Ultimate Guide to All Political Party Broadcasts Summarised & Simplified for You

Everyone likes a good political rally, but unfortunately, so does the coronavirus.

That’s why all the parties are urging residents to elect them through their television screens, something Singaporeans have been staring at a lot more in the last few months.

Since the 1980 General Election, parties with at least six candidates under a recognised party symbol are eligible for airtime on free-to-air radio and television.

And now, with Covid-19 keeping everyone in their homes, these broadcasts have added significance.

If you’re here, that means you were probably watching the third season of Dark on Netflix last night (2 July), when candidates from seven parties were imploring residents to vote for them.

Reader: You know me so well it’s almost scary.

The amount of time each party is allocated is determined by the number of candidates it fields.

The time allocation is:

Reform Party (six candidates): 2½ minutes

National Solidarity Party (10): 3 minutes

Peoples Voice (10): 3 minutes

Singapore Democratic Party (11): 3 minutes

Workers’ Party (21): 4½ minutes

Progress Singapore Party (24): 5 minutes

People’s Action Party (93): 13 minutes

So, what did these parties have to say?

Worker’s Party (WP) – Votes For WP Will Count in 3 Ways

While everyone has been gushing over Dr Jamus Lim after his impressive performance in the televised political debate on Wednesday (1 July), WP chief Pritam Singh was the one who expounded on WP’s policies for GE2020 yesterday.

Singh said that this year’s election could see the ruling party claim 100% of parliamentary seats, amid Covid-19 fear.

He cited the example of GE2011 when the PAP won 81 out of 87 seats even though “it only won 60% of the vote”.

“The PAP does not need your vote to form a government”, he said.

“But we need your vote”.

Singh outlined three reasons why Singaporeans should vote for the WP in this year’s election:

1. They will raise issues that PAP MPs “cannot or will not raise”

The WP chief notes how MPs from the WP brought up topics in Parliament such as the GST test balloon, the Keppel Offshore and Marine scandal, and the constitutional amendment on the Reserved Presidential Election.

“Not a single PAP MP filed a parliamentary question on the corruption disclosures at Keppel Offshore and Marine. Only Workers’ Party MPs did”, he said.

By bringing up such issues, Singh said, the WP is helping residents to keep the government “accountable”.

2. It will prompt other “sincere and capable people” to vote WP in future elections

Singh said that voting more WP MPs into parliament will encourage other residents to do the same in future elections.

“These new and diverse voices need your encouragement”, he said.

3. Having “rational, responsible and respectable” WP MPs in Parliament will help safeguard Singapore

Singh said that Singapore needs to be wary of one-party dominance in Parliament because it could “allow a tiny number of people to control everything”.

“Our long-term dream is for Singapore to have a healthy democracy where there are two or three parties who could form a competent and honest government”, he said.

What the WP wants to avoid, is concentrated power.

“We must not be an aristocracy where power is held by the few. We must be a democracy where power is in the hands of the many. Make your vote count”.

Progress Singapore Party (PSP) – Stop PAP From Having Two-Thirds Majority

PSP chief Dr Tan Cheng Bock, who was previously with the PAP for 26 years, has urged Singaporeans to vote PSP candidates into office to stop PAP from having a two-thirds majority in parliament.

Dr Tan said that this will prevent the ruling party from amending important laws “without being checked”.

“If the PAP has a two-third majority, they will have the power to change important laws like the Constitution at will, whenever they wish,” said Dr Tan.

He notes that the PAP has had a “strong monopoly” in parliament for the last two decades, but “prosperity has not flowed to all Singaporeans,”.

For those who don’t know, PSP is a pretty young party, founded last year on 28 March.

This is the party’s first general election, where they’ve fielded 24 candidates across 4 GRCs and 5 SMCs.

PAP has “lost its way

Dr Tan said he was contesting against the PAP in this year’s election because the ruling party has “lost its way”.

