SDA pledges to give residents priority for jobs at town council
SDA’s Mr Lim (left) and Mr Singh, who said the party will set up a ‘befriender programme’ as a form of outreach for residents to look out for one another. Photo: Raj Nadarajan
SINGAPORE — The Singapore Democratic Alliance (SDA) yesterday pledged to give residents of Pasir Ris-Punggol Group Representative Constituency (GRC) priority for jobs at its town council, should the party’s six-man team be elected into Parliament.
Speaking at the SDA’s second rally, candidate Harminder Pal Singh said qualified residents would be employed in roles in administration, conservancy, landscape and essential services, as many residents have expressed wishes to work in the town council so as to serve the public.
Stressing that the candidates were serious about taking care of residents, Mr Singh said all six SDA candidates would become full-time Members of Parliament should they get their mandate on polling day.
“We promise to be full-time MPs, because politics is not a game, it is not a joke,” said Mr Singh, who said candidates will hold daily Meet-the-People’s Sessions with residents.
The SDA will also set up a special “befriender programme” as a form of outreach for residents to look out for one another.
These plans were highlighted as part of a proposal the party had cobbled together from residents’ feedback on municipal issues. The party received 42 proposals and picked out the best 19.
Other plans include having regular town hall meetings, and appointing at least one block representative per block in the GRC.
The town hall meetings will be an opportunity for them to disclose their town council accounts, said Mr Singh: “If we are going to ask the Government to be accountable, then we are ready to be accountable to residents of Pasir Ris-Punggol.”
Other plans doled out by the party include transport links — such as an LRT linking up Pasir Ris and Punggol estates — and more regional hospitals and childcare centres.
Even though speakers at the SDA rally called for a curb on immigration, they stressed several times that they are not “anti-foreigner”, but merely against foreigners who are “taking away jobs at the professionals, managers, executives, and technicians (PMET) level”.
Rounding up the rally was SDA secretary-general Desmond Lim, who warned that if the Government was left unchecked, “we Singaporeans are going to be the minority in our own country”.
In an impassioned speech, Mr Lim said new citizens might even end up as the President or Prime Minister, if “(the Government) achieves (it’s population projection of) 6.9 million”.
“Who are we going to defend when we are going to be a minority?” he asked.
