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CNA
03-05-2025
- Politics
- CNA
GE2025: PAR's Lim Tean vows to 'come back much stronger', after losing in all 6 constituencies
SINGAPORE: The People's Alliance for Reform (PAR) failed to break through to parliament in Saturday's (May 3) General Election, with all 13 candidates defeated. In a statement at about 11.20pm after the sample counts had emerged, PAR secretary-general Lim Tean told reporters that the results were 'disappointing not just for PAR but for the entire opposition'. He declined to be interviewed. He added that PAR, which comprises the Democratic Progressive Party, Peoples Voice and Reform Party and was formed in 2023, will 'reorganise and come back much stronger in four to five years' for the next General Election (GE). 'PAR is a new political entity which has existed for only two years. By the next GE, the entire Singapore will know of us,' said Mr Lim. PAR contested in six constituencies in this election. In Jalan Besar Group Representation Constituency (GRC), the PAR team lost to the PAP slate with 24.79 per cent of the votes. The PAR team there comprised Mr Chiu Shin Kong, Mr Mohamad Hamim Aliyas, Ms Sarina Abu Hassan and Ms Vignes Ramachandran. The PAP team was led by Minister for Digital Development and Information Josephine Teo, along with Ms Denise Phua, Dr Wan Rizal and Mr Shawn Loh. In Tanjong Pagar GRC, the PAR team took 18.97 per cent of the votes, losing to the PAP incumbents. The PAR team comprised Mr Prabu Ramachandran, Ms Han Hui Hui, Mr Nadarajan Selvamani, Mr Rickson Giauw and Mr Soh Lian Chye. They faced a PAP team anchored by Education Minister Chan Chun Sing, along with Minister of State Alvin Tan, Ms Joan Pereira, Ms Rachel Ong and former civil servant Foo Cexiang. The PAR also contested four Single Member Constituencies (SMCs). In Potong Pasir SMC, Mr Lim was in a three-way contest with the PAP's Alex Yeo and the Singapore People's Party's (SPP) Williiamson Lee. Mr Lim emerged in third place with 8.35 per cent of the votes, behind Mr Yeo with 69.18 per cent and Mr Lee with 22.47 per cent. As Mr Lim's vote share was below 12.5 per cent, he will lose his election deposit of S$13,500 (US$10,400). In another three-cornered fight in Radin Mas SMC, the PAR's Kumar Appavoo faced the PAP incumbent Melvin Yong and independent Darryl Lo. Mr Kumar also placed third with 7.36 per cent of the votes, behind Mr Yong with 69.17 per cent and Mr Lo with 23.47 per cent. He will also lose his election deposit. PAR's Michael Fang lost in a straight fight with the PAP's Yip Hon Weng in Yio Chu Kang SMC, taking 21.27 per cent of the votes. In Queenstown SMC, PAR candidate Mahaboob Batcha lost to the PAP's Eric Chua with 18.88 per cent of the votes. 'There are certain inexplicable matters which we will be looking into before we comment further,' Mr Lim said in his statement without elaborating. Separately, in a Facebook post, he said he had "queried why certain ballot boxes did not have signatures on the seal" for Potong Pasir SMC. "Our counting agent tried to prevent the opening of the boxes before the matter was satisfactorily resolved, but his objections were brushed aside and the boxes opened for counting," he claimed. Mr Lim also said that the results had 'exploded the myth that there are only three opposition parties who are worthy of consideration'. 'The road ahead is open to any party which can make themselves relevant to the lives of Singaporeans,' he said. 'Notwithstanding the results tonight, the lives of Singaporeans will be even harder in the coming years.
Straits Times
01-05-2025
- Politics
- Straits Times
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.
