PAP, WP, PSP and SDP chiefs speak on key issues like jobs, why voters should back them
By Yuen Sin, The Straits Times, 8 Jul 2020
Leaders from the four largest political parties - by number of seats contested - spoke on how they would address key issues like jobs, and why voters should support them, in a video launched by The Straits Times yesterday.
In the 5 Questions video, each party leader from the People's Action Party (PAP), Workers' Party (WP), Progress Singapore Party (PSP) and the Singapore Democratic Party (SDP) gave his take on a set of five questions posed to them.
They had up to three minutes to answer each of the following questions:
• What are the top three issues in GE2020, and why;
• How their party would secure jobs and livelihoods for Singaporeans;
• How they plan to address what they see as the main political and social changes arising from the COVID-19 crisis;
• How Singapore can best secure its place in the world amid changes taking place globally; and
• Why Singaporeans should vote for their party.
Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, the PAP's secretary-general, said jobs and livelihoods are a main concern. WP secretary-general Pritam Singh and SDP chief Chee Soon Juan said likewise.
PM Lee said the pandemic has generated a "very deep recession", and while Singapore has taken steps to protect jobs and incomes, the situation will get worse before it takes a turn for the better.
"We have to be able to protect the jobs and keep our economy intact so that we can recover again and people can see through this time," he said.
Dr Chee said the economy has taken a "big whack" as a result of the pandemic. It is important to introduce a retrenchment benefit scheme so that there is a safety net for workers, he added.
The influx of foreign workers also suppresses locals' wages, he said.
WP's Mr Singh, meanwhile, noted the Government's plans to create 100,000 jobs and training opportunities this year through the National Jobs Council.
A key question to ask will be whether these opportunities will lead to a transfer of skills to Singaporeans over time, especially for high-end jobs, he said.
PSP chief Tan Cheng Bock said keeping the COVID-19 situation under control is the top priority, as this has further implications for jobs and the economy if left unchecked.
"(If) the (COVID-19) numbers are high, I don't think all these attempts to... get people to come here and also along with it the jobs, the investments, will be happening," he said, because there would be a lack of trust and confidence in the system.
On why Singaporeans should vote for his party, PM Lee said Singaporeans can trust the PAP, which has "never let you down" and will offer Singaporeans security for the future.
"For 15 years I have been PM, I have done my best to serve you. In the last term, you gave us a strong mandate. And we have delivered on that," he said.
PM Lee added that COVID-19 and the economic downturn will not be going away any time soon. "And unless we have good leadership from the PAP, I think we will be in a much weaker position."
Mr Singh said the WP represents a constructive opposition in Parliament. "We don't see the PAP as the enemy," he said, adding that the WP wants a Singapore with good outcomes for the country and for Singaporeans.
"We will have to work hard for those outcomes, but we feel that a diversity of voices in Parliament is critical for that to take place."
Dr Chee reiterated the SDP's Four Yes, One No campaign slogan, which includes saying yes to a payout to help retirees meet basic needs and yes to the PAP putting the people's interest first, and making sure they do not "capitalise and manipulate the system in their interest".
Dr Tan said he and the PSP's candidates will stand strongly by the fundamental principles of accountability, transparency and ensuring the independence of appointments of leaders, especially in the civil service.
PM Lee concluded that eventually, the COVID-19 crisis will pass, and attention will then turn again to building a better life for Singaporeans.
"And that means plans. That means resolution. That means resourcefulness and unity, to navigate the uncertainty and to go through together.
"That requires leadership from the Government and unity and support from the people which underlies all three things: lives, jobs, future."
1. WHAT DOES YOUR PARTY SEE AS THE TOP THREE ISSUES IN GE2020 AND WHY?
PRIME MINISTER LEE HSIEN LOONG
Well, our manifesto sets it out clearly: our lives, our jobs, our future. Our lives, because COVID-19 is a life threat. We are here in a stable position. But the problem is far from over.
It is going to last quite a long time, it is quite a dangerous problem. We must be vigilant. We must have the Government ready to respond. And we must have a population strongly cooperating with the Government with various measures so that we keep ourselves safe.
Secondly, our jobs. Because COVID-19 has generated a very deep recession, our jobs are at risk. We've protected our jobs through drastic herculean measures. Four Budgets, a hundred billion dollars. But the worst is yet to come.
Up to now, unemployment has been kept quite low. Income impact on people, not so bad. Businesses, some losses but not so bad.
But it's going to get worse before it gets better. And we have to be able to protect the jobs and keep our economy intact so that we can recover again and people can see through this time.
Thirdly, our future.
One day COVID-19 will pass. The recession will be over, we will move on. And we want to move on to our goal of a better Singapore, a transformed society and economy and a better life for all.
And that means plans. That means resolution. That means resourcefulness and unity, to navigate the uncertainty and to go through together.
That requires leadership from the Government and unity and support from the people which underlies all three things: lives, jobs, future.
MR PRITAM SINGH
Well, I think the first issue has to be jobs, jobs jobs, but not just any job. The Government has announced that it is looking at 100,000 new jobs and traineeship placements. I think a lot of Singaporeans have asked me: "Mr Singh, which of these jobs are going to really propel Singapore into another league?"
A number of jobs will be created, I'm sure. A second issue related to this is those jobs that are created - do we see a skill transfer to Singaporeans over time, especially for the high-end jobs? So certainly, this is something that will keep on repeating itself as we move forward in the next few months.
Apart from jobs, let's look at the decade going forward.
This particular decade, we will see the doubling of our elderly population from 450,000 to 900,000 Singaporeans. It will change the complexion of Singapore society and, for our seniors, it is very important that the government of the day is on top of the issues that are affecting them.
In the WP manifesto, we have talked about more flexible Medisave usage, reducing the expenditure, the cost of living expenditure for Singaporean seniors, and that will be something we will have to press very hard in Parliament, and certainly things of a different nature, like, for example, if people still want to work, how can we help them reduce their cost of living?
So one proposal has been free public transport for Singaporeans above the age of 65 and for all Singaporeans with disabilities.
And this is really an attempt from the Workers' Party to make us a more compassionate society, and I think that's very critical.
I believe very strongly in this and this is going to be one of the points that we'll push quite hard in Parliament.
Finally, of course, a big issue in this election will be how strong a mandate does the Government need in Parliament.
And our view is, with 21 candidates, anything up to one-third of opposition in Parliament will still give the Government a very strong mandate to run its policies.
But what the people will have is a strong check in government, which, No. 1, will allow the Government to continue to function; and No. 2, it will also ensure that the voices of the public are heard.
DR TAN CHENG BOCK
Well, I see the main issue in this current election is COVID-19. How we manage COVID-19 would determine our future. For example, if we do not manage the COVID-19 crisis properly, I believe that what we want - like all the investors to come in, the tourists, all these people to come in - will not be realised because they are watching how we manage the pandemic.
And if, let's say, the number (of cases) is high, I don't think all these attempts to get people to come here - and also along with it the jobs, the investments - will be happening because there is no confidence in the way we are managing this COVID-19.
