People's Action Party

This article is about the People's Action Party of Singapore. For other groups with the same name, see People's Action Party (disambiguation).

People's Action Party
Malay name	Parti Tindakan Rakyat
Chinese name	人民行动党 Rénmín Xíngdòng Dǎng
Tamil name	மக்களின் செயல் கட்சி Makkaḷin Ceyal Kaṭci
Abbreviation	PAP
Chairman	Heng Swee Keat
Secretary-General	Lee Hsien Loong
Vice Chairman	Masagos Zulkifli
Deputy Secretary-General	Lawrence Wong
Assistant Secretaries-General	Chan Chun Sing Desmond Lee
Founders	Lee Kuan Yew Goh Keng Swee Toh Chin Chye S. Rajaratnam Lim Chin Siong ... and others
Founded	21 November 1954;69 years ago (1954-11-21)
Preceded by	Malayan Forum
Succeeded by	Democratic Action Party (Malaysia)
Headquarters	Block 57B New Upper Changi Road #01-1402 Singapore 463057
Youth wing	Young PAP
Ideology	Conservatism [1] [2] Social conservatism [3] Economic liberalism [4] Civic nationalism [5] [6] Secularism [7]
Political position	Centre-right [8]
Colours	White, red, blue
Slogan	Our Lives, Our Jobs, Our Future
Governing body	Central Executive Committee
Parliament	79 / 103
Website
www.pap.org.sg
Politics of Singapore Political parties Elections

The People's Action Party (abbreviation: PAP) is a major conservative centre-right ^[9] political party in Singapore and one of three contemporary political parties represented in Parliament, alongside the opposition Workers' Party (WP) and Progress Singapore Party (PSP). ^{[10] [11]}

Initially founded as a traditional centre-left party in 1954, the leftist faction was soon expelled from the party in 1961 by Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew in the midst of Singapore's merger with Malaysia, desiring to move the party's ideology towards the centre after its first electoral victory in 1959. ^[12] Beginning in the 1960s, the party began to move towards the centre-right. ^[13] Following the 1965 agreement which led to Singapore's independence from Malaysia, the entire opposition boycotted the general elections in 1968, except for the Worker's Party, which won no seats in the election. For decades thereafter, the PAP exercised exclusivity over its governance of national institutions and become the largest political party in the country. ^[14]

From 1965 to 1981, the PAP was the only political force represented in Parliament until it saw its first electoral defeat to the WP at a by-election in the constituency of Anson. Nevertheless, the PAP has not seen its hegemony threatened and has always received over 60% of the votes and 80% of the seats in every subsequent general election. Having governed for over six decades, the PAP is the longest uninterrupted governing party among modern multiparty parliamentary democracies. It is the second-longest governing party in history after Mexico's Institutional Revolutionary Party, which led for 71 years from 1929 to 2000. ^[15]

Positioned on the centre-right of Singapore politics, the PAP is ideologically socially conservative and economically liberal. The party generally favours free-market economics, having turned Singapore's economy into one of the world's freest and most open, ^[16] but has at times engaged in state interventionism reminiscent of welfare capitalist policies. The party has supported the creation of state-owned enterprises, known locally as government-linked corporations. This was done in order to jumpstart industrialisation, spearhead economic development and lead to economic growth, primarily job creation, in various sectors of the Singaporean economy. Socially, the PAP supports communitarianism and civic nationalism. The cohesion of the country's main ethnic groups into a single Singaporean national identity forms the basis of many of its social policies. ^[17] On foreign policy, it favours maintaining a strong and robust military, serving as a purportedly indispensable guarantor of the country's continued sovereignty within the context of its strategic position for international finance and trade. ^{[18] [19]}

History

Lee Kuan Yew, the first Prime Minister of Singapore and one of the founders of the People's Action Party

Lee Kuan Yew, Toh Chin Chye and Goh Keng Swee were involved in the Malayan Forum, a London-based student activist group that was against colonial rule in Malaya in the 1940s and early 1950s. ^{[20] [21]} Upon returning to Singapore, the group met regularly to discuss approaches to attain independence in Malayan territories and started looking for like-minded individuals to start a political party. Journalist S. Rajaratnam was introduced to Lee by Goh. ^[22] Lee was also introduced to several English-educated left-wing students and Chinese-educated union and student leaders while working on the Fajar sedition trial and the National Service riot case. ^[23]

Formation

The PAP was officially registered as a political party on 21 November 1954. Convenors of the party include a group of trade unionists, lawyers and journalists such as Lee Kuan Yew, Abdul Samad Ismail, Toh Chin Chye, Devan Nair, S. Rajaratnam, Chan Chiaw Thor, Fong Swee Suan, Tann Wee Keng and Tann Wee Tiong. ^[24] The political party was led by Lee Kuan Yew as its secretary-general, with Toh Chin Chye as its founding chairman. Other party officers include Tann Wee Tiong, Lee Gek Seng, Ong Eng Guan and Tann Wee Keng. ^[25]

The PAP first contested the 1955 general election in which 25 of 32 seats in the legislature were up for election. In this election, the PAP's four candidates gained much support from the trade union members and student groups such as the University Socialist Club, who canvassed for them. ^[26] The party won three seats, one by its leader Lee Kuan Yew for the Tanjong Pagar division and one by PAP co-founder Lim Chin Siong for the Bukit Timah division. ^{[27] [28]} Then 22 years old unionist Lim Chin Siong was and remained the youngest Assemblyman ever to be elected to office. The election was won by the Labour Front headed by David Marshall. ^[29]

In April 1956, Lim and Lee represented the PAP at the London Constitutional Talks along with Chief Minister David Marshall which ended in failure as the British declined to grant Singapore internal self-government. On 7 June 1956, Marshall, disappointed with the constitutional talks, stepped down as Chief Minister as he had pledged to do so earlier if self-governance was not achieved. He was replaced by Lim Yew Hock, another Labour Front member. ^[30] Lim pursued a largely anti-communist campaign and managed to convince the British to make a definite plan for self-government. The Constitution of Singapore was revised accordingly in 1958, replacing the Rendel Constitution with one that granted Singapore self-government and the ability for its own population to fully elect its Legislative Assembly.

