'The Forgotten Group in Singapore'
Friends, fellow Singaporeans and dear residents of Nee Soon GRC, “ni men hao”!!! Thank you for coming down once again to support the WORKERS’ PARTY! Thank you very much!
My name is Lee Lilian and I am the Workers’ Party candidate for Punggol East SMC. Today, I am here to talk to you two groups of people who have been forgotten in Singapore, I call them the silent community.
The first group – the elderly. Our senior citizens worked hard, contributed to nation building and the growth of our country but when they are in their twilight years, they are forgotten. They are even engineered to travel at specific time of the day.
Before 9am, their concessions don’t apply.
Aunties and uncles, let me tell you this, before 9am, you cannot leave house. You can only leave house after 9am then you can enjoy the concessions. [Hokkien]
Our senior citizens who wish to continue working finds it difficult to find a job.
Our senior citizens who wish to retire are told that they have to work longer. Where do we leave them? In no man’s land?
Our senior citizens who have been saving up since they were young now find that they do not have enough money in their CPF to retire.
CPF enough anot? [Hokkien]
Singapore can do better than this!
The Workers’ Party proposes that:
• Concessions passes on public transport for the elderly should be extended to all operating hours
• Older workers must be protected from exploitation and financial hardships upon turning 62. The Workers’ Party also recognized that the current re-employment provisions are in place but these provisions should be re-worked to provide stronger protections for older workers.
• The prices of new HDB flats should be pegged to the median incomes of Singaporeans households.
Dear Mr. Mah Bow Tan, I am sure many Singaporeans here today would agree with me that the length of mortgage loan is indeed an issue. Mr. Mah, I am just curious here. Do you want your own child to take 30, 40 or 50 years to pay? Oh, I forgot. You won’t need such housing loan, unlike us.
As for me, I believe that HDB flats should be affordable and my child should be able to pay off his loans in 20 years’ time.
We belong to a society, a caring society. We call Singapore home, our home. But there is another group of silent community, the ones whose voices have been blocked out for so long, they are the disabled and they are forgotten.
• The disabled who often travel on public transport finds it hard to do so. This is especially so when they travel by taxis to areas not covered by wheelchair accessible buses.
• While it is good to see that we have wheelchair accessible buses but the current target to make it available on all bus services which is 2023 is way too long! You mean a first world economic nation like ours need another 12 years to make all our trunk and feeder bus routes wheelchair accessible
Let me say this once again. Singapore can do better than this!
People with disabilities have the right to live a dignified and fulfilling life and be integrated with the rest of the community.
• It is important that we keep the fares affordable. ERP should be abolished for taxis to keep fares affordable for one and all
• The government should be more involved and bear the cost of purchasing Wheelchair Accessible Buses and bear the responsibility for modifying all bus stops to make them wheelchair accessible.
• The government should also fund disabled transport concessions, in line with best practices in other developed countries.
Whether one is male or female, young or old, abled or disabled, we carry a card, a card that identifies us together under one common citizenship, living up to the first five words of our pledge, “We, the citizens of Singapore!”
Since young, I have known Singapore to be my country and my home but today we hear that Singapore is run more like a company than a country. Nowadays it seems like Singapore is all about record GDPs and making more and more money.
We, the people of Singapore and our welfare seems to have taken a back seat since we handed the ruling PAP a mandate of 66.6% at the last elections in 2006. In case the PAP do not know what this means, let me remind them again. For every 10 eligible voters, at least 6 voted for them. Yet, they have failed to take care of us, the people of Singapore. It is only when the elections are around the corner do we feel like we matter.
Listen to these!
• 13 March 2011, SMRT will increase MRT train services by adding another 420 train trips per week on the North-South-East-West Line (NSEWL)
• 20 March 2011, SBS Transit will start adding another 170 train trips per week during the morning and evening peaks, as well as off-peak hours, on the North-East Line (NEL).
• On the same day, the retail price watch group roll out initiatives to ease the pressures of rising prices on the average Singaporean.
Probably, we really should have General Elections every year. Only when the elections are here do we feel better taken care of. Apart from all these, Singaporeans get to see their PAP MPs almost every day. Elections are indeed amazing.
