In a video in which he is speaking in Malay, Dr Chee Soon Juan, secretary-general of the Singapore Democratic Party (SDP) talked about the financial pressures faced by the people of Singapore.
He said because of the current leadership, many people have had to turn to “driving Grab taxis and deliver food to earn a living”, a comment which comes as a reference to fellow Central Executive Committee (CEC) member Damanhuri Abas, a former PMET who drives a private-hire vehicle.
Dr Chee emphasized that for the group of people struggling with day-to-day jobs, they could not earn any money on days they fall sick and cannot work.
“There’s no career development and they will have little savings for their retirement”, he added.
Dr Chee said, “After more than 50 years of PAP rule, the ministers are telling us now that we are not good enough and that we have to take up non-professional jobs while foreign PMETs take up managerial and leadership positions”.
Wages remain stagnant while living costs continue to increase, Dr Chee explained, citing a report that showed 4 out of 5 people who felt that their wages could not keep up with rising costs.
He also emphasized that more than half of Singaporeans feel that they cannot make any financial progress in the near future.
Citing the increases in prices and taxes, along with the planned increase in the Goods and Services Tax (GST), Dr Chee said, “This is madness. We are already the most expensive city in the world”.
Addressing Maciks and Paciks, Dr Chee said, “As long as you continue to support the PAP with no opposition in parliament, your lives and your children’s lives will get harder and harder”.
He urged that the SDP would like to fight for the people and stop their financial pressure from increasing. “We will also fight to return you your CPF savings at 55”, he added.
The Secretary-General of the SDP ended his video calling for people to meet him and speak to him during his rounds at Bukit Batok. /TISG