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Murali’s Bukit Batok manifesto focuses on jobs, elderly, social mobility

SINGAPORE — A job replacement programme and a new health cooperative are among the plans that People’s Action Party (PAP) candidate Murali Pillai will implement in Bukit Batok if he wins the May 7 by-election.

PAP candidate for Bukit Batok SMC Murali Pillai (right) with DPM Tharman Shanmugaratnam at a press conference on Tuesday (April 26). Photo:  Wee Teck Hian/TODAY

PAP candidate for Bukit Batok SMC Murali Pillai (right) with DPM Tharman Shanmugaratnam at a press conference on Tuesday (April 26). Photo: Wee Teck Hian/TODAY

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SINGAPORE — A job replacement programme and a new health cooperative are among the plans that People’s Action Party (PAP) candidate Murali Pillai will implement in Bukit Batok if he wins the May 7 by-election.

The 48-year-old lawyer, who unveiled his manifesto at a press conference on Tuesday (April 26), said he will focus on three areas — jobs, the elderly and social mobility — if he is elected.

Noting that residents had raised concerns about job security amid an uncertain economic climate, Mr Murali said he hoped to tap on the network of community activists in Bukit Batok to help the unemployed find a new job faster.

While the Government has supported the low-income elderly through schemes, such as the Community Health Assist Scheme and Pioneer Generation Package, Mr Murali said the new health cooperative he is proposing could help “sandwiched families” who struggle with long-term healthcare costs for elderly family members.

To be run by doctors and nurses, the health cooperative will help make it cheaper for families to buy consumables, such as milk feeds, catheters and vitamin supplements, Mr Murali said.

The cooperative will also aim to make seniors more medically literate to help them avoid illness.

Adding that his “special emphasis” would be on seniors who are sick and living alone, Mr Murali hopes to introduce an emergency-button scheme to alert neighbours or community volunteers of emergency situations.

He also plans to build a pool of volunteers who can mentor and inspire children from disadvantaged families. “Everyone wants their children to do well ... so we must help families so that the families can help their children.”

As for national issues, reviewing the criteria for Employment Passes (EP) to maintain a strong Singaporean core in the workforce and reviewing ElderShield payouts are among the issues that Mr Murali would like to raise in Parliament.

When asked why he preferred to keep a lower media profile, including announcing his manifesto after the Singapore Democratic Party (SDP) had unveiled its plans, he noted that the PAP had “programmes that are already in place for many, many years”.

“So, I can understand why SDP is in a bit of a hurry to announce their new plans,” Mr Murali said.

“(Residents) appreciate when there is a process of listening to them and identifying their concerns and needs before coming up with the blueprint.”

Deputy Prime Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam, who was at the press conference, described Mr Murali as the kind of person he would like to see in Parliament.

Mr Tharman said: “On each of the national policies (such as the tightening of the EP scheme), I’ve been struck by my conversations with him (Mr Murali) that he’s not merely satisfied with what the Government is doing.

“In each of the areas he spoke about ... in jobs, on the elderly, on social mobility, he wants more to be done and he wants policy adjustments.”

He added: “... This is the sort of MP I really like, someone who scrutinises policies, critical where he needs to be and proposing, in a thoughtful way, enhancements and improvements.”

Mr Murali, in response to queries about running as a minority candidate and overcoming the language barrier, said he has not had any issues, especially with the support from his volunteers.

Minister for Community, Culture and Youth Grace Fu, who was also present, pointed to Mr Murali’s good showing in Aljunied GRC’s Paya Lebar division in last year’s General Election.

Mr Murali, who was part of the PAP’s defeated team in Aljunied, had worked the ground in Paya Lebar, where 84 per cent of constituents were Chinese. “So, for him to have a very good result in a predominantly Chinese (ward) — by far above national average — I think is a very good testament of his ability to cross the language barrier and reach out to Chinese constituents,” said Ms Fu.

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