WP’s Pritam: We’re not interested in killing any tigers
Workers' Party (WP) Aljunied GRC 'A team' member Pritam Singh says the party is not looking to kill any tigers during this election.
In his rally speech at Yishun stadium on Sunday evening, Pritam responded to Foreign Minister George Yeo's wife, Jennifer, who said that who dares to kill her tiger would have to deal with her.
He also hit back at Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong's comments, that the quality of government will go down if Mr Yeo were to lose the election. Said Pritam, "It is as if George Yeo, like all the tigers around the world, is being treated as an endangered species."
Drawing applause and cheer from the estimated 10,000-strong crowd, he said that while Mr Yeo is a good man, he is in the wrong party, and strongly recommended that he stands for this year's presidential elections.
The post-graduate law student also suggested that if Mr Yeo does find himself out of a job, he could become a Non-Elected Member of Parliament (NCMP) as the best performing losing candidate in the elections.
Meanwhile, WP chairman Sylvia Lim highlighted that the possibility of losing five talents in a GRC is a problem that the ruling party had created itself.
In her rally speech, she questioned the PAP for changing the rules and the formation of the GRCs.
"By having GRCs and making them so big, the PAP has raised the stakes and we opposition must contest with these stakes. If the system only has single seats this problem wouldn't exist."
Turning her attention to Labour Day, she also spoke on how the minimum sum for the Central Provident Fund (CPF) has been increasing over the past years.
"In two years' time, the sum would reach almost S$150,000, and as a result, many Singaporeans who cannot meet this required sum are only allowed a withdrawal of S$5,000."
She added that the People's Action Party (PAP) constantly change the rules and has delayed the draw-down age for savings from 62 to 65.
Lim told the crowd that the government forgets that it is their money, and there needs to be a reminder to the PAP to respect their right to their hard-earned money.
The WP proposed that the draw-down age be 60 and that Singaporeans facing financial difficulties should be allowed to tap into their CPF savings under strict guidelines, she said.
As unlike the PAP, who "treat Singaporeans like kids", she said, "The WP recognises that the money belongs to the people."
With Polling Day approaching, all eyes are continuing to be on the WP team contesting the Aljunied hotspot. They consists of former Hougang MP Low Thia Khiang, former NCMP Sylvia Lim, the party's "star catch" Chen Show Mao as well as family counsellor Muhamad Faisal Abdul Manap and post-graduate law student Pritam Singh.
They will be up against the incumbent PAP team fronted by Foreign Affairs Minister George Yeo, Minister in the Prime Minister's Office Lim Hwee Hua, Senior Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Zainul Abidin Rasheed, Madam Cynthia Phua and new face Ong Ye Kung, an assistant secretary-general of NTUC .
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