Screen Shot 2021-06-22 at 5.53.17 PM — Photo: YouTube screengrabs - K Shanmugam, Leong Mun Wai

PSP accepts Shanmugam’s challenge to a debate, says issues like CECA and foreign PMETs that affect S’poreans’ livelihoods need to be raised

Singapore — On Tuesday (Jun 22), the Progress Singapore Party (PSP) accepted K Shanmugam’s call to a debate on the Singapore-India Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement (CECA).

In May, Minister for Law and Home Affairs K Shanmugam called out Non-Constituency MP Leong Mun Wai, who had previously said he was “deeply disappointed” that DBS Bank did not have a “homegrown” chief executive and whose Progress Singapore Party (PSP) had called for agreements such as CECA to be reviewed.

“I am looking at you, Mr Leong. I invite you to put up a Motion to debate CECA. You know that most of what is said about CECA is false,” Mr Shanmugam said.

In a Facebook post on Tuesday (Jun 22), Mr Leong noted that the Phase 2 (Heightened Alert) Covid-19 restrictions have “accentuated the financial and personal hardships of Singaporeans”.

“Refocusing back on the economy, we have always maintained that if Singaporeans and SMEs had been in a better financial position when the Covid-19 pandemic struck, these hardships would perhaps be more manageable”, he wrote.

Mr Leong continued that “the most important economic policies that have affected the jobs and livelihoods of Singaporeans relate to Foreign PMETs and Free Trade Agreements, in particular, the Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement (CECA) with India”. This is because, he added, foreign PMETs (Professionals, Managers, Executives, and Technicians) and Permanent Residents account for 25% and 15% of our 1.7M PMET workforce respectively, making up a total of 40%.

He added that in order to create a “win-win” situation for both Singaporeans and foreigners, the first step was obtaining prompt and complete information so as to promote transparency and eliminate prejudices.

Mr Leong noted that the PSP looked to seek further information from the Government at the parliamentary sitting in July to prepare for the debate.

“Subsequently, the PSP will decide on a suitable time to file a motion,” said Mr Leong. “It will be then up to the Speaker’s discretion to confirm the date of the debate.”

CECA has been criticised in some quarters as paving the way for Indian nationals to be prioritised for jobs in Singapore over locals and it is an issue the PSP has raised on multiple occasions.

/TISG

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