Daily Lessons from Life 01 November 2009

"Some promising PAP candidates identified for next election: PM Lee - Channel NewsAsia 01 November 2009 1200 hrs

SINGAPORE : Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong has said the People's Action Party (PAP) has identified some candidates, including potential office-holders, for the next General Election due by February 2012. They are mainly in their thirties and forties.

Mr Lee, who is also the PAP's Secretary-General, was the main speaker at the party's convention on Sunday. He highlighted why Singapore's next General Election will be crucial, as it must produce leaders who can take over his generation of Cabinet colleagues.

Mr Lee said: "We have made progress, we have got people who will be part of this team, but we do not have a complete team and we must produce such a line up by the next General Elections - 2011 or 2012."

Mr Lee said: "We have kept clean, resolutely against corruption, in the Party, in the society, in the government, at the grassroots. "If there is a case we will investigate; if a wrong has been done, we will act on it...If you do not keep the party clean, you are finished."

The PAP brought in 24 new Members of Parliament during the last General Election. On the new candidates, Mr Lee said they grew up in the years of prosperity and did not experience turbulence and hardship. But he believes they are just as committed as the earlier generations of MPs.

Mr Lee said: "This leadership for Singapore can only come from the PAP, and if the PAP lets Singapore down, we are all in big trouble, not only PAP but (also) Singapore. Therefore, the PAP must never let Singapore down; (we must) make sure when we press the button, things work."

Prime Minister Lee also reminded the party convention that Singapore will be amending the Constitution, which will result in more Non Constituency MPs, smaller Group Representation Constituencies and more Single Member Constituencies. That means there would be more contests in the next General Election. So Mr Lee's message to the party activists is: never assume that your division will get a walkover.

The PAP leaders stressed that the party's success formula is to ensure that it gets its politics right so that it can attract good people to enter politics."

Succession planning. At the national level.

Lessons for me are:

1. hold on to the fundamental and universal values of: 'integrity and mutual respect' will go a long way to keeping oneself on the right track. Integrity includes doing the right things even when it may not be advantageous to ourselves but is good for the whole society or corporation! While mutual respect will ensure that when one agreed to disagree and when the overall majority decided to do thing one way or the other, there can still be commitment to by the 'defeated party' to respect that decision!;

2. while it is important to set your own selection criteria and insist on your approach. It is ultimately the decision of the people you are trying to help, at the national level, if they get it!! I have read, with amusement and sadness actually, the disastrous appointment of the long time CFO for Pepsi Co. to the CEO post after the CEO unexpectedly died of cancer. Despite being touted as the best choice. Despite being handpicked by the departed-CEO. Despite having being so close to the actions with the departed CEO for more than 1 decade or 2. He still failed miserably! He was ousted within 2 or 3 years if my memory served me right. So, the verdict is still out if we got the right candidates or not!;

3. the exertion that if you failed the country, the country is doomed is a bit aggressive to say the least. In certain position, I supposed it has to be the politically correct thing to say. In reality, we know that talents do not concentrate in anyone segment or place of a society. Oneness without intense deliberation of diverse views cannot be a 'good' Oneness! ;-) Also, it is better to have natural enemies and adversaries to keep us honest if we have a choice vs. setting up stringent criteria to check-and-balance ourselves.

May the 2011-2012 election throws out leaders who understand these fundamental and universal values and principles of leading people.