Prime Minister Lawrence Wong greets guests at #refreshPAP held at the Sands Expo and Convention Centre on June 8, 2024.SINGAPORE – The ruling People’s Action Party has promised to engage more widely with Singaporeans, including through new channels, to foster two-way dialogue.
This is so that the PAP can better represent Singaporeans’ views, and have more effective discussions and debates in Parliament, said PM Wong, who is also the party’s deputy secretary-general. “As a party, we want to use these groups to better engage our activists and also all stakeholders, be it healthcare professionals, environmental groups, community organisations or individuals.”
Those who join need not be party activists, he stressed. “You may be just a citizen with an interest in these issues – join the groups too,” he said. “We will engage you, involve you in our deliberations and discussions...” They were set up by the PAP to scrutinise legislation and programmes of various ministries and to let its MPs give feedback to the Government, said Leader of the House Indranee Rajah during a parliamentary debate in March.
“But as a political party, we too need to have our own effective communication channels – we cannot just rely on the civil service or Government to communicate policies,” he said. On meeting the media more regularly, PM Wong pointed out that during the Covid-19 pandemic, he met the press almost every other day.
Prime Minister Lawrence Wong has promised to conduct more visits on the ground to engage Singaporeans face to face and garner their feedback. ST PHOTO: MARK CHEONGAnother of the party’s priorities is to strengthen its networks and harness collective expertise for a better Singapore, said PM Wong.