Singapore must guard against populism, divided politics: Lawrence Wong at 2026 PAP Conference | Full

The challenge of governance is not just about balancing competing interests but also about confronting issues that would otherwise be politically easier to leave alone, said People's Action Party (PAP) secretary general Lawrence Wong on Sunday (Oct 25). “But we must also guard against populism – the temptation to offer simplistic solutions instead of confronting difficult realities,” he said at the PAP's Awards and Conference, where cadres are expected to elect members of the party's 39th central executive committee (CEC). On Sunday, Mr Wong cited various issues – including housing, manpower and political salaries – that the party had to deal with head on. "The politically convenient option would have been to avoid the issue altogether – leave it to my successor to do. But we could not keep putting off a decision that matters for Singapore’s ability to build a strong political leadership team for the future," said Mr Wong of the revision of political salaries. Subscribe to our channel here: https://cna.asia/youtubesub Visit our website: https://cna.asia Download our app: https://cna.asia/app Get our editors' picks of stories via chat apps: Telegram: https://cna.asia/telegram WhatsApp: https://cna.asia/whatsapp Follow us on these platforms: https://www.facebook.com/channelnewsasia https://www.instagram.com/channelnewsasia https://www.tiktok.com/@channelnewsasia