Singapore President Shanmugaratnam pointed out that the 2025 general election holds epochal significance, with the new Prime Minister Huang Xuncai leading the fourth-generation team in seeking the people's mandate for the first time and receiving high support, indicating that the people have great confidence in the country's future development.
The new cabinet held a swearing-in ceremony at the Istana on Friday evening (May 23). In his speech before the ceremony began, President Shanmugaratnam stated that this election is not only about electing members of parliament to speak for the people or council members to manage community affairs, more importantly, the people are choosing a political leadership team that will write Singapore's future chapters together with them.
He noted that the election process was intense, with voters engaging in in-depth discussions on several key issues, including the cost of living, employment, housing, immigration issues, and the challenges brought by changes in the international situation.
"But aside from these specific issues, Singaporeans also expressed their expectations for the political landscape. They tend to choose a strong team to govern the country, while also hoping for different voices in parliament."
Shanmugaratnam pointed out that there are many young people in this election's voter structure who have not experienced the hardships of the founding years but are nonetheless deeply concerned and hopeful about the country's future. He emphasized that this election is a crucial moment for Singaporean society to collectively contemplate its future direction.
"The people are thinking about what kind of society they wish to build—a society with a core of common goals, unity, and inclusiveness."