PAP and left-wing members who were communists were criticised for inciting riots in the mid-1950s. ^{[31] [32]} Lim Chin Siong, Fong Swee Suan and Devan Nair as well as several unionists were detained by the police after the Chinese middle schools riots. ^[33] Lim Chin Siong was placed under solitary confinement for close to a year, away from his other PAP colleagues, as they were placed in the Medium Security Prison (MSP) instead. ^[34]

The number of PAP members imprisoned rose in August 1957, when PAP members from the trade unions (viewed as "communist or pro-communist") won half the seats in the Central Executive Committee (CEC). The "moderate" CEC members, including Lee Kuan Yew, Toh Chin Chye and others, refused to take their appointments in the CEC. Yew Hock's government again made a sweeping round of arrests, imprisoning all the "communist" members, before the "moderates" re-assumed their office. ^[35]

Following this, the PAP decided to re-assert ties with the labour faction of Singapore in the hope of securing the votes of working-class Chinese Singaporeans, many of whom were supporters of the jailed unionists. Lee Kuan Yew convinced the incarcerated union leaders to sign documents to state their support for the party and its policies, promising to release the jailed members of the PAP when the party came to power in the next elections. ^[36] Ex-Barisan Sosialis member Tan Jing Quee claims that Lee was secretly in collusion with the British to stop Lim Chin Siong and the labour supporters from attaining power because of their huge popularity. Quee also states that Lim Yew Hock deliberately provoked the students into rioting and then had the labour leaders arrested. ^[37] Greg Poulgrain of Griffiths University argued that "Lee Kuan Yew was secretly a party with Lim Yew Hock in urging the Colonial Secretary to impose the subversives ban in making it illegal for former political detainees to stand for election". ^[37] Lee Kuan Yew eventually accused Lim Chin Siong and his supporters of being communists working for the Communist United Front, but evidence of Lim being a communist cadre was a matter of debate as many documents have yet to be declassified. ^{[38] [39]}

First years in government

The PAP eventually won the 1959 general election under Lee Kuan Yew's leadership. ^[40] The election was also the first one to produce a fully elected parliament and a cabinet wielding powers of full internal self-government. The party has won a majority of seats in every general election since then. Lee, who became the first Prime Minister, ^[41] requested for the release of the PAP left-wing members to form the new cabinet. ^[42]

Great Split of 1961

See also: 1961 Singaporean by-elections

In 1961, disagreements on the proposed merger plan to form Malaysia and long-standing internal party power struggle led to the split of the left-wing group from the PAP. ^{[43] [44] [45]}

Although the "Communist" faction had been frozen out of ever taking over the PAP, other problems had begun to arise internally. Ong Eng Guan, the former Mayor of the City Council after PAP's victory in the 1957 Singapore City Council election, presented a set of "16 Resolutions" to revisit some issues previously explored by Chin Siong's faction of the PAP: abolishing the PPSO, revising the Constitution, and changing the method of selecting cadre members. ^{[46] : 82}

Although Ong's 16 Resolutions originated from the left-wing faction led by Lim Chin Siong, that faction had only reluctantly asked the PAP leadership to clarify its position on them, ^[47] as they still thought that the party with Lee Kuan Yew at the helm was a better alternative than Ong who was regarded as mercurial and a tyrant. ^[34] However, Lee took the stance taken by the left-wing PAP members as a lack of confidence in his leadership. This issue caused a rift between the "moderate" PAP members (led by Lee) and the "left-wing" faction (led by Lim).

Ong was then expelled, and he resigned his Assembly seat to challenge the government to a by-election in Hong Lim in April 1961, where he won 73.3% of the vote. ^[48] This was despite the fact that Lee Kuan Yew had made a secret alliance with Fong Chong Pik, the leader of the Communist Party of Malaya (CPM), to get the CPM cadres to support the PAP in the by-election. ^[47]

Barisan Sosialis

The breakaway group of members formed the Barisan Sosialis with Lim Chin Siong as secretary-general. ^[49] Aside from the Chinese union leaders, lawyers Thampoe Thamby Rajah and Tann Wee Tiong, ^[50] several members from the University Socialist Club such as James Puthucheary and Poh Soo Kai joined the party. ^[51] 35 of 51 branches of the PAP and 19 of 23 branch secretaries defected to Barisan.

Merger years 1963–1965

See also: PAP-UMNO relations

After gaining independence from Britain, Singapore joined the federation of Malaysia in 1963. Although the PAP was the ruling party in the state of Singapore, the PAP functioned as an opposition party at the federal level in the larger Malaysian political landscape. At that time and until the 2018 general election, the federal government in Kuala Lumpur was controlled by a coalition led by the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO). However, the prospect that the PAP might rule Malaysia agitated UMNO. The PAP's decision to contest federal parliamentary seats outside Singapore and the UMNO decision to contest seats within Singapore breached an unspoken agreement to respect each other's spheres of influence and aggravated PAP–UMNO relations. The clash of personalities between PAP leader Lee Kuan Yew and Malaysian Prime Minister Tunku Abdul Rahman resulted in a crisis and led to Rahman forcing Singapore to leave Malaysia on 9 August 1965. Upon independence, the nascent People's Action Party of Malaya, which had been registered in Malaysia on 10 March 1964, had its registration cancelled on 9 September 1965, just a month after Singapore's exit. Those with the now non-existent party applied to register People's Action Party, Malaya which was again rejected by the Malaysian government, before settling with the Democratic Action Party.

Post-independence, 1965 to present

A PAP election rally at Tampines Stadium

The PAP has held an overwhelming majority of seats in the Parliament of Singapore since 1966, when the opposition Barisan Sosialis (Socialist Front) resigned from Parliament after winning 13 seats following the 1963 general election, which took place months after a number of their leaders had been arrested in Operation Coldstore based on accusations of being communists. ^[37] It subsequently achieved a monopoly in an expanding parliament (winning every parliamentary seat) for the next four elections (1968, 1972, 1976 and 1980). Opposition parties returned to the legislature at a 1981 by-election. The 1984 general election was the first election in 21 years in which opposition parties won seats. From then until 2006, the PAP faced four opposition MPs at most. Opposition parties did not win more than four parliamentary seats from 1984 until 2011 when the Workers' Party won six seats and took away a Group Representation Constituency (GRC) for the first time for any opposition party.

Even so, it still holds a supermajority in the legislature, to the point that Singapore is effectively a dominant party system. With its supermajority, the PAP has always had the ability to amend the Constitution of Singapore without much obstruction, including the introduction of multi-member constituencies under the Group representation constituency (GRC) system or Nominated Member of Parliament (NMPs), which has helped strengthened the government's dominance and control of Parliament. ^[52]

Leadership transitions

The longtime governing party of Singapore, spans both past and present, but notably occurred in the mid-1980s where the first generation of PAP leaders in the CEC and the Cabinet of Singapore ceded power to a second generation of leaders.

First to second generation

By 1984, the "old guard" (first generation of party leaders) had been governing Singapore for approximately a quarter of a century. Aging leadership was a key concern, and then Prime Minister of Singapore, Lee Kuan Yew sought to groom younger leaders. In a speech on 29 September 1984, Lee argued that though the first generation of leaders was still "alert and fully in charge", to hang on to power until they had become feeble would allow power to be wrested from them, with no say in who their successors were. ^[53]

On 30 September, at the Ordinary Party Conference, power was transferred to the second generation of leaders, who were elected to the Central Executive Committee in place of all the old CEC members; of the 14-member CEC, only Lee Kuan Yew remained the only "old guard" leader. ^[53]

According to a report to the Library of Congress, the old guard were confident in their "rectitude" and discretion in using their extensive political powers for Singapore's common good, but were not as confident in the next generation in doing so. Various limits on executive power were considered, in order to minimise the chances of corruption. These included a popularly elected President of Singapore with substantial, nonceremonial powers. ^[54] This particular reform was enacted with a constitutional amendment in 1991.

