Constructive debates on bread-and-butter issues key to charting S’pore’s future

I refer to the insightful commentary “More Singapore conversations needed to keep little red dot shiny” (Today, Aug 28).

As the General Election draws near, and various political parties are launching their manifestos, election campaigns and introducing their candidates, more constructive debates or conversations among the political parties are needed to address the concerns and aspirations of people in depth and to derive workable solutions.

Bread-and-butter issues remain of greatest concern to people, especially for the lower and middle classes. These include the high cost of living, and growing medical and hospitalisation expenses.

A large number of middle-aged PMETs also fear job insecurity.

The standard of public transport remains a concern, including the overcrowding in trains and buses during the daily peak hours, and the recent train breakdown.

Working young couples, meanwhile, are worried about long-term financial commitments, especially housing loans, and this is especially acute when they face job instability. And our small and medium entrepreneurs are worried about rising business costs.

At the macroeconomic level, small and medium enterprises also face greater challenges in the export market because of the strong Singapore currency and weak greenback, the unstable and sluggish European and US markets, as well as the turbulence and unpredictability of global affairs and in our neighbouring countries.

And it remains to be seen what the most effective ways of dealing with the security threats from radicals such as the Islamic State (ISIS) and Jemaah Islamiyah are.

Having debates and conversations on these issues will be essential to charting the vision and future direction for our country.