3 highlights from every party's GE2020 Party Political Broadcast on July 2

Moments ago, Singaporeans directed their attention to their screens for their nightly dose of politics. 

With the general election well underway — and with no physical rallies allowed — election slogans and arguments were broadcasted on TV with seven contesting parties getting some airtime. 

In case you’re wondering why some parties got a much shorter cameo on air, the amount of airtime allocated and the order of the broadcasts are determined by the number of candidates fielded by the party, the Infocomm Media Development Authority said.

Here are three key points each political party made today (July 2), in order of broadcast.

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Reform Party - Charles Yeo

• "When we build our recovery we face a choice. Continue as before with a system that works for an elite few while the majority struggle or change and build back a Singapore that is better for all and fairer in every sense."
   
• "There should be an end to the cruel policy of austerity. We want vastly improved social safety nets; universal health care, cash payments to families, a seniors pension and a minimum wage."
   
• "Mr Kenneth Jeyaretnam is good with numbers and tenacious in pursuit of individual and community level. All of our candidates bring skills that will make them good and dedicated constituency MPs. We will also be a safe pair of hands to manage your Town Council."

National Solidarity Party - Spencer Ng

• "We want to build a government that can make decisions after considering all perspectives; a government that is diverse but fair to all Singaporeans."
   
• "Is the impending increase of GST necessary? GST is a regressive tax. It affects the poor and the working class much more than those in the upper class. To relief the pressure of cost of living, we can start off with abolishing GST on basic necessities."
   
• "We want our government to honour our legal rights to withdraw our CPF at 55. Financial literacy for our retirees is the key to ensure they have adequate money to enjoy their hard-earned retirement. We do not believe in equal misery for all pertaining to the CPF."

Peoples Voice - Michael Fang

• "Peoples Voice wants to deliver a fairer and more prosperous society for the many, and not just the privileged few. Over the years, no one who has lived in Singapore can fail to recognise how the State has become ever more powerful and rich at the expense of the individual."
   
• "A government is like a father to its citizens. And a father who provides for alien children whilst allowing the breakfast, lunch and dinner of his own children to be stolen is a bad father."
   
• "Peoples Voice will always fight for the Singaporeans to have the best paying jobs in our country. That is why we have advocated for a freeze of all S-Passes and a dramatic reduction in the number of the Employment Passes. There are many Singaporeans who are well qualified to do the jobs which are paid $2,400 and above, and are deprived of doing them because these jobs are presently done by foreigners."

Singapore Democratic Party - Chee Soon Juan

• "Trust the PAP? Trust doesn't come from what you say, it comes from what you do. The ministers have little to worry about, they lavish themselves with astronomical salaries. PM Lee collects about $200,000 a month. Even the junior entry-level ministers are paid $100,000 a month. How long do we average Singaporeans have to work to earn that amount?"
   
• "We have drawn up an alternative vision for Singapore crystallised in our 4Yes1No campaign: Yes number 1, suspend the GST until end-2021; Yes number 2, introduce a retrenchment benefit scheme for retrenched workers; Yes number 3, provide a $500 monthly income for the elderly; Yes number 4, to put the people first and the one No is to say No to a 10-million population."
   
• "Through the decades, the SDP has never wavered in our commitment to speak up for you. 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."

Workers' Party - Pritam Singh

• "We have seen from the experiences of other countries that power can fall into the wrong hands. The PAP is not immune to such a risk. PAP self-checking can fail. If the wrong people show their true colours only after reaching our highest offices, Singapore is finished."
   
• "The Workers’ Party cannot form the next government. We are contesting fewer than a quarter of the seats. We are presenting the best candidates we can find. These candidates could have pursued a much easier path by joining the PAP or by simply staying out of politics. But they have taken this far more challenging path because they love our country."
   
• "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."

Progress Singapore Party - Tan Cheng Bock

• "I want to assure you that the PSP will know how to look after your constituency. PSP has people who have run town councils before including myself. I was previously the Chairman of the Jurong East Town Council and South West CDC. We know how to take care of you."
   
• "Having a PAP monopoly in Parliament is not a formula for success. For the past 20 years, the PAP has had a strong monopoly. However, prosperity has not flowed to all Singaporeans. Many PMETs are still out of work and their jobs are displaced by foreigners. The previous mandate did not always mean good outcomes for Singaporeans."
   
• "The PAP will tell you that they can 'ownself check ownself'. Do you agree? This is very important. The Government will be spending billions of our reserves on post-Covid-19 recovery measures. This is our money.  If the PAP dominates Parliament, tell me: who will check how the money is spent? How much of our reserves will go to the big Government-inked businesses paying high executive salaries? How much will reach ordinary Singaporeans families struggling to get by?"

People's Action Party - Heng Swee Keat

• "Five years ago, under very different circumstances, you gave the PAP your mandate to take Singapore beyond SG50. We delivered what we promised."
   
• "Our urgent priority over the next few years is to protect lives and save jobs. Through four Budgets, we have injected almost $100 billion into this effort. We are supporting our healthcare professionals and frontline agencies to contain the virus. We are also providing wage subsidies to help businesses keep Singaporeans in their jobs. And we are creating many new jobs — in both the public and private sectors — for both fresh graduates, as well as those who are seeking employment."
   
• "To work together effectively, we must all pull in the same direction. A strong and capable government will help us achieve this, even more so during a crisis. The PAP is up to this task. The PAP’s leadership team is tested and proven. PM Lee and the older Ministers have seen Singapore through many previous crises."

editor@asiaone.com