The Singapore Democratic Alliance (SDA) on Wednesday (Sep 2) uploaded on YouTube several videos about their party’s manifesto for the Sep 11 General Election (GE).
The seven videos, each between two and six minutes long, touch on issues such as housing, transport and education.
Mr Harminder Pal Singh, who is part of the SDA’s six-member team contesting the Pasir Ris-Punggol Group Representation Constituency (GRC), is featured in all seven videos.
On housing, Mr Singh said the influx of immigrants has pushed up demand for public housing. This has caused prices of public housing to rise, he added.
Another video deals with the issue of employment, with Mr Singh saying that PMET (professional, manager, executive and technician) positions are given to non-locals instead of Singaporeans, even though the candidates have the same qualifications and level of experience.
“SDA advocates a Singaporean-first policy for employment which shall be legislated,” said Mr Singh. “This means that an employer must prove that he cannot find a suitable local for the current vacancy and has exhausted all means of employing a local for the job before approval is granted for the employment of foreigners.”
The party, the first to announce its manifesto for this year’s polls, has pledged to liberalise the use of Medisave, and to sell public flats at 10 per cent “above the raw price” to Singaporeans with lesser means, among other things.
Pushing for a “Singapore for Singaporeans”, the SDA’s manifesto also covers issues such as population, healthcare, public transport, education and the Central Provident Fund (CPF) scheme.
The SDA team for Pasir Ris-Punggol GRC, which is led by party chief Desmond Lim, also includes Mr Arthero Lim, Mr Sunny Wong, Mr Abu Mohamed and Mr Ong Teik Seng. When contacted by TODAY, Mr Desmond Lim said the videos are a “manifestation” of the party’s goals going forward.
“It is a great way to reach out to the masses at one go,” he added.
Mr Lim said the SDA hopes to get through to voters its messages on issues pertinent to Singaporeans, and “make significant changes”. He also revealed that the party intends to hold three rallies in the run-up to the GE.
Mr Lim and his colleagues will be facing a People’s Action Party team led by Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean. In the 2011 GE, a SDA team also contested in the Pasir Ris-Punggol GRC, garnering 35.21 per cent of the votes.
OPPOSING WITH POSTERS
The party has also stepped away from the conventional political posters featuring candidates’ portraits, choosing instead to have a plain background with short, snappy slogans attacking the policies of the ruling PAP.
One says “55, return CPF”, which is aimed at the payout eligibility age (previously known as the drawdown age) under the Central Provident Fund (CPF) system. Another says “Say no to 6.9”, in reference to the 6.9-million population size projection set out in a hotly debated White Paper in 2013.
Mr Singh said the party went with these slogans because these are the “hottest” issues on the minds of voters. “When we walk the ground every day, these are the two biggest (issues) everyone is talking about. So we don’t want to just talk about our people, we want to talk about what the ground needs in term of change.”
The SDA also has the traditional-looking posters, but there are QR codes beside each portrait to direct voters to each candidate’s account on social media site Facebook.
“People can read about the candidates. They can also read the SDA manifesto and the issues that the candidates are very passionate about,” said Mr Singh.
The SDA also has the traditional-looking posters, but there are QR codes beside each portrait to direct voters to each candidate’s account on social media site Facebook. “People can read about the candidates. They can also read the SDA manifesto and the issues that the candidates are very passionate about,” said Mr Singh.
Although the posters were put up only on Tuesday, Mr Singh said he had started receiving Facebook messages from residents, asking where the party’s rallies would be held, for instance.
The SDA is putting up 2,500 posters around Pasir Ris-Punggol GRC, where it is contesting again this election.
Source: www.channelnewsasia.com