The old guard also sought to eschew the use of PAP as a central political institution, seeking to "depoliticise" and disperse power among society, and sought to include low-level community leaders in government. A policy of cross-fertilisation was enacted: exchange of leaders, "elites" and talent would take place between private and government sectors, civilian and military segments of society, and between the party and the National Trades Union Congress. ^[54]

Second to third generation

The next generation of leaders in the late 1980s was split between the factions of then Brigadier General Lee Hsien Loong and the older, more-experienced Goh Chok Tong. Lee Hsien Loong was supported by bureaucrats in the Ministry of Defence and army colleagues in the Singapore Armed Forces; ^[54] Goh Chok Tong had more influence in the Singapore Civil Service, the Cabinet and government-linked companies. ^[55]

Lee Kuan Yew himself remained Prime Minister and in the CEC until 1990, when he stepped down in favour of Goh Chok Tong as PM. Lee Hsien Loong became PM in 2004.

Third to fourth generation

On 23 November 2018, fourth-generation leadership members, then–Minister for Finance Heng Swee Keat and then Minister for Trade and Industry Chan Chun Sing were elected as the First and Second Assistant Secretaries-General respectively, the second and third highest positions of the party. They had replaced then Assistant Secretaries-General Teo Chee Hean and Tharman Shanmugaratnam. A significant step of the leadership transition from the third-generation leaders to the fourth-generation leaders.

On 1 May 2019, Heng Swee Keat was appointed the new and sole Deputy Prime Minister, replacing Teo and Tharman. He was then widely seen as the 4th and next Prime Minister and Secretary-General of PAP succeeding incumbent Lee Hsien Loong. However on 8 April 2021, Heng surprisingly announced he would step down as the fourth-generation leader and step aside to pave way for younger and healthier leaders to take over the leadership and stressed that health and age as concerns of this decision. After his decision, several Cabinet members were seen as the possible candidates to succeed Heng, ranging from Minister for Finance Lawrence Wong, Minister for Health Ong Ye Kung, Minister for Education Chan Chun Sing.

On 14 April 2022, Finance Minister Lawrence Wong was selected as the new leader of the PAP's fourth-generation (4G) team, succeeding Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat who had stepped down as 4G leader. ^[56] Wong received an "overwhelming majority" of support in the consultation process, surpassing that of other nominees. ^[57] His candidacy was unanimously endorsed by the cabinet and subsequently, by the PAP MPs at a party caucus on 14 April. ^[58]

Organisation

People's Action Party activists during the 2011 general election

People's Action Party headquarters in New Upper Changi Road

During its initial years, the party had adopted a traditional Leninist form of party organisation, together with a vanguard cadre from its labour-leaning faction. The PAP Executive later expelled the leftist faction in 1961, bringing the ideological basis of the party into the centre and later in the 1960s moving further to the right.

In the beginning, there were about 500 so-called temporary cadres appointed, ^[59] however the current number of cadres is unknown, with the register of cadres being kept confidential. In 1988, Wong Kan Seng revealed that there were more than 1,000 cadres.

Cadre members have the right to attend party conferences and to vote for and elect and to be elected into the Central Executive Committee (CEC), the pinnacle of party leaders.

To become a cadre, a party member must be first nominated by the MP in their branch. The candidate will then undergo three sessions of interview, each with four to five ministers or MPs and the appointment is then made by the CEC. About 100 candidates are nominated each year. ^[60]

Central Executive Committee and Secretary-General

Political power in the party is concentrated in the CEC, led by the secretary-general. The secretary-general of the PAP is the leader of the party. Due to PAP's electoral victories in every general election since 1959, the prime minister of Singapore has been by convention the secretary-general of the PAP since 1959. Key appointments in the CEC are usually Cabinet members.

From 1957 onward, the rules laid down that the outgoing CEC should recommend a list of candidates from which the cadre members can then vote for the next CEC. This has recently changed so that the CEC nominates eight members and the party caucus selects the remaining ten.

Historically, the position of Secretary-General was not considered for the office of Prime Minister, but rather the Central Executive Committee held an election to choose the prime minister. There was a contest between PAP Secretary-General Lee Kuan Yew and PAP Treasurer Ong Eng Guan, prior to 1959. Lee subsequently won the leadership and was inaugurated as the first prime minister of Singapore. ^[61]

HQ Executive Committee

The next lower level committee is the HQ Executive Committee (HQ EXCO) which performs the party's administration and oversees 14 sub-committees. ^[62]

The sub-committees are the following:

1. Branch Appointments and Relations
2. Constituency Relations
3. Information and Feedback
4. New Media
5. Malay Affairs
6. Membership Recruitment and Cadre Selection
7. PAP Awards
8. Political Education
9. Publicity and Publication
10. Social and Recreational
11. Women's Wing (WW)
12. Young PAP (YP)
13. PAP Seniors Group (PAP.SG)
14. PAP Policy Forum (PPF)

Young PAP and internet presence

The Young PAP is the youth-wing of the party, serving as a youth organisation for young adults and students in Singapore who support the PAP and have an interest in politics. ^[63] The incumbent chairman of the youth-wing is Janil Puthucheary. ^{[64] [65] [66]} The YP's predecessor, the PAP Youth Committee, was established in 1986, under Lee Hsien Loong's tenure as Chairman. All PAP members under the age of 35 had then been grouped under the Youth Committee. In 1993, the Youth Committee was renamed the Young PAP. In an effort to attract members, then Chairman George Yeo said that people joining the YP could take positions different from central party leadership. The age limit was raised from 35 to 40. ^[67] Memberships are issued through the PAP branches under each constituency in Singapore. ^[68] By 2005, the committee had grown to more than 6,000 members. ^[69] In 2010, then Vice-Chairman Zaqy Mohamad said the YP attracts over 1200 new members that year, an increase on the 1000 new members in 2009. ^[70]

Since 1995, the youth-wing of the PAP has had an internet presence that aims to "correct 'misinformation' about Singapore politics or culture". ^[71] Under the urging of then Minister for Information and the Arts George Yeo, Young PAP took charge of running several online websites to create an online presence for the party. ^[72] After popular forum Sintercom was shut down in 2001, the Young PAP offered their own forum for moderated discussions. ^[73] They have since set up various blogs and social media accounts with multimedia content to engage the masses. ^{[74] [75] [76]}

In February 2007, it was reported by The Straits Times that the PAP's new media committee chaired by Minister Ng Eng Hen, had initiated an effort to counter critics anonymously on the Internet "as it was necessary for the PAP to have a voice on cyberspace". ^[77] The initiative was divided by two sub-committees, one of which was in charge of strategising the campaigns and is co-headed by Minister Lui Tuck Yew and MP Zaqy Mohamad. The other sub-committee—new media capabilities group led by MPs Baey Yam Keng and Josephine Teo executed the strategies. The initiative was set up after the 2006 general election and also included around 20 IT-savvy PAP activists. ^[77]

