A Vision for Change: Progress Singapore Party’s commitment to a prosperous 2024

In the year-end statement from Leong Mun Wai, Secretary-General of the Progress Singapore Party (PSP), he reflects on the challenges and achievements of 2023 and outlines the party’s vision for 2024.

Mr Leong discusses the economic strains faced by Singaporeans in one of the world’s most expensive cities and criticizes the government’s current policies as insufficient, advocating for substantial policy changes.

He highlights the PSP’s commitment to proposing alternative policies aimed at improving public housing, job market fairness, and establishing a minimum living wage.

Below is PSP’s statement, “Great Opportunities for a Better Singapore” in full.

As 2023 draws to a close and Singapore welcomes 2024, we would like to wish everyone a very happy New Year. 2023 has been a challenging year. These challenges pushed us to seek opportunities for change, to better the lives of Singaporeans. We believe that 2024 will present great opportunities and we ask you to embark on this journey with the Progress Singapore Party to create a better Singapore.

In 2023, Singapore and Zurich tied for first place as the most expensive cities in the world. In November 2023, we supported the Workers’ Party’s motion for the Government to review its policies to lower the pressures faced by Singaporeans caused by the rising cost of living. In this regard, we continually emphasised that the Government’s current approach of distributing annual handouts are merely “stop-gap” measures which do not suffice to arrest the crisis of rising prices.

Instead, current policies must be reviewed in their entirety with a view to implement changes and alternative policies that address the root of the problem. Unfortunately, a majority of the members of Parliament voted in favour to continue with Government’s current policies.

PSP has formulated and proposed a substantial number of alternative policies in Parliament over the last three years. We believe these are better policies that will improve our lives. These include waiving the land cost for public housing owned by Singaporeans for the sole purpose of occupancy, levelling the playing field for Singaporeans in the job market, and a minimum living wage to ensure a basic standard of living for lower-income Singaporean workers.

While it is a shame that our policies have not been thoroughly debated in Parliament, we will continue to refine and improve upon them. We will not stop pushing the Government and the Electorate to give serious consideration to these suggested policies.

We welcome 2024 with eagerness and hope. When the 14th Parliament draws to an end, great opportunities to create and embrace change emerges for all of us. We strongly believe that it is only through greater alternative representation in Parliament that better policies can be formulated to form the foundation of good governance. We are immensely grateful for your support in 2023, and we look forward to making a greater difference with you in 2024.

We wish everyone a happy, healthy and prosperous New Year.

For Country For People
Leong Mun Wai
Secretary-General, PSP