My 3rd speech at Punggol East SMC!

Dear voters of Punggol East SMC and fellow Singaporeans, welcome once again to the WP rally! I am Lee Li Lian, the WP candidate for Punggol East. Thank you for coming.

[Cantonese intro]
Dear voters, da ka hao! Happy to have the opportunity to meet everyone here. We know you have taken precious time to be here to attend the WP rally. On behalf of WP, we thank you for coming.

During my walkabouts since the birth of Punggol East SMC just over slightly less than 2 months ago, I have been asked by residents, young and old alike what I will do if I am elected. I have no million and multi-million projects to announce today, neither am I going to make you empty and false promises. I see myself as a down-to-earth person and if I am elected, the immediate and most important thing is to establish a town council from scratch, to serve Punggol East residents and to take good care of the constituency, a most privileged role, if entrusted to me by the residents of Punggol East. Setting up a Punggol East Town Council with the experience I have gained from working alongside Mr. Low Thia Khiang and members of the Workers’ Party in Hougang is my top priority! Nothing would be more important than this.

I will be a good Member of Parliament and serve the needs of every Punggol East resident. What do I mean by that?

• First, I am keen to make representation on behalf of my residents at the Meet-the-People’s Session.

• Second, I will look into the issues that concern Punggol East residents and raise them on a national platform. I will listen to you and speak up on your behalf in Parliament, to let the Prime Minister and his cabinet know that your interests must be taken seriously in the policy-making process.

• Third, it is my duty to make sure that the constituency is well-managed and well-taken care of. I want the best for my residents, the residents of Punggol East. Nothing but the best, to the best of my abilities.

To the PAP, your talk of community bonding and spirit is hollow and hypocritical! How do you build a strong community when after every General elections you break up the boundaries at the slightest hint of competition from the Opposition? Why chop part of Aljunied into Ang Mo Kio?

A friend of mine who has been staying in Hougang for the past 20 years voted in 3 different GRCs, Cheng San GRC in 1997, Aljunied GRC in 2006 and now Ang Mo Kio GRC without having his house move an inch! And I’m sure everyone here knows at least one other person who has had this experience. Is this community building or community breaking?

In my last speech I spoke about 2 silent groups in our community, - the elderly and the disabled. Today, I will briefly touch on another 2 groups. Many Singaporeans keep bringing this up but nothing gets done!

1st group, stay at home parents,

Work fare bonus is only meant for people with an income. As an inclusive society, have we forgotten stay at home parents who do not earn an income?

These stay at home parents or home makers (in other developed countries they are called ‘carers’ ) have chosen to stay at home to take care of the house and family so that other members of the family can go out to work or attend school, and have piping hot meals served to them when they come home. They are the CEO of the HOUSE but they are given none or very little recognition for their valuable contribution to home and society.

They have chosen a noble profession that is no less important than any salaried job, and have often put their careers on hold to nurture the next generation. They should not be forgotten!

The Workers’ Party proposes that Stay at home parents should receive the same infant care and childcare subsidies as other working mothers!

Our inclusive society has also forgotten the 2nd group, single parents, who are Singapore citizens and whose daughter and son will bear and nurture future generations as well as serve National Service.

Did you know that single parents are not allowed to purchase new HDB flats? The only option available to them right now is to wait till they are age 35 and above to buy a resale flat which is often very expensive! But to Mr Mah Bow Tan it is affordable! I believe the government can provide more housing options for them such as 2-room or 3-room flats.

Regardless of marital status, all parents love and want to provide their children with the best they possibly can. Some single parents need caregivers too, but they are excluded from tax relief, caregiver relief and maid-levy relief.

Babies from single parents are also not eligible for Baby Bonus.

While having children outside of marriage should continue to be discouraged in our society, children born to single parents should not be denied the benefits that children of married parents receive. The children are innocent parties and should not start life being disadvantaged. Single parents should receive the same parenthood benefits packages as married parents.

Allow me to quote our pledge, ‘happiness, prosperity and progress for our nation’. How can there be actual progress when stay at home parents and single parents are being left behind! We, the citizens of Singapore should move together as one people under one Flag!

Mr Michael Palmer said in a report from ‘TODAY’ on 1st May 2011, ‘It’s about balancing residents’ needs.’

I am glad that he is aware of the idea of balancing. But it is not so much just balancing residents’ needs, it is about re calibrating the residents’ voices.

Currently, the Parliament is made up of 82 PAP MPs vs 2 Opposition MPs. Mr Michael Palmer, you are in fact adding onto the great imbalance in Parliament! That is why there is an urgent need to vote more Workers’ Party candidates into Parliament.

Mr Michael Palmer from the PAP is like me a first time contestant for this electorate.
We have an equal chance to prove ourselves.

But as an opposition candidate, we only learnt about this new SMC at the end of February this year, it leaves us with very little time to walk the ground! Do you, voters of Singapore, think that this is fair to the Opposition?

I think that if you are here tonight you have not already decided who you want to vote for. I also know that there are people who are not pleased with the 3 corner fight that we are in, believing that it will dilute the votes of the Workers’ Party. If I may recall, the first major legislative breakthrough of the WP came in the Anson by-election in 1981, where JB Jeyeretnam won in a 3 corner fight with 51.9%! So, we shall see on May 7th if this 3-cornered fight is a real problem. [Sa kak jian, bo bun tueh!] hokkien

My call to you today is, let us recreate history once again just like what we did 30 years ago! This watershed election could be the most significant election for the Workers’ Party! In 1981, the Workers’ Party won in a 3 corner fight.

30 years on today, the Workers’ Party with your votes can also emerge victorious and re-ignite Singaporeans’ confidence in a democratic process!

On 7th May 2011, your ballot paper is not just a piece of paper with a cross on it. It is a piece of paper that will propel the Workers’ Party to electoral victories in Hougang, Sengkang West, Joo Chiat, Nee Soon, Moulmein Kallang, East Coast, Aljunied and PUNGGOL EAST SMC!

Vote Workers’ Party. Towards a First World Parliament!
投工人党一票，迈向第一世界国会！