In the SDA’s manifesto, we spoke about the need to cut extravagant and unnecessary government spending so that Singaporeans do not have to be burdened with higher taxes.

One such extravagant and unnecessary spending is on the appointment of Mayors of Community Development Councils (CDCs).

The Mayors’ role is to oversee the CDC, and each CDC aims to provide local assistance to needy residents and promote community bonding.

Why do we need to spend an additional $3.3 million a year appointing 5 Mayors to perform what is essentially charity work, coordination work, and management of community activities?

This is on top of the $962,500 that Singapore taxpayers are paying them in MP allowance.

Shouldn’t that already by the role of elected MPs and the Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF)?

The MSF has an annual budget of around $3 billion, and is already helmed by two Ministers, one Minister of State, one Parliamentary Secretary, one Permanent Secretary, one Second Permanent Secretary, one Deputy Secretary, and one Second Deputy Secretary.

Yes, it’s a long top-heavy list.

And added to that, there are already 93 elected MPs on the ground managing and coordinating affairs in their respective GRCs and SMCs.

Not forgetting – the government also has the People’s Association at its disposal, on which it spends about $588 million every year.

Surely, the Mayor and CDC scheme is just an extra and unnecessary layer of bureaucracy?

The government needs to offer greater justification as to why it sees fit to waste our tax dollars so frivolously.

SDA Chairman’s Office