At the Singapore Democratic Party’s (SDP) first rally for the 2025 General Election, held at Choa Chu Kang Stadium on April 24, party chief Dr Chee Soon Juan took direct aim at the ruling People’s Action Party (PAP) for what he called its role in worsening the rising cost of living. Addressing a crowd alongside 11 other SDP speakers, Dr Chee argued that the current financial strain felt by Singaporeans was not due to external global trends, but instead caused by the PAP’s policies.
Chee criticised the government’s move to raise the Goods and Services Tax (GST) to 9 per cent, then offering Singaporeans vouchers to offset the increase. “Am I missing something here?” he asked rhetorically. “Or does this sound like the arsonist that sets your house on fire and then comes and gives you a cup of water to help you put it out?”
This analogy underscored the SDP’s broader critique that short-term financial assistance does little to solve the root problems of affordability and inflation. The SDP has proposed cutting the GST to 7 per cent or even 5 per cent — a key pledge in its recently launched election manifesto. Chee asserted that a larger opposition presence in Parliament is the only way to curb what he described as "profligate spending" by the government and ensure policies are scrutinised more rigorously.
Throughout the evening, speakers from SDP’s teams contesting in Marsiling-Yew Tee GRC, Sembawang GRC, and Bukit Panjang SMC echoed these sentiments, repeatedly raising the issues of high living costs and job insecurity.
Dr Chee also listed what he believed to be examples of wasteful expenditure, including the construction of the Founders’ Memorial, the implementation of touchless traffic light buttons, and the $40 million required to maintain the current ez-link and Nets FlashPay system for public transport. These, he said, were symbolic of how public funds are being diverted away from more meaningful uses.
“That is why we need SDP MPs in Parliament,” he said. “We will not be fearful when it comes to engaging the PAP on cost of living. We will push the Government to lower expenses and cut wasteful spending on unnecessary projects that don’t add value to your lives.”
Chee is contesting in the newly carved-out Sembawang West SMC, where he faces a straight fight against the PAP’s Poh Li San. His campaign pitch includes a strong focus on practical cost-of-living solutions and stronger opposition representation to hold the PAP accountable.
He argued that the SDP’s presence would serve as a necessary check and balance to the ruling party’s decisions, particularly when it comes to managing the nation’s finances. Instead of reactive relief measures, he said Singaporeans deserve forward-thinking fiscal policies that prevent inflationary pressures in the first place.
Chee’s criticisms come amid broader public conversations over affordability in Singapore, as the country adjusts to tax hikes, inflation, and evolving economic uncertainties. The SDP’s manifesto, unveiled on April 21, positions cost-of-living concerns as a central electoral issue.
While the PAP has defended its fiscal decisions as necessary to ensure long-term sustainability and investment in infrastructure, the SDP maintains that better scrutiny and opposition pressure could prevent unnecessary or misdirected expenditure.
With rising prices a key voter concern, the SDP’s strategy is clear: frame the PAP not only as ineffective in alleviating the cost burden, but also as the cause of it — and present the SDP as the party willing to fight for practical solutions and greater accountability.
Comments
Post a Comment