Cost of Living Crisis: Pritam Singh explains why WP rejected PAP amendments

SINGAPORE: After thanking all the Members of Parliament who took part in the motion on the cost of living crisis filed by himself and fellow Workers’ Party MP Louis Chua, Leader of the Opposition Pritam Singh explained why he rejected the amendment proposed by PAP MP Liang Eng Hwa. The motion was passed—with the three amendments—on Tuesday (Nov 7) after a lengthy debate. That higher living costs have become problematic for many in Singapore was agreed upon by all, but how exactly to address these issues was discussed by various MPs from the different parties.

Mr Singh, who has represented the Eunos ward in Aljunied GRC since 2011, said that the WP MPs would vote in favour of the original motion, as the party disagrees with two of the amendments. The WP takes issue with the phrase in the amendment that “cost of living is a global concern,” as they perceive this to be “an attempt to minify the role Government can and should play to reduce cost of living burdens on Singaporeans. Mr Singh acknowledged the importance of worldwide factors. However, he added that these factors “should instead prompt a review of existing policies with a view to relieve cost of living pressures.”

Read also: Workers’ Party Explains Why Current Living Costs In Sg A “Crisis”

In rejecting the second amendment, the Leader of the Opposition explained that the use of the words “continue pursuing policies” suggests to us that the status quo is satisfactory.

“We disagree. Indeed, we have proposed specific structural changes to the system that we believe will work better than current PAP policies. The Workers’ Party MPs have made concrete proposals in several areas. We urge the Government to conduct a comprehensive review of its policies to better support Singaporeans and their families during this Cost of Living Crisis,” he said.

Mr Singh went on to briefly summarize the various proposals put forth by the WP MPs. His fellow Aljunied GRC MP Sylvia Lim talked about tiered electricity pricing and asked the government to consider lowering charges for consumption during off-peak hours. Mr Singh himself spoke on the need for a review of the pricing structure of water for both domestic and non-domestic consumers.

MP Faisal Manap (Aljunied GRC) tackled the issue of the government looking into a “Minimum Income Standard” for households, while Sengkang GRC MP He Ting Ru addressed the high cost of mental health and healthy living in Singapore. Similarly, Mr Dennis Tan (Hougang GRC) also spoke on healthcare issues, calling for greater assistance for those with greater needs.

Meanwhile, Mr Gerald Giam (Aljunied GRC) proposed that for a National Transport Corporation (NTC) to be established as a publicly-owned, non-profit land transport planner and operator of all MRT, LRT, and trunk bus services, and Assoc Prof Jamus Lim (Sengkang GRC) put forth a number of proposals to lower the COE, which allows people to own cars in Singapore. Mr Louis Chua (Sengkang GRC) again reiterated his call for the one per cent increase in Goods and Services Tax (GST) scheduled for Jan 1, 2024, to be deferred, especially since the revenue increase which the GST hike was meant to bring has already been achieved.

Read also: Cost of living crisis: Defer GST hike, says WP MP Louis Chua

“The Workers’ Party believes that we should continue to look beyond short-term relief in addressing this cost-of-living crisis and to relook at prevailing orthodoxies on other schemes so as lower costs for Singaporeans and their families,” said Mr Singh. /TISG