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Tag: SDA

  • Calon SDA, Abu Mohamed, Saran Gunakan Wang Simpanan CPF Untuk Tunaikan Haji

    Calon SDA, Abu Mohamed, Saran Gunakan Wang Simpanan CPF Untuk Tunaikan Haji

    Para calon Perikatan Demokratik Singapura (SDA) bagi GRC Pasir Ris-Punggol mengadakan rapat pilihan raya pertamanya malam tadi (4 September).

    Dalam ucapannya, calon baru, Encik Abu Mohamed antara lain, mengusulkan agar sebahagian daripada simpanan akaun khas CPF diketepikan untuk keperluan menunaikan Haji.

    “Kita boleh membentuk sistem perkiraan yang tidak sekali rumit bagi memberi kelonggaran bagi mengeluarkan simpanan tersebut kepada pekerja selama 30 atau 40 tahun.

    Ia adalah wajar bagi kementerian itu melihat pada sudut memberi pilihan kepada pekerja mengeluarkan sebahagian daripada caruman CPF untuk melaksanakan rukun Islam kelima tanpa beban sebelum bersara,” ujar Encik Abu.

    Source: http://berita.mediacorp.sg

  • SDA Takes To YouTube To Discuss Party’s Manifesto

    SDA Takes To YouTube To Discuss Party’s Manifesto

    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

  • Presiden PKMS, Abu Mohamed, Tanding Bawah Naungan SDA Kali Ini

    Presiden PKMS, Abu Mohamed, Tanding Bawah Naungan SDA Kali Ini

    PARTI Perikatan Demokratik Singapura (SDA) berikrar memperjuang hak rakyat Singapura jika calon-calonnya dipilih ke Parlimen.

    Calon SDA di GRC Pasir Ris-Punggol, Encik Harminder Pal Singh, berkata demikian ketika berucap kepada penyokong di pusat penamaan calon di Sekolah Rendah Fengshan semalam.

    Menurut beliau, sedang Singapura menyambut ulang tahun ke-50 tahun ini, negara tetap berdepan dengan banyak masalah.

    “Secara umumnya, Singapura berdepan dengan banyak masalah dalam bidang penjagaan kesihatan, pekerjaan dan Kertas Putih berkaitan 6.9 juta penduduk.

    “Kami akan memperjuang hak setiap rakyat Singapura, terutama penduduk GRC Pasir Ris-Punggol,” kata Encik Singh.

    Calon Melayu SDA, yang merupakan muka baru di GRC itu, Encik Abu Mohamed, pula berkata calon SDA terdiri daripada golongan rakyat biasa, justeru memahami keprihatinan mereka.

    “Kami faham keluhan yang sudah lama terpendam. Berikan kami mandat bagi menyuarakan semua keluhan anda,” gesa beliau.

    Encik Abu merupakan Presiden Pertubuhan Kebangsaan Melayu Singapura (PKMS).

    Dalam pilihan raya kali ini, PKMS akan ‘bergerak’ di bawah naungan SDA.

    Pasukan SDA di GRC Pasir Ris-Punggol diketuai Encik Desmond Lim.

    Encik Lim, Encik Singh and seorang lagi calon, Encik Arthero Lim, bertanding di GRC sama pada pilihan raya umum 2011.

    Dua lagi muka baru SDA yang bertanding di GRC itu ialah Encik Ong Teik Seng dan Encik Wong Way Weng.

    Ini kali ketiga SDA bertanding di GRC Pasir Ris-Punggol.

     

    Source: http://beritaharian.sg

  • PKMS President, Abu Mohamed, Among Three New Faces To Contest Pasir-Ris Punggol GRC Under The SDA Banner

    PKMS President, Abu Mohamed, Among Three New Faces To Contest Pasir-Ris Punggol GRC Under The SDA Banner

    The Singapore Democratic Alliance (SDA) on Monday (Aug 31) unveiled its slate of potential candidates contesting the six-member Pasir Ris-Punggol Group Representation Constituency, and three of them are new faces.

    Mr Ong Teik Seng, 44, is contesting for the first time.

    The sales director said he wants to highlight matters concerning the well-being of senior citizens and the young. Criticising the rise in age limits for Singaporeans to withdraw their Central Provident Fund (CPF) savings, Mr Ong said that Singapore is a country that has “sailed very far into the deep oceans”.

    “There are many workers on board the ship, especially the pioneer generation. They are working for survival,” he said, adding that he hopes for reforms to the CPF scheme.

    Mr Ong also said he hopes to give children more opportunities to get a higher education, so they can face the future challenges of a foreign talent influx.

    Mr Sunny Wong Way Weng, 53, is another new face.

    The quality assurance manager has been a resident of Pasir Ris for about 21 years. He said he was motivated to join politics as he wants to speak up on issues such as traffic congestion and the pressure Singaporeans face.

