My fellow Singaporeans and residents of Tampines GRC and Tampines Changkat SMC,
Good evening!
WP Focus
As Singapore works to orientate itself to take advantage of the transition to a new world order, the Workers’ Party’s commitment is that we always Work for Singapore. Our manifesto advances our vision for Singapore and not only the country we would like to see, but the Tampines we should like to have.
The Workers’ Party will push for policies to better address matters such as high rental costs for businesses, and help for Singaporeans to bounce back from hard times, more Medisave flexibility for our seniors and affordable public housing.
We have advanced many practical proposals in our manifesto that appeal to the heart and head of Singaporeans. Regardless of race, language or religion, our proposals appeal to our common humanity as one Singapore and to our unity as one people.
Now one thing I know is that Tampines GRC hosts many savvy and sophisticated voters. I understand that there are voters who have put the PAP and WP manifestos through large-language AI models and compared how they stack up to each other.
Whichever AI model employed, ChatGPT or Deepseek, one result is clear: the PAP manifesto is short on substance and specifics, but loaded with motherhood statements. Why is this a problem?
A Different Singapore
The Singapore of the 1G PAP of 1965 had a population of fewer than 2 million people. Today, the 4G PAP oversees a Singapore with a population of more than 6 million people. Singapore is far more complex as a society and it always needs fresh thinking. Yet, we have a PAP manifesto without many specific policy ideas. I believe it is because the PAP wants Singaporeans to sign a blank cheque.
The PAP manifesto is short on specific proposals and policies. Ironically, this is one reason why there are Singaporeans who believe that as long as we have a strong and incorruptible civil service, the PAP is far less important than it thinks.
Look at the PAP manifesto chapter on Housing affordability, something so many Singaporeans worry about. The PAP promises to keep HDB flats affordable. But how? The only solution I can see is to increase taxpayer subsidies. Where will the taxes come from with ever increasing land prices?
And what about lease decay? What happens when HDB flats run out their lease? They are returned to the state, and have no value. The PAP has proposed VERS, the Voluntary Early Redevelopment Scheme – but when the WP asks for details in Parliament, the PAP says VERS is many years away.
But Singaporeans, especially those who purchase resale flats need those details now, so that they can plan for the future and their retirement or golden years. Many families are buying resale flats with 60 to 70 years left on their leases at prices nearing or surpassing a million dollars.
These families need more details about VERS before their resale flats start to lose value, and before they are left with little in retirement savings. What does the PAP manifesto say about this concern? Nothing at all.
The PAP expects the civil service to work out the options and the policy details in good time no doubt.
But when these ideas are taken up by the PAP and debated, it is important we have a rational, responsible and respectable debate about it in Parliament. Not a rubber stamp.
That is what a vote for the Workers’ Party will give the residents of Tampines GRC. Your voice deserves a place in Parliament. A vote for the WP will bring your voice there.
At these general elections, two Workers’ Party candidates in Single-Member Constituencies are taking on two PAP candidates who are also the NTUC Secretary-General and NTUC Assistant Secretary-General respectively.
Residents of Tampines, there is no shortage of PAP labour MPs in Parliament.
Voting in these two PAP NTUC candidates will not make a difference.
Instead, I invite you to cast your vote for a more balanced parliament.
Please vote for Kenneth Foo in Tampines Changkat SMC. And vote for Andre Low in Jalan Kayu SMC.
Voting them into Parliament will make a difference.
PAP and the NTUC
Let me talk about PAP candidates and the NTUC.
In 2015, in the Kaki Bukit division of Aljunied GRC, the PAP candidate was Shamsul Kamar. He was a school-teacher before the elections and resigned to contest elections. But after losing the election, he found employment in NTUC.
The NTUC is a safe harbour for losing PAP candidates. Just ask Mr Ng Chee Meng.
If the two PAP candidates do not become MPs, they will probably continue to work in NTUC. They will continue to serve workers with the help of the rank-and-file unionists who are truly the backbone of the NTUC.
A few days before the writ of election was issued, one social media site proclaimed that the NTUC Secretary-General’s leadership at NTUC drove the launch of the Jobseeker Support Scheme or JSS.
I should add that the spirit of the JSS looks very much like a variant of the unemployment insurance scheme which the Workers’ Party first proposed in 2006.
Ng Chee Meng’s work at NTUC shows that he and Desmond Choo do not need to be elected into Parliament to look after workers.