Singapore is no doubt a country, My Country, Your Country, OUR COUNTRY. This election, we the people of Singapore are taking back our country! On 7th May 2011, we the people of Singapore are taking back our country.
The Workers Party believe that it is a time for you to act, to cast your vote, to choose; there is no better time than now for a call to action. This is my call to you, to everyone of you here today. Help us turn the attendance today into votes for the Workers’ Party.
On 7th May 2011, Vote Workers’ Party. Towards a First World Parliament!
Monday, 2 May 2011
6th day into our campaigning!
My maiden speech, 'Political Insurance'.
Good Evening everyone. I am Lee Li Lian, the WP candidate for Punggol East.
In an article on Channel News Asia, in November 2008, PM Lee had said that a 2 party political model cannot work in Singapore. In the same article, PM also said: "If the party (PAP) doesn't work, if something goes wrong with the party, you can be sure new parties will come, new contests will come. People will spring up to take on the government in no time at all."
If any party were to spring up from nowhere and starts governing; Singapore will be in great danger. We will be governed by people with no experience at all! No party, not even the PAP, is infallible and there is no guarantee that such a scenario will not happen. It is, therefore, important that we have some political insurance.
What this means is that we need to ensure there are alternative parties in Parliament to participate and gain experience in the governing of our nation. We can then have another experienced party with ability to form an alternative government on standby in times of crisis or needs.
We can’t plan our future in the future; we got to plan it now! Just like personal or health insurance, we may not think we need it or want to buy it now. But most of us buy it anyway for a peace of mind as we never know when we will need it. And when that happens we are protected and can be taken care of. Similarly, we need to insure Singapore and our future.
I’m sure most of us here buy Insurance one way or another. We either buy it ourselves through an agent or we are all part of the government’s opt out insurance schemes such as DPS, Medishield and Eldershield. Some of us who own HDB flats are probably under compulsory insurance schemes such as HPS (HOUSING PROTECTION SCHEME) which protects our loved ones from losing their homes should something happen to us.
The reason why we buy insurance is for investments as well as protection purposes. When we do investments we don’t put all our eggs into one basket no matter how strong and robust that basket is right now. Likewise when it comes to governing a country, we should not rely on only one political party. Voting the Workers’ Party is an insurance against failure.
Should today’s government fail, there should be another party who is ready to take on the role immediately. And that party will need to have the mandate of the people to do so.
Having another political party in Parliament would also provide the much needed
check and balance on the government.
This will keep the government on its toes to ensure accountability. All policies and issues will be debated thoroughly and alternative ideas considered seriously before implementation.
If you can remember, in 2007 just months after GE2006, the PAP government announced that the GST would be increased from 5% to 7% from July . Inflation rose at the fastest pace in 12 years due to the hike in GST as food costs rose and rents soared. To make things worse, the bus fares increased about 1.8 per cent.
Someone even wrote a letter to the Straits Times Forum that some weeks back when he ate kway chap at the coffeeshop near his flat, he was
shocked that his meal came to $4.50. He thought the hawker had made a mistake, as he used to pay about $3.50 for similar items but the hawker said “no.”
My fellow Singaporeans, 66.6% of you voted for the PAP in 2006, and you got GST increase, record high inflation rates, higher food, transport, and healthcare costs.
Do we want history to repeat itself?
Do we want all these to happen again after the 2011 elections?
We need to ensure that the government is transparent and accountable to the people but without an effective opposition in Parliament, the government can choose to ignore our concerns and brush aside our worries.
The government encourages all Singaporeans to plan for the future, to ensure that we have enough funds to tide us through our retirement . The PAP government wants us to plan ahead hence they had implemented various insurance schemes.
But when it comes to the need for political insurance, the government does NOT plan ahead.
Regardless of how formidable the PAP might be, no one can guarantee that it will never fail in future. Because we understand that past performances is not indicative of future performances. We also know the story of the Titanic which was supposed to be unsinkable. It sank anyway on its maiden voyage killing more than 1,500 people. We need to have a backup.