And without confidence, there will be no trust. How are they going to trust that when they send those people over here to come and help in the companies... they will (be willing to) come?
So to me, the priority actually is COVID-19 and so the other issues... (come after) how you manage COVID-19.
And honestly, I feel that if we were to take our eye off this, off COVID-19, and concentrate on just jobs, jobs, jobs, jobs, I'm not so sure whether that would be good or not.
I am thinking of lives and livelihoods, which is a very, very important aspect of our future.
And how we are going to manage our lives - for example, how we are going to manage our economy - all this really depends on this global activity that could be generated as a result of good control of the COVID-19.
And at the moment, I see that our over-concentration on the other aspects may not be very proper. You may have lost sight of the disease, you are managing only the symptoms.
DR CHEE SOON JUAN
People are very concerned with their jobs and rightly so because of the pandemic that's just broken out and given the economy a big whack.
Because of this, retrenchment has become a huge topic and that's why we think it's important for us to be talking about and pushing to introduce a retrenchment benefit scheme, and something that we've proposed in this election is for retrenched workers to receive a payout of 75 per cent of the last drawn salary capped at median wage in the first six months, and 50 per cent in the second six months, and 25 per cent in the final six months. Something like that will give retrenched workers something to work on even as the bills pile up and the income stops.
Related to that is job creation. Retrenched workers need to find reemployment, and one of the things that we've found really important is to have some kind of programme for retrenched workers to come together.
And we propose that if you can actually find similarly retrenched workers and are able to come up with a viable business plan, the Government should allow them to withdraw these payouts in one lump sum so that they can go out and start a cooperative enterprise.
This will just get them back into the economy as productive members.
The third issue that we're very concerned about is related to this issue as well. And that is the ongoing influx of foreign PMETs. Unemployment has been going up in the last few years, underemployment is also a huge problem over here, and you have these issues.
We are not against foreign workers coming in. What we have a problem with is that when these foreign workers come in, they are most of the time employed because they are able to afford these low wages that Singaporeans cannot survive on.
And if that's the case, then you're talking about wages being suppressed, and that continues to be a problem with our local workers, Singaporean workers, and I think something needs to be done about this before the situation gets from bad to worse.
2. HOW WILL YOUR PARTY SECURE JOBS AND LIVELIHOODS FOR SINGAPOREANS AMID THE COVID-19 CRISIS?
PM LEE
We have been doing this right from the beginning because once we saw COVID-19's impact on the countries in the world, we knew that the economy would be badly hit. So we are looking after existing jobs, to preserve them.
We are looking after the people who are affected, losing incomes or jobs. And we're also making sure that we create new jobs for the future.
For the people in jobs, our schemes have spent a lot of government money, like on the Jobs Support Scheme to help employers pay for the wages of their workers and keep their workers employed, rather than letting them go. And it has been effective so far.
And we're also helping the companies, especially the SMEs, who are needing to manage their cash flow, needing to manage their financing, their interest costs, to keep their costs low, and keep their companies going.
Secondly, we have schemes which help the people whose incomes have been affected or who have lost their jobs.
So you've got things like the COVID-19 Support Grant, we've got the Temporary Relief Fund, which helps individuals to tide over. And for the self-employed in the gig economy, who are particularly badly hit, we have the SIRS, the Self-employed Income Relief Scheme, which has helped tens of thousands, a hundred thousand people, to tide over this.
For the longer term, the more sustainable solution is training, getting new jobs and therefore SkillsFuture and SkillsFuture programmes, which have been ramped up substantially.
Thirdly, we have to create job opportunities. And we're talking about 100,000 job and training opportunities in the public sector and the private sector - the public sector itself, 15,000 job opportunities - and that means opportunities for jobs and opportunities also for training, leading on to jobs. And many of these are targeted at workers who are in their 40s and their 50s.
And we also have schemes aimed at fresh graduates going into the workforce for the first time, in a very difficult year.
We have a National Jobs Council led by Senior Minister Tharman (Shanmugaratnam), and it is coordinating and driving efforts in the Government and also working with the unions, and business associations, and the private sector.
To create new jobs, the key is new investments, new projects and, therefore, new opportunities to work. And the Economic Development Board has been doing a remarkable job bringing in new investments - $13 billion of investment commitments in the first three months of this year. And it can do this because people have confidence in Singapore, in our politics, in our leaders, in the ministers, in the civil service, in the workforce, which is the best in the world.
We must keep it like that. So that we maintain the confidence. And we continue to bring in investments and create jobs and a better, secure future for our people.
MR SINGH
This is a very important question that the Workers' Party has spent some time thinking about and we had to adjust our manifesto in the last few months.
So the first chapter opens with COVID-19 proposals. But I'll take a step back and look at it from a larger economic standpoint.
So, for example, if we look on a broad level, one of the things that we've proposed is an Exim Bank (Export Import Bank) for Singapore, and the real purpose of this is to make Singapore goods and services more attractive for locals, foreigners, anyone. And this really is a case of trying to build up the economy and trying to ensure that our SMEs always have customers coming in.
Another proposal that we have made, of course, is controlling industrial rents and this is really a pain point for many SMEs because rents can really kill the business. And so one of the agenda items is really to have a look at this in a more dedicated way going forward.
Then, of course, you look at company-specific enhancements that we have sought to consider.
No. 1, incentivising Singaporean businesses that actually hire Singaporeans by way of tax relief, tax rebates. That's one important area that we've looked at.
The other aspect also looks at the individual, for example, certain industries where we can further tighten employment pass criteria. I think we should do that so that more Singaporeans can take on jobs in those industries.
Then, of course, at the individual level, we have proposed for SkillsFuture education loans for people who really want to change industries but they need to be retrained in a much more significant way.
These are some of the ways that we've put forward to secure jobs in the months to come.
And I certainly hope that, you know, we have a greater debate on some of these issues in Parliament.
DR TAN
Yeah, how we manage, as I said earlier, the COVID-19 will determine our jobs because I presume that we want to get people to come here and invest, (so that we can) get the jobs that we want.
But for me, I am thinking, that is more like a (top down) approach. I want a ground approach. I would like to encourage that we should really relook some of our rules and regulations pertaining to our businesses in Singapore.
We have to go back to the drawing board and see whether our current rules and regulations are affecting the new environment. And if we keep on sticking to the old rules and old regulations, I wonder whether our businesses here can really manage or not. So, to me, I feel that that is a very, very important area.
Then, of course, I think we have to look at the people who are working at home now, how are they going to manage at home? Do we provide things for them?
So, I also think maybe at the void decks, maybe (have a) home sharing facility so that while working, if they need some support, they would be able to go down. Maybe at the void deck, they can have facilities for them to help them to do all the work at home.
So, you must not think only about getting jobs from the outside, we must try to get all the jobs from ground up.
In fact, you should support them with some of the money that we have actually drawn from our reserves.
We should go in to look at all these areas, how to support our local industries. Because remember as I said, what we expect, those jobs that we want to create are primary, (it) would depend on the global activity, and with this global slowdown, with this breakdown in globalisation, I worry whether they really want to come or not.
