SINGAPORE — There has been a desire among the new generation of Singaporeans to have more diverse voices heard, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong acknowledged this morning.

Speaking at the People’s Action Party’s (PAP) post-election press conference held at The Treasury, Lee said: “One issue in this election has been the desire for diverse voices to be heard more in our political system; I understand this.”

“We have a new generation, (with) better education, with access to social media, who expect their views to be heard and given more weight,” Mr Lee, who is also the PAP’s secretary-general, said. As a result of this, the PAP has been engaging Singaporeans directly, “enabling them to make a constructive contribution”.

The party has also taken to social media, he said with a smile as he joked that he himself had made two to three Facebook posts since the election results were released.

“We will redouble these efforts, but we must do this in a way that maintains the unique strengths of our system,” he said. “In Parliament, we look forward to a full discussion and open debate on important issues, because Parliament is where the most vital national issues should be debated and decided,” he added.

But Lee said that such debate and discussion does not only depend on the Government, its ministers and Members of Parliament (MPs).

“(It) also depends on the Opposition and on other stakeholders, on them making the effort to master the issues, having the courage and commitment to take clear positions, upholding the same standards of integrity and acting to advance the national interests, and not for partisan advantage,” he added.

There will be nine Opposition MPs in the next Parliament, of which six are elected MPs and three are Non-Constituency MPs, he said. The Workers’ Party (WP) had retained its six elected seats from the Hougang Single Member Constituency and the Aljunied Group Representation Constituency.

Asked how he plans to tweak the system to accommodate more diverse voices, Mr Lee said there are mechanisms in Parliament for debate, and it is a matter of making full use of them.

“But really, it is the content which goes in which determines whether we have a good debate or not,” he said.

Lee added that he looks forward to the Opposition candidates “coming fully prepared to engage and to have a robust exchange on significant issues”.

This, he noted, includes the issues raised during the hustings, but not in Parliament. “For example, the minimum wage is a new subject that they have brought up that they never mentioned during the last Parliament,” he added. Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong speaking at a press conference in Singapore, September 12, 2015. — TODAY