SINGAPORE: The People’s Alliance for Reform (PAR) officially declared on Saturday (Apr 12) that it would contest Yio Chu Kang SMC in the upcoming General Election, with Dr Michael Fang announcing his candidacy.
Speaking before a walkabout at Ang Mo Kio 628 Market, where he later distributed bread to residents there, Dr Fang told CNA the rising cost of living was among his primary concerns, adding that "we see the people suffering around us" and life had gotten "more difficult".
"Basically the residents here are mixed of the elderly folk and a bit of the younger generation, meaning 30s to 40s, and we have been looking after their needs, listening to their concerns ... because cost of living has been very high, inflation has been very high," he said.
"We hear their concerns about the cost of living, about the loss of jobs, and worry about how their retirement savings can stretch. It's been impacting a lot of people, and we just want to do our part for the people."
While Dr Fang, who is from
Prime Minister and Finance Minister Lawrence Wong said in February during his national Budget speech that every Singaporean household will get S$800 (US$600) in Community Development Council (CDC) vouchers among other support measures.
PV is one of the three parties in the PAR – the other two being the Reform Party and the Democratic Progressive Party.
Yio Chu Kang SMC will have 25,368 voters in the upcoming election.
In the 2020 election, Mr Yip Hon Weng of the People's Action Party (PAP) defeated the Progress Singapore Party's Kayla Low, taking 60.82 per cent of the vote.
When asked how he felt about his chances against the incumbent party, Dr Fang said he is a "barometer for change".
"If you see me supporting the PAP MP, which is not impossible, that means they have actually changed. But if you see me on the other side, then the PAP hasn't reformed that much." he added. "We are trying to guide them on the right path."
Dr Fang said that if elected, he hoped to serve residents in the single-seat ward and propose new changes in parliament, calling for "lower GST (Goods and Services Tax) for everyone, including businesses and as well as the common folk".
Over the past week, other parties such as the Progress Singapore Party (PSP) and the Singapore Democratic Party (SDP) have called for a rollback of the GST to 7 per cent to address rising costs.
Dr Fang also briefly touched on the PAR's opposition over the withdrawal age of the Central Provident Fund (CPF) scheme.
He added that he has received "very positive" and "very responsive" reactions from residents during walkabouts.
"I hope that the citizens vote for us, so that we can actually go in and bring about positive changes and remove bad policies as well."
Dr Fang contested as a PV candidate in Jalan Besar GRC in 2020, along with PV founder Lim Tean, Mr Leong Sze Hian and Mr Nor Azlan Sulaiman. The PAP won 65.36 per cent of votes.
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Speaking before a walkabout at Ang Mo Kio 628 Market, where he later distributed bread to residents there, Dr Fang told CNA the rising cost of living was among his primary concerns, adding that "we see the people suffering around us" and life had gotten "more difficult".
"Basically the residents here are mixed of the elderly folk and a bit of the younger generation, meaning 30s to 40s, and we have been looking after their needs, listening to their concerns ... because cost of living has been very high, inflation has been very high," he said.
"We hear their concerns about the cost of living, about the loss of jobs, and worry about how their retirement savings can stretch. It's been impacting a lot of people, and we just want to do our part for the people."
While Dr Fang, who is from
Prime Minister and Finance Minister Lawrence Wong said in February during his national Budget speech that every Singaporean household will get S$800 (US$600) in Community Development Council (CDC) vouchers among other support measures.
PV is one of the three parties in the PAR – the other two being the Reform Party and the Democratic Progressive Party.
Yio Chu Kang SMC will have 25,368 voters in the upcoming election.
In the 2020 election, Mr Yip Hon Weng of the People's Action Party (PAP) defeated the Progress Singapore Party's Kayla Low, taking 60.82 per cent of the vote.
"BAROMETER FOR CHANGE"
When asked how he felt about his chances against the incumbent party, Dr Fang said he is a "barometer for change".
"If you see me supporting the PAP MP, which is not impossible, that means they have actually changed. But if you see me on the other side, then the PAP hasn't reformed that much." he added. "We are trying to guide them on the right path."
Dr Fang said that if elected, he hoped to serve residents in the single-seat ward and propose new changes in parliament, calling for "lower GST (Goods and Services Tax) for everyone, including businesses and as well as the common folk".
Over the past week, other parties such as the Progress Singapore Party (PSP) and the Singapore Democratic Party (SDP) have called for a rollback of the GST to 7 per cent to address rising costs.
Dr Fang also briefly touched on the PAR's opposition over the withdrawal age of the Central Provident Fund (CPF) scheme.
He added that he has received "very positive" and "very responsive" reactions from residents during walkabouts.
"I hope that the citizens vote for us, so that we can actually go in and bring about positive changes and remove bad policies as well."
Dr Fang contested as a PV candidate in Jalan Besar GRC in 2020, along with PV founder Lim Tean, Mr Leong Sze Hian and Mr Nor Azlan Sulaiman. The PAP won 65.36 per cent of votes.
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