SDP announces 10 campaign promises for GE
With the General Elections (GE) believed to be weeks away, the Singapore Democratic Party (SDP) officially unveiled its manifesto known as "The SDP Promise" at a press conference on Saturday.
Four out of the 10 campaign pledges focus on running the constituencies and the other six touch on issues concerning Parliament.
One of the highlights of its constituency pledges include MPs contributing half of their allowance towards serving the wards and conducting additional town hall meetings in addition to weekly Meet-the-People sessions.
Looking at the bigger issues that they aim to change in Parliament, the SDP also promised to introduce minimum wage laws and abolish the GST for food and essential items, while reducing it to 3% for other items.
Dr Chee Soon Juan, SDP's secretary-general, said that these points were chosen from years of talking with residents and consulting with researchers and analysts.
"This SDP Promise is actually a contract we are making with the people on points that have come from the people."
He said that if elected into Parliament, the SDP members would make sure that the pledges are going to be fulfilled in the next five years.
"If and when the SDP candidates are elected, the PAP will get a very clear message: that these policies are the policies that people want to see change."
According to John Tan, SDP's assistant secretary-general, the party hopes to incorporate the values of accountability and transparency, something that he feels that the SDP can provide to the current government.
One example highlighted by Dr Chee during the conference was how the Holland-Bukit Timah town council took surpluses from the constituency funds and put them in risky investment funds.
He also challenged the MPs from the GRC to an open debate on how these funds could be better managed for the good of the Singaporeans.
"We want to develop a coherent alternative that we can present in parliament. The role of the opposition is to ensure that whatever we present is one that the people want, something workable and level-headed."
