SDP – Policies

💸 On cost of living

On cost of living the SDP offers a 10-point plan to lower the cost of living:

1. Cut ministerial pay to fund assistance schemes for the poor.
2. Raise income tax rate for the top 1 percent.
3. Ensure revenue neutral budgets.
4. Scrap GST for essential items, raise GST for luxury goods.
5. Legislate minimum wage.
6. Reinstate estate duty.
7. Reduce healthcare costs.
8. Lower HDB prices.
9. Return CPF savings.
10. Stop profligate public spending.

You can read the SDP’s policy on lowering the cost of living in detail here.

📊 On the economy 

On the economy the SDP claims that its vision “is to create an economic system that benefits all Singaporeans, one that makes our society more egalitarian by tapping on the people’s innovative best”. Here is their plan: 

1. Redefining economic progress – utilizing other indicators apart from GDP such as the Genuine Progress Indicator (GPI).
2. Reduce Income inequality.
3. Encourage entrepreneurship.
4. Eliminate government-linked companies (GLC) and promote small and medium enterprises (SMEs).
5. Remake the GIC/Temasek model so as to ensure transparency of Singapore’s reserves.
6. Increase social spending.
7. Abolish the CPF Mnimum Sum Scheme.
8. Empower workers. 

You can read the SDP’s full paper, “A New Economic Vision: Towards Innovation, Equal Opportunity and Compassion”, here.

📚 On education

The SDP’s education policy can be summarized in these points:

1. Develop an education system that teaches critical thinking rather than rote learning.
2. Wean off the dependence of private tuition in the education system.
3. Abolish the PSLE and broaden the curricula while reducing workload.
4. Class sizes to be reduced to 20 per teacher.

The SDP’s education policy paper can be read in full here.

🚑 On healthcare

The SDP’s healthcare policy can be summarized in these points:

1. Introduce a single-payer insurance scheme and do away with MediSave, MediShield, and MediFund (3Ms).
2. The 3Ms will be replaced with the National Health Investment Fund (NHIF) to which every Singaporean shall contribute an average $50 a month. 
3. Additional funding for the NHIF will come from taxes.

The SDP’s healthcare policies can be read in full here.

🏠 On housing

1. Non-Open Market (NOM) flats that do not include land costs in their price should be included into the public housing system in Singapore.
2. Implement the Young Families Priority Scheme (YFPS) which grants priority for first-timer families with children or couples expecting children for Balance Flats or new Built-To-Order Flats in non-mature estates.
3. Enable single-parent families with children as well as singles to purchase and own their flats. 
4. Increase the range for lower-income Singaporeans for housing rental.
5. Enhance the Lease Buy-Back scheme to effectively assist senior citizens to ensure a secure retirement. 
6. Bar Permanent Residents and non-citizens from buying or renting NOM flats.

The SDP’s housing policies can be read in full here.

✈️ On population and immigration 

1. Adopt a points-based system, “Talent Track Scheme” where foreign professionals, Managers, Executives, and Technicians (PMETs) who intend to work in Singapore have to apply which will assess their qualifications, skills, and experience.
2. Ensuring that employers hire foreigners from the Talent Track Scheme only after they have demonstrated that no Singaporean is available or qualifies for the position.
3. Warns against a population of 10 million in Singapore.

The SDP’s population and immigration policies can be read in full here.

🌏 On climate change

1. Enforce the Transboundary Haze Pollution Act which will prosecute businesses in Singapore linked with companies engaged in forest-burning in Indonesia.
2. Prohibit manufacturing products dependent on single-use packaging.
3. Incentivise Singaporeans to recycle and reduce waste.
4. Commit Singapore to meet the targets stated in the Paris Climate Agreement. 

The SDP’s environmental policies can be read in full here.