MEDIA RELEASE
The Singapore Democrats will hold a May Day Rally on 1 May 2012. Party leaders said the rally will commemorate the contribution of workers to Singapore’s growth.
Dr Juwita Rahmat, who holds a doctorate in medicine, will speak at the rally. Dr Juwita is a researcher at a local institution. She said, “I believe in an education that gives equal opportunities to individuals to reach their true potential. The system as it is currently set up, does not tap the potential of all our children. It worries me. I decided to be part of the SDP enterprise that resonates closely with my own values. I’m looking forward to the Rally!”
The SDP held two previous rallies at Speakers’ Corner in 2010 where it unveiled party members who went on to contest the General Elections last May. As for Dr Juwita’s participation in the next elections, she indicated it is too early to say whether she has considered following in the footsteps of her colleagues: “Right now, I am concentrating on contributing to the party’s development in any way I can.”
Joining her at the podium will be another new member, Ms Regina Chin, who works on the Coordinating Committee of Women Democrats, the party’s women’s wing. Ms Chin, who has spent her career in social work and in education, is expected to speak on the challenges facing women in Singapore. She said, “I want to show, through two or three stories, how women cope with the demands of life in our country to leave the audience to think how, as a community, we should respond to them. The task for us as a party is to make policy failures real and bring about change through detailed narrative and analysis.”
Associate Professor Paul Tambyah and Dr Ang Yong Guan, members of the SDP’s Healthcare Panel which published the party’s National Healthcare Plan will also speak at the event. The will emphasise how the Plan will help to narrow the wealth divide in Singapore.
Chairman of the Rally Organising Committee, Dr Vincent Wijeysingha, who will also address the Rally, said, “The committee has been working at a frenetic pace preparing for May Day. It kickstarts the party’s Campaign Against Income Equality. While we remember the contribution of workers to Singapore’s success, we cannot be blind to the severe and growing income inequality they face today.”
The Rally will be held at Speakers’ Corner on Tuesday 1 May 2012 from 3pm to 7pm (speeches start at 4.30pm). Medical doctors from the SDP’s Healthcare Panel will be present to conduct free health screening for the public. In addition, children’s activities will also be organised and refreshments will be offered.
Date: 1 May 2012 | Time: 3pm – 7pm | Venue: Hong Lim Park
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