SINGAPORE: The People’s Action Party (PAP) won a “clear mandate” at this year’s general election due to the external environment, lessons from the 2020 contest and also strong groundwork by the party’s MPs, said Prime Minister Lawrence Wong on Friday (Jul 4).

The PAP won 65.57 per cent of the popular vote, in an electoral contest which Mr Wong — who is also the party’s secretary-general — said saw “close calls in several constituencies”.

He was speaking at an appreciation event at Parliament House for the 20 PAP MPs who retired in this year’s general election.

He said that Coordinating Minister for Public Services and Minister for Defence Chan Chun Sing is helming the party’s after action review for the election, to identify areas the party has done well and where it can improve on next time.

He said the external environment played a part in the PAP’s win.

“We said so in our manifesto, that this was a changed world. Many Singaporeans could see that too,” he said. “They wanted steady and trusted leadership to navigate the challenges ahead, and they voted accordingly.”

The party also learnt from its experience in 2020, said Mr Wong. Back then, the ruling party lost a second Group Representation Constituency.

“We stepped up our efforts in communications and social media, and we ran a more disciplined, coordinated and focused campaign,” he said.

Lastly, the results reflected the hard work that all PAP MPs put in on the ground to take care of residents, explain how the government is helping them, speak up for them in parliament and improve their estates, said Mr Wong.

“It's through your dedication and efforts, that we are able to build trust and lasting bonds with residents,” he said.

Mr Wong also noted that a number of new MPs were “introduced quite late in the process”, which is an area the party can do better in.

GRATEFUL TO RETIRING MPS

Mr Wong noted that the 20 retired MPs served over 280 man years in parliament, something he called a “tremendous legacy”.

He said that some were eager to pass on the ba...