Dear friends,
Every National Day, my son and I will hang the Singapore flag at our small balcony. I always remind him, “尽忠报国” – be loyal and serve the country well.
Over the years, I have observed that less households are hanging up the Singapore flag. This year, the number has again dwindled. Perhaps it is because people are frustrated with what Singapore has become.
Poor policies have resulted in hardship for Common Singaporeans – high cost of living made worse by tax increases, housing becoming less affordable and available for our youth, and our local talents facing unfair competition at the workplace.
After 20 years, things have now reached a boiling point. Change must start now, because change will take time. Loyalty to the nation does not mean blind loyalty to one political party.
The SDA has plans to moderate the cost of housing and increase ready-supply of HDB flats for young families. We plan to improve fiscal prudence and better use tax monies to improve the quality of life of Common Singaporeans. And we plan to tighten government policy to level the current uneven playing field between Singaporean talents and foreign workers.
We will go into detail about these plans in our upcoming 2024 manifesto.
Singapore was built on the sweat of our forefathers. Governments can change, but our country must always be a home for all Common Singaporeans and not just a stopover playground for the elite.
So show your loyalty to Singapore by proudly hanging up the flag, and then by making positive change happen. Our nation’s future depends on you.
Happy National Day.
Desmond Lim Bak Chuan
Chairman
Singapore Democratic Alliance