So, unless we think out of the box and depend on all that sort, I am not so sure whether we can get the jobs that we want or not. So, we got to make sure our local base is strong.
DR CHEE
As I mentioned a little while ago, this whole programme of allowing retrenched workers to make sure that they are able to band together and try to come up with some kind of business plan - that will really stimulate pushing for an entrepreneurial class developed in Singapore so sorely lacking.
As far as jobs and livelihoods are concerned, what we need to do is to make sure that we lower costs at this point. By that I mean putting more money into the pockets of Singaporeans.
If you provide retrenchment benefits for retrenched workers, you're really telling them that, hey with this money, go out and spend it and pay bills and buy groceries and so on and so forth. No retrenched worker is going to take the money and fly out to Paris for a holiday, right? So what we're going to do is helping businesses, local businesses to thrive, stimulate the economy.
The same thing for the programme for retirement income for the elderly - to give 80 per cent of the lower income group of retirees $500 monthly income.
This money can then be used by these retirees in our local economy, and it really will help to stimulate the economy.
And when businesses begin to be able to survive and thrive hopefully some time in the future, they're going to be able to then sustain jobs and not go bankrupt and then have to retrench even more workers and then you get the spiral downwards.
So we're very concerned and these are two of our plans to make sure that we continue to put money into the pockets of Singaporeans so that we can sustain jobs and even create more of them.
By Yuen Sin, The Straits Times, 8 Jul 2020
In the 5 Questions video, each party leader from the People's Action Party (PAP), Workers' Party (WP), Progress Singapore Party (PSP) and the Singapore Democratic Party (SDP) gave his take on a set of five questions posed to them.
They had up to three minutes to answer each of the following questions:
• What are the top three issues in GE2020, and why;
• How their party would secure jobs and livelihoods for Singaporeans;
• How they plan to address what they see as the main political and social changes arising from the COVID-19 crisis;
• How Singapore can best secure its place in the world amid changes taking place globally; and
• Why Singaporeans should vote for their party.
Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, the PAP's secretary-general, said jobs and livelihoods are a main concern. WP secretary-general Pritam Singh and SDP chief Chee Soon Juan said likewise.
PM Lee said the pandemic has generated a "very deep recession", and while Singapore has taken steps to protect jobs and incomes, the situation will get worse before it takes a turn for the better.
"We have to be able to protect the jobs and keep our economy intact so that we can recover again and people can see through this time," he said.
Dr Chee said the economy has taken a "big whack" as a result of the pandemic. It is important to introduce a retrenchment benefit scheme so that there is a safety net for workers, he added.
The influx of foreign workers also suppresses locals' wages, he said.
WP's Mr Singh, meanwhile, noted the Government's plans to create 100,000 jobs and training opportunities this year through the National Jobs Council.
A key question to ask will be whether these opportunities will lead to a transfer of skills to Singaporeans over time, especially for high-end jobs, he said.
PSP chief Tan Cheng Bock said keeping the COVID-19 situation under control is the top priority, as this has further implications for jobs and the economy if left unchecked.
"(If) the (COVID-19) numbers are high, I don't think all these attempts to... get people to come here and also along with it the jobs, the investments, will be happening," he said, because there would be a lack of trust and confidence in the system.
On why Singaporeans should vote for his party, PM Lee said Singaporeans can trust the PAP, which has "never let you down" and will offer Singaporeans security for the future.
"For 15 years I have been PM, I have done my best to serve you. In the last term, you gave us a strong mandate. And we have delivered on that," he said.
PM Lee added that COVID-19 and the economic downturn will not be going away any time soon. "And unless we have good leadership from the PAP, I think we will be in a much weaker position."
Mr Singh said the WP represents a constructive opposition in Parliament. "We don't see the PAP as the enemy," he said, adding that the WP wants a Singapore with good outcomes for the country and for Singaporeans.
"We will have to work hard for those outcomes, but we feel that a diversity of voices in Parliament is critical for that to take place."
Dr Chee reiterated the SDP's Four Yes, One No campaign slogan, which includes saying yes to a payout to help retirees meet basic needs and yes to the PAP putting the people's interest first, and making sure they do not "capitalise and manipulate the system in their interest".
Dr Tan said he and the PSP's candidates will stand strongly by the fundamental principles of accountability, transparency and ensuring the independence of appointments of leaders, especially in the civil service.
PM Lee concluded that eventually, the COVID-19 crisis will pass, and attention will then turn again to building a better life for Singaporeans.
"And that means plans. That means resolution. That means resourcefulness and unity, to navigate the uncertainty and to go through together.
"That requires leadership from the Government and unity and support from the people which underlies all three things: lives, jobs, future."
1. WHAT DOES YOUR PARTY SEE AS THE TOP THREE ISSUES IN GE2020 AND WHY?
PRIME MINISTER LEE HSIEN LOONG
It is going to last quite a long time, it is quite a dangerous problem. We must be vigilant. We must have the Government ready to respond. And we must have a population strongly cooperating with the Government with various measures so that we keep ourselves safe.
Secondly, our jobs. Because COVID-19 has generated a very deep recession, our jobs are at risk. We've protected our jobs through drastic herculean measures. Four Budgets, a hundred billion dollars. But the worst is yet to come.
Up to now, unemployment has been kept quite low. Income impact on people, not so bad. Businesses, some losses but not so bad.
But it's going to get worse before it gets better. And we have to be able to protect the jobs and keep our economy intact so that we can recover again and people can see through this time.
Thirdly, our future.
One day COVID-19 will pass. The recession will be over, we will move on. And we want to move on to our goal of a better Singapore, a transformed society and economy and a better life for all.
And that means plans. That means resolution. That means resourcefulness and unity, to navigate the uncertainty and to go through together.
That requires leadership from the Government and unity and support from the people which underlies all three things: lives, jobs, future.
MR PRITAM SINGH
A number of jobs will be created, I'm sure. A second issue related to this is those jobs that are created - do we see a skill transfer to Singaporeans over time, especially for the high-end jobs? So certainly, this is something that will keep on repeating itself as we move forward in the next few months.
Apart from jobs, let's look at the decade going forward.
This particular decade, we will see the doubling of our elderly population from 450,000 to 900,000 Singaporeans. It will change the complexion of Singapore society and, for our seniors, it is very important that the government of the day is on top of the issues that are affecting them.
In the WP manifesto, we have talked about more flexible Medisave usage, reducing the expenditure, the cost of living expenditure for Singaporean seniors, and that will be something we will have to press very hard in Parliament, and certainly things of a different nature, like, for example, if people still want to work, how can we help them reduce their cost of living?
So one proposal has been free public transport for Singaporeans above the age of 65 and for all Singaporeans with disabilities.
And this is really an attempt from the Workers' Party to make us a more compassionate society, and I think that's very critical.
I believe very strongly in this and this is going to be one of the points that we'll push quite hard in Parliament.
Finally, of course, a big issue in this election will be how strong a mandate does the Government need in Parliament.
And our view is, with 21 candidates, anything up to one-third of opposition in Parliament will still give the Government a very strong mandate to run its policies.