Ideology

Asian democracy

Professor Hussin Mutalib from the National University of Singapore (NUS) opines that the PAP has often set forth the idea of Asian democracy and values, drawing from a notion of Asian culture and Confucianism to construct ideological bulwarks against Western democracy. He added that for founding prime minister Lee Kuan Yew, "Singapore would be better off without Western-style liberal democracy". ^[78]

Consequently, the governance of the PAP has occasionally been characterised by some observers, especially in the West, as "semi-authoritarian" or "nanny-like" by "liberal democratic standards". ^[79] According to Professor Kenneth Paul Tan from the NUS, the PAP proclaim that many Singaporeans continue to vote for the party as economic considerations, pragmatism and stability triumph over accountability and checks and balances by opposition parties. ^[79]

Economic policies

See also: Government of Singapore Investment Corporation and Temasek Holdings

The party economic ideology has always accepted the need for some welfare spending, and pragmatic economic interventionism. However, free-market policies have been popular since the 1980s as part of the wider implementation of a meritocracy in civil society and Singapore frequently ranks extremely highly on indices of economic freedom published by economically liberal organisations such as the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund. Singapore is also the only Asian country with the top AAA sovereign rating from the "Big Three" credit rating agencies of S&P, Moody's and Fitch. ^[80]

Lee Kuan Yew once said in 1992: "Through Hong Kong watching, I concluded that state welfare and subsidies blunted the individual's drive to succeed. I watched with amazement the ease with which Hong Kong workers adjusted their salaries upwards in boom times and downwards in recessions. I resolved to reverse course on the welfare policies which my party had inherited or copied from British Labour Party policies". ^[81]

Notably, since Singapore’s independence in 1965, the party has also supported the creation of state-owned enterprises, known within Singapore as Government-linked Corporations (GLCs), in order to jumpstart industrialisation, spearhead economic development and lead to economic growth (primarily job creation) in various sectors of the Singaporean economy as there was a lack of private sector funds and expertise, particularly in the early years of nationhood. Various GLCs were formed to pursue strategic sectors such as in ship building and repair (Sembcorp Marine, Keppel Corporation), aviation and defence (Singapore Airlines, ST Engineering), telecommunications (Singtel), real estate (CapitaLand) and development finance (DBS Bank) amongst others. In addition, various GLCs were set up as private-public partnerships, notable as joint ventures or strategic alliances with foreign companies or investors with relevant expertise, particularly in the petrochemicals and oil refining industries. ^[82]

Social policies

Since the early years of the PAP's rule, the idea of survival as a small and vulnerable country with hostile neighbours has been a central theme of Singaporean politics. According to Diane Mauzy and R. S. Milne, most analysts of Singapore have discerned four major ideologies of the PAP, namely pragmatism, meritocracy, multiracialism and Asian values/communitarianism. ^[83]

In January 1989, then President Wee Kim Wee in his opening address to the 7th Parliament of Singapore stated that Singapore must adopt a set of shared national values. He was of the view that a national ideology was useful to bond Singaporeans together by preserving the cultural heritage of the core communities of Singapore, and upholding certain common values that would capture the essence of being a Singaporean. ^[84] In response, the government set up a committee as a follow up to Wee's prosposal, and in January 1991, the PAP formally introduced a white paper on "Shared Values" for the country, which consists of five national values to forge a national identity. ^[84] These values were – nation before community and society above self; family as the basic unit of society; regard and community support for the individual; consensus instead of contention, and racial and religious harmony. They were also set as a contrast against the "more Westernised, individualistic, and self-centred outlook on life" and to uphold the "traditional Asian ideas of morality, duty and society". ^[84]

At an Institute of Policy Studies (IPS) dialogue held on 2 July 2015 and chaired by Fareed Zakaria, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong spoke about the need to maintain a Jeffersonian natural aristocracy in the system to instill a culture of respect and to avoid anarchy. ^{[85] [86]} In November 2019, Lee stated at a party convention that the PAP must not allow the "disconnect between the masses and the elite seen in other countries to take root in Singapore." ^[87] During the election campaign in July 2020, Lee's estranged brother over 38 Oxley Road, Lee Hsien Yang, accused the PAP of elitism as one of his expanations of joining the Progress Singapore Party (PSP). ^[88]

Views on other ideologies

The party is deeply suspicious of communist political ideologies despite a brief joint alliance with the pro-labour co-founders of the PAP during the party's early years, who were eventually accused of being communists. In 2015, the party was seen by some observers to have adopted a left-of-centre tack in certain areas in order to remain electorally dominant. ^[89]

The socialism practised by the PAP during its first few decades in power was of a pragmatic kind as characterised by the party's rejection of nationalisation. According to Chan Heng Chee, by the late 1970s the intellectual credo of the government rested explicitly upon a philosophy of self-reliance, similar to the rugged individualism of the American brand of capitalism. Despite this, the PAP still claimed to be a socialist party, pointing out its regulation of the private sector, activist intervention in the economy and social policies as evidence of this. ^[90] In 1976, the PAP formally resigned from the Socialist International (SI) after the Dutch Labour Party had initially proposed to expel the PAP on allegations of indefinite detention of political prisoners, alluding to Chia Thye Poh. ^{[91] [92]}

Symbolism

The PAP symbol, which is a red thunderbolt and blue circle on white, stands for action inside multicultural unity. It also appears on party flags on parades. PAP members at party rallies have customarily worn a uniform of white shirts and white trousers which symbolises incorruptibility and purity of the party's ideologies of the government. ^[93]

Leadership

List of chairmen

Portrait	Name (birth–death)	Term of office		Time in office
	Toh Chin Chye (10 December 1921 – 3 February 2012)	21 November 1954	5 January 1981	26 years, 45 days
	Ong Teng Cheong (22 January 1936 – 8 February 2002)	5 January 1981	16 August 1993	12 years, 223 days
	Tony Tan (born 7 February 1940)	1 September 1993	3 December 2004	11 years, 93 days
	Lim Boon Heng (born 18 November 1947)	3 December 2004	1 June 2011	6 years, 180 days
	Khaw Boon Wan (born 8 December 1952)	1 June 2011	23 November 2018	7 years, 175 days
	Gan Kim Yong (born 9 February 1959)	23 November 2018	26 November 2022	4 years, 3 days
	Heng Swee Keat (born 15 April 1961)	26 November 2022	Incumbent	1 year, 119 days

