Workers' Party Sengkang GRC team appeals to sandwich generation of young adults

They know your concerns.

Belmont Lay | July 07, 2020, 08:28 PM

In the Sengkang GRC constituency political broadcast aired on July 7, four members from the Workers' Party gave a series of speeches that addressed voters in the constituency.

Their collective message was geared towards young adults, who they appealed to as the sandwich generation having to cope with raising young children and shouldering the burden of bills.

Here is a summary of what they said:

He Ting Ru

• all four candidates have children under the age of four

• knows the struggles of bringing up children

• credits her mother for taking care of her two sons now and proposes for unpaid workers like caregivers to be recognised by the state and by traditional GDP measures

• ensure that unpaid workers have adequate safety nets, especially in their golden years

• proposed a more inclusive education system, increase funding to less popular schools, and for universities and professions to widen access to students from all backgrounds

Chua Kheng Wee

• asked Singaporeans to consider if Singapore has made progress in the past few years

• highlighted that Singapore might be rich, but there are many who still have to worry about basic necessities

• highlighted that the sandwich generation has to worry about personal expenses and children's welfare, and parents' hefty medical bills

• oppose the 9 per cent GST increase, support unemployment insurance and improve social safety nets

Raeesah Khan, speaking in Malay

Why WP is contesting:

• because the current state system has deep-rooted inequality

• low-income families and the poor are trapped in this system, especially in today's pandemic

• people who are trapped and want to speak up are excluded

• young people struggle to save money to own a home

• parents lack family time because they work a lot and have no life

• high cost of living and medical care for senior citizens

What WP will do for Sengkang:

• expand bike lanes in Sengkang because PMD ban has restricted food delivery

• have more coffee shops in Sengkang

• review infant care placement process because Sengkang has the highest number of children

Jamus Lim

• highlighted limited number of neighbourhood shops in Sengkang

• as a result, Singaporeans cannot congregate at these social spaces where they love to eat and shop

• no sense of community and belonging

• lack of connection due to an absence of social spaces

• champion for creating good jobs people want, and not jobs that make Singaporeans compete in a race to the bottom, or jobs Singaporeans don't have skills for because the education system did not equip us for them

• relieving bottlenecks in childcare centers, having dedicated paths for bicycles and PMDs, and more neighbourhood spaces

• proposed setting up new town council