Latest news with #Budget2022
CNA
01-05-2025
- Politics
- CNA
GE2025: Government did not weaken after losing GRCs, says PSP's Leong Mun Wai
SINGAPORE: The government has not shown signs of weakening despite losing Group Representation Constituencies (GRCs) with Cabinet ministers in past elections, said Progress Singapore Party (PSP) secretary-general Leong Mun Wai on Thursday (May 1). "Would a weak government be able to pass through or bulldoze the GST in 2022?' He asked, referring to the increase in the Goods and Services Tax from 7 to 9 per cent announced during Budget 2022. Mr Leong was speaking during a walkabout at Boon Lay Place Market with the PSP team contesting West Coast-Jurong West GRC on the final day of campaigning before Polling Day. His comments were in response to Health Minister Ong Ye Kung, who said at a rally on Wednesday that a further GRC loss for the People's Action Party (PAP) could destabilise Singapore and risk the country "crashing". Calling Mr Ong's remarks "out of this world", Mr Leong said: "PAP has lost ministers and GRCs before. Has that weakened the government in the past few years or past 10 years? "A strong government with all the power to amend the Constitution – only such a government can bulldoze the GST through the parliament," he added. "So, the argument that the minister had about losing some ministers of GRCs to weaken the government is not quite accurate." PAP BROUGHT ONG YE KUNG BACK Fellow PSP candidate and former Non-Constituency MP Hazel Poa also responded to Mr Ong's remarks, pointing out that he lost the 2011 election at Aljunied GRC as part of a PAP team led by then Foreign Minister George Yeo. 'But what happened after that? He was brought back in the next election, at another GRC,' she said. Mr Ong was fielded in Sembawang GRC in 2015, where he was elected and later appointed Health Minister. The PSP team for West Coast-Jurong West GRC is led by party founder Tan Cheng Bock, and includes Mr Leong, Ms Poa and new candidates Sumarleki Amjah and Sani Ismail. They are contesting against a PAP team led by National Development Minister Desmond Lee, alongside incumbent MPs Shawn Huang and Ang Wei Neng, and new candidates Cassandra Lee and Hamid Razak. When asked why Prime Minister Lawrence Wong and Senior Minister Lee Hsien Loong have focused more on rebutting the Workers' Party (WP) rather than addressing PSP directly, Dr Tan said it showed the party's credibility. 'I think they find that the ground we have built for the party is strong enough,' he said. 'You take us, we can reply – our rebuttals are there … they realise that our party is a party that has got a lot of meat, it's got a lot of substance.' Dr Tan added that the limited direct confrontation with top PAP leaders was a 'testimony to the fact that we want to have a fair fight'. He said the PSP does not have to resort to shouting to get its points across, though he acknowledged 'a little bit' of over-enthusiasm after a boisterous chanting match broke out between PSP and PAP supporters at a Jurong West coffee shop on Wednesday. The party, he said, has proven itself to be a 'very responsible' opposition in parliament, and Mr Leong and Ms Poa have shown that in their NCMP roles over the last five years. WARM RECEPTION AT TAMAN JURONG After their stop at Boon Lay Place Market, the PSP team visited Taman Jurong Market and Food Centre, where the reception from the crowd was noticeably warmer. The market is located in Taman Jurong – previously the ward of former Senior Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam before he resigned to run for the presidency. The PSP team could hardly finish their coffee as residents approached them for chats and photos. Several residents greeted Dr Tan, 85, while others shook hands and took selfies with Mr Leong and Ms Poa. In the 2020 General Election, PSP ran in West Coast GRC and narrowly lost with 48.31 per cent of the vote, earning two NCMP seats as the best-performing losing team.
Online Citizen
29-04-2025
- Business
- Online Citizen
Pritam Singh criticises GST hike, says votes for Workers' Party will force PAP to reconsider future actions
At a rally held on 28 April 2025 at Yusof Ishak Secondary School, Workers' Party (WP) chief Pritam Singh delivered a strong critique of the People's Action Party (PAP) government's decision to raise the Goods and Services Tax (GST) during a period of global inflation. Singh described the GST hikes as having 'turbocharged' inflation, exacerbating the cost-of-living crisis already faced by Singaporeans. He emphasised that the decision was poorly timed and avoidable. The GST increase, announced in Budget 2022, involved a two-stage hike from 7% to 9%, with the first increase to 8% on 1 January 2023 and the second to 9% on 1 January 2024. According to Singh, the Workers' Party had opposed the GST hike during parliamentary debates. He highlighted that, globally, few governments chose to raise consumption taxes while inflation was soaring. Singh argued that the PAP's decision was unique, stating, 'Which government turbocharged inflation with a consumption tax hike? Nobody did except the PAP.' He acknowledged the PAP's rationale that future healthcare and ageing population costs necessitated revenue increases. However, he insisted that the GST hike could have been postponed. Referencing debates in Parliament, Singh recalled questioning the Prime Minister about the impact of the GST hike on inflation. He pointed to a statement by the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS), under the Prime Minister's Office, which indicated that the GST hike could raise inflation by up to 40%. 'Isn't that turbocharging?' Singh asked, asserting that the government was aware of the inflationary effects but proceeded nonetheless. Singh further criticised the government for acting despite a reported fiscal surplus of more than S$14 billion during the past parliamentary term. He contended that this surplus demonstrated that the GST hike was unnecessary at that time. He noted that Singaporeans had experienced sharp cost increases across various sectors, including food at hawker centres and election campaign costs, which had risen by 25% since 2020. Singh expressed concern for retirees reliant on CPF payouts, highlighting that such payments do not adjust for inflation, leaving seniors particularly vulnerable. He also referenced a comment by a PAP MP, who suggested that a 'little pain' was necessary to keep Singaporeans 'alert.' Singh called this sentiment insensitive, questioning why additional pain had to be inflicted on citizens already struggling with global inflation. Singh stressed that the PAP's ability to implement unpopular policies without severe political consequences stemmed from a lack of sufficient pressure from opposition parties. He urged voters to support the Workers' Party, arguing that stronger opposition presence would force the PAP to reconsider or better time future policy decisions. 'Votes and seats are the KPIs for PAP politicians,' Singh said. 'When the PAP loses votes and seats to the Workers Party, it has to take corrective action.' The decision to raise the GST despite a robust corporate income tax (CIT) collection had already faced public scrutiny. In 2023, then-Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Lawrence Wong had rejected calls to defer the hike, despite CIT revenue climbing by 26.8% to S$23.1 billion. According to a Straits Times report from 2023, Wong had argued that deferring the GST increase would create greater fiscal risks, citing long-term spending needs. Opposition parties, including the WP and the Progress Singapore Party (PSP), had proposed alternatives such as drawing more from reserve earnings to avoid burdening the populace further. Despite these calls, PAP MPs supported the GST hike during the Budget 2022 debate, maintaining it was necessary to ensure fiscal sustainability. Singh's rally speech highlighted enduring tensions over fiscal policy, cost of living, and the responsiveness of Singapore's government to economic challenges faced by ordinary citizens. Polling day is scheduled for Saturday, with opposition parties hoping to galvanise voter sentiment amid these economic concerns.