“And I love this country, like many of you. While I am still able, I want to do something about it. So I have chosen to run again and pass on my knowledge to my younger colleagues,” said Dr Tan.

Similar to what WP’s Pritam Singh said, Dr Tan said he would ask “the tough questions” on behalf of residents.

“Ask yourself, have you ever heard any of your PAP MPs ask the hard questions? As a Singaporean, you have a right to information that the Government is refusing to answer,” said Dr Tan.

Dr Tan ends his speech exhorting voters to vote for transparency, accountability, and independence.

“You deserve better”, he said.

Singapore Democratic Party (SDP) – SDP is Committed to “Building a Future of Promise and Hope for Singapore”

SDP secretary-general Dr Chee Soon Juan started his speech by pointing out a perceived failure of the Prime Minister to live up to his words.

“In the last elections, Mr Lee Hsien Loong asked voters to trust the PAP and promised that the government will work to lessen the burden of our cost of living,” he said.

“He has not kept his promise. He has increased our cost of living by raising water prices, town council fees, healthcare costs, electricity rates, bus fares, school fees – you name it.”

By the way, have you noticed how all of them have their hands clasped in a similar manner while addressing you? They probably all consulted the same body language expert.

Dr Chee added that the Goods and Services Tax (GST) will increase and that the government has “brought in even more foreign workers to compete with us for our jobs.”

“Trust the PAP? Trust doesn’t come from what you say, it comes from what you do”, he said.

He also mentioned “astronomical salaries” of ministers, saying that they have “little to worry about”.

PM Lee collects about S$200,000 a month. Even the junior entry-level ministers are paid S$100,000 a month. How long do we average Singaporeans have to work to earn that amount?” he asked.

Dr Chee said that his party is committed to “changing all this by building a future of promise and hope for Singapore.”

He also reiterated his company’s  “Four Yes, One No” campaign, where they say yes to:

1. Suspending GST
2. Paying Retrenchment Benefits
3. Providing Income to Retirees
4. Putting People First

“The one no is to say no to a 10 million population,” he said.

Dr Chee said that the party’s main objective is to speak up for residents:

“To us, politics is not about self-glorification. Neither is it about enriching ourselves. Rather, it is about speaking up for you, our fellow citizens.”

Dr Chee encouraged electors to tune in to SDP’s speeches on Facebook and on YouTube.

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National Solidarity Party (NSP) – We Should Have a Government Where “Every Singaporean has a Stake in it”.

In its political broadcast yesterday, NSP chief Spencer Ng echoed the sentiments of several other opposition parties that true accountability on the part of PAP “cannot be achieved” if it has the “super-majority in Parliament”.

“No one is immune to mistakes”, Ng said.

Ng says that avoiding this super-majority will allow the opposition to offer perspectives which the PAP may “miss out”.

NSP believes that Singapore should have a Government where “every Singaporean has a stake in it”.

“It should be one which is consultative and seeks the opinion of the people for all major decisions. Our party hopes that we can be the voices that have been given lesser thought,” he said.

NSP says it wants to address issues related to:

• labour
• housing
• population
• retirement
• the cost of living

NSP claims that our wages have been “depressed” due to the “large supply of foreigners flooding our country to compete for jobs.”

It also wants to reduce our cost of living, by making housing more affordable and “abolishing GST on basic necessities”, among other things.

Ng also said that the government should “honour our legal rights to withdraw our Central Provident Fund (CPF) at 55”.

At the end of his speech, Ng urged Singaporeans to “do the next right thing” on Polling Day, by allowing NSP to “build a Government that can make decisions after considering all perspectives”.

This year, the NSP will be contesting in Sembawang and Tampines GRC.

Peoples Voice (PV) – Build a “Fairer, More Prosperous Society”

Peoples Voice, another party that’s younger than some of your children, wants to tackle the income equality in the county and build a “fairer and more prosperous society for the many, and not just the privileged few”.

Candidate Michael Fang Amin said that income equality has only widened since PAP came into power.

