SINGAPORE, Sept 7 — The plans listed in the People’s Action Party’s (PAP) local manifestos are motivated by a desire to improve residents’ lives, not meant as “carrots” offered to them so as to win their vote, said the party’s organising secretary, Dr Ng Eng Hen.
Still, the party’s ideas can be executed only if its candidates are elected, and that call is voters’ to make, he added.
“These are not ‘carrots’; we’ve been doing this for 50 years because that is our manifesto. We improve lives and improve Singapore — that is no carrot,” said Dr Ng, who is also Defence Minister.
“If it is a carrot, it’s a carrot to us. We’re the horse chasing the carrot! It’s our motivation, our raison d’etre. We don’t auction off, we know we can achieve it, we know that’s what makes Singapore better,” he added during an interview after a community event yesterday.
Citing the PAP’s plans for MacPherson, Bukit Batok, Fengshan and Punggol East Single Member Constituencies as examples, Dr Ng said “if our candidates are elected, all these plans will be fulfilled”.
Noting that the PAP had a track record for always keeping its promises, Dr Ng added: “But it’s up to the voters of these constituencies to decide, and I think they know that (the party’s plans) will be fulfilled.”
On the Workers’ Party charge that the ruling PAP could change its policies if it gets too strong a mandate during the General Election, Dr Ng said the talk was a “ploy” and was typical of the “cat and mouse games” that take place during the political rallies.
Dr Ng said: “The PAP must be daft to bully Singaporeans after one election and get punished by the next.
“Why in the world would we do that, when we have worked so hard to win their confidence, to roll out programmes?” — TODAY