Fellow Singaporeans, what Singapore needs is a First World Parliament, a Parliament that leaves nothing to chance and is actively prepared for any unforeseen circumstances. It should be able to check and balance a strong government. In every GE, the WP strives to bring you a slate of good, credible candidates.
Vote WP, towards a First World Parliament!
Good Evening everyone. I am Lee Li Lian, the WP candidate for Punggol East.
In an article on Channel News Asia, in November 2008, PM Lee had said that a 2 party political model cannot work in Singapore. In the same article, PM also said: "If the party (PAP) doesn't work, if something goes wrong with the party, you can be sure new parties will come, new contests will come. People will spring up to take on the government in no time at all."
If any party were to spring up from nowhere and starts governing; Singapore will be in great danger. We will be governed by people with no experience at all! No party, not even the PAP, is infallible and there is no guarantee that such a scenario will not happen. It is, therefore, important that we have some political insurance.
What this means is that we need to ensure there are alternative parties in Parliament to participate and gain experience in the governing of our nation. We can then have another experienced party with ability to form an alternative government on standby in times of crisis or needs.
We can’t plan our future in the future; we got to plan it now! Just like personal or health insurance, we may not think we need it or want to buy it now. But most of us buy it anyway for a peace of mind as we never know when we will need it. And when that happens we are protected and can be taken care of. Similarly, we need to insure Singapore and our future.
I’m sure most of us here buy Insurance one way or another. We either buy it ourselves through an agent or we are all part of the government’s opt out insurance schemes such as DPS, Medishield and Eldershield. Some of us who own HDB flats are probably under compulsory insurance schemes such as HPS (HOUSING PROTECTION SCHEME) which protects our loved ones from losing their homes should something happen to us.
The reason why we buy insurance is for investments as well as protection purposes. When we do investments we don’t put all our eggs into one basket no matter how strong and robust that basket is right now. Likewise when it comes to governing a country, we should not rely on only one political party. Voting the Workers’ Party is an insurance against failure.
Should today’s government fail, there should be another party who is ready to take on the role immediately. And that party will need to have the mandate of the people to do so.
Having another political party in Parliament would also provide the much needed
check and balance on the government.
This will keep the government on its toes to ensure accountability. All policies and issues will be debated thoroughly and alternative ideas considered seriously before implementation.
If you can remember, in 2007 just months after GE2006, the PAP government announced that the GST would be increased from 5% to 7% from July . Inflation rose at the fastest pace in 12 years due to the hike in GST as food costs rose and rents soared. To make things worse, the bus fares increased about 1.8 per cent.
Someone even wrote a letter to the Straits Times Forum that some weeks back when he ate kway chap at the coffeeshop near his flat, he was
shocked that his meal came to $4.50. He thought the hawker had made a mistake, as he used to pay about $3.50 for similar items but the hawker said “no.”
My fellow Singaporeans, 66.6% of you voted for the PAP in 2006, and you got GST increase, record high inflation rates, higher food, transport, and healthcare costs.
Do we want history to repeat itself?
Do we want all these to happen again after the 2011 elections?
We need to ensure that the government is transparent and accountable to the people but without an effective opposition in Parliament, the government can choose to ignore our concerns and brush aside our worries.
The government encourages all Singaporeans to plan for the future, to ensure that we have enough funds to tide us through our retirement . The PAP government wants us to plan ahead hence they had implemented various insurance schemes.
But when it comes to the need for political insurance, the government does NOT plan ahead.
Regardless of how formidable the PAP might be, no one can guarantee that it will never fail in future. Because we understand that past performances is not indicative of future performances. We also know the story of the Titanic which was supposed to be unsinkable. It sank anyway on its maiden voyage killing more than 1,500 people. We need to have a backup.
Fellow Singaporeans, what Singapore needs is a First World Parliament, a Parliament that leaves nothing to chance and is actively prepared for any unforeseen circumstances. It should be able to check and balance a strong government. In every GE, the WP strives to bring you a slate of good, credible candidates.
Vote WP, towards a First World Parliament!
Tuesday, 26 April 2011
The last lap
We have come very far from GE2006, WP comrades and myself.
