SINGAPORE: The chairman of the People’s Action Party (PAP), Lim Boon Heng, could not contain his emotions during a news conference to unveil the latest batch of new PAP candidates on Monday.

Tears welled up in his eyes as he replied to a reporter’s question about the perception of " group think" in the workings of government, particularly since he had felt strongly against allowing casinos in Singapore.

" We were very concerned about the lower income and what globalisation had wrought for them. We saw wages stagnating. Worse still, we saw wages falling. Within the trade union movement we discussed the subject of the working poor," Mr Lim said, paused and cried before continuing to say " We then pressured the government to do something about it and out of that came the Workfare Income Supplement. So there is no group think."

Mr Lim, who is also a Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office, finally agreed on the casino issue, only because it had brought jobs to Singapore — a point he explained to reporters after the news conference.

He said: " It is a difficult one for me, because I do not like the idea of using gambling as an industry for Singapore and using that as a means of earning an income.

" At the time it was debated it was particularly difficult because unemployment was high. Today, the question is what kind of social problems will there be? It is too early to tell.

" I agree there is a contribution and there is a contribution to jobs and that is reason why I finally agreed. But I am still concerned (about) what kind of social problems it will bring to Singapore.

" We have only had a year (since the opening of the casinos) and so far there are stories about some people who have blown away huge fortunes.

" If it is about people who have a lot of money, I would not worry about that but if it has also affected families, it is not good for Singaporeans."

Mr Lim also challenged the Workers’ Party to explain what it meant by having a First World Parliament — the party’s campaign slogan.

" To say ’First World Parliament’ is very seductive. But what is a ’First World Parliament’?

" A ’First World Parliament’, to me, must mean a Parliament where you have rational debate, where at the end of it you come to the right conclusions.

" I am not sure we want a ’First World Parliament’ where members from different parties try to tear each other down just to gain an advantage for the next election.

" That’s not the kind of ’First World Parliament’ I would like to see.

" If the opposition can come out with a clearly superior system than what we have today, then let the people know, (so that when they go to the election), the people can make a rational choice of whether to stick with the PAP government which works, or (choose) the new ideas which the opposition parties want to bring to Singapore."

Mr Lim also took issue with opposition MP Low Thia Khiang’s comments that the PAP has politicised the People’s Association.

He said: " Mr Low Thia Khiang completely misunderstands the work of the People’s Association.

" When the People’s Association was set up just over 50 years ago, it was to help with the nation building process.

" We want a nation where different people from diverse backgrounds can feel as one, where neighbours are friends with one another so closely so that helping each other is a matter of course.

" That is the kind of community we want to see. Are we there yet? The answer must be ’no’, and it has absolutely nothing to do with politics or supporting the PAP."

Mr Lim noted that Singaporeans will also get to see some old warhorses and and new candidates popping up amongst the opposition parties during the coming General Election.

He emphasised that just as much as Singaporeans get to scrutinise the PAP’s new candidates, the opposition parties too should allow Singaporeans to scrutinise their candidates.

Three new PAP candidates were introduced on Monday.

50—year—old Heng Swee Keat, the former managing director of the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS), has been described as a potential Minister by Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong.

In the MAS, he led a team of over 1,000 officers to develop Singapore as a sound and progressive global financial centre and to keep the Singapore dollar stable so as to promote economic growth.

And during the global financial crisis of 2008 and 2009, Mr Heng worked with the central banks globally and steered the MAS’ efforts to keep Singapore’s financial system stable and emerge stronger from the crisis.

Mr Heng believes Singapore will evolve its own model of key institutions.

Speaking at the news conference, Mr Heng said: " In many places, the politics has become so divisive that the right policies do not get implemented and adopted.

" In our case, my view is that there is a better model, which is one of constructive engagement where a strong government is able to take in the views and feedback from a wide variety of sources and to bring Singaporeans closely together to achieve a better future for us. In that regard this is the way for us to go into the future."

The second candidate introduced is 34—year—old Ong Teng Koon, a trader with Morgan Stanley focusing mainly on Asian commodities market.

He is the son of veteran unionist and MP Ong Ah Heng.

Mr Ong Teng Koon said he has got much to learn from his overseas stints at the Chicago Commodities Exchange.

He said: " This is a very messy and rowdy place, with more than 200 traders standing on their feet for ten hours a day trying to get onto a trade and there I was, a small Asian guy, with these 1.8, 1.9 metre—tall Westerners 90—100kg.... What it taught me was the value of hard work and the importance of acquiring the right skills. And it made me realise what it is like to be a minority living in a foreign land and so it brought home the importance of respecting other races and other cultures."

The third candidate introduced is 30—year—old Alex Yam Ziming, who is from Young NTUC, the official youth wing of the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC).

He is also the second youngest candidate for the PAP slate, after 27—year—old Tin Pei Ling.

Alex does not see his age as a disadvantage.

He said: " There are bound to be perceptions that I may be youth—centric and I may not be able to relate well with older Singaporeans and represent their interests.

" I must say that I cannot hide my age... The past ten years as a grassroots volunteer has given me great learning opportunities to be able to share with senior grassroots leaders and gain the experience as well.

" As such, what I hope I can offer is a willingness to learn, to listen and to serve to the best of my of my ability.

" Being a younger candidate doesn’t mean I will just be representing the young but all Singaporeans regardless of race, language or background."

So far, the PAP has introduced 21 new candidates.

— CNA/ir