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SINGAPORE: The Singapore Democratic Party (SDP) on Wednesday (Jun 24) proposed a new plan to create jobs for Singaporeans who have lost their jobs as a result of COVID-19.
In a virtual Meet The Press session, SDP secretary-general Chee Soon Juan called it an “extension” of the party’s vision of paying retrenchment benefits, which is part of its "Four Yes, One No" campaign for the upcoming General Election.
SDP’s initial proposal would involve the Government paying 75 per cent of the employees' last drawn salary for the first six months, 50 per cent for the next six months, and 25 per cent for the following six months.
The new initiative would allow those receiving benefits to “find nine other similarly retrenched workers ... to come together” and propose a viable business, said Dr Chee.
“(The benefits can be) withdrawn in one lump-sum, rather than stretched out over a one and a half year period. They can pool their money together and use the capital for a startup.”
Dr Chee added that the scheme will put those retrenched into “gainful employment”, and it will be a “serious and genuine effort” to restructure the economy.
“This is one way we can stimulate innovation, creativity and if these businesses are successful, they're going to generate employment as well.”
In the session hosted by SDP chairman Paul Tambyah, Dr Chee also reiterated the party’s emphasis on "Four Yes, One No" as its central campaign theme.
SUSPENDING GST TILL 2021
One of the focuses is the Goods and Services Tax (GST), which SDP proposed to suspend until 2021 because of the COVID-19 crisis. The party also wants to make sure GST is not increased to “9 per cent as promised by the People’s Action Party (PAP)”.
Dr Chee said: “When you cut back on GST, you're going to get people to have just a little bit more confidence in going off and spending money.”
Besides building up consumer confidence and stimulating the economy, he added that GST should be removed for things people need “on a daily basis” such as “basic food and school supplies”.
“For people who are on the higher end of the economic scale - you want to buy your Rolex watch, you want to buy your Ferrari - let's increase GST for those items.”
He added that it is “not a good way to go” for there to be “one tax across the board”, especially for low-income groups who face "huge difficulty in surviving".
Other focuses of SDP's campaign include providing retirees over the age of 65 with a monthly income of S$500 and making sure the PAP puts people’s interest as a top priority.
In response to questions on how the SDP is “unlikely to have sufficient numbers to effect change in Parliament” with the 11 seats it intends to contest and how the party sees its campaign gaining enough traction to be translated into action, Dr Chee said it is about “quality before quantity”.
“We have … put in all our effort into making sure we come up with all these alternative policies,” he said.
Giving his take on the matter, Dr Tambyah harked back to the 2011 General Election, when the Workers’ Party wrested Aljunied GRC from the People’s Action Party (PAP). That year, voters sent a message that came through “loud and clear”, he said.
“We could actually see the PAP listening to people and making substantive changes in terms of education, in terms of MRT, in terms of healthcare, you know, and all of those things happened because the voters of Singapore in 2011 took the opportunity to send the PAP a message,” he said.
“And that is what we are really hoping is going to happen this time round.”
https://www.channelnewsasia.com/new...p-outlines-new-plan-for-job-creation-12867160
