Editing People's Action Party (section)

===Social policies===
Since the early years of the PAP's rule, the idea of [[Survivalism|survival]] as a small and vulnerable country with hostile neighbours has been a central theme of [[Politics of Singapore|Singaporean politics]]. According to Diane Mauzy and R. S. Milne, most analysts of Singapore have discerned four major [[ideologies]] of the PAP, namely [[Realpolitik|pragmatism]], [[meritocracy]], [[multiracialism]] and [[Asian values]]/[[communitarianism]].<ref>{{Cite book|author=Christopher Tremewan|year=1996|title=The Political Economy of Social Control in Singapore (St. Anthony's Series)|publisher=Palgrave Macmillan|isbn=978-0-312-15865-1|page=105}}</ref> The PAP also [[Civic nationalism|advocates nationalism not based on ethnocentrism]], encouraging a united Singaporean identity while also recognising the [[Demographics of Singapore|main ethnic groups that make up the country]].<ref name="civnat"/>

In January 1989, then President [[Wee Kim Wee]] in his opening address to the [[7th Parliament of Singapore]] stated that Singapore must adopt a set of shared national values. He was of the view that a national ideology was useful to bond Singaporeans together by preserving the cultural heritage of the core communities of Singapore, and upholding certain common values that would capture the essence of being a Singaporean.<ref name="SV">{{cite web |last=Tin Seng |first=Lim |title=Shared Values |url=https://www.nlb.gov.sg/main/article-detail?cmsuuid=194d7f99-c8b6-408e-86cf-8ebfb8547d28 |website=www.nlb.gov.sg |publisher=[[National Library Board]] |access-date=8 January 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240108063620/https://www.nlb.gov.sg/main/article-detail?cmsuuid=194d7f99-c8b6-408e-86cf-8ebfb8547d28 |archive-date=8 January 2024}}</ref> In response, the government set up a committee as a follow-up to Wee's proposal, and in January 1991, the PAP formally introduced a [[white paper]] on "Shared Values" for the country, which consists of five national values to forge a national identity.<ref name="SV"/> These values were: nation before community and society above self; family as the basic unit of society; regard and community support for the individual; consensus instead of contention, and racial and religious harmony. They were also set as a contrast against the "more Westernised, individualistic, and self-centred outlook on life" and to uphold the "traditional Asian ideas of morality, duty and society".<ref name="SV"/>

At an Institute of Policy Studies (IPS) dialogue held on 2 July 2015 and chaired by [[Fareed Zakaria]], Prime Minister [[Lee Hsien Loong]] spoke about the need to maintain a [[Jeffersonian democracy|Jeffersonian]] [[Meritocracy|natural aristocracy]] in the system to instill a culture of respect and to avoid [[anarchy]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Transcript of Dialogue with Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong at the SG50+ Conference on 2 July 2015 |url=https://www.pmo.gov.sg/Newsroom/transcript-dialogue-prime-minister-lee-hsien-loong-sg50-conference-2-july-2015 |work=Prime Minister's Office |access-date=8 January 2024 |date=27 December 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.economist.com/china/2015/09/03/unnatural-aristocrats|title=Unnatural aristocrats|newspaper=The Economist|access-date=28 July 2018 |archive-date=28 July 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180728201035/https://www.economist.com/china/2015/09/03/unnatural-aristocrats|url-status=live}}</ref> In November 2019, Lee stated at a party convention that the PAP must not allow the "disconnect between the masses and the elite seen in other countries to take root in Singapore".<ref>{{cite web |last=Tee |first=Zhuo |title=PAP must not allow split between masses and elite to take root, says PM Lee Hsien Loong |url=https://www.straitstimes.com/politics/pap-convention-pap-must-not-allow-split-between-masses-and-elite-to-take-root-says-pm-lee |website=The Straits Times |access-date=8 January 2024 |date=10 November 2019}}</ref> During the election campaign in July 2020, Lee's estranged brother over [[38 Oxley Road]], [[Lee Hsien Yang]], accused the PAP of [[elitism]] as one of his explanations of joining the [[Progress Singapore Party]] (PSP).<ref>{{cite web |author=Faris Mokhtar |title=Singapore election: Lee Hsien Yang says PAP blind to 'real anger' |url=https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3092211/singapore-election-pms-brother-lee-hsien-yang-says-pap |website=South China Morning Post |publisher=Bloomberg |access-date=8 January 2024 |date=7 July 2020}}</ref> In a 2024 interview, Lee Hsien Loong criticised "[[woke]]ness", claiming that it "causes life to be burdensome" and saying that "he did not want Singapore to go in that direction".<ref>{{cite web |author=Anthony Chia |date=16 May 2024 |title=PM Lee Hsien Loong's Interview with Local Media – Section 3: Social Safety Nets and Social Cohesion (May 2024) |url=https://www.pmo.gov.sg/Newsroom/PM-Lee-Hsien-Loong-English-Interview-Social-Safety-Nets-and-Social-Cohesion-May-2024 |access-date=21 February 2025 |website=Prime Minister's Office Singapore}}</ref>