AsiaOne
01-05-2025
- Politics
- AsiaOne
Opposition parties call for fairer policies and more balanced parliament in final party political broadcast, Singapore News
People's Alliance for Reform (PAR) leader Lim Tean has described the current government as "the most incompetent People's Action Party (PAP) government in history". He also voiced that the reasons given by PAP are "nothing more than a distraction to mask their utter incompetence in government the last five years". Aside from PAR, other opposition parties such as the National Solidarity Party (NSP), People's Power Party (PPP), Red Dot United (RDU), Singapore Democratic Party's (SDP) and Progress Singapore Party (PSP) also delivered their speech in the final round of party political broadcasts on Thursday (May 1) for General Election 2025. Most parties used their airtime to call on Singaporeans to vote for fairer policies and greater political diversity in Parliament. During the 60-min broadcast, NSP candidate, Lee Wei pointed out the need for better representation in Parliament, stating, "Without a stronger, fairer parliamentary system, your concerns are too easily ignored once the votes are counted." PPP's candidate Thaddeus Thomas echoed this sentiment, asserting that "no party holds a monopoly on good policy ideas". "True inclusiveness requires a more diverse Parliament that fosters robust debate and better policy solutions for all Singaporeans," added Thomas. PSP's secretary-general, Leong Mun Wai also shared that the party will continue to be a "strong check against the PAP if it tries to bulldoze through policies that you don't really want, like increasing the GST during a global pandemic or an ever-growing population." Other key concerns raised during the broadcasts included the rising cost of living and housing affordability which were featured prominently across the last eight days of campaigning. RDU's secretary-general Ravi Philemon question the stark inequality in housing, drawing comparision to the growing disconnect between those in power and ordinary Singaporeans. "Can we accept that there are those in power living in black-and-white colonial bungalows... while ordinary citizens live in a very dense, mentally stressful environment?" He said, adding that the statement was not a question of politics, but rather fairness. SDP chairman, Paul Tambyah also weighed in on housing and added that the SDP would prioritise policies that serve the public. "We will make sure that policy changes work for the people of Singapore rather than only for the elites living in palatial bungalows," said Prof Tambyah. He added that the party has "a comprehensive set of policies covering healthcare, housing, population, economy, education, and climate change". [[nid:717232]] PAR's party leader Lim Tean also drew a sharp contrast between the privileged lifestyles of ministers and the everyday struggles of citizens. "Ministers living in black-and-white bungalows with palatial grounds, the size of several football fields, when many Singaporeans have to make do with tiny HDB flats," he said. He also called out PAP for its silence on the Goods and Services Tax (GST) hike, pointing out that not a single PAP MP objected to the increase, which has caused financial strain for many households. Additionally, SDP's Prof Tambyah also emphasised that the government has failed to address key structural issues, such as rising rental costs, utilities, and transportation, while instead opting to increase taxes on Singaporeans. "They have not addressed structural issues such as rental costs, utilities and transportation. Instead, they chose to raise the GST, not once but twice adding fuel to the fire of inflation," he said. He further argued, "We have shown that GST can be reduced back to seven per cent without significantly affecting the projected budget surplus for FY 2025. This would be a first step towards making taxation fairer for Singaporeans." Today will be the last day of campaigning for all political parties in Singapore before Polling Day. During the last 2020 General Election, the PAP won a total of 83 seats while the opposition won the remaining 10 seats. For our GE2025 microsite, visit here
Business Times
27-04-2025
- Politics
- Business Times
GE2025: PAR proposes shrinking ‘bloated' civil service to fund free education
[SINGAPORE] – Opposition coalition People's Alliance for Reform (PAR) will push for free education, school meals and healthcare for Singaporean children if elected, secretary-general Lim Tean said on April 26. Speaking at PAR's first rally of this general election at Northlight School in Towner Road, Mr Lim said this could improve Singapore's 'disastrous' total fertility rate of 0.97. These free programmes can be funded without taxing citizens further or dipping into the reserves, Mr Lim claimed, by using the interest the Government earns from investing Singaporeans' CPF money. Mr Lim added that he will cut down on 'wasteful expenses' such as the Founders Memorial and what he described as 'a bloated civil service'. He suggested that providing free education, school meals and healthcare could lower the cost of living and encourage Singaporeans to have more children, which would make Singapore less reliant on foreigners. 'It is disgraceful that a so-called First World nation cannot afford free education and free healthcare for its people,' said Mr Lim, who is contesting Potong Pasir SMC. BT in your inbox Start and end each day with the latest news stories and analyses delivered straight to your inbox. Sign Up Sign Up He also took aim at Singapore's immigration policies and foreign workforce. 'Continuous net immigration' has grave consequences for cohesion, he added, calling it a 'pseudo solution' by the ruling party, whose policies 'have driven the cost of living through the roof'. He criticised the India-Singapore free trade agreement, saying that it should be abolished and claiming that it has taken jobs away from Singaporeans. Mr Lim also said the first thing he would do if elected on May 3 is 'cut the Prime Minister's pay by 70 per cent and abolish the mayors' positions'. A mayor's job is 'the most unconscionable job in the whole of Singapore, because, like many of you, I really do not know what a mayor does', Mr Lim said. Ms Han Hui Hui, a human rights fellow at a foreign university who has contested in previous general elections, also spoke at the rally. She is a candidate for Tanjong Pagar GRC, which she acknowledged is a PAP stronghold. 'If we don't take the first step, who will?' she said to cheers from spectators. Among the issues raised by Ms Han, a mother of three, was the six-day childcare leave entitlement of employees. 'How can you increase the birth rate, the (total) fertility rate, when you are only giving (six days of childcare leave) for the whole family, rather than per child?' she said. PAR, an alliance of three parties, is contesting 13 seats in two GRCs and four SMCs this general election. Its Jalan Besar team comprises four political newcomers. They are freelance private tutor Chiu Shin Kong, nurse Sarina Abu Hassan, early childhood educator Vigneswari V. Ramachandran, and the party's treasurer Mohamad Hamim Aliyas. The PAR team in Tanjong Pagar comprises commercial banker Prabu Ramachandran; Mr Nadarajan Selvamani, a director of a private school; Mr Rickson Giauw, a site safety adviser and officer; Ms Han; and senior logistics assistant Soh Lian Chye. Mr Mahaboob Batcha, an oil and gas company director, is contesting Queenstown SMC, while businessman Mr Kumar Appavoo is running in Radin Mas SMC. Dr Michael Fang, a health sciences lecturer at a private college, is contesting Yio Chu Kang SMC.