But what the people will have is a strong check in government, which, No. 1, will allow the Government to continue to function; and No. 2, it will also ensure that the voices of the public are heard.
DR TAN CHENG BOCK
And if, let's say, the number (of cases) is high, I don't think all these attempts to get people to come here - and also along with it the jobs, the investments - will be happening because there is no confidence in the way we are managing this COVID-19.
And without confidence, there will be no trust. How are they going to trust that when they send those people over here to come and help in the companies... they will (be willing to) come?
So to me, the priority actually is COVID-19 and so the other issues... (come after) how you manage COVID-19.
And honestly, I feel that if we were to take our eye off this, off COVID-19, and concentrate on just jobs, jobs, jobs, jobs, I'm not so sure whether that would be good or not.
I am thinking of lives and livelihoods, which is a very, very important aspect of our future.
And how we are going to manage our lives - for example, how we are going to manage our economy - all this really depends on this global activity that could be generated as a result of good control of the COVID-19.
And at the moment, I see that our over-concentration on the other aspects may not be very proper. You may have lost sight of the disease, you are managing only the symptoms.
DR CHEE SOON JUAN
Because of this, retrenchment has become a huge topic and that's why we think it's important for us to be talking about and pushing to introduce a retrenchment benefit scheme, and something that we've proposed in this election is for retrenched workers to receive a payout of 75 per cent of the last drawn salary capped at median wage in the first six months, and 50 per cent in the second six months, and 25 per cent in the final six months. Something like that will give retrenched workers something to work on even as the bills pile up and the income stops.
Related to that is job creation. Retrenched workers need to find reemployment, and one of the things that we've found really important is to have some kind of programme for retrenched workers to come together.
And we propose that if you can actually find similarly retrenched workers and are able to come up with a viable business plan, the Government should allow them to withdraw these payouts in one lump sum so that they can go out and start a cooperative enterprise.
This will just get them back into the economy as productive members.
The third issue that we're very concerned about is related to this issue as well. And that is the ongoing influx of foreign PMETs. Unemployment has been going up in the last few years, underemployment is also a huge problem over here, and you have these issues.
We are not against foreign workers coming in. What we have a problem with is that when these foreign workers come in, they are most of the time employed because they are able to afford these low wages that Singaporeans cannot survive on.
And if that's the case, then you're talking about wages being suppressed, and that continues to be a problem with our local workers, Singaporean workers, and I think something needs to be done about this before the situation gets from bad to worse.
2. HOW WILL YOUR PARTY SECURE JOBS AND LIVELIHOODS FOR SINGAPOREANS AMID THE COVID-19 CRISIS?
PM LEE
We have been doing this right from the beginning because once we saw COVID-19's impact on the countries in the world, we knew that the economy would be badly hit. So we are looking after existing jobs, to preserve them.
We are looking after the people who are affected, losing incomes or jobs. And we're also making sure that we create new jobs for the future.
For the people in jobs, our schemes have spent a lot of government money, like on the Jobs Support Scheme to help employers pay for the wages of their workers and keep their workers employed, rather than letting them go. And it has been effective so far.
And we're also helping the companies, especially the SMEs, who are needing to manage their cash flow, needing to manage their financing, their interest costs, to keep their costs low, and keep their companies going.
Secondly, we have schemes which help the people whose incomes have been affected or who have lost their jobs.
So you've got things like the COVID-19 Support Grant, we've got the Temporary Relief Fund, which helps individuals to tide over. And for the self-employed in the gig economy, who are particularly badly hit, we have the SIRS, the Self-employed Income Relief Scheme, which has helped tens of thousands, a hundred thousand people, to tide over this.
For the longer term, the more sustainable solution is training, getting new jobs and therefore SkillsFuture and SkillsFuture programmes, which have been ramped up substantially.
Thirdly, we have to create job opportunities. And we're talking about 100,000 job and training opportunities in the public sector and the private sector - the public sector itself, 15,000 job opportunities - and that means opportunities for jobs and opportunities also for training, leading on to jobs. And many of these are targeted at workers who are in their 40s and their 50s.
And we also have schemes aimed at fresh graduates going into the workforce for the first time, in a very difficult year.
We have a National Jobs Council led by Senior Minister Tharman (Shanmugaratnam), and it is coordinating and driving efforts in the Government and also working with the unions, and business associations, and the private sector.
To create new jobs, the key is new investments, new projects and, therefore, new opportunities to work. And the Economic Development Board has been doing a remarkable job bringing in new investments - $13 billion of investment commitments in the first three months of this year. And it can do this because people have confidence in Singapore, in our politics, in our leaders, in the ministers, in the civil service, in the workforce, which is the best in the world.
We must keep it like that. So that we maintain the confidence. And we continue to bring in investments and create jobs and a better, secure future for our people.
MR SINGH
This is a very important question that the Workers' Party has spent some time thinking about and we had to adjust our manifesto in the last few months.
So the first chapter opens with COVID-19 proposals. But I'll take a step back and look at it from a larger economic standpoint.
So, for example, if we look on a broad level, one of the things that we've proposed is an Exim Bank (Export Import Bank) for Singapore, and the real purpose of this is to make Singapore goods and services more attractive for locals, foreigners, anyone. And this really is a case of trying to build up the economy and trying to ensure that our SMEs always have customers coming in.
Another proposal that we have made, of course, is controlling industrial rents and this is really a pain point for many SMEs because rents can really kill the business. And so one of the agenda items is really to have a look at this in a more dedicated way going forward.
Then, of course, you look at company-specific enhancements that we have sought to consider.
No. 1, incentivising Singaporean businesses that actually hire Singaporeans by way of tax relief, tax rebates. That's one important area that we've looked at.
The other aspect also looks at the individual, for example, certain industries where we can further tighten employment pass criteria. I think we should do that so that more Singaporeans can take on jobs in those industries.
Then, of course, at the individual level, we have proposed for SkillsFuture education loans for people who really want to change industries but they need to be retrained in a much more significant way.
These are some of the ways that we've put forward to secure jobs in the months to come.
And I certainly hope that, you know, we have a greater debate on some of these issues in Parliament.
DR TAN
Yeah, how we manage, as I said earlier, the COVID-19 will determine our jobs because I presume that we want to get people to come here and invest, (so that we can) get the jobs that we want.
But for me, I am thinking, that is more like a (top down) approach. I want a ground approach. I would like to encourage that we should really relook some of our rules and regulations pertaining to our businesses in Singapore.
We have to go back to the drawing board and see whether our current rules and regulations are affecting the new environment. And if we keep on sticking to the old rules and old regulations, I wonder whether our businesses here can really manage or not. So, to me, I feel that that is a very, very important area.
Then, of course, I think we have to look at the people who are working at home now, how are they going to manage at home? Do we provide things for them?
So, I also think maybe at the void decks, maybe (have a) home sharing facility so that while working, if they need some support, they would be able to go down. Maybe at the void deck, they can have facilities for them to help them to do all the work at home.
So, you must not think only about getting jobs from the outside, we must try to get all the jobs from ground up.
