GE2025: Singapore can return to ‘the road to democracy’ started in 2011: SDP’s Paul Tambyah
Cost increases caused by the PAP can be reversed, says party chief Chee Soon Juan
[SINGAPORE] Many Singaporeans say there is no point in voting, but the 2011 General Election proves them wrong, said Singapore Democratic Party (SDP) chairman Paul Tambyah on Thursday (Apr 24) at the party’s first rally this general election.
“The people of Singapore spoke up (in 2011), and, to their credit, the PAP then responded,” he said, pointing to major changes in the Cabinet after the People’s Action Party (PAP) lost its first ever Group Representation Constituency to the opposition.
“Unfortunately, after 2011, we had two free elections,” he added. In 2015, the polls were called soon after the death of founding prime minister Lee Kuan Yew, while the Covid-era election of 2020 did not have physical rallies.
This election is different, he said. “We have the opportunity now to allow Singapore to go back on the road to democracy that we started in 2011.”
Some may say that the opposition cannot bring about change – such as a lower goods and services tax (GST) rate – because it is not the government, noted Dr Tambyah. Yet, that is only because there are too few opposition Members of Parliament (MPs).
In parliamentary sessions, “half the house is empty”, he charged. But with enough of an opposition presence, PAP MPs will work harder to show up in Parliament, he said, while opposition MPs will be able to block harmful legislation.
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Though the rally at Choa Chu Kang Stadium was for Marsiling-Yew Tee GRC, SDP’s entire slate of 11 candidates spoke, as well as youth wing member Muhammad Aqmal.
Earlier that evening, news site founder and Marsiling-Yew Tee candidate Ariffin Sha urged Singaporeans to send a signal to the PAP by voting for SDP.
“What matters in this election is not just who wins, but the margin of victory,” he said, adding that while the PAP may still form the government, it will work harder if its margin narrows.
Likening political parties to football teams, Dr Tambyah said that teams improve by playing against the best.
“If you try to shift the goal posts, cripple your opponents with professional fouls, change the rules of the game halfway, or cut short your opponent’s training time to 28 days after the announcement of fixtures... it’s not just not good for your opponents, it’s also not good for you.”
Ending the rally, secretary-general Chee Soon Juan promised that SDP would challenge the PAP government on issues such as lowering the cost of living.
Singaporeans’ cost-of-living woes are not due to global trends, but are of the PAP’s own making, he said.
He pointed to moves such as hiking water and public transport rates, as well as raising refuse-collection fees. Public housing prices and childcare fees have also steadily risen over the years.
“And here’s the kicker – on top of all these price increases, the government hiked GST to 9 per cent,” he said. “Does this look like the PAP is trying to shield us from inflation?”
Noting that the government then distributed vouchers, he said: “Am I missing something here? Or does this sound like the arsonist that sets your house on fire, then gives you a cup of water to help you put it out?”
Dr Chee accused the PAP of taking a “waste big, tax big” approach. “They waste, we pay,” he summarised, adding that the SDP will push the government to cut wasteful spending.
Cost increases caused by the PAP can be reversed, he added, reiterating the SDP’s call for lowering the GST back to 7 per cent and bringing prices back to pre-Covid levels.
The other speakers similarly elaborated on proposals in the party manifesto: cutting healthcare costs, tackling housing affordability, improving retirement adequacy, managing unfair competition from foreign labour, setting a minimum wage, and creating a fairer education system.
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