PSP unveils manifesto, with 'You Deserve Better' campaign slogan
The Progress Singapore Party (PSP) yesterday unveiled its manifesto, with "You Deserve Better" as its campaign slogan for the election.
In the manifesto's opening note, secretary-general Tan Cheng Bock said the cost of living was the top issue in Singapore, while highlighting the economic crisis that the Covid-19 pandemic has sparked.
He criticised the government's response to the economic crisis, saying it has so far been a "patchwork of policy tweaks without addressing the fundamental factors affecting Singaporeans".
"Rehashing past policies is definitely not the way to go. We need to have a paradigm shift and look for workable alternative solutions going forward," he wrote.
The PSP set out its policies over six pages in its 13-page manifesto, dividing the proposals into three broad segments: economic development, social development and political development.
PSP vice-chairman Hazel Poa presented the manifesto during a virtual press conference.
On economic development, Ms Poa, who will be on the PSP's West Coast GRC team, said that the influx of foreign workers has led to lower wages here.
She added that it has also led to social integration issues and congestion in public transport and public spaces and resulted in a higher demand for goods and services.
To address the issue of reliance on foreign labour, the party proposes lowering the quota for work passes and reviewing free trade agreements that touch on labour exchanges like the Singapore-India Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement (Ceca).
On the social front, PSP said it aims to create a stronger social safety net to help Singaporeans through the crisis, such as by improving financial assistance for the unemployed and freezing tax and fee increases for the next five years, as well as exempting basic necessities from goods and services tax.
It also wanted to increase the amount of money Singaporeans can withdraw from their CPF at age 55, peg new flat prices to income levels and have en-bloc redevelopment for all old flats.
In the political domain, the party proposed, among other things, to cut ministerial salaries, and review the Protection from Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Act, Singapore's anti-fake news law which was passed in May last year.
Dr Tan stressed the importance of the opposition getting at least a third of the seats in Parliament.
He said this is to prevent the ruling party from passing constitutional changes unopposed.
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