," he said. 

"But it puts more and more pressure on the government to do more, even as it is becoming harder and harder for the government to meet rising expectations," he said, adding that Singaporeans remain anxious about issues including housing and cost of living. 

“Most difficult for us to tackle is to reach a segment of voters who on the one hand acknowledge that the PAP has done a good job governing Singapore and would like to see a PAP government, but on the other hand, at the same time, want to see more opposition and alternative voices in parliament,” he said. 

As such, the party has to work very hard to make sure that voters understand that they cannot afford to "treat the next general election as a by-election", he said. 

“What is at stake is not who is to be your MP alone, but what is the future of Singapore. I expect all the seats to be contested, and quite a few of them fiercely contested. You will not just be voting to decide who your constituency MP is, your vote may well determine which party will govern Singapore.”

“Therefore, the wisest and most responsible thing for Singaporeans to do, is to vote according to your conscience, for the party that you think will best secure your lives, your livelihoods and your futures – the party that you truly want to govern Singapore."

Mr Lee said the party must convince all voters that it is the right choice and to show that it has their best interests at heart and will do its best to take care of them and improve lives. 

“This is not just a task for ministers and branch activists, but for all party members: every branch, every member, every activist, everyone who cares for the future of Singapore,” he said. 

“You all play important roles, representing the party on the ground, building bonds and forging trust with voters, and winning their hearts and minds, winning votes, winning the election.”