Latest news with #Sumarleki
Business Times
27-04-2025
- Business
- Business Times
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. 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 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
Straits Times
26-04-2025
- Business
- Straits Times
GE2025: PSP calls for affordable housing, more healthcare funding and caregiver support at rally
PSP party chairman Tan Cheng Bock (centre) arrives at the rally for Bukit Gombak SMC at Bukit Gombak Stadium on April 26 ST PHOTO: JASON QUAH GE2025: PSP calls for affordable housing, more healthcare funding and caregiver support at rally Follow our live coverage here. SINGAPORE – Affordable housing, as well as more healthcare funding and caregiver support were among the proposals championed by the Progress Singapore Party (PSP) during their 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 only be required to cover the construction cost when buying a Build-To-Order (BTO) flat, instead of the cost of land. If this proposal is implemented, Singaporeans would only have to pay 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. 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 canal treatments and dentures. The party estimated that these premiums would cost the Government an additional $2 to $3 billion a year based on their manifesto, which Mr Sumarleki said would be 'money well spent'. 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 GST to seven per cent. Ms Wendy Low, 48, said education policies need a revamp, and said that students should be offered a choice to bypass the PSLE. This would allow students 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 their evening listening to policy proposals and occasional jabs at the ruling party, they 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 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 (SMF) 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 NCMPs 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. Ms Hazel Poa, West Coast-Jurong West GRC candidate, said that incidents such as the Income-Allianz deal have eroded trust in the ruling party. ST PHOTO: JASON QUAH 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 DPM Gan Kim Yong moving to contest 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.' Join ST's WhatsApp Channel and get the latest news and must-reads.
Straits Times
21-04-2025
- Business
- Straits Times
GE2025: Securing good jobs for S'poreans a key priority for PSP new face Sumarleki Amjah
Mr Sumarleki Amjah is part of the PSP team led by party chairman Tan Cheng Bock contesting the newly formed West Coast-Jurong West GRC. ST PHOTO: HESTER TAN Follow our live coverage here. SINGAPORE - Helping Singaporeans get good jobs and ensuring their job security are top of the agenda for PSP new face Sumarleki Amjah, 53, who is part of the opposition party's A-team contesting West Coast-Jurong West GRC. He highlighted three possible ways of achieving these aims: Proper calibration of the numbers of foreign talents in the workforce, upskilling citizens with the skills to thrive in a technologically advanced economy, and offering retrenchment benefits to those who have been let go of. 'Good jobs are the essence of a good life, especially in Singapore,' said Mr Sumarleki, who works at a multinational food and beverage firm as its head of packaged food and business development overseeing South-east Asia and the Middle East. He was speaking to The Straits Times at Taman Jurong Shopping Mall on April 20, just hours after he was introduced as a PSP candidate contesting the GRC. With rising costs of living and wages that have 'barely increased', Mr Sumarleki said middle-income earners – a group he hopes to champion if elected – do not receive enough support. 'These are the people who need help the most,' Mr Sumarleki said, pointing to how the salaries of many middle-income earners are not keeping pace with the rise in cost of living . He said that the most underprivileged residents are already receiving 'reasonable subsistence support' from the Government. 'The middle class forms the core of any nation. If we don't have a strong middle class, the nation will not prosper,' he said. 'We want to work together with the government to improve the system and the policies, so that the sandwiched middle class can be uplifted.' For example, to ensure job security for Singaporeans, citizens should be prioritised for roles, he said. Foreign talent in the workforce must also be managed carefully to prevent locals from being unnecessa rily displaced from their jobs. He added that the Government should also provide an economic direction for the country to identify growth industries so Singaporeans can secure those good jobs. 'We lack an overarching economic direction for the future,' Mr Sumarleki said. 'We have passed the industrialisation stage and we are going through the digitalisation phase and have to be ready for the artificial intelligence era. We have to future-proof the job prospects of our citizens first and foremost.' He said he also wants to ensure that retrenched workers can get enough support to tide them through the transition period. 'If we don't have legislation on retrenchment benefits, it's going to be difficult for our workers, our fellow Singaporeans, when they get displaced to tide through that period from not having a job to getting a new job,' he said. Without transitional support, retrenched workers may run into financial difficulties and 'spiral downwards', he added. Mr Sumarleki graduated from NTU with a business degree in 1995 and has a Master of Business Administration from University of Manchester in the UK. After graduation, he worked in different multinational companies, and now hopes to bring that experience to come up with solutions and policies to find good jobs for Singaporeans and tackle job security issues, he said. Mr Sumarleki is part of the PSP team led by party chairman Tan Cheng Bock contesting the newly formed West Coast-Jurong West GRC. He will be running along PSP's A-team, comprising the party's top three leaders – party chair Tan Cheng Bok, 84, party chief Leong Mun Wai, 65, and vice-chair Hazel Poa, 54 – as well as fellow new face Sani Ismail, 49. Mr Sumarleki's foray into party politics began more than 10 years ago, after a non-governmental organisation he wanted to set up failed to take off. In 2013, Mr Sumarleki and his friends had planned to set up an organisation to call for equal opportunities for jobs among Singaporeans, after some of them were retrenched. But it did not come to fruition and he decided to join the Workers' Party as a volunteer in 2014, he said. Individuals can contribute to society in their own ways, but joining politics is the best way to bring about change and help people, he said. Mr Sumarleki, who is a single parent of a 21-year-old son, said politics took a backseat at that time, as he had to care for his son and was also travelling often for work. Party chief Mr Leong approached him in April 2024, and Mr Sumarleki thought it was time for him to get involved in politics to give back to the society. He joined the party in May 2024. Mr Sumarleki also hopes to speak for the Malay community and ensure their views are taken into account in policymaking. He hopes to address three main issues in the Malay community: to have more fair and equal job opportunities, to build a network for business and educational excellence among the Malay community , and create funds for start-ups and micro financing for small businesses. Outside of work and politics, he is a long-time Silat practitioner and even set up the Macan Association - which has eight silat clubs under its umbrella - in 1998. Mr Sumarleki, who started learning Silat at the age of 10, serves as the president of the association. He added that the Silat community is also an avenue for him to be in touch with people i n t he community. On why he decided to join politics, he said: 'The best way for us is to offer ourselves, put up ourselves as candidates for alternative parties, so that we can raise the unfiltered issues and concerns of our citizens in Parliament, and hopefully the government will listen. 'I believe that a life well-lived is a life of sacrifice.' Join ST's WhatsApp Channel and get the latest news and must-reads.
