Secretary-general of Singapore Democratic Party (SDP) Chee Soon Juan posted on his Facebook page on 2 January that the party is renewing its commitment and redoubling its efforts to provide positive change for Singapore and its people.
He said that the party will be taking things a notch higher before the upcoming general election by embarking on a series of activities, which will be announced in the coming weeks.
In the post, it was stated that last year was seen as a year of price increases and economic lethargy, added with the government’s incapability to tackle the unprecedented problems that lay ahead.
“The only thing it seems certain of is to continue to harass its citizens by prosecuting and suing them for their dissenting views, introducing legislation to further curtail open debate and cracking down on alternative news sites,” he said.
In the future, the people will go through tougher time if nothing changes. In addition, millenials will also find that there will be a distinct lack of opportunity to find relevant jobs for them, housing prices stay unaffordable and the “graduate poor” increase in number, said the secretary-general.
Besides the younger generations, things won’t be easy for the middle-aged Singaporeans as well.
“As the effect of price increases kick-in and the increase in GST looms, families will come under even greater financial stress. Having not only their children to bring up but also ageing parents to care for, working adults will struggle like they’ve never struggled before,” commented Mr Chee.
He also said that the older segment of the population will also have nothing much to look forward this year as their dreams of selling their once-prized HDB houses to fund their retirement will be futile.
The People’s Action Party (PAP) has admitted that the flats will decrease in value as they’re approaching the end of their 99-year lease.
“Add to the mix the PAP’s intent to bring in yet more foreigners to compete on the jobs front even as retrenchments threaten Singaporeans’ livelihoods, 2019 will bring little cheer,” he noted.
On top of all that, the possibility of retirement and economic security are also threatened as PAP continues to hold the little money that people have in their CPF savings under the Minimum Sum Scheme.
While the public has a myriad of issues to endure, Mr Chee revealed that the ministers are continuing to live a lavish life while insisting a large pay check.
As such, in an attempt to fix this, SDP has “crafted an alternative vision for Singapore and, and from this, drawn up a set of alternative policies to take the country up a brighter, happier, and more equal future.”
Read the full message below:
In this New Year, the Singapore Democrats renew our commitment and redouble our efforts to bring about positive change for our nation and our people.
2018 will remembered as a year of price increases and economic lethargy, coupled by a government not providing fresh and enlightened leadership to tackling the unprecedented problems that lay ahead.
The only thing it seems certain of is to continue to harass its citizens by prosecuting and suing them for their dissenting views, introducing legislation to further curtail open debate and cracking down on alternative news sites.
Looking ahead, Singaporeans can expect tougher times if nothing changes. Millennials face a distinct lack of opportunity as finding meaningful employment becomes harder, housing prices remain unaffordable and the “graduate poor” increase in number.
Middle-aged Singaporeans don’t have it better. As the effect of price increases kick-in and the increase in GST looms, families will come under even greater financial stress. Having not only their children to bring up but also ageing parents to care for, working adults will struggle like they’ve never struggled before.
Add to the mix the PAP’s intent to bring in yet more foreigners to compete on the jobs front even as retrenchments threaten Singaporeans’ livelihoods, 2019 will bring little cheer.
Likewise, the older segment of the population will have little to look forward to as they see their dreams of selling their once-prized HDB nest-eggs to fund their retirement go up in smoke. The PAP has finally admitted that flats will decrease in value as they reach the end of their 99-year lease.
To pile on the misery, the PAP continues to retain the little that we have in our CPF savings under the Minimum Sum Scheme, making retirement an impossibility and economic security a pipe-dream for many older Singaporeans.
All this is happening while the ministers insist on lavishing themselves with astronomical salaries and living charmed lives. Such self-interested political leadership spells troubled times for our country
But the situation is not immutable. With effort, we can turn things around. To this end, the SDP has crafted an alternative vision for Singapore and, from this, drawn up a set of alternative policies to take the country up a brighter, happier, and more equal future.
2019 promises to be an eventful year with the SDP kicking things up a notch as we embark on a series of activities leading up to the next general elections expected to be held later this year. We will announce our plans in the coming weeks.
We invite Singaporeans to be part of this effort to usher in change for a better Singapore and let’s make 2019 a truly happy and meaningful New Year!
