SINGAPORE, Sept 1 — Singapore’s Prime Minister Lawrence Wong reportedly said that the People’s Action Party (PAP) plans to nominate more female candidates in the next general election.
The Straits Times (ST) reported him saying yesterday that it would be useful for the party’s leadership to be more diverse.
“Throughout my working life, I have benefited from working with men and women who bring a wider range of perspectives and help contribute to better solutions and better decision-making,” he reportedly told the party’s women’s wing.
The Singapore paper wrote that PAP’s female MPs now hold close to one-third of the 104-seat Parliament, compared to the all men MPs in the 1970s and early 1980s.
Wong also told the delegates that an equal society does not mean that the men will lose out.
Despite that, he highlighted how views on women’s rights have diverged in some countries — resulting from men feeling sidelined due to education and mental heatlh issues.
“If they feel their concerns are not adequately addressed, men and young boys, then, out of a sense of insecurity, some may see the movement for equality for women as a movement against men,” he said, warning that this should not happen in Singapore.
Singapore’s next general election has to be held before November 24, 2025.