The Singapore People & # 39; s Party (SPP) released its manifesto yesterday (June 29) exposing its key positions on a range of topics ranging from the cost of living to climate change.
"Our policies and positions aim not only to address the short-term problems raised and / or exacerbated by COVID-19, but also to take a long-term approach, as some things require a fundamental rethink instead of a mere cosmetic change," he said the party in its manifesto.
The party's 24-page manifesto, titled after the campaign slogan "A Better Tomorrow," underlined its three core values: accountability, commitment, and empathy.
Here are 10 key suggestions from the SPP manifesto:
1. Strengthen the youth in Singapore
- Reduce the voting age from 21 to 18 to "add (add) a new perspective that leads to a livelier competition of ideas".
- Allow parents to use CPF funds for education.
- Increasing youth engagement in policy making.
2. Reduce the cost of living
- No further increase in GST.
- Increased surcharge under the Silver Support Scheme to “maintain a basic standard of living”. It is also suggested to distribute the cash surcharge monthly rather than quarterly.
- Those who qualify for the Silver Support Scheme should also be able to travel on public transport for free.
- Introduce minimum wages. “This is a long overdue policy that will help ensure that people are not deprived of a basic standard of living despite inequality. This will also help prevent the exploitation of workers, ”the party said.
3. Combat the climate emergency
- Disposal of carbon intensive operations and resources.
- Mandatory environmental impact assessments and disclosure.
- In addition to electronics and packaging waste, other waste streams should also come under the umbrella of the EPR system (Extended Producer Responsibility).
4. Strengthening the adequacy of retirement through CPF
- Ensure the adequacy of retirement. Whether through topping-up or complementary systems, a fundamental revision of the CPF system is required to ensure that it serves its purpose.
- Allow partial withdrawals for compassionate reasons. At the very least, they must be allowed to borrow from their CPF funds.
- Publication of CPF investment returns.
5. Greater democracy
- Entry into force of a law on freedom of information. It will serve as an effective antidote to the spread of counterfeit news and will help to create a level playing field by resolving the information asymmetry currently existing in the political debate.
- Adoption of a law on fixed conditions for the parliament to regulate the election date.
- Mandatory public declaration of assets for elected officials.
6. Protect the sandwich generation
- Introduction of parental leave so that employees can take care of their parents if they feel unwell and accompany them to medical appointments.
- Promotion and promotion of flexi-work agreements.
- Lower income tax for new parents and higher tax relief for those living with parents
7. Improve mental health
- Improve accessibility for psychiatric professionals through provision in all government health care facilities.
- Introducing unpaid mental health leave to help employees cope with the burn-out of work and take care of their mental health needs.
- Review the criteria for sentencing according to MTOs (Mandatory Treatment Orders) so that offenders with mental disorders can be more appropriately sentenced to get the help they need.
- Higher subsidies for psychosocial services.
8. Affordable housing
- Extension of the lease repurchase program. After a period of five years, all HDB owners should be given the opportunity to sell their leases back to HDB at a price close to their market value.
- Given that the value of HDB apartments would decrease towards the end of the 99-year rental period, SERS should be extended to all properties.
- Eliminating the ethnic quota as this may be prohibitive for sellers of minority breeds who want to sell their HDB apartments due to a smaller pool of potential buyers.
9. Holistic training
- Introducing environmental education and financial literacy into the curriculum.
- Smaller teacher-student ratios so that each student can get more attention from the teachers.
10. Strengthening the local workforce
- Unemployment insurance should be mandatory for all Singaporean workers so that they can survive a period of six months while training or looking for new jobs.
- Employers should also be asked to provide layoff benefits in accordance with TAFEP guidelines.
- Regularly reviewing free trade agreements to ensure that they are in the best interests of a Singaporean worker.
- Abolish retirement age so that seniors who want to continue working can do so.
You can read the full SPP manifest here.
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Selected image source: Singapore People’s Party
