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PAP at tail end of interviewing potential GE candidates

By Saifulbahri Ismail | Posted: 22 January 2011 2237 hrs

PAP at tail end of interviewing potential GE candidates

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SINGAPORE: Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong says the People's Action Party (PAP) is at the tail end of interviewing potential candidates for the next General Election.

Mr Goh adds that the PAP line-up will include activists, both men and women from the ranks. But many will be from outside the PAP.

The Senior Minister points out that it will be a young line-up as the PAP is renewing itself to secure Singapore's future.

"The party sets high standards in its recruitment of candidates. It tries to identify the best representative slate of candidates based on merit. Besides intellect and competence, the character qualities we look for include integrity, sincerity, humility empathy, conviction, commitment and ability to relate to constituents," said Mr Goh at the PAP's Women's Wing Investiture on Saturday.

Mr Goh noted that being an MP is especially tough for women. His challenge for the PAP's Women's Wing is to help the country overcome its declining total fertility rate, which has fallen to 1.16 this year.

He asked the Wing to make proposals to the National Population and Talent Division on how Singapore can boost its fertility rate.

PAP Women's Wing welcomed nine new members to its executive committee. Some of them joined the Wing as recently as just five months ago.

Foo Mee Har, PAP Women's Wing assistant secretary, said: "As a professional woman, I'm hoping that I can contribute to the women's agenda in Singapore. I'm a banker by profession, so hopefully this network can help me reach out to women, especially the professional women, and understand their issues."

Yeo Chor Gek, PAP Women's Wing assistant treasurer, said: "What I want to do is to be able to develop policies and contribute in some ways where new polices can be created. Take a very simple example, today in our tax regime...the husband can claim for wife relief. But have you ever looked at why can't the wife claim for husband relief?"

Mr Goh noted that women have made great strides, are as well educated as men and have the same career opportunities.

"Will there be a woman Head of Civil Service or even a woman Prime Minister one day? I hope so. But I think we are more likely to see a woman Head of Civil Service before we see a woman Head of Government," he said.

Since the 1990s, the number of women participating in politics has progressively increased, but women remain under-represented in government and Parliament.

There are currently 17 elected women parliamentarians out of a total of 84 elected members. It will be interesting to see if women will make further inroad into politics in the next General Election, which is widely expected to happen this year.

- CNA/ir