SINGAPORE: A "universal and permanent" healthcare package with "basic level of medical benefits" should be introduced instead of one-time packages like the Merdeka Package, Workers' Party chief Pritam Singh said in Parliament on Tuesday (Feb 26).
Mr Singh was responding to Finance Minister Heng Swee Keat's Budget statement, and said that he had received feedback from some senior citizens who missed out on a few years of medical benefits because of the year they were born.
Advertisement"Similarly, senior citizens who missed out on the more substantial Pioneer Generation Package when they were between the ages of 60 to 64 in 2014 also feel that the eligibility age of 60 for the Merdeka Package is inconsistent with the Pioneer Package," the Aljunied MP said.
[h=3]READ: Merdeka Generation Package: What you need to know[/h]Mr Singh said there was "good reason" to believe that Singapore would be able to support such a healthcare package.
Since the incorporation of Temasek Holdings into the Net Investment Returns Contribution (NIRC) framework in 2016, the company has contributed a sizeable S$5 billion yearly.
This comes up to about S$25 billion across the five-year term, starting from the current term of Government, Mr Singh said.
The 35-odd per cent increase in the NIRC from 2016 "goes some way" to explain the healthy accumulated surpluses accrued to this term of Government from the opening of Parliament in 2016, Mr Singh said.
With new modes of development funding through borrowing announced by Mr Heng earlier this year, Mr Singh asked if revenue could be freed up to fund more recurrent spending.
"If it does, it would appear that funding such a universal and permanent healthcare initiative for our seniors cannot be dismissed as dishonest, unreasonable or imprudent. Instead, it can and should be viewed as the key pillar of a strong and united Singapore," Mr Singh said.
Such a scheme should focus on alleviating out-of-pocket expenses for primary healthcare to address the cost of living for all Singaporeans from the age of 60.
"The additional subsidies for common illnesses and chronic conditions for outpatient care and meaningful discounts off subsidised bills at polyclinics and specialist outpatient clinics should be its central features," he added.
"A permanent and universal senior citizen medical package would also represent a critical symbol of integration between all Singaporeans who hold the red passport and it would follow that the eligibility age into such permanent schemes should be dispensed with."
Mr Singh said that a scheme like that can also benefit Singaporeans under 60 and give them "peace of mind".
"As all Singaporeans commit their best years and pay taxes like the Goods and Services Tax to the state throughout their working lives, a permanent package that helps our seniors manage their cost of living issues in their golden years will inject a powerful message of unity into Singaporeans of all ages," he said.
TAKING CARE OF THE FUTURE GENERATION
As Singapore moves into and beyond its bicentennial, Mr Singh said the challenges ahead will be "far more unique and complex than before". The availability of good jobs for Singaporeans first will be at the heart of many conversations, he added.
As such, the Government must be prepared to do more to support businesses as they go about redesigning jobs for older workers, offer more part-time, half-day or work from home opportunities for mothers, and help gig-economy workers.
This can be done through tax relief or rebates so that the economic transformation many businesses are undertaking is directly dovetailed to jobs for Singaporeans, Mr Singh said.
In his speech, Mr Singh sought to clarify whether borrowing from the market for ongoing and if upcoming infrastructure developments would impact the future generation.
This includes the expansion of Singapore's MRT lines, regional development including the Jurong Lake District, Punggol Digital District, and Woodlands North Coast, the rejuvenation of Housing Development Board HDB flats and its associated infrastructure, as well as Changi Airport Terminal 5, the Tuas Megaport and the now-postponed High-Speed Rail.
"During the course of his speech, Minister confirmed the Government’s intention to pursue a differentiated fiscal strategy – one for major infrastructure investment and another for recurrent social and security spending. But this strategy also implies that there is a limit to how much the current generation should pay for the benefit of our children and their children too," Mr Singh said.
[h=3]READ: Budget 2019: Building a 'strong, united Singapore'; Merdeka Generation Package, healthcare take spotlight[/h]He asked if the borrowing is only limited to Changi's expansion or if it is extended to other long-term infrastructure plans, and whether the differentiated approach will impact future budgeting and more specifically, revenue available for recurrent spending.
Turning his attention to the future environmental challenges, Mr Singh asked if Minister Heng could share the estimates for the spending of infrastructure upgrades to tackle climate change and rising sea levels. This includes raising Singapore's roads and building flood prevention dykes against climate change and rising sea levels.
EMPOWERING CIVIC PARTICIPATION
Mr Singh, in his speech, said that a "strong and united Singapore will not be built with some Singaporeans being made to feel that they must conform or support the Government's narrative with little room for alternative views".
"This is a sure way of heralding not just a divided and insecure population, but a divisive conversation about the choices we have to make collectively," Mr Singh added.
[h=3]READ: Living costs deserve ‘closest scrutiny’; share information about Government spending: Pritam Singh[/h]To facilitate conversation, the Government could share more information through some form of freedom of information law which is present in about 80 countries in the world, he said.
"While such laws are no panacea or silver bullet, they are but one piece of a larger citizen-centric ecosystem which move the needle forward on civic participation," Mr Singh said.
"The bicentennial offers us an opportunity to imagine the richness and breadth of conversations about the Singapore we are entering into in the years to come – a Singapore that is not just economically successful, but socially and culturally confident too with Singaporeans of all stripes proud to call it home."
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