List of secretaries-general

Portrait	Name (birth–death)	Term of office		Time in office	Refs
	Lee Kuan Yew (16 September 1923 – 23 March 2015)	21 November 1954	3 August 1957	2 years, 255 days	[94] [95]
	T. T. Rajah (28 December 1919 – 13 March 1996)	13 August 1957	3 September 1957	21 days	[96] [97]
	Lee Kuan Yew (16 September 1923 – 23 March 2015)	20 October 1957	14 November 1992	35 years, 25 days	[98] [99]
	Goh Chok Tong (born 20 May 1941)	15 November 1992	6 November 2004	11 years, 357 days	[99] [100]
	Lee Hsien Loong (born 10 February 1952)	7 November 2004	Incumbent	19 years, 138 days	[100]

Central Executive Committee

As of 30 July 2023, the Central Executive Committee comprises the following members: ^[101]

Title	Name
Chairman	Heng Swee Keat
Vice-Chairman	Masagos Zulkifli
Secretary-General	Lee Hsien Loong
Deputy Secretary-General	Lawrence Wong
Assistant Secretaries-General	Chan Chun Sing
	Desmond Lee
Treasurer	K. Shanmugam
Assistant Treasurer	Ong Ye Kung
Organising Secretaries	Grace Fu
	Edwin Tong [lower-alpha 1]
Members	Alex Yeo [lower-alpha 2]
	Cheryl Chan [lower-alpha 2]
	Indranee Rajah
	Josephine Teo [lower-alpha 1]
	Ng Chee Meng [lower-alpha 2]
	Tan See Leng [lower-alpha 2]
	Vivian Balakrishnan

Current Members of Parliament

Single Member Constituency

Name	Constituency
Murali Pillai	Bukit Batok SMC
Liang Eng Hwa	Bukit Panjang SMC
Amy Khor	Hong Kah North SMC
Henry Kwek	Kebun Baru SMC
Tin Pei Ling	MacPherson SMC
Gan Siow Huang	Marymount SMC
Lim Biow Chuan	Mountbatten SMC
Patrick Tay	Pioneer SMC
Sitoh Yih Pin	Potong Pasir SMC
Sun Xueling	Punggol West SMC
Melvin Yong	Radin Mas SMC
Yip Hon Weng	Yio Chu Kang SMC
Grace Fu	Yuhua SMC

4 Member Group Constituency

Name	Constituency	Division
Ng Eng Hen	Bishan–Toa Payoh GRC	Toa Payoh Central
Chee Hong Tat		Toa Payoh West – Thomson
Chong Kee Hiong		Bishan East – Thomson
Saktiandi Supaat		Toa Payoh East – Novena
Gan Kim Yong	Chua Chu Kang GRC	Choa Chu Kang
Low Yen Ling		Bukit Gombak
Don Wee Boon Hong		Brickland
Zhulkarnain Abdul Rahim		Keat Hong
Vivian Balakrishnan	Holland–Bukit Timah GRC	Cashew
Sim Ann		Bukit Timah
Christopher de Souza		Ulu Pandan
Edward Chia		Zhenghua
Josephine Teo	Jalan Besar GRC	Kreta Ayer – Kim Seng
Heng Chee How		Whampoa
Denise Phua		Kampong Glam
Wan Rizal Wan Zakariah		Kolam Ayer
Lawrence Wong	Marsiling–Yew Tee GRC	Limbang
Alex Yam		Yew Tee
Zaqy Mohamad		Marsiling
Hany Soh		Woodgrove

5 Member Group Constituency

Name	Constituency	Division
Lee Hsien Loong	Ang Mo Kio GRC	Teck Ghee
Darryl David		Ang Mo Kio – Hougang
Nadia Ahmad Samdin		Cheng San – Seletar
Ng Ling Ling		Jalan Kayu
Gan Thiam Poh		Fernvale
Heng Swee Keat	East Coast GRC	Bedok
Maliki Osman		Siglap
Tan Kiat How		Kampong Chai Chee
Cheryl Chan		Fengshan
Jessica Tan		Changi – Simei
Tan Wu Meng	Jurong GRC	Clementi
Rahayu Mahzam		Bukit Batok East
Shawn Huang Wei Zhong		Jurong Spring
Xie Yao Quan		Jurong Central
Edwin Tong	Marine Parade GRC	Joo Chiat
Seah Kian Peng		Braddell Heights
Tan See Leng		Marine Parade
Mohd Fahmi Aliman		Geylang Serai
K. Shanmugam	Nee Soon GRC	Chong Pang
Carrie Tan		Nee Soon South
Derrick Goh		Nee Soon Link
Louis Ng		Nee Soon East
Muhammad Faishal Ibrahim		Nee Soon Central
Teo Chee Hean	Pasir Ris–Punggol GRC	Pasir Ris West
Janil Puthucheary		Pasir Ris Coast
Mohamed Sharael Taha		Pasir Ris East
Yeo Wan Ling		Punggol Shore
Desmond Tan		Pasir Ris Central
Ong Ye Kung	Sembawang GRC	Sembawang Central
Vikram Nair		Admiralty
Lim Wee Kiak		Canberra
Poh Li San		Sembawang West
Mariam Jaafar		Woodlands
Masagos Zulkifli	Tampines GRC	Tampines West
Baey Yam Keng		Tampines North
Desmond Choo		Tampines Changkat
Koh Poh Koon		Tampines Central
Chan Chun Sing	Tanjong Pagar GRC	Buona Vista
Indranee Rajah		Tanjong Pagar – Tiong Bahru
Joan Pereira		Henderson – Dawson
Eric Chua		Queenstown
Alvin Tan		Moulmein – Cairnhill
Desmond Lee	West Coast GRC	Boon Lay
Foo Mee Har		Ayer Rajah – Gek Poh
Ang Wei Neng		Nanyang
Rachel Ong Sin Yen		Telok Blangah

• Tan Chuan Jin and Cheng Li Hui resigned from the PAP, Speaker of the Parliament and as a Member of Parliament on 17 July 2023 due to an extramarital affair.
• S. Iswaran has been suspended since 12 July 2023 pending a Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB) investigation and resigned from the PAP, Transport Minister and as a Member of Parliament on 18 January 2024, after being 27 counts of corruption and bribery. ^[102]

Electoral history

Legislative Assembly

Election	Seats up for election	Seats contested by party	Seats won by walkover	Contested seats won	Contested seats lost	Total seats won	Change	Total votes	Share of votes	Resulting government	Party leader
1955	25	4	0	3	1	3 / 25	3	13,634	8.7%	Opposition	Lee Kuan Yew
1959	51	51	0	43	8	43 / 51	40	281,891	54.1%	Supermajority
1963	51	51	0	37	14	37 / 51	6	272,924	46.9%	Supermajority

Legislative Assembly by-elections

Election	Seats up for election	Seats contested by party	Contested seats won	Contested seats lost	Total votes	Share of votes	Outcome of election	Constituency contested	Party leader
1957	2	1	1	0	4,707	37.0%	1 seat hold	Tanjong Pagar SMC	Lee Kuan Yew
1961	2	2	0	2	5,872	31.1%	1 seat lost to Independent, 1 seat lost to WP	Anson SMC Hong Lim SMC
1965	1	1	0	1	6,398	59.5%	1 seat gained from UPP	Hong Lim SMC

