Facing the stiffest political challenge of his career, Singapore’s Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong on Tuesday cautioned voters against electing wrong people in the upcoming general elections as it would hurt the country.
Addressing a lunch-time rally in the Central Business District, Lee said his People’s Action Party (PAP) would be able to take Singapore forward in the right direction “for a long time to come.”
Singaporeans will vote Friday to elect the next government from the 2015 General Election.
The PAP, which has ruled Singapore for the past 50 years, has been challenged for the first time in decades by eight Opposition parties on all the 89 parliamentary seats. Foreign workers, new immigrants, transportation and high cost of housing and living are major issues being debated at rallies by Opposition parties, while PAP candidates have been explaining the future prospect based on their good governance. But frustrations over the issues have eroded PAP’s popularity.
The party, which was led by Singapore’s founding leader Lee Kuan Yew, who died in March, established itself through an enviable track record after coming to power in 1965 when Singapore became independent. “Singapore can do even better,” said Lee. But if the wrong people are put in charge, it is very hard for the country “to come back again,” he added.
“Vote for what you believe in. Vote for the candidate you trust. Vote for the party that has never let you down,” Lee was quoted as saying in The Straits Times.