As a unionist, he understands the issues and has the right expertise.
So, if elected into Parliament, the People’s Action Party candidate for the Hougang by-election Desmond Choo said that he will raise issues of low wages.
Speaking to reporters during an afternoon tour at Block 1 and 2 Hougang Avenue 3, the executive secretary of the Union of Security Employees said that wage issues is “very central” to him, and his experience at the National Wages Council also meant he is familiar with efforts to close the income gap.
Mr Choo, 34, said that many small and medium enterprises (SMEs) had expressed interest in raising the pay of employees, but they are asking him to help them do so sustainably.
“I will be able to champion that, with a lot more ground experience with both the employers and the employees,” he said.
The country’s growing income inequality was a hot button topic over the past few months.
Singapore’s gini coefficient, a measure of income gap, increased from 0.472 to 0.473 from 2010 to 2011. A larger coefficient indicates a wider gap.
The gap fell to 0.452 by the end of last year with the help of government transfers such as growth dividends and healthcare subsidies, according to the Department of Statistics.
The current gap, however, was still wide enough to alarm prominent economist Professor Lim Chong Yah and ambassador-at-large Professor Tommy Koh.
This month, Prof Koh called the widening income gap between the rich and poor ‘socially unconscionable’ while Prof Lim, the former chairman of the National Wages Council, proposed a radical wage shock therapy last month to close the gap.
Mr Choo’s concern for low wages workers is shared by Png Eng Huat, the Workers’ Party candidate for Hougang.
In a short interview with reporters at Hougang Central this morning, the 50-year-old businessman said that he will focus on low wage workers, transport and education.
For Mr Choo, he had witnessed the struggles of low wage workers first hand, citing some problems faced by a family he just visited in the afternoon.
The family, according to him, had trouble paying for toilet repairs, and his team raised money to help it to tide over the cost.
When asked if he will champion national issues, Mr Choo said he will first focus on residents’ livelihood and also managing the constituency well.
The importance of the by-election, he added, is to elect an MP that can take care of the residents’ long term needs, and Mr Choo will approach this from a holistic perspective involving both national issues and municipal concerns.
For those watching out for political rallies, both parties have not confirmed when the first rally will be held.
However, there are talks that WP is likely to hold the first rally on Saturday (19 May).
At his rally, Mr Png said he will explain to voters the importance of keeping Hougang with the WP