At 70 years old, the People’s Action Party (PAP) has reached a milestone. It is now Singapore’s oldest continuous political party.
But what is it that makes the PAP a successful one? A deep and abiding duty of care for Singaporeans, a dedication to service and adapting to change have played a part. However, strong and stable leadership transition is one often overlooked factor behind PAP’s longevity and electoral success.
Speaking at the biennial PAP conference (24 Nov), Secretary-General Lee Hsien Loong highlighted the importance of good succession planning.
“Leadership transition – its planning, preparation, and execution – is one of the most important responsibilities for a party and political leader…We have a duty to ensure that Singapore continue to have good leadership, not just during our term in office, but also beyond,” said Sec-Gen Lee.
Perhaps what makes Sec-Gen Lee’s speech all the more poignant for the thousands of PAP comrades is the knowledge that this would be the last time he addressed all of them as the leader of the Party.
Having led the PAP for 20 years, Sec-Gen Lee shared that he would propose to the CEC to elect Deputy Secretary-General (DSG) Lawrence Wong as Secretary-General.
“This will complete the leadership transition from me to my successor,” added Sec-Gen Lee.
Indeed, when DSG Lawrence Wong took over as Prime Minister earlier this year, the occasion was the epitome of stability. There was no uncertainty, the markets were not spooked, and the party was united over the choice of the next leader.
But as Sec-Gen Lee noted, “We cannot take such orderly transitions for granted. That is because disruptive leadership changes bring discontinuity and upheaval, which leads to a situation where both the party and the country suffer.”
Instead, the seamless handover has allowed Singapore to maintain consistent leadership and direction for the country. It has enabled the government to draw out long-term plans to address issues that do not have quick fixes.
All these stands in sharp contrast to many other countries, which found themselves (and their governments) weakened by infighting and disruption.
“For Singapore, we are very fortunate to have avoided all these bad scenarios and stayed cohesive.” said Sec-Gen Lee. “The party leadership is united and shares a common goal – to serve the best interests of the country, and not to advance any one’s personal ambitions.”
“That is why we must do our best to keep our system stable, and elect good leaders always, who will selflessly prepare their successors and hand the responsibility on when the time comes,” he added.
For now, that time has come as Sec-Gen Lee prepares to hand over the final reins of leadership to DSG Wong.
It marks the end of an era in leadership, but also signals the continuation of the PAP’s promise, of honesty, incorruptibility, and a steadfast commitment to uplift the lives of fellow Singaporeans.
