GE2015: SPP releases eight-point manifesto for Bishan-Toa Payoh GRC

The Singapore People's Party released a 270-word manifesto, which broadly outlined the team's plans for Bishan-Toa Payoh GRC, on Thursday, Sept 3, 2015. ST PHOTO: ALPHONSUS CHERN

SINGAPORE - The Singapore People's Party released its eight-point manifesto for Bishan-Toa Payoh GRC on Thursday.

The 270-word manifesto broadly outlines the team's plans for the five-member GRC, with a focus on mainly national issues.

The party has called for a collaborative and collective government "that brings talent from different political parties into Parliament in constructive cooperation for the good of Singapore".

Its manifesto gave hints about the issues that the SPP is likely to speak on at its coming rally, which will be held at Toa Payoh Stadium on Friday evening.

"We believe people want equal opportunities, fair employment, sustainable jobs, living wages, reduced cost-of-living, affordable healthcare, reliable public transport, flexible and effective education, affordable and available public housing, assistance in business, control over their CPF monies, and a worry-free retirement," it said.

"We believe people want an economy with affordable costs, built on strong, healthy, growing local businesses, owned and run by Singaporeans, and not be squeezed out of the market by GLCs and MNCs."

The five-member SPP team consists of two veterans from the 2011 election: Democratic Progressive Party chief Benjamin Pwee, 47, and chairman Hamim Aliyas, 50, who have both resigned from the party and joined the SPP so they can be fielded.

Election rules dictate that all candidates in a group representation constituency team must either come from one party or consist of five independents. Both SPP and DPP had earlier agreed that they would contest under the SPP banner.

Their teammates are SPP members and new faces Law Kim Hwee, 55, a former marketing manager, training company manager Abdillah Zamzuri, 31, and tech entrepreneur Bryan Long, 37.

In a nod to one of the hottest issues of this election, three of the manifesto's eight points also touch on town councils.

The SPP team wants a responsive town council that will give residents a clean environment conducive to raising families, apolitical grassroots representatives that will provide "real feedback" to the town councils, and equal access to government grants plus equal priority for infrastructural upgrading regardless of which party runs them.

The SPP-DPP joint team will come up against the PAP incumbents consisting of Dr Ng Eng Hen, 56, Mr Chong Kee Hiong, 49, Mr Chee Hong Tat, 41, Mr Saktiandi Supaat, 41, and Mrs Josephine Teo, 47.

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