From making weekly house visits, outreach events, bonding and brainstorming sessions to getting ready for GE2011. This team went through a lot together.
During the last 2 months or so, I found another team that is the team of volunteers and of course Bernard too :) who were very supportive and committed to our cause. My family and husband are all behind me. I would like to take this opportunity to express my appreciation to everyone of them, thank you :)
Tomorrow, I will be making my way to the nomination centre with our assentors and supporters. I know regardless of how many we have, the white and white will outnumber us. Is ok, is not the number that matters. It is the spirit we have.
I really really don't want to disappoint our supporters.
Wish us luck!
From making weekly house visits, outreach events, bonding and brainstorming sessions to getting ready for GE2011. This team went through a lot together.
During the last 2 months or so, I found another team that is the team of volunteers and of course Bernard too :) who were very supportive and committed to our cause. My family and husband are all behind me. I would like to take this opportunity to express my appreciation to everyone of them, thank you :)
Tomorrow, I will be making my way to the nomination centre with our assentors and supporters. I know regardless of how many we have, the white and white will outnumber us. Is ok, is not the number that matters. It is the spirit we have.
I really really don't want to disappoint our supporters.
Wish us luck!
Saturday, 23 April 2011
Q & A with TNP
Lee Li Lian, 32
Occupation: Trainer with insurance company Great Eastern Life
Career Highlights: She has been actively involved in both industrial and financial sales for the past six years, before moving on to become a recruitment manager with a private institution. She took on her current position as a trainer in 2008.
Family: She is the eldest in the family with two younger sisters. Her father, 62, is currently a store-keeper, while her mother, 59, baby-sits her niece.
She is married to Mr Jacky Koh, 34, a telecommunications consultant. He goes overseas a lot, and is back in Singapore once every two to three months. The couple plan to have children after the GE.
Q: You are concerned about stay-at-home mums and single parents. How do you intend to help them?
A: They should not be forgotten. Give them monetary incentives. Don't leave them out from workfare bonuses. For single parents, I think they should be given tax reliefs, baby bonuses, help when buying a new home... they should not be left out.
Q: What are some of the challenges that you face so far as a female opposition candidate?
A: I don't think gender is an issue. I think the question should be about the challenges that I face as an opposition candidate.
People have this fear when you join an opposition party, they want to know, how are you, do you have to be careful about the way you speak...But nothing is going to happen as long as we do the right things right.
Q: Why join the WP?
A: I want to get rid of the fear that I mentioned earlier, and I have to choose the right party. I see the WP as the right party and the right leader to follow. During the previous elections, I had a chance to speak to them, and I saw them on stage and see how they present themselves and ensure that everything is all right, everyone is together.
That gave me the belief that this is the party to join.
Q: Mr Low Thia Khiang said that you have been a good mobiliser of your husband and your family members. How so?
A: My husband flew back from his busy work schedule to be with me to give me support during this period. He has a role in the Workers' Party General Election this year; he's going to be our photographer. My husband has a flair and passion for photography.
My mother is helping me to source for cooks for polling agents. My father joins me on my walkabouts, so people can see that I've the support of my family. I think that's important. My father has also been helping with the distribution of flyers.
(Source: http://tnp.sg/content/qa-lee-li-lian)
Thursday, 21 April 2011
The battle is on!
Fellow comrades, we are into our last lap of the race and JIA YOU!
Details of Singapore's General Elections 2011,
Nomination Day - 27th April 2011
Polling Day - 7th May 2011
A day after the Parliament was dissolved, the Workers' Party introduces its first slat of candidates for GE2011. They are Eric Tan, Gerald Giam, Muhd Faisal and myself, Lee Li Lian :)
Listen to what each candidate has to say,
Details of Singapore's General Elections 2011,
Nomination Day - 27th April 2011
Polling Day - 7th May 2011
A day after the Parliament was dissolved, the Workers' Party introduces its first slat of candidates for GE2011. They are Eric Tan, Gerald Giam, Muhd Faisal and myself, Lee Li Lian :)
Listen to what each candidate has to say,
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