GE2025: PSP calls for affordable housing, more healthcare funding and caregiver support at rally
[SINGAPORE] – Affordable housing, as well as more healthcare funding and caregiver support, were among the proposals championed by the PSP during its rally at Bukit Gombak Stadium on April 26.
The candidates also touched on issues such as the high cost of living and implementing a minimum wage.
The party's secretary-general Leong Mun Wai said that Singaporeans should be required to cover only the construction cost when buying a Build-To-Order flat, instead of the cost of land.
If this proposal is implemented, Singaporeans would have to pay only up to $150,000 for a flat, instead of $500,000, said Mr Leong, a candidate for West Coast-Jurong West GRC. He added that home owners would only be required to cover the land cost if they resell their flat for a profit.
Earlier in the evening, Mr Sumarleki Amjah, 53, shared in both English and Malay another key proposal in the party manifesto – that MediShield Life be fully funded by the Government.
MediShield Life is Singapore's national insurance scheme, providing basic protection against large medical bills.
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The party estimated that these premiums would cost the Government an additional $2 billion to $3 billion a year, based on its manifesto, which Mr Sumarleki said would be 'money well spent'.
Mr Sumarleki, who is also part of the West Coast-Jurong West slate, added that there should be more flexibility in the use of MediSave. For instance, citizens should be able to use the fund to pay for dental services such as root canal treatments and dentures.
Bukit Gombak SMC candidate Harish Pillay, 65, proposed that caregivers of children aged seven and below be paid $1,250 monthly while Mr S. Nallakaruppan, 60, a candidate for Chua Chu Kang GRC, reiterated calls to lower the goods and services tax to 7 per cent.
Ms Wendy Low, 48, said education policies needed a revamp and pupils should be offered a choice to bypass the Primary School Leaving Examination.
This would allow pupils to be creative and innovate, and be ready to deal with disruptions posed by artificial intelligence, said Ms Low, a Chua Chu Kang GRC candidate.
While the audience spent most of the evening listening to policy proposals and occasional jabs at the ruling party, it also caught glimpses of emotion.
The stadium's atmosphere lightened when party chairman Tan Cheng Bock arrived midway through the rally, and the crowd wished him a happy birthday with a cheer. He turned 85 on April 26.
Chua Chu Kang GRC candidate Lawrence Pek, 55, grew visibly emotional when speaking about his two children, who were in the audience. Joining an opposition party – which he described as a road less travelled – has led to many sacrifices, but his son and daughter have been steadfast with their support, said Mr Pek, who was the secretary-general of the Singapore Manufacturing Federation from 2020 to 2023.
He said in a rousing Hokkien speech: 'You have seen Mun Wai and Hazel, four years in Parliament, getting scolded and told off by people, right?'
Dr Tan also acknowledged the trying time that Non-Constituency MPs Ms Hazel Poa and Mr Leong have had in Parliament, and said he was proud of their growth. Both Dr Tan and Ms Poa called for Singaporeans to vote for more checks and balances in the form of opposition candidates.
Dr Tan, a former PAP MP, added that issues of competency, honesty, transparency and accountability were among the reasons he left the ruling party.
Ms Poa said incidents such as the SimplyGo saga, Income-Allianz deal and former Keppel executives being let off with warnings after bribery allegations, as well as Deputy Prime Minister Gan Kim Yong moving to contest in Punggol GRC instead of Chua Chu Kang GRC at the last minute, have damaged trust in the ruling party.
Ms Poa said: 'A stronger opposition will make (PAP) think through their policies more thoroughly before implementation, and make them dirty their hands to drill into the details so that they understand what you face.
'For if they do not, we would be there to point out their mistakes, and trust me, they don't like that.' THE STRAITS TIMES
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