Indian Community Has Made Outsized Contributions to Singapore, Will Be Among New PAP Faces: PM Wong

New PAP candidates in the upcoming election will certainly include members of the Indian community, said Prime Minister Lawrence Wong, as he affirmed the ethnic group's contributions at a dialogue with Indian youth.

- Christine Tan

Indians in Singapore have made outsized contributions to the country in many areas, including in business, industry and the Government, said PM Wong.

Speaking at the dialogue on April 13, PM Wong said: "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.

"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."

Indians represented 7.6 per cent of Singapore's citizens, while Malays and Chinese made up 15.1 per cent and 75.6 per cent of the population, respectively, in 2024.

The Vaanga Ippo Pesalaam Chat (Come, Let's Chat in Tamil), or VIP Chat, was organised by newspaper Tamil Murasu and held at Huone Singapore, an event space in Clarke Quay. During the 90-minute dialogue, PM Wong and Senior Minister of State for Digital Development and Information Janil Puthucheary engaged with about 130 youth.

In the 2020 General Election, the PAP did not field any Indian candidates among its slate of 27 new faces, which sparked questions about the ethnic group's representation in Parliament.

In his opening remarks, PM Wong said Singapore has benefited from many Indian civil servants, such as Dr Janil, who is also Senior Minister of State for Health.