PM refocuses poll on S'pore's future

Calling on voters to shift attention to what GE should be about, he maps out party's plans

By Lydia Lim
May 5, 2006
The Straits Times

JUST two days before Polling Day, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong yesterday said it was time to refocus the General Election on the key issue before Singaporeans - their future.

Calling on voters to take stock and shift their attention back to what this election should be about, he urged them to give him and his team a strong mandate tomorrow so they could push ahead with the programmes set out in the People's Action Party manifesto, Staying Together, Moving Ahead.

Mr Lee also led ministers in a co-ordinated bid to firmly set the James Gomez affair aside for now, after it had dominated headlines for several days. There will be time and opportunity for a 'proper public resolution', he said, without delving into details.

The issue was important, he stressed, 'but there are more important issues in this election, closer to the hearts of Singaporeans'.

'The most important issue is your future,' he said.

Flanked by Deputy Prime Minister Wong Kan Seng and Ministers Teo Chee Hean and Ng Eng Hen at the PAP's Bedok headquarters, he mapped out the future he and his team wanted to usher in.

It would be rich in opportunities so all with drive and ability could succeed. The more vulnerable would be taken care of, no one would be left behind and Singaporeans of all races and religions would live in a cohesive, harmonious society.

Mr Lee also pledged to nurture citizen participation, saying: 'I want to hear and consider more views and ideas.'

At both his afternoon press conference and rally speech in Pasir Ris-Punggol GRC, he restated the three reasons he had called this election: to secure a mandate, decide on a future direction and endorse a team to lead Singapore over the next 15 to 20 years.

He also issued this personal appeal to voters: 'This is my first election as Prime Minister, so I'm asking for a strong mandate to push ahead with key programmes which are in our manifesto. I need your strong support to help me and my team to achieve our goals.'

Spelling out why this personal mandate was important to him, he said: 'Being a leader is not just an abstract concept, but it's establishing a personal bond between human beings involving trust, confidence, respect, comfort level, so we can work together and move forward together.'

Mr Lee spelt out the programmes he had put in place, since taking over as Prime Minister in August 2004, to realise his vision of an open and inclusive society.

Examples singled out were the ComCare Fund to support needy families, Opportunity Funds to help children from low-income homes enjoy enrichment programmes, and barrier-free estates so older people can move about easily.

Addressing a rally crowd at a field next to Buangkok MRT station, he held up the White Elephant episode - where residents had staged elephant cut-outs to protest against the delayed opening of the station - as an example of citizen involvement.

'I have given you room to express yourselves and try out your own ideas. I will continue to engage and encourage more Singaporeans to step forward, so that together, we can work out solutions for a better Singapore,' he said.

Mr Lee also had strong words for the opposition. He said he was disappointed at the Workers' Party's failure to offer concrete plans and engage PAP leaders in a proper debate on the ideas in its manifesto and the quality of its candidates. He also accused the WP of 'rumour-mongering' to scare voters into believing that the Government would raise prices of goods and services after the polls.

He said the WP promised free lift upgrading, but planned to make the PAP foot the bill. It played up means testing for hospital stays, even though the Government had said it would only be introduced if it could be done fairly.

On Singapore's future, Manpower Minister Ng Eng Hen said it would depend on who was at the helm.

'We want to really refocus this election on Prime Minister, the MPs, the candidates that we've put up, so that voters can decide based on the integrity and the ability of the people that we put up to represent and to lead Singapore,' he said.