Singapore: The ruling People’s Action Party (PAP) will include members of the Indian community in the upcoming general election, Prime Minister Lawrence Wong has said. He acknowledged the ethnic group’s outsized contributions to the country in many areas, including in businesses, industries and public services.
“You may be a small community, but, certainly, your contributions to Singapore and the impact that you have on Singapore are not small at all," Wong said, addressing a dialogue with youths from the Indian community.
“In fact, I would say you already reflect that Singapore spirit. Your story is a story of Singapore – small and yet punching above your weight,” The Straits Times quoted PM Wong as saying. He added that Indians in Singapore have made "outsized contributions to the country in many areas, including in business, industry and the Government".
In the 2020 General Election, the PAP did not field any PIO (Person of Indian origin) candidates among its slate of 27 new faces, which had then sparked questions about the ethnic group’s representation in Parliament.
In 2024, Indians represented 7.6% of Singapore’s citizens, while Malays and Chinese made up 15.1% and 75.6% of the population, according to the Singapore daily report.
Wong said the Indian community in Singapore is very diverse and has retained its traditions while evolving into a different culture. “For the Singaporean Indian, your values, your norms, your way of thinking, are different from Indians in India. And it is something precious that we have created here. It is a Singaporean attitude, mindset, way of life,” he said, continuing, “You can be proud of your ethnic roots and at the same time proud to be a Singaporean, and that is what we mean by being Singaporean.”