In fact, you should support them with some of the money that we have actually drawn from our reserves.
We should go in to look at all these areas, how to support our local industries. Because remember as I said, what we expect, those jobs that we want to create are primary, (it) would depend on the global activity, and with this global slowdown, with this breakdown in globalisation, I worry whether they really want to come or not.
So, unless we think out of the box and depend on all that sort, I am not so sure whether we can get the jobs that we want or not. So, we got to make sure our local base is strong.
DR CHEE
As I mentioned a little while ago, this whole programme of allowing retrenched workers to make sure that they are able to band together and try to come up with some kind of business plan - that will really stimulate pushing for an entrepreneurial class developed in Singapore so sorely lacking.
As far as jobs and livelihoods are concerned, what we need to do is to make sure that we lower costs at this point. By that I mean putting more money into the pockets of Singaporeans.
If you provide retrenchment benefits for retrenched workers, you're really telling them that, hey with this money, go out and spend it and pay bills and buy groceries and so on and so forth. No retrenched worker is going to take the money and fly out to Paris for a holiday, right? So what we're going to do is helping businesses, local businesses to thrive, stimulate the economy.
The same thing for the programme for retirement income for the elderly - to give 80 per cent of the lower income group of retirees $500 monthly income.
This money can then be used by these retirees in our local economy, and it really will help to stimulate the economy.
And when businesses begin to be able to survive and thrive hopefully some time in the future, they're going to be able to then sustain jobs and not go bankrupt and then have to retrench even more workers and then you get the spiral downwards.
So we're very concerned and these are two of our plans to make sure that we continue to put money into the pockets of Singaporeans so that we can sustain jobs and even create more of them.
3. WHAT DO YOU SEE AS THE MAIN POLITICAL AND SOCIAL CHANGES ARISING FROM THE CRISIS, AND HOW WILL YOUR PARTY ADDRESS THEM?
PM LEE
The crisis has put many societies under great stress. If you look at the West, often COVID-19 hurts the poor and minorities disproportionately. And it's deepened fault lines in these societies. And we've been very mindful of this.
So right from the beginning of the crisis, we have systematically paid attention to the more vulnerable groups to look after them.
So you have the Care and Support Package for households. We have the Workfare special payouts for low-income workers. Even during the circuit breaker period, keeping students from disadvantaged homes in school and having their schools open for them, so that they will not miss out on learning opportunities because they can't do it at home.
But even long before the crisis, we have already strived to ensure equal opportunities in every generation, with affordable housing, education and healthcare.
We've strengthened social safety nets, we've had Workfare. We've had the Progressive Wage Model for the low-income. We've got the Pioneer Generation Package, the Merdeka Generation Package, we've got the Silver Support for older workers who are not so well-off and don't have so much CPF.
So, after COVID-19 and even without that, but faster now, we will have to do more. For example, with healthcare, we definitely have to build up to provide more services, which means more resources, and we are committing these resources. And all these programmes have to be paid for.
And we are quite upfront with the people, that we will make the programmes work, we will deliver the results for you. But it does mean that we have to pay for them and the GST, at some stage, has to go up some time in this term of government or rather in the next term of government, after we have overcome the crisis.
But we've also given assurance to the public, that low-and middle-income families will be amply looked after, and we have a $6 billion package of offsets when we implement the GST.
In other countries where they have not managed COVID-19 well, there are many political implications. You may have a change of government, you may even have loss of confidence in the whole political system. But our experience with crisis has been that if we manage it well, we emerge strengthened. The Pioneer Generation with independence, the Merdeka Generation taking us from Third World to First.
So they went through, the crises were overwhelming, but they were not overwhelmed. They emerged toughened. And this time for this generation, this is the crisis of our generation. And we must emerge toughened, stronger, and tightly bonded with the Government. And that will see us through, Singapore through, for another generation and more.
MR SINGH
I think what is really coming to fore with COVID-19 is certain blind spots in government thinking. And one of our key agenda items is to work towards a new brand of politics where information is the key currency which allows Singaporeans to participate and to get involved in policy making, and also to consider how we can envisage a better Singapore going forward. I think that's very important.
The PAP will still form the Government, but that's why it's so important to bring more opposition voices into Parliament so that we can frame the conversation with the people at the centre of the Government's agenda.
DR TAN
I will see the political changes as like an awakening now - an awakening because, suddenly, Singaporeans are all thrust into this stay-at-home environment that gives them more time to think and to assess issues, and to look at what is actually happening. So I think they will want, I believe, to have a different way of looking at things, and even in the political arena.
And I would like to believe that they will now take a closer look at whether this one-party system that we have here will be able to look at this global situation that we create.
And I think it is better that we all work as a family, come together. Sometimes we may have political differences, but at the end of the day, I have to think of the people first. And these are people I find that need help, whatever.
And if the Government has come up with something that's very good for them, there's no reason why we will not support it also. So, actually, look at it as something that will affect everybody, no longer you having the monopoly of being able to manage this properly.
It is a joint effort, it's for the people. So I would like to work along those lines.
DR CHEE
The one thing that we've said all along is that the Government, the PAP, must not put itself before the people. I remind Singaporeans that even as early as March, before the situation got really bad, the PAP already started thinking of having this election. And from that, the ministers started going out campaigning. I remember seeing Mrs Josephine Teo out, trying to have this event with women candidates. Dr Ng Eng Hen, Mr Shanmugam, Mr Goh Chok Tong, they were all out on walkabouts, you know, and they took the eye off the ball.
In a situation like this, in a crisis that was unprecedented - in their words - you could not afford to have ministers take the eye off the ball and just start pivoting towards an election. Now, that has to change.
All this came about because somehow the PAP always sees itself as above the law, above the people. And that just doesn't quite inspire the confidence that the Government is for the people and puts the people first.
The other problem that we've seen is that this pandemic has exposed, laid bare the problems of our society as far as the income divide is concerned.
During the lockdown, where students had to do home-based learning, it was reported that 3,000 students had to borrow - and some of these electronic devices had to be loaned out to them.
Why, in a day and age where we are the poster country for Crazy Rich Asians, where we are by the last count one of the richest countries in the world in terms of the number of billionaires and millionaires per capita, is it that we still have students who cannot afford these computer devices?
You have the elderly too. Many of them continue to have to work and work for wages that are just below poverty level.
It's a shame that we have to continue to have something like this going on. And as I've said, post-COVID Singapore, we have to address these sorts of issues as well.
4. SINGAPORE IS A SMALL, OPEN, MULTIRACIAL NATION. HOW CAN IT BEST SECURE ITS PLACE IN THE WORLD AMID THE CHANGES TAKING PLACE AROUND US?
PM LEE
Well, we must understand what our national interests are. A small country, we depend on international rule of law. We depend on an open, rules-based, multilateral system with international bodies to help make it work, like the United Nations, like the World Trade Organisation (WTO), like the World Bank, like the International Monetary Fund.
And we also depend on being friends to all countries wherever we can. It won't be so easy because you can see that US-China relations are deteriorating. We don't want to be forced to take sides. But it is going to become harder to be friends of both, the way things are going.
