Sunday Times: Govt must account to voters, says Low

ELECTION '06

WP chief says plans for HDB lifts and public transport short-sighted

Nicholas Fang


WORKERS' PARTY candidates (from left) Lian Chin Way, Mohammed Rahizan Yaacob, Sylvia Lim and Low Thia Khiang facing voters at the Yishun rally yesterday - issues ranging from public transport to a national unemployment insurance plan were raised.
PHOTO: EDWIN KOO

WORKERS' PARTY chief Low Thia Khiang last night questioned why so much money was now being spent to upgrade lifts in HDB flats and make public transport more disabled-friendly.

If these facilities had been better designed at the start, the funds now being spent could have been saved, he said, asking who should be held accountable for the waste.

Speaking at a rally in at an open field at Yishun Avenue 11, he emphasised the need for the Government to be accountable to voters for the things it has done over the past few years.

On the issue of lift upgrading in HDB flats and how it is good for residents, he said: "My question is, who was responsible for building flats without lifts stopping at every level in the first place?"

He also said that when the MRT system was first built, there had been calls for it to be made user-friendly for the disabled and the aged but these calls were ignored.

"Now, so much money is being spent to put in...fixtures like lifts and ramps. Who is accountable for such short-sightedness in planning?"

If voters were unhappy about such issues, voting an opposition contesting the General Election gives them another option, said Mr Low.

"At the end of the day, it's about having a choice, just as you know that competition in a market gives consumers a better choice.

"I ask you to vote for the WP. We will ask hard questions in Parliament."

A total of 11 speakers spoke at the rally, including WP chairman Sylvia Lim, Mr Gopal Krishnan, Mr Abdul Rahim, Mr Yaw Shin Leong, Mr Lian Chin Way, Dr Poh Lee Guan and Mr James Gomez.

First-time candidate Brandon Siow suggested introducing a national unemployment insurance plan.

Such a plan, which he said in the party manifesto, would provide retrenched workers with a regular payout from an insurance company while they were looking for another job.

Mr Siow, who is contesting in the East Coast GRC, said: "Today in Singapore, there is no such thing as job stability. Many of us are paid daily on contract and are lucky to be employed.

"Singaporeans are not lazy. We want to work, we want money to feed our families and pay our bills. But what happens when we can't pay our bills?

"A national unemployment insurance plan means we will still have money to pay bills and feed our families," he said.

He added that the plan could be funded from Central Provident Fund deductions or co-funded by employees and employers.

Mr Low wrapped up the 2 1/2 hour rally by saying that no government was above making mistakes and hence needed to be balanced and checked by a credible opposition.