He notes that the Prime Minister earns “almost 152 times that of a cleaner”, calling the income disparity between the social classes “obscene”.

Like many other opposition parties, Fang also talked about the impact of foreigners working in Singapore.

He says that many Singaporeans feel “rightfully” aggrieved “that the jobs which you were previously doing are now being done by foreigners”.

To address this, Fang says PV has advocated for a freeze on all S-Passes and a “dramatic reduction” in the number of the Employment Passes.

“For Peoples Voice, it will always be about putting people first and making Singapore our home again”.

In GE2020, PV will be contesting in Pasir Ris-Pungol and Jalan Besar GRC.

Reform Party (RP) – “Vastly improved” Social Safety Systems Needed

In RP’s broadcast, representative Charles Yeo paid more attention to the economic effects of Covid-19, saying the country needs “substantial government spending” to tackle its “worst economic crisis since independence”.

He notes that many Singaporeans have lost their jobs or businesses, with more job losses to come.

This is why RP wants to implement:

• “vastly improved” social safety systems
• universal health care
• cash handouts to households
• a pension for seniors
• a minimum wage

He says that the government has “dropped the ball on this one”, but that the country can still recover.

Elaborating on its party slogan – “Build Back Better, Fairer”, Yeo said citizens can choose to “build back” a country that is “better for all and fairer in every sense”.

The party believes in “holding the Government to account through an efficient opposition in Parliament”.

“Checks and balances from the opposition are a positive contribution”, Yeo said.

People’s Action Party (PAP) – Aims To Protect Lives & Save Jobs

DPM Heng Swee Keat starts of his speech opening his arms and smiling like he wants to hug you through the television screen:

He says that the PAP’s “urgent priority” is to protect lives and save jobs over the next few years.

The minister noted that the government has provided wage subsidies, training opportunities, as well as care packages and grants to help Singaporeans who are out of jobs or seeking employment.

Singapore faces challenges not just over the next few months, but for many years to come, he said.

“That is why we are calling the General Election now,” he said, stating that this election will be “like no other”, with Singapore’s lives, jobs and future at stake.

He says that even though infections have dwindled, “our battle against the virus is far from over.”

To protect Singaporeans’ lives and tackle the economic instability of the next few years, PAP is seeking a clear mandate to “lead Singapore through the storms ahead”, DPM Heng said.

In addition to deepening our links with other countries, DPM Heng said the PAP will promote new growth areas to create more good jobs.

And “to make sure that no Singaporean will be left to walk alone, we will continue to build a more fair and just society”.

Did he just quote Liverpool’s anthem because they won the Premier League this year? 

The PAP representative promised to invest in the education of young Singaporeans, with “special support for those with greater needs”.

The government will also improve social safety nets, give seniors “better support” to retire comfortably, and “strengthen our healthcare system to care for an ageing population.”

“Singaporeans can look forward to a better quality of life and to a greener, more connected, more liveable city,” he added.

DPM Heng ends his speech asking residents for their support so that they can continue to work with Singaporeans and serve the people.

‘Vote for the party that’ll secure our lives, our jobs, our future. Vote for the People’s Action Party.”

Other Broadcasts

There’ll be other political broadcasts from the same parties on 9 July at 8pm, the day before Polling Day.

Today (3 July), Mediacorp will also air constituency political broadcasts (CPBs) across several platforms.

The broadcasts will air from 3 Jul to 8 Jul, at 7pm, on Channel 5, CNA938, cna.asia, 8world.com, CNA YouTube, CNA Facebook and TODAY.

SMC candidates will be allotted 3 minutes each, while GRC candidates 12 and 15 minutes for 4-member and 5-member teams respectively.

If you want to learn more about a specific party’s policies and proposals, you can always head to their Facebook page for more information:

• PAP
• WP
• SDP
• PV
• RP
• PSP
• NSP
• PPP
• SDA
• SPP
• RDU

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