GE2025: PAR takes aim at cost of living, GST hikes and immigration policy in e-rally
PAR secretary-general Lim Tean speaking at the party's first e-rally on May 1. PHOTO: LIM TEAN/FACEBOOK
Follow our live coverage here.
SINGAPORE - Secretary-general of opposition coalition People's Alliance for Reform (PAR) Lim Tean said his party was the only one 'courageous enough to tell the government in the face' that its immigration policies are reckless.
Speaking at the PAR's first e-rally of GE2025 on May 1 , he also called on Singaporeans to vote for the opposition and not to give the ruling PAP party the two-thirds mandate in Parliament.
Taking aim at the Singapore's immigration policies and foreign workforce, Mr Lim, said that the ruling party has opened 'the sluice gates of immigration to allow foreigners to flood our nation', leading to a feeling of helplessness among Singaporeans 'as they are displaced or replaced by foreigners in their jobs'.
'What are the most pressing issues? The cost of living, unaffordable public housing, your job insecurity, and this invasion by foreigners and immigrants, they refuse to talk about that,' said Mr Lim, refering to the PAP.
Of the several issues Mr Lim touched on during the two-hour rally that was live-streamed on social media , Mr Lim also spoke passionately on the cost of living and the GST hike.
He had raised these issues repeatedly during various public appearances, including party walkabouts and its singular physical rally, in the past week. The other eight candidates that spoke during the e-rally also reiterated these points.
Its e-rally was held on the final day of campaigning before the general election on May 3.
These calls were also reflected in the PAR manifesto, released online on May 1, the final day of campaigning before the General Election on May 3.
A key focus of the party's manifesto was to give Singaporeans priority for jobs. The manifesto is named a 'Contract with Singapore'.
It called for a freeze on new S passes, which is a Singapore visa for skilled workers allowing foreign individuals to work here in positions such as associate professionals and technicians. The qualifying salary for new S Pass applications is currently S$3,150 and will increase to S$3,300 from Sept 1.
The other key point in the PAR manifesto was to make public housing more affordable by not allowing PRs to buy resale HDB flats , which the party linked to the rising prices of such units.
The manifesto also included proposals on the provision of free school meals, healthcare and education up to university for every Singaporean child.
The PAR team said that funding for these programmes could come from 'existing income of the government', such as the S$13.4 billion from the difference between Central Provident Fund (CPF) annualised returns paid to members and the returns retained by the government, as well as the government's special transfers, including top-ups to endowment and trust funds, which was S$25.1 billion in financial year 2024.
PAR is an alliance of three parties – Peoples Voice, the Reform Party and the Democratic Progressive Party.
First formed in November 2024 with four parties aiming to strengthen opposition unity, it became a grouping of three when the People's Power Party withdrew in February 2025 over irreconcilable strategic differences.
According to a post on his Facebook wall, Mr Lim wrote: 'We wanted to have a final rally in Potong Pasir tonight but many residents told us that in view of the uncertain weather and the one and only rally site in Potong Pasir being difficult to access, they would rather us do an E-rally instead. So we have acceded to the requests of the residents.'
PAR is fielding 13 candidates across six constituencies - the Jalan Besar and Tanjong Pagar GRCs, and Potong Pasir, Radin Mas, Yio Chu Kang and Queenstown SMCs.
Join ST's WhatsApp Channel and get the latest news and must-reads.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Straits Times
22 minutes ago
- Straits Times
Election spending in GE2025 outstrips that for GE2020
As with previous elections, the bulk of expenses this time, about $4.75 million, went towards non-online election advertising. PHOTO: ST FILE Election spending in GE2025 outstrips that for GE2020 SINGAPORE – Some $10.7 million was spent on campaigning for the 2025 General Election, with about three-quarters of candidates having reported their expenses to the Elections Department (ELD). This figure already exceeds the total spending of $9 million by all candidates at the 2020 polls. As with previous elections, the bulk of the expenses this time, about $4.75 million, went towards non-online election advertising, such as the printing of posters, banners and fliers. Another $2.01 million was spent on online election advertising, which includes posts on social media and websites and the boosting of such posts. With the return of physical rallies this time – after they were paused for the previous election due to the Covid-19 pandemic – candidates spent $1.33 million on holding these events. These amounts were calculated based on the expenses of 164 out of the 211 candidates, most of which were uploaded to ELD's website on June 13 after their submissions were announced on the Government Gazette. They comprised election returns of candidates from the ruling People's Action Party, the National Solidarity Party (NSP), People's Alliance for Reform (PAR), People's Power Party (PPP), Progress Singapore Party, Red Dot United (RDU), the Singapore Democratic Alliance (SDA), Singapore Democratic Party (SDP) and Singapore People's Party (SPP), as well as two independent candidates. The remaining 47 candidates have until June 16 to submit their expenses. None of the Workers' Party candidates' expenses are available for inspection on the ELD's website so far. The return of physical rallies saw political parties divert some spending on print ads to rally-related expenses, while