People need to vote in MPs who are good checks on govt: PM Lee

There remains a desire for alternative views in parliament, but Singaporeans by and large still want the ruling People's Action Party (PAP) to govern the country, said Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.

"If you ask the opposition parties, whether it's the Workers' Party or the SDP (Singapore Democratic Party), nobody says: 'Vote for me, I will form the government, I will be the prime minister, I will run this place better'," he said in an interview on Wednesday.

It is thus crucial that the government continues to maintain its level of support and be able to carry the consensus of the population over the long term. But much will depend on the different situations the country encounters in the years to come, he added.

"If you run into turbulent situations, people will be very worried about the dangers and there will be a flight to safety.

"If you are in a peaceful, prosperous environment, people say: 'Well, this is the way the world is, why do you need the government? We can prosper without the government'. So there is no safety net. There is no certainty that what we have now is going to continue."

Every general election - the next one must be held by January 2017 - is a "very serious contest" to determine who will form the next government, said Mr Lee, who is also the PAP secretary-general.

Addressing the ongoing desire by the opposition to act as a "check" on the PAP in parliament, Mr Lee stressed that there was no chance of Singapore's parliament being completely occupied by the PAP.

There are provisions for non-constituency MPs and nominated MPs; outside of parliament, there is an "infinite" number of voices among the new media and internet blogs.

Mr Lee's message to the electorate: Vote for somebody who you think will be a "good check", and make sure he or she is up to the standards you expect.

"A person who sits in parliament and is not competent, is not going to be a check on the government. A person who can be in parliament and raise questions, ask and debate, and intelligently questions what the government is doing and why you are doing this and not that - that is what you need when you talk about checks and balances," he said.

In a separate interview with journalists conducted in Mandarin on Thursday, he revealed that the number of new candidates the PAP was planning to field for the next GE would be about 24 - similar to the number introduced at the 2006 and 2011 polls - although the final number was still being worked out.

He also disclosed that the Electoral Boundaries Review Committee, a group that reviews the electoral division boundaries and recommends changes, was yet to be formed.

Mr Lee said his team was currently busy with the country's year-long golden jubilee celebrations and had not thought about when to set up the committee.

Next page: Future prime minister for Singapore

Asked to shed some light on the person who would likely become Singapore's fourth prime minister, Mr Lee said he hoped his successor would be more capable than him, given that the next generation should be better than the one before it.

The next prime minister should ideally be an experienced leader, and be someone who stands out from others in the team and has the support of the people. This person, however, will not have the same luxury that Mr Lee had in having 20 years in politics before assuming the top job.

"It's very possible (my successor) is already in the current Cabinet line-up, but it's not an absolute because I want to bring in a group of new candidates with strong leadership potential in the next election. I believe we should be able to find my successor from the previous two elections or the next one," he said.

Whoever it turns out to be, it was unlikely that there needed to be a formal voting process to pick the new leader.

"Everyone should be able to reach a consensus (and) should be able to agree that this minister will be the new leader, and we agree to support him and to go with him," said Mr Lee.

Notable quotes

"We have slowed down the inflows and tightened up on foreign workers. It is causing employers a lot of pain. We will continue to adjust to get the balance as right as we can, but I don't think we (can) relax because we have to continue in a sustainable way. Neither are we able to say we go to zero and let us do away with all these people . . . I think that's not practical." - Mr Lee on the tightening of supply of foreign workers

"In a normal society and a normal democracy, these will have their place. People will speak and . . . mobilise and lobby. That is par. But the government has to be in touch with them, make friends with as many of them as possible, but they must stand back and say: 'What is in the national interest?' How far can (Singapore) accommodate you without compromising the national interest? We have to make that judgement." - On the growing presence of special interest groups in society

"I don't think we want to go around flexing our muscles and making macho speeches. It's not necessary. What we need is rapport with the population so that when you actually need to do something, we can explain it and do it, and people can accept it, even if they don't like it." - Mr Lee, when asked if the government still had the political capital and will to make tough policy decisions

"There will be some trolls, so we block the bad ones because they pollute the environment and space and you cannot have a sensible conversation. But there are many critical conversations that go on, not just with me but among (the netizens), within the comments they post. I think it's a very positive initiative, but quite a lot of work for me and my team. - On his experience using social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter and Instagram

"I do not think young people are cynical. I think they are anxious, idealistic, well-connected to the world, and they want to do something and make a difference. But their reference points are different from (those of) the older generation. - On whether he feels the younger generation of Singaporeans is more cynical

leeuwen@sph.com.sg

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