LONDON — Singaporeans know the Government has been doing the right things, but they want Opposition representation to add some “chilli” on things, said Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.

While it is up to Singaporeans to decide who they want to run the government, he noted the Workers’ Party made it clear in the last General Election it was not contesting to take over from the People’s Action Party (PAP).

Mr Lee was responding to a question on whether he was concerned about the gains made by the Opposition in the 2011 polls, including winning a GRC for the first time.

Responding to the question from Mr Malcolm Rifkind, a British Member of Parliament, during a dialogue at Chatham House in London yesterday, Mr Lee said: “In Singapore, people actually know the Government generally is doing the right thing, but they like somebody to be there to put a bit more chilli on the Government’s tail.”

When Mr Rifkind asked whether he felt it was healthy for any political party to be in power for more than 50 years — the way the PAP has — Mr Lee said a system should have continuity, as well as change within that continuity.

Noting that the PAP has managed to keep up with the times and ensured the system stayed “renewed” throughout several changes of the guard, Mr Lee added: “Whether we can do that and maintain that position of trust and confidence and dominance in that system over a long term, that depends on Singaporeans and also on how well we acquit ourselves and establish ourselves in our own right, not just as heirs (of the previous generation).”

Several questions on Singapore’s political system peppered the one-hour dialogue, which involved more than 200 academics, diplomats, students and civil servants. Questions such as the lessons China could learn from Singapore’s reputation for clean governance, as well as the road ahead for the Association of South-east Asian Nations (ASEAN), were also raised.

Mr Lee said that while the Chinese leadership recognises the need to clean up its house so as to not jeopardise its legitimacy to run the country, its challenge lies in how to do so “without bringing it down”.

He added that apart from ensuring the mechanics for reporting and punishing wrongdoing exist, a system must also have “honest and resolute people” who will keep it clean “even when it’s politically inconvenient”.

On whether ASEAN could, like in the EU, have free movement of trade, services and people in the future, Mr Lee expressed his doubts.

He said: “If 100 million people came to look for jobs in Singapore, I would have a problem. We have legally one million foreign workers in Singapore. We control those numbers ... because there’s a limit to what society can accommodate.”.

Chatham House is an independent policy institute based in London. It was Mr Lee’s first time speaking at the institute, which has also hosted former Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew.