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[h=1]19 Jan 2013 Punggol By-Election Rally Speech by Png Eng Huat[/h]
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19 Jan 2013
Dear voters of Punggol East, supporters of the Workers’ Party, a very good evening to you!
In my family, we eat a lot of fruits. My wife does her marketing in a market nearby. Most of the time, she buys from the same fruit seller. This has been so for many years.
My fruit seller will make suggestions: try this apple from S Africa; try that dragon fruit from Malaysia. Try the dates from China; they are in season. Sometimes, his recommendation bombed out. What is supposed to be sweet turns out to be sour. My wife will tell him firmly; that way, he will not take our business for granted and betray our trust.
I have just read the beginning part of Mr Khaw Boon Wan’s speech from the Hougang By-Election in 2012. The PAP Chairman in that speech likened the Workers’ Party to a ‘dishonest fruit seller’. He probably never knew that his speech can be used again for this By-Election but not by the same party.
It seems like just yesterday when I was standing on a stage before you, asking you to vote for me in a by-election. Back then, the people of Hougang put their faith in the Workers’ Party and me, and we successfully defended our seat in Parliament.
Tonight, I stand before you on this rally stage once again asking you, the voters of Punggol East, to put your faith in the Workers’ Party and send Lee Li Lian into parliament!
The headline in the one of the newspapers today said the government is delivering on its General Election promises. It says ‘it will keep its word’ and ‘it has already moved ahead on housing, transport, education and health care.’
The way I see it, this government is just trying to rectify all these problems which the people had highlighted to them in the past but to no avail until the voters of Aljunied decided to give the PAP a tight slap. And it was a good slap! The Aljunied Slap in 2011 even pushed the PAP government to start a National Conversation to engage Singaporeans in a heart-to-heart talk.
But we are dealing with an elitist government. It is not easy to make them sit up and listen to you unless election is near.
Did we not tell the government that there were not enough new flats when Mr Mah Bow Tan was in charge? And when the current National Development Minister said that one of the reasons for the current pent-up demand and market imbalance for residential flats is caused by under-building in the past, it just makes you shake your head in disbelief.
Since 2011 General Election, have you found it easier and cheaper to move around by public transport, to buy a small car for the family, to find a roof over your heads, to bring up your children, to pay for their education and care?
Just this month, COE prices have risen yet again. COE prices for small cars smashed the previous record set in December last year. It practically doubled from over $46,000 in May 2011 to over $92,000 this month.
And a few months after the 2011 General Election, there was a bus and MRT fare increase. There were also hefty fare hikes for taxis at the end of 2011, which took place just as Singaporeans were struggling to get home in the midst of massive train breakdowns. And to top it all, our Transport Minister said last December that there will be another public transport fare review this year.
HDB’s resale price index rose 2.5% in the fourth quarter, the highest increase in 2012. And just a week ago, the Government introduced the SEVENTH round of cooling measures to slow down runaway property prices for BOTH private and public housing. Something is fundamentally wrong when a government needs to introduce cooling measures for public housing.
Is this government listening to you at all?
The Workers’ Party MPs have spoken up on these rising costs of living. On the topic of possible bus fare hikes, the Workers’ Party said that “Commuters should not be expected to pay higher fares, especially when service standards remain unsatisfactory, as they have been since the last fare hike. The Government and PTOs must put the public interest before shareholders’ interests. “
Do SMRT and SBS Transit need a bus fare hike to remain viable? The local operations of Comfort DelGro, which runs SBS Transit, ended 2011 with an operating profit of about $240 million. SMRT had an operating profit of almost $150 million in 2012. Both companies are very profitable! There is no reason for them to raise bus fare.
On childcare, Mr Yee Jenn Jong filed an adjournment motion in Parliament in September last year, where he outlined the high infant care costs that Singaporean parents are facing. He called for child care to be a public good, with tighter control of fees and quality by the Government, but cheaper rentals overall for all operators. Recently, the Government announced it is reviewing the affordability of infant care.
Had Aljunied not stood up to tell the PAP government that enough is enough; would there be any policy reviews at all? Will they be building more new homes for our children? Will they ever acknowledge that our infrastructure is not built to cater for our ridiculous population growth in recent years?
One more Workers’ Party MP in parliament means one more set of eyes to scrutinise our Government, and one extra voice to speak out against policies that hurt Singaporeans. Having one more Workers’ Party MP sends a powerful message to the PAP government that all is still not well. All is still not forgotten. And all is still not fixed.
The PAP government will still have 80 seats in Parliament without Punggol East. It will still control and run your life as it chooses. But if the people of Punggol East decide to make a stand on 26 January and vote for the Workers’ Party, it will signal to the Government that we, the citizens of Singapore, have a strong desire to safeguard our future and the future of our children. And we want this Government to take note of that when they plan to grow our population through immigration.
The Aljunied Slap is not the end but only the beginning. The voice of the people cannot be silenced anymore. The Hougang By-election result says it all that the march towards a First World Parliament cannot be stopped.
Voters of Punggol East, will you join us and write a new chapter in the history of Singapore? A Singapore that you can be proud of and a Singapore that your children will want to come home to no matter where they are in this world.
The Workers’ Party will serve you wholeheartedly. The Workers’ Party will also manage your estate diligently. And the Workers’ Party will also stand up for your rights constantly just as Li Lian had said in her nomination speech. These are not grand statements to score political points. These are promises that we have kept in Anson, Hougang, and Aljunied.
I told Li Lian I can smell Punggol East from Hougang and the smell is sweet!
Voters of Punggol East, Vote for the Workers’ Party, vote Lee Li Lian!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y9TxiEYo7ww
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19 Jan 2013
Dear voters of Punggol East, supporters of the Workers’ Party, a very good evening to you!