I ask that voters to please help keep them focused on their NTUC jobs.
The PAP team for Aljunied GRC in these elections would probably agree with me. When they were introduced to the public some weeks ago, one member, said that because his team had no anchor Minister and because they were not political office holders, they have more time to be on the ground and engage more. This PAP candidate was basically telling you it is better not to have a PAP office holder as your MP.
So lets follow his logic.
We need to give the PAP candidates more time for their NTUC work, so that they can come up with good ideas, or maybe even implement WP ideas.
If you give the WP candidates your vote, then as MPs they will work hard on the ground. Kenneth Foo and Andre Low will look after the Town Councils Tampines Changkat and Jalan Kayu. They will also be part of the loyal opposition in Parliament, working for Singapore. Tampines wins, Tampines Changkat wins, Jalan Kayu wins. Singaporean workers win. Everybody wins.
But you may ask don’t we need PAP NTUC MPs in Parliament?
Here is what happened last year.
Many Singaporeans spoke up against the proposed sale of Income Insurance by NTUC Enterprise to Allianz when it came to light.
But Members of Parliament only had the opportunity to question the Government in Parliament on the proposed sale of NTUC Income for the first time in August 2024.
Workers’ Party MPs promptly filed questions to call on the Government to explain its position.
Not a single PAP labour MP asked questions about this issue in Parliament in Aug 2024.
Sadly, only one mainstream media outlet saw fit to report on the silence of the PAP labour MPs. The news outlet Channel News Asia reported, and I quote, “At the parliament sitting on Aug 6 when the topic was brought to the fore, no labour MPs filed any questions or spoke during the debate.”
My fellow Singaporeans, can you believe that? How is that possible?
Elected PAP MPs who champion NTUC, the union and the workers who represent them should fight hard in Parliament when NTUC issues are raised, particularly issues that Singaporeans are concerned about.
Why were they silent? I repeat in all seriousness, how is that even possible?
At the time, I thought that this stinging observation by a mainstream news outlet would jolt someone in NTUC to defend the labour MPs with a rebuttal in the media. But on this particular observation by CNA, the PAP NTUC MPs’ silence in Parliament was matched by the sound of silence from NTUC Secretary-General and Assistant Secretary-General.
Now, to be clear. Union work is not easy. Persuading workers while speaking up for them behind closed doors can be difficult work. I believe that rank-and-file unionists work hard and push hard for better rights for workers because of their passion. I thank them for that.
So Singapore, let us help the PAP candidates in Jalan Kayu and Tampines Changkat, who are the top leaders in NTUC, to be full-time NTUC union leaders.
We should save them from spending time in Parliament and from managing town councils. If they wish to, they can still lobby the PAP government by virtue of the NTUC’s symbiotic relationship with the PAP.
The NTUC’s close relationship with the PAP ensures that NTUC is a guaranteed trampoline for losing PAP candidates. It is the safest trampoline for a politician anywhere in Singapore and maybe anywhere in the world. But you must be a PAP candidate to earn the right to bounce on it.
It starts at the top. You can bounce in and out of NTUC whether you win or lose general elections. I ask you – Has NTUC’s advocacy with the PAP Government weakened since Ng Chee Meng lost in Sengkang GRC in 2020? Definitely not. Otherwise, how did he drive the Jobseekers Support Scheme?
To the workers of Singapore, I assure you that Kenneth Foo, Andre Low and the Workers’ Party will step up and speak up for all Singaporeans in Parliament. They will not fail to question the PAP. Vote for WP Tampines and Tampines Changkat candidates and help us build a more balanced political system for all Singaporeans.
A Symbiotic Relationship with Singapore
My fellow Singaporeans, but especially the voters of Jalan Kayu and Tampines Changkat, I call on you to be sophisticated and courageous voters.
Elections come around only every five years. On 3rd May, just after Labour Day, we have an excellent opportunity to build a more robust and balanced political system.
Parliament should be where we discuss and, where justified, support pro-Singapore initiatives, regardless of political party. The only symbiotic relationship the Workers’ Party is interested in, is the symbiotic relationship with all Singaporeans.
Parliament is where the Workers’ Party will work hard for you, rationally and responsibly. Vote Workers’ Party – Working for Singapore.
Let me end my speech with the Workers’ Party’s rallying cry for all our workers. It is different from the PAP’s.
Majulah Singapura! Majulah Singapura! Majulah Singapura!
27 April 2025
Office of the Leader of the Opposition 