Commentaries
PM Lee’s NDR 2023 “more of the same”: PSP suggests living wage to avert need for Majulah Package
Progress Singapore Party (PSP) has criticized PM Lee’s NDR 2023 policies as “more of the same,” highlighting the potential avoidance of the Majulah Package with a living wage policy.
PSP’s Leong Mun Wai shared mixed sentiments on the speech, while also voicing apprehensions about the impending GST hike amidst rising living costs.
SINGAPORE: The Progress Singapore Party (PSP) has issued a comprehensive response to Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong’s National Day Rally (NDR) 2023 speech, criticizing what it calls “more of the same” policies and highlighting areas of concern.
PSP Secretary-General Leong Mun Wai commented on various aspects of the Prime Minister’s speech, expressing both support and reservations.
Notably, PSP welcomed the Age Well SG initiative and applauded the Government’s commitment to aiding seniors in aging with dignity within their own homes. The party also appreciated the inclusion of its proposal to enhance Medisave accounts for older Singaporeans as part of the Majulah Package.
However, PSP, as an alternative political entity in Singapore, emphasized that the need for the Majulah Package might have been avoided if Singapore had instituted a living wage policy.
On Sunday (20 Aug) Prime Minister Lee unveiled comprehensive efforts aimed at assisting Singaporeans in diverse areas, including employment, cost of living, retirement provisions, and public housing.
Mr Leong, who also holds the position of Non-Constituency Member of Parliament (NCMP), addressed the NDR 2023, acknowledging the Government’s intention to provide financial assistance to retrenched workers.
However, Mr Leong said PSP underscored the paramount importance of preventing job displacement and generating quality employment opportunities for Singaporeans.
“The PSP believes that the ultimate priority should be preventing job displacement and creating good jobs for Singaporeans.”
The party expressed concerns about the impending Goods and Services Tax (GST) hike, despite acknowledging that the cost of living in Singapore is continuing to increase.
“The PSP repeats its objection to the GST hike and calls on the PAP Government to scrap the GST Hike.”
One of the significant issues raised by Mr Leong in the response pertained to the public housing system.
Mr Leong said he, as well as many Singaporeans, were hoping that the Government would have the courage to slay its sacred cow and deal with the root of the public housing problem, the land cost.
However, the Government merely announced that they would be abolishing the Mature/Non-Mature estate label, and increasing the complexity of our public housing system by creating the Standard, PLH- and PLH categories, accompanied by even more rules.
“It is now clear that the Government is kicking the can down the road and hoping that public discontent over public housing will go away with minor policy tweaks and the illusionary promise of VERS, that do not address high prices, retirement inadequacy and lease decay.”
Mr Leong said the PSP is extremely concerned that the increasing inequity of our housing system becomes irreversible.
“We urge the Government to seriously consider adopting the Affordable Housing Scheme and Millennial Apartments Scheme to ensure that public housing remains accessible to Singaporeans without jeopardising their retirement.”
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Yes, LMW. Go for it.
Also, all NSmen should also be paid monthly allowance of at least $1500 until our very last day, for our sacrifice to this country. This allowance is on top of our employment salary. If this can be implemented, we all can proudly shout “Majulah Singapura!”.
Please do me a favor LMW: Tell him to draw a $1000 salary a month to feed a family and tells us HDB is affordable? tsk tsk tsk. Laugh die me.
LHL announcement of the new aid package for “young seniors” is simply an admission that the CPF policy has FAILED under his stewardship. If so many cannot meet the BRS in the last 20 years or so (for this said group, which are the seniors growing under specifically the 3G era), then it means things like the CPF rate have not be adjusted for ACTUAL inflation and that older people have difficulty about employment as they aged (a problem which everyone knows for many, many years). So typical of Loong’s style to patch a first aid band after years of… Read more »
@OneSingapore; thank you for the explanation on Prime, Plus, and Standard. From the PM’s speech, I catch no ball. But now it sounds like selling credit cards and not BTO!
PM thinks by just changing ” mature and non mature” all accessibility and affordability problems are solved!
Isn’t this same old same old!?
They confident voters will be partisan and biased in their favor
What did SAF BG Tan said about Populist? Is the package considered Populist?
Honestly there is no wow factor on what has been proposed in last night’s NDR on BTO accessibility and affordability. Giving more subsidies to Plus and Prime BTO so that their selling price is lower is the government’s way of moving the demand from standard BTO away to alleviate the pressure in terms of waiting time. If Singaporeans are hoping things will be cheaper, they should realise once and for all, this will never happen. If your pocket is bottomless, go for Prime. If you want closeness to MRT and amenities, go for Plus. If you can barely scrap together… Read more »
Till now problems are not considered solve:
1) 2- Child failed policy: Keep importing foreigners to replenish Singaporeans. A very bad thing to do.
2) Loss of Jobs: Keep importing more than 1 million foreigners + CECAasians.
3) High Food Cost + High Cost of Living: Keep increasing GST.
CB (cuckoo bird) tell his father: Keep digging a hole, it will gets bigger and bigger. What do you think?
Thank you CB !!!
Pappies Sword are the Sharpest in the World it could slice any metal in the world .
Pappies Metal Shield is the best in the world , no Sword on Earth could slice it .
PAP politicians are unable to visualise cause and effect before implementing policies. We are used as experiments and have to wait for decades and bear the consequences of their policies. In the meantime they are collecting remuneration from multiple entities. They have been voted in for decades and if they still cannot get it right, we have to accept that we have picked the wrong people for the job. These issues raised by LMW are not new. It is repeated year after year . They will throw a couple of hundred dollars periodically but never address the root problem because… Read more »