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EXPECT tougher elections in the future and for preparations - including the search for potential candidates - to start earlier, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said yesterday.
"I expect future elections to be fiercer contests. I don't expect any more clean sweeps," he said at the ruling People's Action Party's (PAP) first convention since the May 7 General Election.
"I don't believe there will be any more safe wards anywhere in Singapore," he told over 1,500 party activists at the National University of Singapore's University Cultural Centre.
The PAP garnered a record low 60.1 per cent of the national vote in the May election and lost the Aljunied Group Representation Constituency (GRC) to the Workers' Party (WP), which Mr Lee said the PAP is determined to win back.
Preparations for an election must start at the start of a five- year term, and not when the next polls approach, he said.
He added that the PAP has already begun looking for potential candidates for the next General Election in 2016.
"We want a more diverse slate. We want our people identified earlier, tested out earlier, put in place on the ground earlier," he said. "Avoid parachutists coming in at the last moment."
In the last election, PAP candidate, surgeon Chia Shi-Lu, showed up on Nomination Day to replace Mr Baey Yam Keng in Tanjong Pagar GRC.
According to The Straits Times, Dr Chia was told by Mr Baey the day before that the latter would be "parachuted" into Tampines GRC to take over from PAP candidate Steve Tan, who pulled out at the 11th hour.
Yesterday's annual party event was the culmination of a seven-month post-mortem of PAP's election performance.
Mr Lee, the secretary-general of PAP, said the party has to reinvent itself to "build a new PAP for a new era".
This was echoed in key strategies that party chairman Khaw Boon Wan said were derived from "extensive consultations" with party activists.
One strategy was for the PAP to continue working the ground, even in WP-held Hougang and Aljunied constituencies, to "win hearts and minds".
Mr Khaw, who is National Development Minister, stressed the importance of getting the fundamental aspects of policies - values such as meritocracy, multiracialism and honesty - right. "GE 2011 exposed some policy shortcomings. We are correcting them. Beyond the hot-button issues, we are re-looking all our policies," he said.
Mr Khaw added that the PAP has to counter the perception that the Government is not listening and that it has neglected ordinary Singaporeans.
"This is simply not true. We must...do better at communication, to present our policies in a way that resonates with the people," he said.
"I expect future elections to be fiercer contests. I don't expect any more clean sweeps," he said at the ruling People's Action Party's (PAP) first convention since the May 7 General Election.
"I don't believe there will be any more safe wards anywhere in Singapore," he told over 1,500 party activists at the National University of Singapore's University Cultural Centre.
The PAP garnered a record low 60.1 per cent of the national vote in the May election and lost the Aljunied Group Representation Constituency (GRC) to the Workers' Party (WP), which Mr Lee said the PAP is determined to win back.
Preparations for an election must start at the start of a five- year term, and not when the next polls approach, he said.
He added that the PAP has already begun looking for potential candidates for the next General Election in 2016.
"We want a more diverse slate. We want our people identified earlier, tested out earlier, put in place on the ground earlier," he said. "Avoid parachutists coming in at the last moment."
In the last election, PAP candidate, surgeon Chia Shi-Lu, showed up on Nomination Day to replace Mr Baey Yam Keng in Tanjong Pagar GRC.
According to The Straits Times, Dr Chia was told by Mr Baey the day before that the latter would be "parachuted" into Tampines GRC to take over from PAP candidate Steve Tan, who pulled out at the 11th hour.
Yesterday's annual party event was the culmination of a seven-month post-mortem of PAP's election performance.
Mr Lee, the secretary-general of PAP, said the party has to reinvent itself to "build a new PAP for a new era".
This was echoed in key strategies that party chairman Khaw Boon Wan said were derived from "extensive consultations" with party activists.
One strategy was for the PAP to continue working the ground, even in WP-held Hougang and Aljunied constituencies, to "win hearts and minds".
Mr Khaw, who is National Development Minister, stressed the importance of getting the fundamental aspects of policies - values such as meritocracy, multiracialism and honesty - right. "GE 2011 exposed some policy shortcomings. We are correcting them. Beyond the hot-button issues, we are re-looking all our policies," he said.
Mr Khaw added that the PAP has to counter the perception that the Government is not listening and that it has neglected ordinary Singaporeans.
"This is simply not true. We must...do better at communication, to present our policies in a way that resonates with the people," he said.
Just give more citizenship to third world citizens, they will be thankful, and problem solved......but more problems for sinkieland.