There will be times when we have national interests at stake, important ones, and then we will have to stand firm, even if this causes some impact on our relations with other countries. But in that case, especially, I think it's very important for us to be seen to be acting on principles, acting on our own behalf, and not acting as a proxy for anybody else. So an independent foreign policy, standing up for Singapore.
We will also make common cause with like-minded partners to make our voices heard - partners in Asean, other small countries around the world, particularly those who have open outlooks on trade and multilateralism. So at the UN, we have groups like the Global Governance Group, the Forum Of Small States, we are taken quite seriously internationally. Why?
Firstly, Singapore is a success story, there is something to talk about. Otherwise, you may have the most eloquent speeches in the UN, nobody will pay attention to you.
Secondly, because we have capable ministers and diplomats, so we are able to engage on an equal level with their counterparts from much bigger and more powerful countries. And when there's an international meeting, we're able to make a contribution. We help to foster consensus, we help to broker a deal. And therefore people find us useful whether it's at the WTO meetings, whether climate change meetings, whether it's RCEP (Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership), and we are welcomed to participate and listen too.
Thirdly, because Singaporeans are united, and the Government has strong support. When the ministers speak, they speak with confidence and with weight and therefore people have to listen and we don't open ourselves up to being manipulated or being split.
And we must keep these strengths in order to make ourselves relevant and heard, and secure our position in the world.
Finally, of course, apart from diplomacy, there's the SAF. In the last resort, be prepared to defend ourselves. Make sure that as our security is maintained, nobody takes advantage of us.
MR SINGH
Well, I think the best way to do that is to take a look inside first in Singapore, and I think we really need to strengthen the social safety nets for people who fall between the cracks – all the low income and those who need help and assistance.
Singapore will be an open nation. Let’s face some realities here, we have to be friendly to trade, open trade, but it is precisely because of that reason that we need to double down on what our people face in Singapore. Those who can enter the slipstream of globalisation, it is smooth, but there are some who will suffer turbulence.
And what we need to do is to make sure that those who are in turbulence are lifted up. And that is the point about stronger social safety nets, and that also defines a lot of the proposals that the Workers’ Party has made in our manifesto.
DR TAN
I think for Singapore to have a place in the world, we have got to keep it very open. In other words, we welcome all people who can make a contribution to Singapore.
I have many a time been accused of being against foreign talent, but that is not true. Anyone who wants to come to Singapore and help us to grow is always welcome and my line has always been that.
But of course, we also have to be very careful because we have to think of our Singaporeans first, especially with regard to jobs. Whether or not Singaporeans can take on those jobs, I think we have to give them priority.
But foreigners are always welcome. And if they come here and bring very good expertise, I would also like them to share with Singaporeans - sharing in a sense that maybe after two or five years or so here, they should be able to impart their knowledge to our locals and train our locals.
I think in that way, we will have a better understanding of one another, you know, that you come here because you feel this place is good for you to do business, you're welcome, but there's always give and take.
Look, our people here also need your expertise. So let's work together. And if those people are really very good and want to take up citizenship or permanent residency, I think we should also welcome them.
If they really want to make Singapore their home, I don't want to be in the way, saying, "Oh, because you're a foreigner, we don't want you." No, no. We want people, anyone who can make a substantial contribution to this country. They're always welcome.
DR CHEE
The one thing that we really need to do is not continue in this fashion where all we're concerned about is GDP growth at all costs. That's not going to cut it, going forward.
What we need to do is to open up society and be a more inclusive society - and I mean genuinely more inclusive society, not just in work, not just in rhetoric - and by that, I mean to bring in people from all walks of life and to get our economy to... a stage whereby it depends on the people, the SMEs, to drive it, not on the GLCs. And so if this is going to be the path that we're going to take forward, then we can truly then begin to claim that we have come of age and we find our place in the international community.
If we're going to continue in this fashion whereby the Government is just going to get richer and richer and whereby we have an underclass, a permanent underclass, then all we can say is that we become a rich nation but never a great one, never a caring one. It is these qualities of a country that will propel us into the future.
We also need to democratise. If you look at the situation as this COVID pandemic has shown, we have gained some notoriety in terms of the way we've handled the outbreak here, especially with the way we've treated foreign workers.
And if we aspire to be a nation that's going to claim its place in the global community, then we must be able to take care of all the people in this country - citizens and foreigners - and begin to provide people with the security, people with a say in how we want to see our nation, our society, go forward and not to continue with this autocratic system where the PAP says one thing and everybody else has to jump to their feet and carry it out. That's not the way to go.
Going forward, we want to see some changes in this regard.
PM LEE
The crisis has put many societies under great stress. If you look at the West, often COVID-19 hurts the poor and minorities disproportionately. And it's deepened fault lines in these societies. And we've been very mindful of this.
So right from the beginning of the crisis, we have systematically paid attention to the more vulnerable groups to look after them.
So you have the Care and Support Package for households. We have the Workfare special payouts for low-income workers. Even during the circuit breaker period, keeping students from disadvantaged homes in school and having their schools open for them, so that they will not miss out on learning opportunities because they can't do it at home.
But even long before the crisis, we have already strived to ensure equal opportunities in every generation, with affordable housing, education and healthcare.
We've strengthened social safety nets, we've had Workfare. We've had the Progressive Wage Model for the low-income. We've got the Pioneer Generation Package, the Merdeka Generation Package, we've got the Silver Support for older workers who are not so well-off and don't have so much CPF.
So, after COVID-19 and even without that, but faster now, we will have to do more. For example, with healthcare, we definitely have to build up to provide more services, which means more resources, and we are committing these resources. And all these programmes have to be paid for.
And we are quite upfront with the people, that we will make the programmes work, we will deliver the results for you. But it does mean that we have to pay for them and the GST, at some stage, has to go up some time in this term of government or rather in the next term of government, after we have overcome the crisis.
But we've also given assurance to the public, that low-and middle-income families will be amply looked after, and we have a $6 billion package of offsets when we implement the GST.
In other countries where they have not managed COVID-19 well, there are many political implications. You may have a change of government, you may even have loss of confidence in the whole political system. But our experience with crisis has been that if we manage it well, we emerge strengthened. The Pioneer Generation with independence, the Merdeka Generation taking us from Third World to First.
So they went through, the crises were overwhelming, but they were not overwhelmed. They emerged toughened. And this time for this generation, this is the crisis of our generation. And we must emerge toughened, stronger, and tightly bonded with the Government. And that will see us through, Singapore through, for another generation and more.
MR SINGH
I think what is really coming to fore with COVID-19 is certain blind spots in government thinking. And one of our key agenda items is to work towards a new brand of politics where information is the key currency which allows Singaporeans to participate and to get involved in policy making, and also to consider how we can envisage a better Singapore going forward. I think that's very important.
The PAP will still form the Government, but that's why it's so important to bring more opposition voices into Parliament so that we can frame the conversation with the people at the centre of the Government's agenda.
