Fresh opposition faces make their bow
Four fresh opposition faces made their bow on national television during the Party Political broadcast aired on Channel NewsAsia on Thursday night.
The pre-recorded broadcast allowed a representative from each of the six major political parties contesting the General Elections to address a national audience on what the party stood for and its key messages (read full script here).
Each was given air-time of between 2.5 minutes to 12 minutes to speak (depending on the size of the party).
National Solidarity Party's Tony Tan Lay Thiam, Workers' Party's Pritam Singh, Singapore Democratic Party's Tan Jee Say and the Singapore Democratic Alliance's Harminder Pal Singh -- who have been working the ground but have so far remained out of the full glare of the media spotlight -- stepped up to the plate and delivered.
NSP's Tony Tan, 41, was the most impassioned of the lot as he spoke with conviction about "starting a new chapter" for Singapore on the premise that the current government had failed to provide a "Swiss standard of living."
The ex-government scholar, who studied engineering on a Singapore Armed Forces Merit scholarship and is a Cambridge University alumni, urged voters to ring in a "chapter written by Singaporeans for Singaporeans" come Polling Day.
Postgraduate law student Pritam Singh, 34, of the WP stuck closely to his party's slogan of a "First World Parliament", arguing that continued PAP dominance had led to a "bull-dozing of policies."
Singh, who is on the WP's A-team that will contest Aljunied GRC, urged Singaporeans to vote for a Parliament that is "neither a national feedback unit nor a rubber stamp."
SDP member Tan Jee Say, 57, who is part of the team contesting the Holland-Bukit Timah GRC spoke on the need to return power to the hands of the people.
The investment adviser and ex-principal private secretary to Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong also called on policies to "remove GST for basic items, healthcare, education and foodstuffs" and "put Singaporeans first in jobs, good jobs, jobs that pay well."
For his part, Singapore People's Party chief Chiam See Tong, despite his age and hunched posture, spoke clearly and confidently asking for greater accountability from the government.
The 76-year-old opposition stalwart who will be gunning for Bishan-Toa Payoh GRC asked for greater transparency in the Mas Selamat escape case as well as the "gross overspending" for the YOG, the "investment decisions of Temasek and GIC" and the "use of CPF monies."
Harminder Pal Singh of the Singapore Democratic Alliance said his party would raise five burning issues, including the cost of living and the high cost of medical expenses if voted into Parliament.
Singh is on the SDA team that will contest the Pasir Ris-Punggol GRC.
Reform Party chief Kenneth Jeyaretnam urged voters not be afraid of a "freak result" and instead to vote for a two-party system in parliament.
He also promised a "better, fairer and more accountable Singapore" where "the government serves the people and not vice versa" if his party was voted in.
People's Action Party's secretary-general PM Lee Hsien Loong made the final address as he laid out his party plans to double down on education, transport and aid for the less privileged so no one would be left behind.
He also said his party is "tested and proven" and knows how to guide the country in tough times, such as the 2008 financial crisis and the ongoing security challenges posed by neighbours Malaysia and Indonesia.
Related links
The big Aljunied gambit
We're going after the 'tiger in the mountain': Low Thia Kiang
Let's not talk about video anymore: Dr Vivian
Follow Yahoo! News on Twitter and become a fan on Facebook.
This article is published by Yahoo! Southeast Asia Pte. Ltd., 60 Anson Road #13-01 Mapletree Anson, Singapore, 079914.
