2,000 people expected at #ReturnOurCPF protest
[Update on 4 June 2014, 8:07pm: Add latest details from #ReturnOurCPF press conference]
Up to 2,000 people are expected to attend the #ReturnOurCPF protest happening on Saturday at Hong Lim Park, according to sole organiser Han Hui Hui during a press conference on Wednesday.
The 23-year-old activist and blogger also announced that human rights lawyer M Ravi, Reform Party member Prabu Ramachandran and former Singapore Democratic Party member Vincent Wijeysingha will also be speaking at the event, which aims to gather support for a more "transparent" and "accountable" Central Provident Fund (CPF) system.
Han, who last year made headlines for her run-in with the Council for Private Education, will also be speaking.
Earlier, it was announced that political figures such as former presidential candidate Tan Kin Lian, Reform Party chief Kenneth Jeyaretnam, as well as representatives from the Singapore Democratic Party are set to speak at the protest.
Also scheduled to take to the podium are bloggers like statistician Leong Sze Hian and “The Heart Truths”’ Roy Ngerng against whom Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong has filed a defamation suit for statements alleging “criminal misappropriation” in relation to Singaporeans’ CPF savings.
In a media release, Han said that CPF is “akin to an additional tax on our income”.
“There is no transparency and accountability towards how the government is using our CPF monies, or the returns derived from CPF funds… all these despite MPs calling for higher rates (and) improvements to our CPF system practically every year,” she wrote. “As such, this event aims to highlight the inadequate measures in place to protect the retirement needs of Singaporeans.”
The #ReturnOurCPF protest will be held on Saturday, 7 June, from 4-6pm at Hong Lim Park. Find out more about it here.
