Candidates’ integrity and character are important, says Lee Hsien Loong

SINGAPORE — People’s Action Party’s (PAP) secretary general Lee Hsien Loong stressed the importance of a candidate’s character and integrity, pointing out that Singapore has maintained its special traits because it has a clean system with honest people who do not put their hands in the kitty.

In a press conference today (Sept 5), he also urged voters to judge the different parties based on their plans for the future, pointing out that the party is directly working with the voters and there is no need for an intermediary to do so — a veiled reference to a common refrain from the opposition that voters should bring more opposition members into the Parliament so that the Government will work harder.

Mr Lee said voters should judge “fairly and dispassionately” on the different parties’ quality of candidates, the integrity of their characters, their commitment to serve and the plans they have or do not have, and to “vote in good conscience”, voting on who they believe will secure the future of Singapore.

Asked for his response on the Workers’ Party’s (WP) statement that if the PAP gets too strong a mandate it might reverse popular policies or reinstate non-popular ones, Mr Lee roundly dismissed that claim.

“I think its a strange psychology to think that this is a Government which is only dying to do bad things to people... do we look like that? Here we are trying to do the best and needing support.” He added that voters should be careful to give more votes to WP, as they will “become more arrogant and oppressive” over the rest of the parties, as they have already shown.

As for the town council issue, Mr Lee said the party has made its position and the facts clear, and WP has also given its responses. The ferocity of the responses show that the facts have exposed a raw nerve, he said, pointing out that it is clear that some important questions remain unanswered. They will leave it to voters to make up their minds and consider the issue when they take to the polls, he added.