The year was 1954. The place: a packed Victoria Memorial Hall, a name which reminded not a few of the 1,500 present of their British colonial masters.

The event: the birth of a new political party.

In a country on the threshold of nationhood, among a people fermenting with anti-colonialism, the People's Action Party was born.

It was a tumultuous start for our party, fighting for a young country's independence. Our chosen path - not war or revolution - but a collective and irrefutable urge for self-determination. PAP members turned up in short sleeves to show our solidarity with the workers who pledged loyalty to a new vision.

The first key office-holders included a group of English-speaking young men, who had been educated overseas. These were Lee Kuan Yew, who was the party's first secretary-general, Toh Chin Chye, the party's first chairman and S Rajaratnam, who later held key ministerial posts in the Government.

We rallied postal and telecom workers, unionists, school teachers as well as middle-class men and women. The PAP has a clear goal - to build a new country, born of the people, fired by their action and organised by the party.

Although the PAP worked with communists in the early days, with anti-colonialism as their mutual platform, we made it clear that we had a different set of political values.

Over the years, these values have formed the foundation for the country's key policies. The party's preference has been for our ideas to manifest themselves through our policies, rather than be cast in a theoretical philosophy of manifestos.

Our multi-racial and multi-religious focus can be seen in the equal treatment which all races - Chinese, Malay, Indians and Eurasians - receive in all areas of public service. This includes equal treatment in education, housing, and health. As a party, we also raised funds to to support community and social groups working on education and health across all racial groups.

Politically, the minorities are assured of proportionate representation in Parliament through the Group Representation Constituency, or GRC system set up in 1988. MPs can be elected under single wards or under GRCs, where a group of MPs are elected as a team. Each team must contain at least one MP who is a member of a minority group.

Our focus on meritocracy can be seen most clearly in the education system, in which one child is ensured of as many educational opportunities as the next child - regardless of his parents' financial status. This is through the many scholarships and bursaries given out for academic excellence.

On the 45th anniversary of the party in 1999, Mr Goh Chok Tong, Prime Minister of Singapore and Secretary-General of the party since 1992, said: "Let us not celebrate so much past achievements, but prepare ourselves for challenges ahead...Let us inject our Party with a new vitality and drive.''

The party now has 15,000 members. We now have a Women's Wing (set up in 1989) and Young PAP (the youth wing, set up in 1986). We continue to operate out of a modest headquarters in Upper Changi, on the outskirts of the city centre.

At the polls the party has been returned to power since Singapore became independent. We have won 10 General Elections and the party's two secretary-generals have been Singapore's two Prime Ministers.

Mr Lee Kuan Yew, the first PM, set the tone by campaigning on practical issues which have a real impact on people's lives, rather than abstract platforms. The 1963 GE was our toughest, with 46.5 per cent of votes coming to us. Only Mr Lee and Dr Goh Keng Swee, then Deputy Prime Minister, had clear majorities.

From 1968 to 1980, the PAP held all seats in Parliament, with the people
granting us huge majorities at each GE.

Since 1981, there has been at least one opposition MP, but the party has never lost its large majority position.

Over the years, our self-renewal has been systematic and planned.

The 1991 election was based on our manifesto, The Next Lap, which saw the second generation of political leaders such as Mr Goh Chok Tong , taking on a bigger role. In that year, we won 60.97 per cent of the votes.

In 1997, the issue of the upgrading of public housing was a key component of the campaign. Singapore 21 - Make it our best Home was our campaign slogan, and we won 64.98 per cent of the votes.

In the Nov 2001 General Election, we won 75.29 per cent of the votes, our highest margin yet.

Each election, some 20 new candidates are trained and fielded. We continue to attract good men and women to join us to stand and fight for office. Each generation of leaders builds on the progress of the past to continue our march to a better and brighter future for all Singaporeans.

The plain look had contributed to the impression of a "slightly outdated, somewhat heavy and dour" party, said the two members.

Other MPs saw the white-on-white issue as a red flag and charged at it, defending the uniform. Almost to a man, they said that it symbolised the Party's roots in upholding purity of purpose and its members' simple needs. "It represents honesty and integrity," said Dr Tan Cheng Bock. "Clean and corruption-free," said Mr Peh Chin Hua.

Add a blazer for special occasions, suggested Brigadier-General (NS) George Yeo. Change with the times, urged MP Ong Chit Chung, the only one to agree with the two MPs, adding:

"Can you imagine young Singaporeans joining the police if they still have to go about in baggy khaki shorts?"

The Party only insists on the white uniform during election campaigns and at the National Day parade. On other occasions, MPs do not have to conform to party colours.

The final official word came from party whip, Dr Lee Boon Yang. In a reply the following month in the party organ, he said: "If some young Singaporeans are not willing to join the party and serve the nation because of the old fashioned uniform, would getting these same young fashion-conscious men and women into the party help?

"What if they are then asked to support and explain a party policy which is neither fashionable nor popular with the electorate?"

So, the message was: while the PAP will shed old ways to stay relevant, there are some things that ought to stay the same. The white-and-white is one of those things. It is about being true to tradition.