spending on online ads saw a smaller dip. Print advertising fell from about 60 per cent of election-related spending in 2020 to 44.4 per cent in 2025. Online advertising represented about 18.8 per cent of candidates' expenses at GE2025, compared with 22 per cent at the 2020 polls. On average, each candidate spent $64,959, with 19 candidates reporting no expenses, and NSP president Reno Fong reporting the highest expenses at $160,000. Based on expenses declared so far, the PAP had an average spending of $96,667 per candidate, or close to 30 per cent higher than at the last general election. Among the opposition parties, the SDP spent $50,009, PSP spent $33,965, NSP spent $31,320, SPP spent $23,261, RDU spent $15,703, SUP spent $6,564, PAR spent $3,614, and PPP spent $2,017 per candidate. Among the PAP teams contesting group representation constituencies and which have submitted their expenses, the West Coast-Jurong West GRC team was the biggest spenders. The team, led by Minister for Education Desmond Lee, spent $602,708 in all. The largest portion, or $290,290, went towards non-online election advertising. The PSP team it faced, led by party chairman Tan Cheng Bock, spent $180,560, with non-online election advertising accounting for the bulk of it at $98,540. The PAP took the constituency with 59.99 per cent of vote, against its PSP opponent's 40.01 per cent. The next biggest spender among the PAP's GRC teams was the Punggol GRC team, led by Deputy Prime Minister Gan Kim Yong, which spent $541,854 in all. However, unlike in West Coast-Jurong West GRC, more than half of the team's spending – $301,953 – went to online election advertising. The team won in the constituency with 55.17 per cent of the vote, against the WP's 44.83 per cent. PAP's third highest spending GRC team was the Aljunied GRC team, which spent $524,312. It lost in the constituency with 40.29 per cent of the vote against the WP team's 59.71 per cent. Join ST's WhatsApp Channel and get the latest news and must-reads.
Online Citizen
42 minutes ago
- Online Citizen
First session of Singapore's 15th Parliament to open on 5 September
Singapore's 15th Parliament will convene for its first session on 5 September at 5 pm, announced Leader of the House Indranee Rajah on 13 June. This follows the general election held on 3 May which brought in the new government. The session will begin with the election of the Speaker of Parliament, followed by the swearing-in of new Members of Parliament. President Tharman Shanmugaratnam will deliver the opening address, outlining the government's priorities, policies and programmes. Indranee Rajah stated this address is vital to define strategies and key policies as Singapore navigates a challenging geopolitical climate and economic uncertainties. She emphasised it will help secure a brighter future for Singaporeans and the nation. Debates on the President's Address will take place from 22 to 26 September. During this period, ministries will release their addenda to detail how they will contribute to the national agenda. In a Facebook post, Indranee Rajah noted that while MPs are active in constituency work, parliamentary business formally begins after the official opening. She added that her role includes coordinating with Parliament on these arrangements.
Straits Times
5 hours ago
- Straits Times
Cambodia tells troops to stay on 'alert', cuts Thai TV shows in border spat
The disputed region has seen sporadic violence since 2008, resulting in at least 28 deaths. PHOTO: EPA-EFE Cambodia tells troops to stay on 'alert', cuts Thai TV shows in border spat Phnom Penh - Cambodia ordered its troops to stay on 'full alert' on June 13 in its ongoing border spat with Thailand, as it ordered television stations and cinemas to stop showing Thai dramas. On the eve of a meeting between the two sides aimed at defusing tensions following deadly clashes in May, Cambodia shut off internet connections routed through Thailand, leaving some users complaining of slow speeds. Violence flared on May 28 in an area known as the Emerald Triangle, where the borders of Cambodia, Thailand and Laos meet, with one Cambodian soldier killed. Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet said in a Facebook post on June 12 night that Cambodia was disconnecting all internet bandwidth from Thailand. The ministries of information and cultures also ordered television stations and cinemas to stop airing Thai TV series. Influential former leader Hun Sen – Hun Manet's father – on June 13 morning urged the government to halt 'imports of Thai goods into the Cambodian market' in the event that Thailand refused to lift restrictions imposed on border checkpoints in recent days, and told troops to be on alert. 'All armed forces must remain on full alert 24 hours a day, ready to respond and defend in the event of aggression,' Mr Hun Sen said in a Facebook post. He also told authorities in provinces near the border be prepared to evacuate residents to safer areas. Cambodian and Thai officials will meet in Phnom Penh on June 14 to discuss the border dispute. The disputed region has seen sporadic violence since 2008, resulting in at least 28 deaths. The row dates back to the drawing of the 800km frontier, largely done during the French occupation of Indochina. Mr Hun Manet announced earlier in June that Cambodia would file a complaint with the International Court of Justice (ICJ) over four disputed border areas, including the site of the latest clash. The ICJ ruled in 2013 that a disputed area next to Preah Vihear temple belonged to Cambodia, but Thailand says it does not accept the ICJ's jurisdiction. On June 8, armies from both countries agreed to reposition their soldiers in the site of the latest clash to avoid confrontations. Thailand has closed some border crossings and tightened border controls with Cambodia in recent days. AFP Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