Malaysian Parliament

Election	Seats up for election	Seats contested by party	Seats won by walkover	Contested seats won	Contested seats lost	Total seats won	Change	Total votes	Share of votes	Resulting government	Party leader
1964	144	11	0	1	10	1 / 144	1	42,130	2.0%	Opposition	Lee Kuan Yew

Parliament

Election	Seats up for election	Seats contested by party	Seats won by walkover	Contested seats won	Contested seats lost	Total seats won	Change	Total votes	Share of votes	Resulting government	Party leader
1968	58	58	51	7	0	58 / 58	21	65,812	86.7%	Won all seats	Lee Kuan Yew
1972	65	65	8	57	0	65 / 65	7	524,892	70.4%	Won all seats
1976	69	69	16	53	0	69 / 69	4	590,169	74.1%	Won all seats
1980	75	75	37	38	0	75 / 75	6	494,268	77.7%	Won all seats
1984	79	79	30	47	2	77 / 79	2	568,310	64.8%	Supermajority
1988	81	81	11	69	1	80 / 81	3	848,029	63.2%	Supermajority
1991	81	81	41	36	4	77 / 81	3	477,760	61.0%	Supermajority	Goh Chok Tong
1997	83	83	47	34	2	81 / 83	4	465,751	65.0%	Supermajority
2001	84	84	55	27	2	82 / 84	1	470,765	75.3%	Supermajority
2006	84	84	37	45	2	82 / 84		748,130	66.6%	Supermajority	Lee Hsien Loong
2011	87	87	5	76	6	81 / 87	1	1,212,514	60.14%	Supermajority
2015	89	89	0	83	6	83 / 89	2	1,576,784	69.86%	Supermajority
2020	93	93	0	83	10	83 / 93		1,524,781	61.24%	Supermajority

Parliamentary by-elections

Election	Seats up for election	Seats contested by party	Seats won by walkover	Contested seats won	Contested seats lost	Total votes	Share of votes	Outcome of election	Constituency contested	Party leader
1966	7	7	6	1	0	9,082	82.9%	7 seats gained from BS	Bukit Merah SMC Bukit Timah SMC Chua Chu Kang SMC Crawford SMC Joo Chiat SMC Jurong SMC Paya Lebar SMC	Lee Kuan Yew
1967	5	5	4	1	0	9,407	83.6%	5 seats gained from BS	Bukit Panjang SMC Havelock SMC Jalan Kayu SMC Tampines SMC Thomson SMC
1970	5	5	3	2	0	14,545	69.9%	5 seats hold	Delta SMC Havelock SMC Kampong Kapor SMC Ulu Pandan SMC Whampoa SMC
1979	7	7	2	5	0	53,222	72.7%	7 seats hold	Anson SMC Geylang West SMC Mountbatten SMC Nee Soon SMC Potong Pasir SMC Sembawang SMC Telok Blangah SMC
1981	1	1	0	0	1	6,359	47.1%	1 seat lost to WP	Anson SMC
1992	4	4	0	4	0	48,965	72.9%	4 seats hold	Marine Parade GRC	Goh Chok Tong
2012	1	1	0	0	1	8,223	37.9%	No seat	Hougang SMC	Lee Hsien Loong
2013	1	1	0	0	1	12,856	43.7%	1 seat lost to WP	Punggol East SMC
2016	1	1	0	1	0	14,428	61.21%	1 seat hold	Bukit Batok SMC

See also

• PAP Community Foundation
• Party Whip of the People's Action Party
• Politics of Singapore
• List of political parties in Singapore

