Opposition parties call for fairer policies and more balanced parliament in final party political broadcast

People's Alliance for Reform (PAR) leader Lim Tean has described the current government as "the most incompetent People's Action Party (PAP) government in history".

He also voiced that the reasons given by PAP are "nothing more than a distraction to mask their utter incompetence in government the last five years".

Aside from PAR, other opposition parties such as the National Solidarity Party (NSP), People's Power Party (PPP), Red Dot United (RDU), Singapore Democratic Party's (SDP) and Progress Singapore Party (PSP) also delivered their speech in the final round of party political broadcasts on Thursday (May 1) for General Election 2025.

Most parties used their airtime to call on Singaporeans to vote for fairer policies and greater political diversity in Parliament.

During the 60-min broadcast, NSP candidate, Lee Wei pointed out the need for better representation in Parliament, stating, "Without a stronger, fairer parliamentary system, your concerns are too easily ignored once the votes are counted."

PPP's candidate Thaddeus Thomas echoed this sentiment, asserting that "no party holds a monopoly on good policy ideas".

"True inclusiveness requires a more diverse Parliament that fosters robust debate and better policy solutions for all Singaporeans," added Thomas. 

PSP's secretary-general, Leong Mun Wai also shared that the party will continue to be a "strong check against the PAP if it tries to bulldoze through policies that you don't really want, like increasing the GST during a global pandemic or an ever-growing population."

Other key concerns raised during the broadcasts included the rising cost of living and housing affordability which were featured prominently across the last eight days of campaigning.

RDU's secretary-general Ravi Philemon question the stark inequality in housing, drawing comparision to the growing disconnect between those in power and ordinary Singaporeans.

"Can we accept that there are those in power living in black-and-white colonial bungalows... while ordinary citizens live in a very dense, mentally stressful environment?" He said, adding that the statement was not a question of politics, but rather fairness. 

SDP chairman, Paul Tambyah also weighed in on housing and added that the SDP would prioritise policies that serve the public. 

"We will make sure that policy changes work for the people of Singapore rather than only for the elites living in palatial bungalows," said Prof Tambyah. 

He added that the party has "a comprehensive set of policies covering healthcare, housing, population, economy, education, and climate change".

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PAR's party leader Lim Tean also drew a sharp contrast between the privileged lifestyles of ministers and the everyday struggles of citizens. 

"Ministers living in black-and-white bungalows with palatial grounds, the size of several football fields, when many Singaporeans have to make do with tiny HDB flats," he said.  

He also called out PAP for its silence on the Goods and Services Tax (GST) hike, pointing out that not a single PAP MP objected to the increase, which has caused financial strain for many households.  

Additionally, SDP's Prof Tambyah also emphasised that the government has failed to address key structural issues, such as rising rental costs, utilities, and transportation, while instead opting to increase taxes on Singaporeans.

"They have not addressed structural issues such as rental costs, utilities and transportation. Instead, they chose to raise the GST, not once but twice adding fuel to the fire of inflation," he said. 

He further argued, "We have shown that GST can be reduced back to seven per cent without significantly affecting the projected budget surplus for FY 2025. This would be a first step towards making taxation fairer for Singaporeans."

Today will be the last day of campaigning for all political parties in Singapore before Polling Day. 

During the last 2020 General Election, the PAP won a total of 83 seats while the opposition won the remaining 10 seats.

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xingying.koh@asiaone.com