SINGAPORE GE2025: PM WONG CALLS FOR STRONG MANDATE FOR PAP

By Nur Ashikin Abdul Aziz

SINGAPORE, April 28 (Bernama) -- Singapore Prime Minister Lawrence Wong on Monday called on voters to deliver a decisive mandate for the ruling People’s Action Party (PAP) in general election (GE2025), warning that a weakened government would jeopardise the country’s ability to steer through escalating global uncertainties.

Addressing supporters at the party’s first lunchtime rally for GE2025 near UOB Plaza, Wong, who is also the PAP’s secretary-general, said that the country needs a stable and capable team to navigate an increasingly unpredictable world.

“A weakened PAP team will not only weaken the government, but also Singapore. If opposition parties break through in several constituencies — not just one, not just two, but a few — then even if the PAP were returned to government, it would be with a severely weakened mandate.

“Your vote matters in every constituency all across Singapore because I need a team,” he said.

Wong cautioned that a diminished mandate for the PAP would weaken the government’s ability to advance Singapore’s interests on the global stage.

Meanwhile, he also highlighted the PAP’s six-decade record in steering Singapore through periods of crisis and transformation, and reiterated the party’s role in improving living standards across the board.

"I know many Singaporeans, even our fiercest critics and those in the opposition, will acknowledge that what we have here in Singapore is not bad.

“If you compare 60 years ago and now, living standards have gone up across the board. We have succeeded beyond our wildest dreams,” he added.

Wong said that despite the demands of campaigning, the PAP team “never stops working”.

He also criticised the opposition for failing to address serious national challenges during the campaign.

“Throughout the campaign, no opposition parties have talked seriously about the challenges ahead for Singapore. To them, this is the PAP’s burden to carry. They want the PAP to form the government. They only want, as they say, more seats in Parliament. More seats but not more responsibility,” he said.

Wong also questioned the feasibility of some opposition manifestos, urging voters to consider whether such lengthy wish list were realistic and sustainable.

The rally marked a pivotal moment as the election campaign approaches its midpoint ahead of polling day on May 3.

GE2025 is Wong’s first time leading the PAP into a general election since taking over from Lee Hsien Loong last year.

-- BERNAMA