References

Citations

1. Goldblatt, David (2005). Governance in the Asia-Pacific. Routledge. p. 293.
2. Berger, Mark (2014). Rethinking the Third World. Macmillan. p. 98.
3. Tan, Kenneth Paul (2016). Governing Global-City Singapore. Taylor & Francis. p. 91.
4. Kuah-Pearce, Khun Eng (2010). Rebuilding the Ancestral Village. Hong Kong University Press. p. 37.
5. Lim, Benny (18 January 2017). "Nation building reboot needed". The Straits Times. Archived from the original on 14 November 2018. Retrieved 19 November 2018.
6. Ortmann, Stephan (2009). "Singapore: The Politics of Inventing National Identity". Journal of Current Southeast Asian Affairs. ISSN   1868-4882. Archived from the original on 16 January 2018. Retrieved 16 January 2018.
7. Singh, Bilveer (2017). Understanding Singapore Politics. World Scientific Publishing Company. p. 36.
8. Diane K. Mauzy and R.S. Milne (2002). Singapore Politics Under the People's Action Party . Routledge. p.  147. ISBN   0-415-24653-9.
9. Diane K. Mauzy and R.S. Milne (2002). Singapore Politics Under the People's Action Party . Routledge. p.  147. ISBN   0-415-24653-9.
10. Rodan, Gary. "The Internet and Political Control in Singapore" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 24 February 2017. Retrieved 6 November 2017.
11. Reyes, Sebastian (29 September 2015). "Singapore's Stubborn Authoritarianism | Harvard Political Review". Harvard Political Review. Archived from the original on 30 January 2018. Retrieved 6 November 2017.
12. "Singapore's Cadre System". www.asiasentinel.com. Retrieved 15 May 2021.
13. Lam, Peng Er (1999). Lee's lieutenants: Singapore's old guard. Allen & Unwin. ISBN   978-1-86508-172-4.
14. "GIGA IAS Booth A9 at ICAS 10 Conference in Chiang Mai, Thailand, 20-23 July 2017". Journal of Current Southeast Asian Affairs. 35 (3): 204. 2016. doi: 10.1177/186810341603500312 . ISSN   1868-1034.
15. Oliver, Steven; Ostwald, Kai (2018). "Explaining Elections in Singapore: Dominant Party Resilience and Valence Politics". Journal of East Asian Studies. 18 (2): 129–156. doi:10.1017/jea.2018.15. ISSN   1598-2408. S2CID   232329919.
16. "Index of Economic Freedom: Promoting Economic Opportunity and Prosperity by Country". www.heritage.org. Retrieved 18 November 2021.
17. Ortmann, Stephan (December 2009). "Singapore: The Politics of Inventing National Identity". Journal of Current Southeast Asian Affairs. 28 (4): 23–46. doi: 10.1177/186810340902800402 . S2CID   73649569.
18. "SAF remains final guarantor of Singapore's independence". Singapore: Channel NewsAsia. 1 July 2007. Archived from the original on 16 May 2011. Retrieved 19 February 2011.
19. "Lunch Talk on "Defending Singapore: Strategies for a Small State" by Minister for Defence Teo Chee Hean" (Press release). Ministry of Defence. 21 April 2005. Archived from the original on 24 October 2007. Retrieved 19 February 2011.
20. Desker, Barry; Guan, Chong; Kwa, Chong Guan (2012). Goh Keng Swee: A Public Career Remembered. World Scientific. ISBN   9789814291392.
21. Josey, Alex (15 February 2013). Lee Kuan Yew: The Crucial Years. Marshall Cavendish International Asia Pte Ltd. ISBN   9789814435499.
22. Leong, Ching (2004). PAP 50 : Five Decades of the People's Action Party. Singapore: People's Action Party.
23. Lee, Kuan Yew (15 September 2012). The Singapore Story: Memoirs of Lee Kuan Yew. Marshall Cavendish International Asia Pte Ltd. ISBN   9789814561761.
24. "Nine Form New Political Party in Singapore". The Straits Times. 24 October 1954. Archived from the original on 17 August 2017. Retrieved 17 August 2017.
25. "The PAP bosses". The Straits Times. 12 July 1955. Archived from the original on 18 January 2018. Retrieved 18 September 2017.
26. Yap, Sonny; Richard, Lim; Weng, K. Leong (2010). Men in White: The Untold Story of Singapore's Ruling Political Party.. ISBN. Singapore: Straits Times Press. p. 54. ISBN   978-9814266512.
27. "Elected into the Legislative Assembly were (from left) …". National Archives of Singapore. 3 April 1955. Archived from the original on 18 August 2017. Retrieved 17 August 2017.
28. "The Results". The Straits Times. 3 April 1955. Archived from the original on 18 August 2017. Retrieved 17 August 2017.
29. "Labour Wins – Marshal Will Be Chief Minister". Archived from the original on 18 August 2017. Retrieved 17 August 2017.
30. Wong Hongyi (2009). "Lim Chin Siong". Singapore Infopedia. National Library Board Singapore. Archived from the original on 28 July 2009.
31. "Mr. Lim Sits on The Fence". Archived from the original on 18 August 2017. Retrieved 17 August 2017.
32. "The Guilty Men – By Goode". The Straits Times. 17 May 1955. Archived from the original on 18 August 2017. Retrieved 17 August 2017.
33. "Who's Who – The Top 15 Names". The Straits Times. 28 October 1956. Archived from the original on 18 August 2017. Retrieved 17 August 2017.
34. Ministry of Finance (August 2015). "INCOME GROWTH, INEQUALITY AND MOBILITY TRENDS IN SINGAPORE" (PDF). Ministry of Finance Occasional Paper. Archived (PDF) from the original on 7 April 2016. Retrieved 14 April 2016.
35. Leong, Weng Kam (10 June 2016). "Ex-PAP man recounts 1957 'kelong meeting'". The Straits Times. Archived from the original on 21 September 2016. Retrieved 19 August 2016.
36. Chew, Melanie (29 July 2015). Leaders of Singapore. World Scientific. p. 80. ISBN   9789814719452.
37. Tan Jing Quee (2001). Comet in our sky: Lim Chin Siong in history. Insan. ISBN   983-9602-14-4.
38. Seng, Kah (20 December 2014). "British archives, personal accounts, confirm extent of Communist United Front activities here: PM Lee". The Straits Times. Archived from the original on 31 August 2017. Retrieved 31 August 2017.
39. Kah Seng, Loh (15 January 2015). "An annotated bibliography of Operation Coldstore – New Mandala". New Mandala. Archived from the original on 31 August 2017. Retrieved 31 August 2017.
40. "2.45 am-PAP ROMPS HOME WITH LANDSLIDE VICTORY". The Straits Times. 31 May 1959. Archived from the original on 18 August 2017. Retrieved 17 August 2017.
41. "LEE IS PREMIER". Archived from the original on 18 August 2017. Retrieved 17 August 2017.
42. "Unlocking The Gates". The Straits Times. 3 June 1959. Archived from the original on 21 August 2017. Retrieved 21 August 2017.
43. "When Lee lost control of PAP for 10 days". The Straits Times. 12 September 2009.
44. "PAP 'rebels' to form an opposition party". Archived from the original on 18 August 2017. Retrieved 17 August 2017.
45. "Merger issue: Dr. Toh hits out at six top unionists". Archived from the original on 18 August 2017. Retrieved 17 August 2017.
46. Acemoglu, Daron; Robinson, James A. (2005). Economic Origins of Dictatorship and Democracy . Cambridge Press. pp.  8–10. ISBN   9780521855266.
47. Thum, Ping Tjin (November 2013). "'The Fundamental Issue is Anti-colonialism, Not Merger': Singapore's "Progressive Left", Operation Coldstore, and the Creation of Malaysia". ARI Working Paper (211).
48. "Singapore Legislative Assembly By-Election April 1961 > Hong Lim". singapore-elections.com. Archived from the original on 1 June 2016. Retrieved 19 August 2016.
49. Poh, Soo K; Tan, Jing Quee; Koh, Kay Yew (2010). The Fajar Generation: The University Socialist Club and the Politics of Postwar Malaya and Singapore. Petaling Jaya: SIRD. pp. 59–60. ISBN   9789833782864.
50. "Lawyers Rajah, Tann join Barisan Socialis". The Straits Times. 15 August 1961. Archived from the original on 30 August 2018. Retrieved 18 September 2017.
51. Loh, Kah S (2012). The University Socialist Club and the Contest for Malaya: Tangled Strands of Modernity. Amsterdam: Amsterdam University Press. pp. 24–25. ISBN   978-9089644091.
52. Tan, Kenneth Paul (2012). "The Ideology of Pragmatism: Neo-liberal Globalisation and Political Authoritarianism in Singapore". Journal of Contemporary Asia. 42 (1): 67–92. doi:10.1080/00472336.2012.634644. S2CID   56236985.
53. Quah, Jon (1985). "Singapore in 1984: Leadership Transition in an Election Year". Asian Survey. 25 (2): 225. doi:10.2307/2644306. JSTOR   2644306.
54. LePoer, Barbara. "Key political issues - Succession". Countrystudies. Library of Congress.
55. Worthington, Ross (2002). Governance in Singapore. Routledge. ISBN   978-0-7007-1474-2.
56. "Finance Minister Lawrence Wong endorsed as leader of 4G team: PM Lee". www.channelnewsasia.com. 14 April 2022.
57. "Singapore PM Lee Signals Lawrence Wong Becomes New Successor". www.bloombergquint.com. 14 April 2022.
58. "Lawrence Wong selected as leader of Singapore's PAP 4G team: PM Lee". sg.news.yahoo.com. 14 April 2022.
59. Diane K. Mauzy and R.S. Milne (2002). Singapore Politics Under the People's Action Party . Routledge. p.  41. ISBN   0-415-24653-9.
60. Koh Buck Song (4 April 1998). "The PAP cadre system". The Straits Times. Singapore. Archived from the original on 8 January 2018. Retrieved 10 January 2006.
61. "Lee Kuan Yew elected as Prime Minister of Singapore". AsiaOne. 10 September 2009. Archived from the original on 14 February 2011. Retrieved 16 December 2012.
62. "About the Leadership HQ Executive Committee". People's Action Party. Archived from the original on 6 May 2006. Retrieved 10 May 2006.
63. Tan, Kenneth Paul (1 January 2007). Renaissance Singapore? Economy, Culture, and Politics: Economy, Culture, and Politics. NUS Press. pp. 162, 231–236. ISBN   9789971693770.
64. "People's Action Party Central Executive Committee". People's Action Party. 2 December 2011. Retrieved 25 December 2012.
65. "Chan Chun Sing is new Young PAP chairman". www.asiaone.com. Retrieved 6 September 2017.
66. "Young PAP members: Who they are". Today. 9 December 2000. Retrieved 6 September 2017.
67. Rodan, Gary (1996). Political oppositions in industrialising Asia. Psychology Press. p. 101. ISBN   978-0-415-14865-8.
68. "Getting out of apathy zone". www.asiaone.com. Retrieved 6 September 2017.
69. "Young PAP taps S'poreans abroad". The New Paper . Singapore. 5 January 2008.
70. "More joining Young PAP: Zaqy". TODAY. 8 November 2010. Retrieved 6 September 2017.
71. "Mickey Unbound". Wired. 1 July 1995. Archived from the original on 10 February 2016. Retrieved 6 November 2017.
72. Chen, Tommi (14 March 1995). "Internet world watches as Young PAP enters cyberspace". The Straits Times.
73. "Want to talk politics?". TODAY. 24 August 2001. Retrieved 6 September 2017.
74. Chang, Rachel (18 March 2010). "YP to close 2 Facebook pages". The Straits Times. Retrieved 7 September 2017.
75. "See you on Facebook". TODAY. 9 July 2008. Retrieved 6 September 2017.
76. Au-Yong, Rachel (14 May 2014). "PAP responds to criticisms of viral video by its youth wing". The Straits Times. Retrieved 6 September 2017.
77. Li Xueying (3 February 2007). "PAP moves to counter criticism of party, Govt in cyberspace". The Straits Times. Singapore.
78. Hussin Mutalib (2004). Parties and Politics. A Study of Opposition Parties and the PAP in Singapore. Marshall Cavendish Adademic. p. 20. ISBN   981-210-408-9.
79. Tan, Kenneth Paul (2007). "Singapore's National Day Rally speech: A site of ideological negotiation". Journal of Contemporary Asia. 37 (3): 292–308. doi:10.1080/00472330701408635. S2CID   145405958.
80. Kim, Anthony (2 March 2023). "Singapore, With the World's Freest Economy, Stands as America's Indispensable Foreign Policy Partner". heritage.org. The Heritage Foundation . Retrieved 8 January 2024.
81. Roger Kerr (9 December 1999). "Optimism for the New Millennium". Rotary Club of Wellington North. Archived from the original on 7 March 2006. Retrieved 10 May 2006.
82. Ling, Hui Tan; D. Ramirez, Carlos (July 2003). "Singapore, Inc. Versus the Private Sector: Are Government-Linked Companies Different?" (PDF). imf.org. International Monetary Fund . Retrieved 8 January 2024.
83. Christopher Tremewan (1996). The Political Economy of Social Control in Singapore (St. Anthony's Series). Palgrave Macmillan. p. 105. ISBN   978-0-312-15865-1.
84. Tin Seng, Lim. "Shared Values". www.nlb.gov.sg. National Library Board. Archived from the original on 8 January 2024. Retrieved 8 January 2024.
85. Singapore, Prime Minister's Office (27 December 2018). "PMO | Transcript of Dialogue with Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong at the SG50+ Conference on 2 July 2015". pmo.gov.sg. Prime Minister's Office. Retrieved 8 January 2024.
86. "Unnatural aristocrats". The Economist. Archived from the original on 28 July 2018. Retrieved 28 July 2018.
87. Tee, Zhuo (10 November 2019). "PAP must not allow split between masses and elite to take root, says PM Lee Hsien Loong". The Straits Times. Retrieved 8 January 2024.
88. Faris Mokhtar (7 July 2020). "Singapore election: Lee Hsien Yang says PAP blind to 'real anger'". South China Morning Post. Bloomberg. Retrieved 8 January 2024.
89. Azhar, Saeed; Chalmers, John (6 September 2015). "Singapore's rulers hope a nudge to the left will keep voters loyal". Reuters . Archived from the original on 1 December 2017. Retrieved 21 November 2017.
90. Driven by Growth: Political Change in the Asia-Pacific Region edited by James W. Morley
91. "PAP bows out of Socialist International". Workers' Party of Singapore. June 1976. Archived from the original on 17 September 2007. Retrieved 4 October 2009.
92. "Main Singapore Party Quits The Socialist International". The New York Times. 1 June 1976. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved 12 March 2023.
93. "Our Party". People's Action Party. Retrieved 8 November 2021.
94. Yap, Lim & Leong 2010, p. 55-57.
95. Yap, Lim & Leong 2010, p. 99.
96. Yap, Lim & Leong 2010, p. 100.
97. "Rajah quits as leader of PAP". The Straits Times. 4 September 1957. Retrieved 9 December 2012.
98. Yap, Lim & Leong 2010, p. 111.
99. Jayakumar 2021, p. 710.
100. Jayakumar 2021, p. 712.
101. People's Action Party (2023). "Central Executive Committee". People's Action Party. Retrieved 20 July 2023.
102. "Singapore Transport Minister S Iswaran charged with multiple offences including corruption". CNA. Retrieved 18 January 2024.

