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'First-class slate of candidates' at next GE
PAP committee chaired by PM has interviewed more than 40 hopefuls
By Li Xueying, Political Correspondent
THE People's Action Party is confident of presenting 'a first-class slate of candidates' at the next general election, which is due by February 2012.
More than 240 potential election candidates have been invited for 'tea', and more than 40 have been interviewed by a committee chaired by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.
Disclosing the figures during the PAP's biennial party conference yesterday, Mr Lee, who is also PAP secretary-general, said the party 'will have enough talent to form the nucleus of the next generation of leaders' when the new candidates are elected.
He did not say how many of those interviewed would be fielded, adding that he would continue looking for more.
The party has traditionally replaced about a quarter of its MPs at each election, numbering between 20 and 25.
The PAP has put in 'enormous effort' in hunting for promising candidates, not only in Singapore but also among those overseas, he said.
'We have drunk a lot of tea since the last election,' he quipped, referring to the PAP's tea sessions which are the first phase of the process to select new candidates.
'We have found good people,' he said. These include potential office holders, branch activists, members of the Young PAP and the Women's Wing, as well as Young NTUC members and unionists.
Leadership renewal was a topic that the Prime Minister gave substantial airtime to in his 45-minute address yesterday.
While sound policies and the right political system are important, what is most critical is to have 'good and capable leaders', he said.
This is needed 'more than ever' due to Singaporeans' higher expectations, a more sophisticated economy, keener international competition, and more complex issues to grapple with.
Mr Lee delineated the various levels at which leadership renewal is taking place.
At the grassroots, for instance, it has recruited steadily, even as loyal members continue working and preparing for the next general election, he noted.
Meanwhile, the regular turnover of MPs means that younger people come in with energy and fresh ideas, and help reflect the needs and aspirations of a new generation of Singaporeans.
And at the ministers' level, the party has to bring in potential new office holders who can reinforce the existing team of ministers and parliamentary secretaries and 'be ready to take over the reins when the time comes'.
Today, said Mr Lee, the party has a 'strong leadership team' with capable and experienced ministers. But the youngest - Community Development, Youth and Sports Minister Vivian Balakrishnan - is already 49, he noted.
'We still do not have enough young ministers to form a new core team for a future Cabinet - PM, DPMs, key ministers,' he said.
'We must induct new candidates with the potential to become ministers, and to hold all these key appointments in Cabinet.'
Among themselves, they will have to settle on one person who would be Singapore's fourth prime minister and take the country forward, he noted.
Mr Lee noted that he himself had been 'lucky' to have had a long tutelage - 14 years as deputy prime minister - before becoming PM, and an experienced Cabinet team with members who know one another's strengths and weaknesses well.
'And so we all know each other intimately, no surprises,' he said with a smile.
But the next prime minister would not be as lucky, he noted, as he stressed that leadership renewal is 'an urgent matter, critical not just for the PAP but for the good of Singapore'.
[email protected]
PAP committee chaired by PM has interviewed more than 40 hopefuls
By Li Xueying, Political Correspondent
THE People's Action Party is confident of presenting 'a first-class slate of candidates' at the next general election, which is due by February 2012.
More than 240 potential election candidates have been invited for 'tea', and more than 40 have been interviewed by a committee chaired by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.
Disclosing the figures during the PAP's biennial party conference yesterday, Mr Lee, who is also PAP secretary-general, said the party 'will have enough talent to form the nucleus of the next generation of leaders' when the new candidates are elected.
He did not say how many of those interviewed would be fielded, adding that he would continue looking for more.
The party has traditionally replaced about a quarter of its MPs at each election, numbering between 20 and 25.
The PAP has put in 'enormous effort' in hunting for promising candidates, not only in Singapore but also among those overseas, he said.
'We have drunk a lot of tea since the last election,' he quipped, referring to the PAP's tea sessions which are the first phase of the process to select new candidates.
'We have found good people,' he said. These include potential office holders, branch activists, members of the Young PAP and the Women's Wing, as well as Young NTUC members and unionists.
Leadership renewal was a topic that the Prime Minister gave substantial airtime to in his 45-minute address yesterday.
While sound policies and the right political system are important, what is most critical is to have 'good and capable leaders', he said.
This is needed 'more than ever' due to Singaporeans' higher expectations, a more sophisticated economy, keener international competition, and more complex issues to grapple with.
Mr Lee delineated the various levels at which leadership renewal is taking place.
At the grassroots, for instance, it has recruited steadily, even as loyal members continue working and preparing for the next general election, he noted.
Meanwhile, the regular turnover of MPs means that younger people come in with energy and fresh ideas, and help reflect the needs and aspirations of a new generation of Singaporeans.
And at the ministers' level, the party has to bring in potential new office holders who can reinforce the existing team of ministers and parliamentary secretaries and 'be ready to take over the reins when the time comes'.
Today, said Mr Lee, the party has a 'strong leadership team' with capable and experienced ministers. But the youngest - Community Development, Youth and Sports Minister Vivian Balakrishnan - is already 49, he noted.
'We still do not have enough young ministers to form a new core team for a future Cabinet - PM, DPMs, key ministers,' he said.
'We must induct new candidates with the potential to become ministers, and to hold all these key appointments in Cabinet.'
Among themselves, they will have to settle on one person who would be Singapore's fourth prime minister and take the country forward, he noted.
Mr Lee noted that he himself had been 'lucky' to have had a long tutelage - 14 years as deputy prime minister - before becoming PM, and an experienced Cabinet team with members who know one another's strengths and weaknesses well.
'And so we all know each other intimately, no surprises,' he said with a smile.
But the next prime minister would not be as lucky, he noted, as he stressed that leadership renewal is 'an urgent matter, critical not just for the PAP but for the good of Singapore'.
[email protected]
