Dear members, supporters and friends of the Workers’ Party. Thank you for joining us on this special occasion to mark the 60th Anniversary of the founding of the Workers’ Party.
The Workers’ Party aspires to be a rational and responsible party loyal to Singapore and Singaporeans. This is our philosophy. Politics is a serious undertaking that affects the well-being of the nation and the life of the people.
At its core, politics is about the process of selecting leaders and delegating to them the power to manage public affairs. This has serious consequences for a country and its people. We see this in history, for example, in the history of China, where the rise and decline of each period was linked to the selection of leaders.
I believe that character makes for good and bad leaders. However, it is also human nature that power will make even the best of us prone to complacency, egoism and greed. Absolute power corrupts absolutely.
Unlimited power given to our leaders, without proper checks and balances, poses a great risk to the people and the well-being of the nation. Hence, power cannot be left unchecked and without accountability to the public. The ultimate guarantee is accountability through the ballot box and the checking of our leaders in Parliament, so as to force those with power to account for their decisions and actions.
Policy changes before and after GE2011 are the clear examples of how complacency set in and the PAP forgot the mission it was entrusted with by the people. The ruling party had taken the support for granted because of a weak opposition and a system of democracy that was malfunctioning with a very unlevel playing field.
The PAP had accumulated absolute power in the last 50 years of being government, with deep control of key institutions such as the media and the grassroots. The PAP had also fine-tuned our political system of GRCs and shifting electoral boundaries to make serious challenges from other political parties almost impossible.
Nevertheless, we managed to achieve a breakthrough in GE2011. Today, we have a more responsive government that is more sensitive to the needs of the people and a government that is rightly putting Singaporeans first in more and more policies. This is a positive change and Singaporeans should thank voters of Hougang, Aljunied and Punggol East for making this possible.
The Workers’ Party has played its role in these changes by being a vehicle for Singaporeans to express their will in concrete terms through the ballot box and by being your rational and responsible voice in Parliament.
In other words, the Workers’ Party is a political enabler. We seek to enable Singaporeans to check the government and make them accountable. This means we do not seek to disable the government by way of agitation, mass political action and other extra-Parliamentary means. This has been the tradition since David Marshall founded WP on this day in 1957.
I am glad I have been given the opportunity to lead in this tradition of being a political party loyal to Singapore and Singaporeans. I would not belabour this tradition by going into the details. If you are interested to understand what I mean. Do read the WP60 Book, Walking with Singapore.
I took over the post of Secretary-General in 2001. Since then, we have put in a lot of effort to transform the party towards two objectives: one, the renewal of the party, and two, making electoral progress. I am pleased to report tonight that I have achieved what I have set out to do for the Workers’ Party and am pleased that Singapore has made political progress towards democracy.
Today, the Workers’ Party has a new breed of younger politicians who are well positioned to take over the party leadership. These younger leaders have formed a cohesive team and they connect well with our growing party arms and grassroots networks, which are made up of diverse members and volunteers reflecting our diverse society.
It is time for these younger leaders to step up to the steering wheel. Remember that the Workers’ Party is just a vehicle for the voice of the people to be heard. This voice is getting more complex and diverse.
We now have a team of younger leaders who are ready to drive the party forward, to continue this walk with Singapore. I shall therefore not be contesting the post of Secretary-General at the next party election to enable the younger generation of party leaders to take over the party completely.
I would like to thank party members, volunteers, supporters and the voters for their support and trust. Without them, the trust and support, the Workers’ Party would not have been able to transform from a One-Man-Operated party with One MP to an organized political party of today with a band of 9 MPs in Parliament.
To the younger leaders, members and supporters, I urge you to draw your strength from the resilience of the 60 years of WP history. This resilience comes from ordinary Singaporeans who have to fight to get their bread and butter, rice and fish onto the family table.
Resilience is also inherent in our Singaporean DNA, enabling the Party to make progress despite the winding political journey of ups and down in the last 60 years. I am sure we would stay on course to walk with Singapore for generations to come!
Again, Thank you Very much!
各位来宾，感谢您出席工人党建党60周年晚宴。60年在历史的长河中只是一点滴，在人的一生中却是人生的大部分，在“一万年太久、只争朝夕”的政治现实中；一个政党，除了执政党之外，可以在新加坡的政治环境里生存60年还能够发光发热，继续扮演有效的政治角色，就只剩下工人党。
纵观工人党60年来坎坷曲折，甚至面临灭亡的发展史，我首先在此向所有促使工人党能够在逆境中生存下来，并继续发展的各界人士致敬。工人党能够在政治逆境中持续生存和发展，关键在于有新血注入，也有领導层的更新。所以，我刚刚在英文的演讲中宣布在下一次党中央执行委员会选举时，不参加党秘书长职位的竞选。
当我在2001年成为党秘书长时，就已经体会到注入新血和领导层更新对一个政党前途的重要性。我专注于党内的组织和党员的纪律，谨慎地吸收对政治有兴趣的年轻人；同时也要求党员和党领导层遵守一定的行为准则以改变党的形象。当工人党庆祝建党50周年时，我们已经获得了一定的进展，我当时认为党领导层应该可以在10年内完全更新。因此，我当时告诉大家，我希望工人党在庆祝建党60周年时有个新的秘书长。
但是，2011年赢得一个集选区，取得突破之后，我们面对排山倒海而来的严峻挑战。党必须站稳脚步，处理更迫却的事务，所以我继续担任秘书长至今。现在准备就绪的新接班领导层将会更强。
一个政党的领导层和一般机构或私人公司不同的是，他们必须获得公众的认可，也必须建立起选民对他们的信心，才有政治前途。我希望工人党的干部党员在选举时审慎评估，以党的前途和新加坡未来的大局为重。我也吁请新加坡人让工人党新领导层有机会调整方向和继续成长，能够在新加坡独特的议会民主制度下扮演有效的政治角色。在国会里监督政府的政策，督促政府把握新加坡的未来；在大选时确保有效、负责任的政治竞争，让人民掌握民权，有所选择，以保障在新加坡的民主制度下，人民能够行使所拥有的政治权力。
谢谢大家。
接下来让我邀请党中央执行委员会的成员上台向大家敬酒。