The Peoples Voice Party (PV) has unveiled its manifesto, just four days before Polling Day on July 10.
The party’s slogan is “Make Singapore our home again,” and its manifesto is all about “putting people (Singaporeans) first.”
This year marks the party’s first-ever election, where it is fielding 10 candidates in three constituencies.
In a 19-minute long Facebook video released yesterday (July 6), PV founder and Secretary-General Lim Tean detailed five key policies that the party would push for if elected:
1. Restoring Jobs To Singaporeans
Restoring jobs to Singaporeans is touted as the centrepiece of the PV’s manifesto. According to Lim, Singaporeans have been “losing jobs to foreign talent.”
To solve this problem, the party proposes freezing the issuance of new S-passes and significantly reducing the number of employment passes available to foreign workers.
It takes the stance that the government should put in place structures which allow for the transfer of knowledge from foreign workers to Singaporeans.
“This is only fair to our people, to make sure that eventually, they are able to do the first-class jobs that have to be done by foreigners at the moment,” said Lim.
The PV also advocates the implementation of a minimum, or living, wage. According to a study by the National University of Singapore, the minimum sum required for a basic standard of living in Singapore is S$1,379.
2. Returning CPF Monies At Age 55
Lim said that the returning of one’s Central Provident Fund (CPF) monies at age 55 is a policy that the party has been pushing for since its inception in 2018.
The party noted that many Singaporeans still have to do “back-breaking” work even in their 70s or 80s — this is something that the party does not want to turn a blind eye towards.
Besides returning the money at 55, the party wants the CPF funds to be “professionally” managed. This would allow Singaporeans to receive a higher rate of return on their CPF, preventing them from struggling in their old age.
3. Reforming Immigration Policies
The PV is pushing for fundamental reforms of immigration policies.
Many Singaporeans feel like they are “aliens in their own country”, said the party. It wants to ensure the cessation of the “insane immigration policy” that the government has embarked on for the past few decades.
This entails ensuring that Singapore’s population does not exceed six million.
The party believes that Singapore requires well-educated, creative and innovative people to thrive, rather than a large population.
4. Reducing The Cost Of Living
Cutting down the cost of living and doing businesses in Singapore is the fourth point in the PV’s manifesto.
Even though Singapore is the most expensive city in the world for five years running, Singaporeans are still struggling with the cost of living, said the party.
The PV proposes the reduction of Goods and Services Tax (GST) from seven to five per cent, and imposing zero GST on essential items like food and medical services.
Lim also asserts that this policy will aid in reducing inequality, and help the less fortunate, especially during the COVID-19 crisis.
The cost of business and rent is another issue that the PV wants to address. The party will push for proposals to reduce rent, to allow for Singapore to move away from the “rentier society that it has become”.
This will allow for Singapore’s small and micro business to be the engine of growth in the society.
5. Improving Accountability And Transparency In The Government
The party is calling for a code of conduct that will govern and remove the “ugly face of conflicts of interest in our public institutions.”
Confidence in Singapore’s public institutions have been undermined due to these conflicts, and the PV wants laws and regulations to be put into place.
These regulations will render organisations such as the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau, Department of Statistics and the Elections Department “totally independent” of the Prime Minister’s Office.
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Featured Image Credit: MalayMail