DR TAN
I will see the political changes as like an awakening now - an awakening because, suddenly, Singaporeans are all thrust into this stay-at-home environment that gives them more time to think and to assess issues, and to look at what is actually happening. So I think they will want, I believe, to have a different way of looking at things, and even in the political arena.
And I would like to believe that they will now take a closer look at whether this one-party system that we have here will be able to look at this global situation that we create.
And I think it is better that we all work as a family, come together. Sometimes we may have political differences, but at the end of the day, I have to think of the people first. And these are people I find that need help, whatever.
And if the Government has come up with something that's very good for them, there's no reason why we will not support it also. So, actually, look at it as something that will affect everybody, no longer you having the monopoly of being able to manage this properly.
It is a joint effort, it's for the people. So I would like to work along those lines.
DR CHEE
The one thing that we've said all along is that the Government, the PAP, must not put itself before the people. I remind Singaporeans that even as early as March, before the situation got really bad, the PAP already started thinking of having this election. And from that, the ministers started going out campaigning. I remember seeing Mrs Josephine Teo out, trying to have this event with women candidates. Dr Ng Eng Hen, Mr Shanmugam, Mr Goh Chok Tong, they were all out on walkabouts, you know, and they took the eye off the ball.
In a situation like this, in a crisis that was unprecedented - in their words - you could not afford to have ministers take the eye off the ball and just start pivoting towards an election. Now, that has to change.
All this came about because somehow the PAP always sees itself as above the law, above the people. And that just doesn't quite inspire the confidence that the Government is for the people and puts the people first.
The other problem that we've seen is that this pandemic has exposed, laid bare the problems of our society as far as the income divide is concerned.
During the lockdown, where students had to do home-based learning, it was reported that 3,000 students had to borrow - and some of these electronic devices had to be loaned out to them.
Why, in a day and age where we are the poster country for Crazy Rich Asians, where we are by the last count one of the richest countries in the world in terms of the number of billionaires and millionaires per capita, is it that we still have students who cannot afford these computer devices?
You have the elderly too. Many of them continue to have to work and work for wages that are just below poverty level.
It's a shame that we have to continue to have something like this going on. And as I've said, post-COVID Singapore, we have to address these sorts of issues as well.
4. SINGAPORE IS A SMALL, OPEN, MULTIRACIAL NATION. HOW CAN IT BEST SECURE ITS PLACE IN THE WORLD AMID THE CHANGES TAKING PLACE AROUND US?
PM LEE
Well, we must understand what our national interests are. A small country, we depend on international rule of law. We depend on an open, rules-based, multilateral system with international bodies to help make it work, like the United Nations, like the World Trade Organisation (WTO), like the World Bank, like the International Monetary Fund.
And we also depend on being friends to all countries wherever we can. It won't be so easy because you can see that US-China relations are deteriorating. We don't want to be forced to take sides. But it is going to become harder to be friends of both, the way things are going.
There will be times when we have national interests at stake, important ones, and then we will have to stand firm, even if this causes some impact on our relations with other countries. But in that case, especially, I think it's very important for us to be seen to be acting on principles, acting on our own behalf, and not acting as a proxy for anybody else. So an independent foreign policy, standing up for Singapore.
We will also make common cause with like-minded partners to make our voices heard - partners in Asean, other small countries around the world, particularly those who have open outlooks on trade and multilateralism. So at the UN, we have groups like the Global Governance Group, the Forum Of Small States, we are taken quite seriously internationally. Why?
Firstly, Singapore is a success story, there is something to talk about. Otherwise, you may have the most eloquent speeches in the UN, nobody will pay attention to you.
Secondly, because we have capable ministers and diplomats, so we are able to engage on an equal level with their counterparts from much bigger and more powerful countries. And when there's an international meeting, we're able to make a contribution. We help to foster consensus, we help to broker a deal. And therefore people find us useful whether it's at the WTO meetings, whether climate change meetings, whether it's RCEP (Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership), and we are welcomed to participate and listen too.
Thirdly, because Singaporeans are united, and the Government has strong support. When the ministers speak, they speak with confidence and with weight and therefore people have to listen and we don't open ourselves up to being manipulated or being split.
And we must keep these strengths in order to make ourselves relevant and heard, and secure our position in the world.
Finally, of course, apart from diplomacy, there's the SAF. In the last resort, be prepared to defend ourselves. Make sure that as our security is maintained, nobody takes advantage of us.
MR SINGH
Well, I think the best way to do that is to take a look inside first in Singapore, and I think we really need to strengthen the social safety nets for people who fall between the cracks – all the low income and those who need help and assistance.
Singapore will be an open nation. Let’s face some realities here, we have to be friendly to trade, open trade, but it is precisely because of that reason that we need to double down on what our people face in Singapore. Those who can enter the slipstream of globalisation, it is smooth, but there are some who will suffer turbulence.
And what we need to do is to make sure that those who are in turbulence are lifted up. And that is the point about stronger social safety nets, and that also defines a lot of the proposals that the Workers’ Party has made in our manifesto.
DR TAN
I think for Singapore to have a place in the world, we have got to keep it very open. In other words, we welcome all people who can make a contribution to Singapore.
I have many a time been accused of being against foreign talent, but that is not true. Anyone who wants to come to Singapore and help us to grow is always welcome and my line has always been that.
But of course, we also have to be very careful because we have to think of our Singaporeans first, especially with regard to jobs. Whether or not Singaporeans can take on those jobs, I think we have to give them priority.
But foreigners are always welcome. And if they come here and bring very good expertise, I would also like them to share with Singaporeans - sharing in a sense that maybe after two or five years or so here, they should be able to impart their knowledge to our locals and train our locals.
I think in that way, we will have a better understanding of one another, you know, that you come here because you feel this place is good for you to do business, you're welcome, but there's always give and take.
Look, our people here also need your expertise. So let's work together. And if those people are really very good and want to take up citizenship or permanent residency, I think we should also welcome them.
If they really want to make Singapore their home, I don't want to be in the way, saying, "Oh, because you're a foreigner, we don't want you." No, no. We want people, anyone who can make a substantial contribution to this country. They're always welcome.
DR CHEE
The one thing that we really need to do is not continue in this fashion where all we're concerned about is GDP growth at all costs. That's not going to cut it, going forward.
What we need to do is to open up society and be a more inclusive society - and I mean genuinely more inclusive society, not just in work, not just in rhetoric - and by that, I mean to bring in people from all walks of life and to get our economy to... a stage whereby it depends on the people, the SMEs, to drive it, not on the GLCs. And so if this is going to be the path that we're going to take forward, then we can truly then begin to claim that we have come of age and we find our place in the international community.
If we're going to continue in this fashion whereby the Government is just going to get richer and richer and whereby we have an underclass, a permanent underclass, then all we can say is that we become a rich nation but never a great one, never a caring one. It is these qualities of a country that will propel us into the future.
We also need to democratise. If you look at the situation as this COVID pandemic has shown, we have gained some notoriety in terms of the way we've handled the outbreak here, especially with the way we've treated foreign workers.