1. This member was co-opted into the CEC on 6 November 2022
2. This member was co-opted into the CEC on 26 November 2022

Sources

Books

• Goh, Cheng Teik (1994). Malaysia: Beyond Communal Politics. Pelanduk Publications. ISBN   967-978-475-4.
• Yap, Sonny; Lim, Richard; Leong, Weng K. (2010). Men in White: The Untold Story of Singapore's Ruling Political Party. Straits Times Press. ISBN   9789814266512.
• Jayakumar, Shashi (2021). A History of the People's Action Party, 1985-2021. NUS Press. ISBN   9789813251281.

Online sources

• "Singapore – People's Action Party" Archived 10 December 2005 at the Wayback Machine . Country Studies Series by the Federal Research Division of the Library of Congress. Retrieved 15 July 2020.
• James Chin, "The 2015 Singapore Swing: Depoliticised Polity and the Kiasi/Kiasu Voter" Archived 6 August 2020 at the Wayback Machine . The Round Table, Vol. 105, Iss. 2, 2016. doi:10.1080/00358533.2016.1154383.

• James Chin, "The PAP model: can the 4G hold on to power?" {}. The Round Table, Vol. 112, Iss. 2, 2023. doi:10.1080/00358533.2023.2201076.

• James Chin, "Singapore in transition to fourth generation leadership" {{ }}. The Round Table, Vol. 112, Iss. 2, 2023. doi:10.1080/00358533.2023.2201056.

External links

• www.pap.org.sg