PAP, SDP have different ways of expressing compassion, says Vivian

SINGAPORE — Minister for Environment and Water Resources Vivian Balakrishnan said yesterday that everyone wants a more compassionate society, but the key difference between the People’s Action Party (PAP) and the Opposition Singapore Democratic Party (SDP) is how they express that compassion.

Speaking at the party’s final election rally, Dr Balakrishnan said that the PAP translates compassion into action without passing the bill to the next generation, or increasing the tax burden of the middle class.

“We all want a more compassionate society ... All of us, at some point in our own lives will need help, will have reached out the hand, pulled someone up,” said Dr Balakrishnan, who is part of the PAP team contesting in Holland-Bukit Timah Group Representation Constituency (GRC).

“The danger with the SDP, with universal benefits that must be paid for by higher taxes, is that for them, compassion is compulsory, compassion is something you extract through tax, compassion is delivered through entitlement.”

For the PAP, Dr Balakrishnan said, compassion is voluntary and is about building relationships.

“But let me also be honest with you and tell you that there are still gaps, and that we do need to improve our social safety nets,” he added.

He listed a number of programmes including ComCare, Workfare and more recently, the Pioneer Generation Package, MediShield Life and Silver Support Scheme, as examples of how the Government has sought to improve social safety nets.

Dr Balakrishnan also noted that his first term as a Member of Parliament (MP) in Ulu Pandan, which has an iconic hawker centre at Ghim Moh, taught him that hawker centres are the soul of Singapore, and that there must always be low-cost food options available to Singaporeans. “That’s why when I came to the Ministry (of Environment and Water Resources), one of my first decisions was to say, ‘Let’s restart building hawker centres’,” he said, adding that he has also been working to push stall rentals down.

Besides Dr Balakrishnan, the PAP slate in Holland-Bukit Timah GRC comprises Minister of State (Education and Communications and Information) Sim Ann, as well as Mr Christopher de Souza and Mr Liang Eng Hwa, who were backbenchers in the last Parliament. Both Mr De Souza and Mr Liang spoke about how they had pushed for their constituents’ needs during parliamentary debates, while Ms Sim also touched on translating compassion into action.

All four spoke at the rally in Bukit Panjang Single Member Constituency, where the PAP incumbent, Dr Teo Ho Pin, is running against the SDP’s Khung Wai Yeen. CELENE TAN