Tag Archives: DPM Heng Swee Keat

At a 23 Aug 2020 virtual event organised by East Coast grassroots advisers, Deputy Prime Minister (DPM) Heng Swee Keat responded to criticisms that free trade agreements (FTAs) or Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreements (CECA) had caused Singaporeans to lose out in job opportunities. He warned that such statements about Singapore signing away jobs protection for Singaporeans were "totally false." Despite his attempt to convince naysayers, many netizens were in disbelief and some even wanted concrete proof for his statements.

A contributor has shared some interesting calculations for Budget 2020. In Finance Minister Heng Swee Keat's round-up speech on debate on the Fortitude Budget in Parliament, he revealed that Singapore is "committing almost $100 billion, or close to 20 per cent of our GDP, to our Covid-19 response". Once the PAP increases GST from 7% to 9%, our contributor estimates this should bring in an estimated extra 0.7% GDP per year. So in order to cover the money spent on the Special $100 billion Covid19 Budgets, our contributor suggests that the government will need around 28.5 years to claw back this amount. Could this mean that the PAP has a lot of extra in our reserve and they don't really need the extra 2% GST to begin with?

Singapore Democratic Party (SDP) member Fadly Azad wrote on his Facebook about Budget 2020. While Singaporeans should be thankful for the cash payouts, he reminded Singaporeans that the money handed out by the government actually came from taxpayers. Remember that one way which the government gets this money is by taxing us, and "whatever they give you now they will take it back sooner or later". With the General Elections looming closer, he calls for Singaporeans to vote wisely. We can either choose to vote in a government who cares more about money and treats its people as digits, or vote in a government that is more concerned about our welfare and well being.

Pritam said the motion was carried out hurriedly and and was premature, and indicated that the timing is highly "unusual for a legal system that places an exacting premium on the rule of law as a defining characteristic of the country". He then urged the PAP to come clean and explain to Singaporeans why they hurriedly file the motion before the case is concluded. Pritam also revealed that AHTC's auditors had submitted an unqualified financial statement this year and it has been sent to the Ministry of National Development, which oversees town councils.

For two GE in a row, the PAP team in Aljunied GRC have failed to defeat their WP counterparts. So, the next best way to defeat them is via the courts. Unable to sue them until their pants drop for any 'malicious" comments they might have met, the WP MPs instead got sued for alleged mismanagement of Town Council. Of course, the WP MPs lost their battle in court, no one expected otherwise. But this case highlighted the step by step way to fix your opponents by making them look bad, and you look good.