“I SAY to all political parties: ‘In this election, let’s make sure that in everything we do, we always uphold multi-racial politics. Do not inflame sensitive issues.’,” said Prime Minister Lawrence Wong during his first rally speech this Thursday (24 Apr).
PM Wong’s appeal for a clean campaign comes in a troubling time of identity politics.
“There will be many external forces that pull our population in different directions. You look at global developments. War in Europe. War in Gaza in the Middle East. Something can happen in our part of the world in Asia,” he said. “People will have different views about these developments.”
Opportunistic leaders tap on these different views, driving wedges between people. They can and will drive divisions and deepen the racial and cultural faultlines underpinning these views for selfish political gains, especially during elections.
“In the heat of an election campaign, it is easy for issues to get stirred up. And if we are not careful, this can be exploited,” warned PM Wong. “And we will end up pitting Singaporeans one against another.”
These are especially dangerous politics for multi-racial, multicultural Singapore.
In this election, the PAP is committed to uniting Singaporeans, not dividing us. Only by standing together can Singapore survive in this troubled world.
Source: Lawrence Wong / Facebook