    “I am proud to have celebrated SG50 but there is room to speak up and go forward,” he said.

    Mr Abu Mohamed, 64, is the third new candidate.

    Speaking in Malay, the President of the Singapore Malay National Organisation (PKMS) said he wants to help the Malay-Muslim community progress in areas such as education, jobs and housing.

    Mr Abu Mohamed, a co-director in an oil field services company, also hopes to bring up issues advocating women wearing the hijab in frontline work, as well as policies protecting Malays from being barred from job positions that specify Mandarin-speaking candidates.

    Mr Desmond Lim, 47, SDA’s secretary-general, previously contested in Punggol East SMC in 2011 and 2013.

    The engineer in the telecommunications industry lost his election deposit after garnering just 0.57 per cent of the votes in the Punggol East SMC by-election in 2013. However, he said he is unfazed by the episode.

    “How can a country depend on you if you give up just after losing once?” he said.

    “The Parliament lacks a common man’s voice,” added Mr Lim in Mandarin. “The common man needs to have a place in Parliament, and I have decided to continue to champion the rights of the common man.”

    Mr Arthero Lim, 60, is taking part in his fourth election.

    The filmmaker rejoined the SDA slate after contesting under the Reform Party banner in Ang Mo Kio GRC in the previous General Election in 2011. He has also contested as a Singapore Democratic Party candidate.

    “I’m a fighter for social justice. It’s not just criticising the ruling party – a lack of social justice is making Singapore dysfunctional,” he said.

    Mr Harminder Pal Singh, 43, was one of the candidates for Pasir Ris-Punggol GRC in 2011.

    The CEO of coaching company Helping People Succeed said he hopes to see more being done for a hiring policy that benefits Singaporeans. “These are cosmetic changes we see by the Government. When we are elected as MPs, we want to push for these policies in the right fashion. We want more in-depth implementation to benefit more Singaporeans,” he explained, referring to the current policies.

    Another issue he hopes to address in Parliament is the “lack of emphasis being given to the welfare of the people in Singapore”, citing the “inability to retire at 55 and be able to withdraw CPF funds”.

    Mr Singh added that the party was “confident” it was connecting with voters and that it would strive to ensure that the Pasir Ris-Punggol town council would be “one of the best ones” if SDA was elected into Parliament. To ensure it is ready to run the constituency, SDA revealed that it has created a shadow town council for the GRC. Members have also been going for training.

    “Should we win the election, we will go in there running. Our shadow town council is ready to take over the town council (in Pasir Ris-Punggol),” said Mr Singh.

    The party said it will also look into asking for more childcare centres and a regional hospital. When asked where the party would get the money from to push its township plan, Mr Desmond Lim said he hopes the party will get to push this plan in Parliament for approval, if elected.

     

    Source: www.channelnewsasia.com

  • SDA Member, William Lim, Resigned From Party For ‘Personal Reasons’

    SDA Member, William Lim, Resigned From Party For ‘Personal Reasons’

    A member of the Singapore Democratic Alliance (SDA) who helped set up an alternative association for cabbies touted by the party has resigned.

    In a statement to the media, Mr William Lim said he resigned yesterday (Aug 30) due to “personal reasons”.

    A full-time taxi driver, he told TODAY he was leaving the party to concentrate on his work and other business commitments, and currently does not have plans to join any other political party. He had been a member at SDA for over a year.

    He also took pains to say that the new Singapore Cabbies Association (SCA), which was announced less than two weeks ago by him and SDA chairman Desmond Lim, was “never associated with the SDA in any way”, other than the fact he is the SCA’s founding president and until now, an SDA member. The SCA, which has 200 members, aims to be an alternative to the National Taxi Association in championing cabbie welfare.

    Mr William Lim’s announcement comes two days before Nomination Day, but SDA chairman Desmond Lim said that while Mr William Lim was a member of the party, he was not a potential candidate for the upcoming General Election.

    “(He is leaving for) personal reasons, our hearts are heavy, but we have to respect (his decision),” said Mr Desmond Lim.

    Mr Desmond Lim also said the SCA is still subject to approval by the Registry of Societies. “We had this idea, because we know taxi drivers have certain issues that need us to address. We are very concerned. Since (Mr William Lim) is a taxi driver, we helped him to form this (association), and he was a member of SDA, so it was affiliated to the SDA.”

    Mr Desmond Lim added that he would prefer to wait to see if the SCA gets its approval, before commenting on whether the association will continue to be affiliated to the party.

    However, Mr William Lim said the SCA will become a “non-partisan association”. “I am the only one who is handling it. Actually I have been planning to set up the SCA since last year,” he said.

     

    Source: www.todayonline.com