And if we aspire to be a nation that's going to claim its place in the global community, then we must be able to take care of all the people in this country - citizens and foreigners - and begin to provide people with the security, people with a say in how we want to see our nation, our society, go forward and not to continue with this autocratic system where the PAP says one thing and everybody else has to jump to their feet and carry it out. That's not the way to go.
Going forward, we want to see some changes in this regard.
5. WHY SHOULD VOTERS GIVE YOUR PARTY THEIR VOTE?
PM LEE
You can trust the PAP. We've been governing Singapore for more than 60 years. We've never let you down. You can trust the current PAP leadership.
For 15 years I've been PM, I've done my best to serve you. In the last term, you gave us a strong mandate. And we have delivered on that.
We've used the mandate to do many things, to improve our pre-schools, to build more and better HDB flats, to improve our MRT reliability, to phase out streaming in schools, have Merdeka Generation Package for seniors, better health care. We have delivered for you.
In this crisis, we have delivered for you. We have kept Singaporeans safe, we've kept you in jobs. We've made sure your livelihoods are taken care of.
Looking forward, we are going into a more severe crisis. And you need Singapore to have the best team to be looking after your interests and tackling these problems for you.
COVID-19 and the economic downturn are not going away any time soon. And unless we have good leadership from the PAP, I think we will be in a much weaker position.
Some people say why not have more opposition in Parliament? Well, you can vote PAP and still have opposition in Parliament. Because we've changed the Constitution. Whatever happens in the election, there will be at least 12 opposition members in Parliament, constituency MPs and Non-Constituency MPs, and they both have equal rights, full rights to vote on everything. Constitutional amendments, money Bills, motions of confidence. We want them there, they will make a contribution, but you do not have to vote for them even though you really prefer a PAP government.
Finally, we, the PAP, can offer you security for the future.
We are building our team for the long term. I have depth in my team, new members, younger ones, people who are being exposed, groomed, prepared to take over from the older ones, in order to provide Singapore good leadership beyond the working life of me and my older colleagues, and we have the plans to take you forward.
Plans for transforming Singapore, whether it's the Punggol Digital District, whether it's the Greater Southern Waterfront, plans for changing our education system, plans for improving our healthcare system, plans for making this the best place to live. And we can deliver on those plans.
So vote for the PAP to secure your next few years, to secure your long term future. So that this is a good place for a long time for you, your children and your grandchildren.
MR SINGH
That's a very good question. Voters should vote for the Workers' Party because we represent a constructive opposition in Parliament.
We don't see the PAP as the enemy, what we are looking for is beyond the PAP, beyond the horizon.
We want a Singapore where there are good outcomes for Singapore and Singaporeans.
We will have to work hard for those outcomes but we feel that a diversity of voices in Parliament is critical for that to take place, and that's what the candidates of the Workers' Party will do.
DR CHEE
We've been campaigning on this 4Yes 1No. The first yes is to suspend the GST for a year and a half. We collect about $10 billion from GST annually. To suspend it just temporarily for a year, I think that's very doable, especially when we've got reserves where analysts estimate to be around, to the tune of about, a trillion dollars.
Our second yes is to have this retrenchment benefits scheme which I've just talked about.
The third yes is income for retirees. We have research coming out telling us that retirees require something to the tune of about $1,300 to $1,400 a month to be able to afford minimal basic conditions, and yet the CPF payout for an average retiree household is about $280. You just work out and you can see how insufficient that has become, and we need to provide these elderly some sort of a subsistence kind of income. And as I said, the money will remain in Singapore. Not only will it help them, it will help our businesses as well.
The fourth yes is for the PAP to put the people first, as I just mentioned earlier on, for them to make sure that things like that they just don't capitalise and manipulate the system in their interest at the expense of Singaporeans. One example would be the calling for this election now, as well as the intention to call for one earlier on in the year.
PM LEE
You can trust the PAP. We've been governing Singapore for more than 60 years. We've never let you down. You can trust the current PAP leadership.
For 15 years I've been PM, I've done my best to serve you. In the last term, you gave us a strong mandate. And we have delivered on that.
We've used the mandate to do many things, to improve our pre-schools, to build more and better HDB flats, to improve our MRT reliability, to phase out streaming in schools, have Merdeka Generation Package for seniors, better health care. We have delivered for you.
In this crisis, we have delivered for you. We have kept Singaporeans safe, we've kept you in jobs. We've made sure your livelihoods are taken care of.
Looking forward, we are going into a more severe crisis. And you need Singapore to have the best team to be looking after your interests and tackling these problems for you.
COVID-19 and the economic downturn are not going away any time soon. And unless we have good leadership from the PAP, I think we will be in a much weaker position.
Some people say why not have more opposition in Parliament? Well, you can vote PAP and still have opposition in Parliament. Because we've changed the Constitution. Whatever happens in the election, there will be at least 12 opposition members in Parliament, constituency MPs and Non-Constituency MPs, and they both have equal rights, full rights to vote on everything. Constitutional amendments, money Bills, motions of confidence. We want them there, they will make a contribution, but you do not have to vote for them even though you really prefer a PAP government.
Finally, we, the PAP, can offer you security for the future.
We are building our team for the long term. I have depth in my team, new members, younger ones, people who are being exposed, groomed, prepared to take over from the older ones, in order to provide Singapore good leadership beyond the working life of me and my older colleagues, and we have the plans to take you forward.
Plans for transforming Singapore, whether it's the Punggol Digital District, whether it's the Greater Southern Waterfront, plans for changing our education system, plans for improving our healthcare system, plans for making this the best place to live. And we can deliver on those plans.
So vote for the PAP to secure your next few years, to secure your long term future. So that this is a good place for a long time for you, your children and your grandchildren.
MR SINGH
That's a very good question. Voters should vote for the Workers' Party because we represent a constructive opposition in Parliament.
We don't see the PAP as the enemy, what we are looking for is beyond the PAP, beyond the horizon.
We want a Singapore where there are good outcomes for Singapore and Singaporeans.
We will have to work hard for those outcomes but we feel that a diversity of voices in Parliament is critical for that to take place, and that's what the candidates of the Workers' Party will do.
DR CHEE
We've been campaigning on this 4Yes 1No. The first yes is to suspend the GST for a year and a half. We collect about $10 billion from GST annually. To suspend it just temporarily for a year, I think that's very doable, especially when we've got reserves where analysts estimate to be around, to the tune of about, a trillion dollars.
Our second yes is to have this retrenchment benefits scheme which I've just talked about.
The third yes is income for retirees. We have research coming out telling us that retirees require something to the tune of about $1,300 to $1,400 a month to be able to afford minimal basic conditions, and yet the CPF payout for an average retiree household is about $280. You just work out and you can see how insufficient that has become, and we need to provide these elderly some sort of a subsistence kind of income. And as I said, the money will remain in Singapore. Not only will it help them, it will help our businesses as well.
The fourth yes is for the PAP to put the people first, as I just mentioned earlier on, for them to make sure that things like that they just don't capitalise and manipulate the system in their interest at the expense of Singaporeans. One example would be the calling for this election now, as well as the intention to call for one earlier on in the year.
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