Need to empower citizens to change growth model

SINGAPORE — Over the last decade, Dr David Foo has been greatly concerned that wages have been stagnating, and that income disparity is “not between the average earners and the rich, but also between citizens and foreigners, private and state-owned companies”.

Noting that this was unsustainable, the Singaporeans First Party’s new candidate called for mutual respect to be built between the government and people.

“We need to empower citizens to build a strong Singapore business community based on knowledge creation at the heart of economic growth,” he said.

Married with a 20-year-old daughter, Dr Foo, 51, is a founding member and treasurer of SingFirst. Currently working as a research chemist, he has taught in research institutes in the United States and Singapore, including A*Star and Johnson & Johnson. He has also worked in multinational corporations such as Sigma-Aldrich Fine Chemicals and DHL Global Forwarding.

It was Mr Tan Jee Say who had persuaded him to join the party last year. “Politics has always been an area of concern since secondary school. If the government goes rogue, instead of waiting for others to offer solutions, maybe I should do it,” he said.