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SDP to Voters: Vote With Courage, Not Fear

 




At the Singapore Democratic Party’s (SDP) first lunchtime rally of the election season, held at UOB Plaza on April 29, party chief Dr Chee Soon Juan delivered a blistering critique of the People’s Action Party (PAP), arguing that today’s leaders lack the competence and moral calibre of their founding predecessors. The rally, attended by a sizeable crowd during the afternoon lunch hour, marked the SDP’s sixth in as many days and brought together eight party speakers.

Dr Chee, contesting Sembawang West SMC, began his address by rejecting the notion that he was engaging in “PAP bashing,” but insisted that past scandals needed to be revisited due to what he described as the PAP’s continuous self-praise. “Our PAP ministers keep running the propaganda that they are exceptional and don’t need an opposition to hold them accountable,” he said.

He listed a series of controversies that he said undermined the PAP’s image, including:

  • Former Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong’s handling of ex-Speaker Tan Chuan-Jin’s affair,

  • The Ridout Road state bungalow rentals involving two ministers,

  • The use of TraceTogether data beyond its intended scope,

  • The exposure of full NRIC numbers on a government business portal.

“These incidents show that the PAP is most certainly not the exceptional party it claims to be,” Dr Chee declared.

He also took aim at what he described as “astronomical” ministerial salaries, disputing the long-standing justification that high pay deters corruption. “We don’t pay them exorbitant salaries to not be corrupt,” he said. “We elect our leaders based on their moral rectitude.”

Calling for humility from PAP leaders, Dr Chee urged voters not to give the ruling party “blind support,” warning that such unquestioning faith breeds complacency and discourages critical thought.

SDP candidate Dr James Gomez echoed similar sentiments. Referencing recent remarks by Senior Minister Lee Hsien Loong that Singapore would face “a lot of trouble” if key ministers were lost, Dr Gomez called the logic “unbelievable.”

“That may be a problem for the PAP, but not for us Singaporeans,” he said, calling on voters to reject “fearmongering” tactics. He also dismissed Prime Minister Lawrence Wong’s warning that more opposition MPs could “weaken” the PAP team. “Effective government demands accountability, transparency and debate,” Dr Gomez insisted.

SDP chairman Dr Paul Tambyah added a more personal note, referring to a Straits Times interview with a young SDP supporter whose father, a government-linked company employee, warned her not to reveal her name. “It is disturbing that young people still feel this fear,” he said, urging Public Service Minister Chan Chun Sing to issue a public assurance that no Singaporean would face retribution for their vote.

Dr Tambyah also responded to Health Minister Ong Ye Kung’s jibe that SDP’s policy proposals didn’t have “a snowball’s chance” of succeeding. In return, Tambyah said SDP’s ideas would “gain momentum like a snowball in Greenland.”

Dr Chee closed the rally with a rallying call: “Be bold, be brave, be on the right side of history.” He urged Singaporeans to reject fear and look toward a future built on faith in people, not entrenched power.

The SDP is fielding 11 candidates across four constituencies in this General Election: Bukit Panjang SMC, Marsiling-Yew Tee GRC, Sembawang GRC, and Sembawang West SMC.

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