In my family, we eat a lot of fruits. My wife does her marketing in a market nearby. Most of the time, she buys from the same fruit seller. This has been so for many years.
My fruit seller will make suggestions: try this apple from S Africa; try that dragon fruit from Malaysia. Try the dates from China; they are in season. Sometimes, his recommendation bombed out. What is supposed to be sweet turns out to be sour. My wife will tell him firmly; that way, he will not take our business for granted and betray our trust.
I have just read the beginning part of Mr Khaw Boon Wan’s speech from the Hougang By-Election in 2012. The PAP Chairman in that speech likened the Workers’ Party to a ‘dishonest fruit seller’. He probably never knew that his speech can be used again for this By-Election but not by the same party.
It seems like just yesterday when I was standing on a stage before you, asking you to vote for me in a by-election. Back then, the people of Hougang put their faith in the Workers’ Party and me, and we successfully defended our seat in Parliament.
Tonight, I stand before you on this rally stage once again asking you, the voters of Punggol East, to put your faith in the Workers’ Party and send Lee Li Lian into parliament!
The headline in the one of the newspapers today said the government is delivering on its General Election promises. It says ‘it will keep its word’ and ‘it has already moved ahead on housing, transport, education and health care.’
The way I see it, this government is just trying to rectify all these problems which the people had highlighted to them in the past but to no avail until the voters of Aljunied decided to give the PAP a tight slap. And it was a good slap! The Aljunied Slap in 2011 even pushed the PAP government to start a National Conversation to engage Singaporeans in a heart-to-heart talk.
But we are dealing with an elitist government. It is not easy to make them sit up and listen to you unless election is near.
Did we not tell the government that there were not enough new flats when Mr Mah Bow Tan was in charge? And when the current National Development Minister said that one of the reasons for the current pent-up demand and market imbalance for residential flats is caused by under-building in the past, it just makes you shake your head in disbelief.
Since 2011 General Election, have you found it easier and cheaper to move around by public transport, to buy a small car for the family, to find a roof over your heads, to bring up your children, to pay for their education and care?
Just this month, COE prices have risen yet again. COE prices for small cars smashed the previous record set in December last year. It practically doubled from over $46,000 in May 2011 to over $92,000 this month.
And a few months after the 2011 General Election, there was a bus and MRT fare increase. There were also hefty fare hikes for taxis at the end of 2011, which took place just as Singaporeans were struggling to get home in the midst of massive train breakdowns. And to top it all, our Transport Minister said last December that there will be another public transport fare review this year.
Is this government listening to you at all?
A recent Straits Times report found that the average cost for full day infant-care now stands at $1,318 a month, a 14 per cent rise from 2007, with most operators raising their fees between 10% and 20% over the last few years.
HDB’s resale price index rose 2.5% in the fourth quarter, the highest increase in 2012. And just a week ago, the Government introduced the SEVENTH round of cooling measures to slow down runaway property prices for BOTH private and public housing. Something is fundamentally wrong when a government needs to introduce cooling measures for public housing.
Is this government listening to you at all?
The Workers’ Party MPs have spoken up on these rising costs of living. On the topic of possible bus fare hikes, the Workers’ Party said that “Commuters should not be expected to pay higher fares, especially when service standards remain unsatisfactory, as they have been since the last fare hike. The Government and PTOs must put the public interest before shareholders’ interests. “
Do SMRT and SBS Transit need a bus fare hike to remain viable? The local operations of Comfort DelGro, which runs SBS Transit, ended 2011 with an operating profit of about $240 million. SMRT had an operating profit of almost $150 million in 2012. Both companies are very profitable! There is no reason for them to raise bus fare.
On childcare, Mr Yee Jenn Jong filed an adjournment motion in Parliament in September last year, where he outlined the high infant care costs that Singaporean parents are facing. He called for child care to be a public good, with tighter control of fees and quality by the Government, but cheaper rentals overall for all operators. Recently, the Government announced it is reviewing the affordability of infant care.
Had Aljunied not stood up to tell the PAP government that enough is enough; would there be any policy reviews at all? Will they be building more new homes for our children? Will they ever acknowledge that our infrastructure is not built to cater for our ridiculous population growth in recent years?
One more Workers’ Party MP in parliament means one more set of eyes to scrutinise our Government, and one extra voice to speak out against policies that hurt Singaporeans. Having one more Workers’ Party MP sends a powerful message to the PAP government that all is still not well. All is still not forgotten. And all is still not fixed.
The PAP government will still have 80 seats in Parliament without Punggol East. It will still control and run your life as it chooses. But if the people of Punggol East decide to make a stand on 26 January and vote for the Workers’ Party, it will signal to the Government that we, the citizens of Singapore, have a strong desire to safeguard our future and the future of our children. And we want this Government to take note of that when they plan to grow our population through immigration.
The Aljunied Slap is not the end but only the beginning. The voice of the people cannot be silenced anymore. The Hougang By-election result says it all that the march towards a First World Parliament cannot be stopped.
Voters of Punggol East, will you join us and write a new chapter in the history of Singapore? A Singapore that you can be proud of and a Singapore that your children will want to come home to no matter where they are in this world.
The Workers’ Party will serve you wholeheartedly. The Workers’ Party will also manage your estate diligently. And the Workers’ Party will also stand up for your rights constantly just as Li Lian had said in her nomination speech. These are not grand statements to score political points. These are promises that we have kept in Anson, Hougang, and Aljunied.
I told Li Lian I can smell Punggol East from Hougang and the smell is sweet!
Voters of Punggol East, Vote for the Workers’ Party, vote Lee Li Lian!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y9TxiEYo7ww
