Growing voters' expectations and public scrutiny hampering Singapore political parties' recruitment efforts
Rising expectations of elected officials, coupled with intensified scrutiny aided by social media, have amplified potential candidates' fears of losing their privacy and family time, making it ever harder for political parties in Singapore to recruit high-calibre individuals.
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As an undergraduate in 2011, Dr Luqman Akasyah was asked a major question that could have changed the trajectory of his life: Would he consider becoming a politician?
That was the first time that the ruling People's Action Party (PAP) had approached him to consider joining politics. He said no then and has continued saying no to the party despite repeated overtures.
“As an introvert, I really can't see myself all up in the public's eye. I also value my and my family’s privacy,” the commerce strategic projects manager, now aged 37, said.
“I'm pretty firm about it because in politics, somehow everything you do is just wrong in the public's eye.”
What reinforced his decision was his experience volunteering for President Tharman Shanmugaratnam's presidential election campaign last year. He had front-row seats to the scrutiny that candidates and their families faced.
Dr Luqman, who is not a member of any political party, said: "I don't think I can put myself and my family through that level of scrutiny."
He added that he would rather serve the nation in other ways, such as mentoring underprivileged youth through social service agency Tasek Academy and Social Services.
This was similar to the points raised by a former Workers’ Party (WP) cadre who declined a candidacy invitation in 2019 – a year before the last General Election.
Having been a WP member for nearly a decade, the woman in her 30s said that she did not want to sacrifice her personal and family time, as she has observed how Members of Parliament (MPs) are expected to be on the ground almost 24/7.
“When it comes to public scrutiny, it’s even harder for women. Their looks, dressing and weight are judged,” she added.
“It does not help that whenever you go out, you must be mindful of your behaviour since you’re easily recognisable. It’s stressful that you cannot really be yourself whenever you step out of the door.”
She did not want to be named because she was not permitted to speak to the media, similar to several party members and insiders who spoke to CNA TODAY for this article.
Prospective candidates also declined to be publicly identified, as they work in organisations that do not permit political affiliations or because they did not want to "close the door" on the political party's overtures.
During the recent PAP conference on Nov 24, Prime Minister Lawrence Wong, then the party's deputy secretary-general, highlighted the challenge of recruitment, noting that former prime ministers Lee Hsien Loong and Goh Chok Tong had faced the same difficulties.
Mr Wong, who was elected the party's chief on Dec 4, described attracting high-calibre candidates as the “most important, most crucial and the most urgent thing I have to do”.
Singapore must head to the polls by November 2025.
As political parties ramp up preparations, party insiders from PAP and the opposition told CNA TODAY that the perennial challenge of recruitment has become more daunting over time, as expectations of politicians have intensified.
The spate of political scandals last year underscored the amount of responsibility and scrutiny involved in becoming a political office holder, they noted. These scandals include extramarital affairs and court cases against parliamentarians on both sides of the House.
CNA TODAY spoke to several insiders from different political parties to find out their state of play and the efforts that go into drawing high-calibre people to join their ranks.
PAP'S RECRUITMENT
In 2022, just two years after the 2020 General Election, then prime minister Lee Hsien Loong said that the work to field the "best possible team" in the next General Election was already “well underway”, as he talked about PAP needing people with diverse experiences and backgrounds to represent the aspirations and concerns of different groups in society.
Mr Wong has taken on the task and in April this year, he talked about the need to find new candidates “with potential to hold political office”.
During the PAP conference last month, Mr Wong said again that he hopes to “persuade a few more” candidates with the calibre of being potential office holders to join PAP – indicating that the party’s recruitment efforts for the next General Election are not over.