Online Citizen
26-04-2025
- Politics
- Online Citizen
GE2025: PAR's Lim Tean pledges free education and healthcare, criticises PAP's track record
SINGAPORE: In the first public political broadcast of the 2025 General Election on 25 April, Lim Tean, the secretary-general of the People's Alliance for Reform (PAR), sharply critiqued the People's Action Party (PAP) for its handling of key national issues, including the rising cost of living, public housing affordability, and growing job insecurity. Lim argued that Singaporeans are now facing an unprecedented economic crisis, which he believes has been exacerbated by the long-standing policies of the PAP. During his speech on Friday (25 April), Lim highlighted the significant financial pressures on Singaporeans, describing the current economic climate as 'the greatest cost of living crisis in living memory'. He pointed out the escalating unaffordability of public housing, mounting job insecurity, and increasing frustration with the influx of foreigners. Lim contended that after 66 years of PAP governance, the government's response has been insufficient, with reliance on short-term fixes like vouchers and subsidies rather than addressing the deeper systemic issues. 'The government has no solutions to the problems they created, except to give out vouchers and subsidies to tide you by,' he said. Lim stressed that Singaporeans are not seeking handouts, but rather meaningful work that provides dignity and purpose. He warned that citizens would not accept a future that is 'less than what their parents enjoyed', emphasising that it is human nature for each generation to strive for a better future than the last. PAR's Vision for the Future PAR, which comprises the Democratic Progressive Party, Peoples Voice, and the Reform Party, is fielding 13 candidates across several constituencies in the upcoming election, including Single Member Constituencies (SMCs) in Queenstown, Potong Pasir, Radin Mas, and Yio Chu Kang, as well as Group Representation Constituencies (GRCs) in Tanjong Pagar and Jalan Besar. If elected, PAR has proposed a bold set of reforms, including free education, free school meals, and free healthcare for every Singaporean child. Lim reiterated these proposals, which he had initially introduced on 13 April, prior to Nomination Day. He argued that these measures would help ease the cost of living for parents and encourage higher birth rates, counteracting the 'disastrous' fertility rate of 0.97. Lim firmly rejected continuous net immigration as a solution to the country's demographic challenges. 'If we continue to go down this path, there will be grave consequences for our societal cohesion in future. Such a path will lead to the atrophy of our national identity and social fracture,' Lim warned. Singapore has long relied on immigration to offset the effects of an ageing population and persistently low birth rates. According to official figures, over the past 20 years, the country has granted citizenship to more than 400,000 individuals and issued over 800,000 permanent residencies—contributing to population growth from 4.17 million in 2004 to over 6.03 million in 2024. Addressing Public Housing and Taxation Policies While Lim did not specify how PAR's proposed policies would be funded, he assured the public that Singapore has the financial resources to provide these services without further taxing citizens or dipping into national reserves. He also called for the Goods and Services Tax (GST) to be exempted from essential items like food, groceries, utilities, education, healthcare, and medical services. Additionally, PAR advocated for free public transport for those aged 65 and above. On the issue of public housing, Lim expressed concerns over the rising resale prices of Housing and Development Board (HDB) flats. He blamed the PAP's policy allowing permanent residents to purchase resale flats, which he argued has caused an 'astronomical surge' in prices. He explained that this increase has also driven up the cost of Build-to-Order (BTO) flats, making them less affordable for many Singaporeans. 'It is no answer to say that the BTOs are affordable when, for many, they are only within reach with substantial subsidies from the government,' Lim stated. He also proposed gradually reducing the land cost component in BTOs to make them genuinely affordable for Singaporeans once again. A Call for Change In his closing remarks, Lim posed a series of reflective questions to the public, invoking a challenge famously made by former US president Ronald Reagan during his 1980 presidential campaign. Lim asked: 'Are you better off today than you were 5 years ago? Is it easier for you to buy things from the shops than it was 5 years ago? Are you prouder of your nation than you were 5 years ago? Are you prouder of your government than you were 5 years ago?' Lim suggested that many Singaporeans would respond negatively to these questions, expressing his belief that the government has not delivered on its promises. He concluded by urging voters to 'take back what belongs to you' on 3 May, calling for a rejection of the PAP, which he claimed has 'taken too much from you and given too little in return'. PAR was allocated five minutes for the public political broadcast (PPBs) as it is contesting a total of 13 parliamentary seats. Eligibility for the PPBs is limited to political parties that field at least six candidates under a recognised party symbol. The PPBs were aired across six Mediacorp television channels and 13 radio stations operated by Mediacorp, SPH Media, and So Drama! Entertainment, on top of its social media channels. The next political broadcast will take place on 1 May.
