PUBLISHED ONApril 24, 2025 5:30 PMByBhavya RawatProgress Singapore Party (PSP) chairman Tan Cheng Bock and secretary-general Leong Mun Wai criticised the People's Action Party (PAP) saying that it has "lost its way".
They were speaking at a PSP rally held at Catholic High School on Thursday (April 24).
Addressing the crowd, which consisted of residents of Marymount and Kebun Baru SMCs as well as party supporters, Leong said: "I'd like to tell you what I've learned from my... almost five years in Parliament.
"My time in Parliament has convinced me that the 4G PAP has really lost its way. The more I debate the Government... the more I realise that it is not the 'Grade A' government that we used to know."
"On the governance front, we can see a general decline in the standards in accountability, competence and ethics," he added, naming events such as the 2021 TraceTogether incident as well as the recent unmasking of NRIC numbers on the Bizfile platform and Income-Allianz saga, among others.
He also spoke about the breakdown of the East-West Line which resulted in a six-day disruption between Jurong East and Buona Vista stations.
"It (the breakdown) exposed the fact that the East-West Line is the only MRT access from the west to the other parts of Singapore," said Leong.
He added that his request that a Committee of Inquiry be convened to investigate the matter was declined by Minister for Transport Chee Hong Tat this year as there were "no systemic failures within SMRT or SBS Transit".
He asked the attendees: "Do you believe him?", to which many responded with a resounding "no".
In his speech, Leong also expressed his gratitude to those who have supported him and the party over the years.
"I am overwhelmed with emotion to be able to stand here today to speak to all of you. It hasn't been an easy journey for me and PSP, but I [had] many of you cheer me on over the last five years.
"You are the ones who have kept me going and have given me the courage to hang in there when the going was tough.
"If I have made a difference, you are the ones who have enabled it," he added.
Dr Tan then took the stand, and was greeted by thunderous applause and chanting from party supporters.
Speaking about his experience while in PAP and his subsequent departure, the veteran politician said: "I set up this party because I honestly feel the PAP has lost its way.
"Now, the PAP is not the same as the time when I was a member of parliament. In 1980 we had a group of PAP 'assemblymen', as we called them, and they were very articulate, they really spoke for the people."
Stating that MPs used to come from all walks of life in the past, he added: "But now, look at the people that PAP has selected to be representative of Parliament... They come from the civil service [and] the army... This is dangerous. There will be group thinking.
"To me, it is inbreeding. And when there is inbreeding, there is no way you can change policies within that system.
"For this reason, you must vote opposition. For this reason, you must get us into the House — to correct the system," Dr Tan said.
Addressing those who might wonder why he was contesting in the upcoming election despite his age, he said: "I think we have a responsibility. Because we know something is not correct, I cannot just walk away. So I told my men: if you see something is wrong, you got to fix it.
"I cannot leave this world without doing [these] things. I think it is wrong, and I worry for our grandchildren and our children."
This was the party's first rally since it was founded by Dr Tan in 2019.
All candidates fielded by the party delivered speeches during the nearly three-hour-long event, addressing various topics such as cost of living, employment and mental health.
Jeffrey Khoo, who is contesting in Marymount SMC, and Kebun Baru candidate Tony Tan, husband of party vice-chair Hazel Poa, addressed residents of the respective wards while speaking at the rally.
Cheers for Tony Tan were especially loud when he spoke about job stability for older workers.
PSP is also contesting in Chua Chu Kang and West Coast-Jurong West GRCs as well as Pioneer SMC.
The party's West Coast-Jurong West GRC team consists of Dr Tan, Leong and Poa alongside newcomers Sumarleki Amjah, 53, and Sani Ismail, 49.
In 2020, PSP contested in West Coast GRC where the PAP won by a whisker — getting 51.59 per cent of votes to PSP's 48.31 per cent.
For more original AsiaOne articles, visit here.
