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C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 SINGAPORE 000863 SIPDIS DEPARTMENT FOR EAP/MTS - M. COPPOLA E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/09/2019 TAGS: PGOV, PREL, SN SUBJECT: RULING PARTY YOUTH WING COZIES UP TO CHINESE, STEPS UP RECRUITMENT Classified By: E/P Counselor Joel Ehrendreich for reason 1.4(d). 1. (C) Summary. The youth wing of Singapore's ruling party, Young PAP (YP), is pursuing closer ties with the Chinese Communist Youth League, two YP executive committee members told PolOffs on August 27. Recent YP "study visits" to China have focused on political education and recruitment. In contrast, YP's relations with fraternal parties in Indonesia, Malaysia, and Taiwan are less active. Though YP membership has recently increased by about 150% to approximately 9,000, it remains a relatively small organization even by Singapore standards. It has never fulfilled its intended role of cultivating new leadership for the ruling People's Action Party (PAP), with only one former member in a cabinet-level position. Instead of influencing policy, YP appears geared toward creating a positive image of the PAP for young Singaporeans, with the ultimate goal of encouraging them to become PAP members. End summary. Young PAP Pursues Ties with Communist Youth League... --------------------------------------------- -------- 2. (C) Young PAP (YP), the youth wing of Singapore's ruling People's Action Party (PAP), nurtures close ties with its communist Chinese counterpart, two members of the organization's executive committee told PolOffs on August 27. Joel Leong, Chairperson of the International Relations Sub-Committee, and Phyllis Chng, Executive Secretary, explained that YP's "easiest" international relationship is with China's Communist Youth League (CYL). Leong said the YP-CYL relationship dates back many years. In keeping with Singapore's growing ties with China, YP officials have made two "study trips" there this year. In February, they visited a party school in Beijing to seek inspiration for their own political education and training programs, and in July, they received advice on recruitment strategies from their CYL counterparts in Chengdu. After the February trip, YP chairman Teo Ser Luck told Singapore press that associating with a Communist organization did not trouble him: "We're not worried because it's the governing party and Singapore-China relations are so close. We don't talk about political philosophy." (In a throwback to the PAP's early days as a member of the Socialist International, YP members still use the honorific "Comrade.") ...But Is Less Engaged with Other Regional Counterparts --------------------------------------------- ---------- 3. (C) YP has more difficulty maintaining active relationships with other fraternal parties in the region. Leong described parties in Indonesia and Malaysia as more "closed" to YP than the Chinese Communist Party. He also noted that the presence of active opposition parties in both countries poses occasional dilemmas for YP. For example, YP received an invitation from the youth wing of Malaysia's opposition Pakatan Rakyat coalition but declined because of concerns about the potential political ramifications of accepting. Leong reported that YP has some ongoing relations with the DPP in Taiwan, but the youth wing there, like its parent party, is focused on an internal split over the direction of Taiwan's relations with mainland China. YP has no relations at all with the Republican or Democratic parties in the United States, but it would be interested in establishing some, Leong said. Membership Surges, but Organization Remains Small --------------------------------------------- ---- 4. (C) YP has recently focused on boosting recruitment. YP does not publish its rolls or membership figures, but press accounts in early 2009 estimated membership at 6,000. Phyllis Chng confirmed that the current figure is closer to 9,000, and she and Leong suggested that this reflects a substantial increase over the past year. Membership is open to Singaporeans up to 40 years old. In addition to regular members, YP also registers "friends" - mainly, according to Leong, civil servants who are forbidden by law to join political parties but who may still want to signal an affiliation with the dominant party. Despite its recent growth, YP remains a small organization in the context of Singapore's 3.2 million citizens. SINGAPORE 00000863 002 OF 002 Young PAP Plays Limited Role in Cultivating PAP Leaders --------------------------------------------- ---------- 5. (C) Although one of YP's original objectives since its 1986 founding was to help renew the PAP leadership over time, Leong and Chng agreed that its success in this respect has been limited. YP has been one source of leadership and technocratic talent for the PAP, they said, but the party has drawn equally, if not more, on the youth wing of the National Trades Union Council, the civil service, and sources unconnected to the party or government. Singapore's Foreign Minister, George Yeo, is the only current cabinet-level official who was a YP member. For the Moment, Merely a Social Club and Recruiting Device --------------------------------------------- ------------- 6. (C) Comment: YP appears focused on trying to make the ruling party more attractive to young people and acting as one of the many channels through which Singapore fosters closer relations with China. As a result, it currently places little emphasis on substantive thinking or on trying to influence public policy. For example, Leong, although in charge of YP's international activities, claimed to have no opinion about the state of bilateral relations between the United States and Singapore; he merely commented that YP leaves such things to the civil servants. Likewise, though Leong and Chng said YP is an effective conduit for transmitting young people's feedback and ideas to the government, they were unable to give a single concrete example of this. They also claimed that YP helps the PAP change with the times by keeping "an ear to the ground," but in support they offered only the vague and commonplace observation that as young Singaporeans become better educated and cosmopolitan, demands will grow for greater openness in government. Singapore will have to respond, they said, but only incrementally over time. Meanwhile, two other young Singaporeans recently told PolOff in unrelated conversations that they have considered joining YP - not out of affection for the People's Action Party, but because they think it would enhance their career prospects. End Comment. Visit Embassy Singapore's Classified website: http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/eap/singapore/ind ex.cfm SHIELDS