"Because they (Singaporeans) are not being listened to sufficiently...the party continues to make policies, and using its own intellect and reasoning and sometimes does not seem to listen and occasionally seems to be arrogant and not wanting to listen even when views are offered," Lim Hwee Hua said.
The PAP habit of forcing everything they think is right, down the throats of Singaporeans, is now paying the price in the ballot box. Expect more seats to go opposition's way, since old habits die hard.
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Lim Hwee Hua quits politics
By Joanne Chan | Posted: 11 May 2011 1214 hrs
PAP's transformation must be in substance, not just words, says Lim Hwee Hua
SINGAPORE: Minister in the Prime Minister's Office, Mrs Lim Hwee Hua, said she will not contest the next General Election in 2016.
She said she will leave it to someone younger as she will be 57 years old.
Speaking at a media conference Wednesday morning, Mrs Lim, who is also the Second Minister for Finance and Transport, said she has served almost 15 years and that's a "reasonable" stretch.
Mrs Lim said she was also surprised by the depth of resentment felt by citizens towards the government, which surfaced during the campaign.
And while the PAP team was expecting a close fight in Aljunied GRC, Mrs Lim said she was still surprised by the outcome. But she said the team respects the decision of the voters.
"There will always be gaps in the way we serve residents that can be addressed. But it's quite clear to us that the outcome was not because of that. It might have changed the results marginally. I think the Workers' Party said as much, that it's a national battle. They have decided on Aljunied as the target, and voters were forced to make a national decision," said Mrs Lim.
She also told the media that the transformation of the ruling People's Action Party must not just be in words but in substance as well.
Mrs Lim said Singaporeans now feel that the PAP is not listening to their opinions and is making policies without their considerations in mind.
"Because they are not being listened to sufficiently...the party continues to make policies, and using its own intellect and reasoning and sometimes does not seem to listen and occasionally seems to be arrogant and not wanting to listen even when views are offered," she said.
Going forward, Mrs Lim said she believes "the party has to make sure it has a response to each of these source of unhappiness.
"I say it should be the origin of transformation," she added.
On how the PAP might try to win back Aljunied at the next election, she said there are a lot of unknown factors. This includes how well the Workers' Party manages Aljunied and the quality of the PAP team that will contest in 2016.
On a personal note, Mrs Lim said she plans to take a break over the next few months. She also doesn't rule out the possibility of returning to the finance sector.
When asked if she may return to Temasek Holdings where she was former a Managing Director, Mrs Lim said she won't rule anything out.
On Tuesday, fellow Aljunied GRC team member, Mr George Yeo also announced his exit from politics.
In the contest for Aljunied GRC in the 2011 General Election, the opposition Workers' Party won 54.71 per cent of the votes, leaving the People's Action Party (PAP) with 45.29 per cent.
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