https://www.theonlinecitizen.com/20...ee-urges-singaporeans-to-see-through-tactics/
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Dr Chee Soon Juan, Secretary General of the Singapore Democratic Party (SDP), in his latest video, highlighted that the People’s Action Party (PAP) often criticizes policies proposed by the SDP, only to later adopt them.
He opened by recalling the 2016 Bukit Batok by-election, where then-Deputy Prime Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam accused the SDP of pushing for populist policies such as universal healthcare and unemployment insurance.
Dr Chee pointed out that just nine years later, Prime Minister Lawrence Wong announced a similar unemployment insurance scheme, the SkillsFuture JobSeeker Support Scheme, during his National Day Rally speech. Dr Chee noted that the PAP’s version closely mirrors the SDP’s 2015 proposal, known as the Restart scheme, which provided re-employment support and temporary assistance to retrenched workers.
He emphasized, however, that the PAP’s implementation falls short of the SDP’s original vision. While the SDP’s Restart scheme proposed paying retrenched workers 50% of their last drawn salary for up to 18 months, capped at the median wage, the PAP’s scheme only offers $1,000 a month for six months.
Dr Chee questioned how such a small sum could be sufficient for families dealing with financial burdens, stressing that if the PAP were serious about helping Singaporeans, it should implement more meaningful assistance instead of offering what he referred to as “cosmetic” proposals.
Dr Chee further illustrated the PAP’s pattern by citing examples from past elections. He recalled how in the 2011 General Election, Dr Vivian Balakrishnan labeled the SDP as the “most middle-class unfriendly opposition party” for advocating higher income taxes on the top 1% of earners. Yet, in 2015, the PAP raised income taxes on the top 5% of earners.
Dr Chee also pointed out that the PAP later echoed SDP’s stance on education reform. In 2014, the SDP called for the abolition of the Gifted Education Programme (GEP), arguing it exacerbates elitism in Singaporean schools. Fast forward to the present, Dr Chee highlighted how the GEP is being phased out under the PAP’s Forward Singapore initiative.
Dr Chee underscored that this trend of criticizing opposition ideas and then adopting them has been ongoing for decades.
He recounted how, in 1994, his book
Dare to Change was criticized by the PAP’s leaders, particularly then-Minister for Education Lee Yock Suan, who dismissed his policy suggestions as rehashed Western liberal ideas. Yet, many of the issues Dr Chee raised in the book, such as the regressive nature of GST, CPF policies, and the negative effects of streaming in schools, are now areas the PAP is addressing, albeit belatedly.
While Dr Chee acknowledged that it is ultimately good for Singaporeans if the government implements policies that benefit them, he took issue with the PAP’s repeated attacks on the SDP while subsequently adopting its ideas.
He argued that the PAP constantly presents itself as the “A-Team” with exceptional leadership, while dismissing the opposition as “bumbling idiots,” as former PAP MP Lim Hwee Hua once said. This, he noted, is done with the support of state-controlled media outlets, which continue to downplay the contributions of the opposition while glorifying the ruling party.
Dr Chee urged Singaporeans to see through these tactics, particularly during the brief nine-day election campaign period, when the PAP’s attacks on the opposition typically intensify.
He reminded voters that after the elections, the PAP often ends up quietly adopting the very ideas it had criticized. He called on Singaporeans, especially the younger generation, to help spread the SDP’s message through social media, highlighting that in the past, before the rise of platforms like TikTok and Instagram, the opposition was at the mercy of state-controlled media, which offered no recourse for rebutting the PAP’s personal attacks and character assassination.
Dr Chee concluded by encouraging Singaporeans to engage with the SDP and support its efforts.
He announced an upcoming book sale at Ang Mo Kio Hub as an opportunity to meet with supporters, listen to their concerns, and continue the conversation about Singapore’s future.
He ended the video with a call to action, urging citizens to help spread the truth and counter the PAP’s narrative by sharing SDP videos and content on social media.
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welcome to the brave new world where social media is more important than msm...
waiting for pap spin doctors to wake up and spin this their way...
forum/survey/comments on fb/insta/tiktok are used to gather info...tat y sinkie pawn sinkie ma thinking all r doing doing a greater good
