GE2025: PAR calls for free education, school meals and healthcare for all Singaporean children

SINGAPORE: The People's Alliance for Reform (PAR) on Sunday (Apr 13) called for free education, school meals and healthcare for every Singaporean child – policies it said it would pursue if it is elected into parliament. 

PAR secretary-general Lim Tean listed these proposals during a walkabout at Woodleigh Village Hawker Centre in Potong Pasir, but did not state how the measures would be funded.

He wrote on Facebook that the alliance would release a "detailed costing" on the proposals soon.

Mr Lim noted that Singapore's total fertility rate had fallen to an "alarming" 0.97, adding that the PAR does not believe the solution lies in increasing net migration. 

He said the PAR proposes to alleviate the cost of living pressures on young parents by offering free education for children – from pre-nursery to university.

He added that people have told them the "main reason" why they are reluctant to start a family was the "fear of not being able to provide well" for their children.

"PAR believes education must be free – so every child can reach their full potential without financial barriers. An educated population is the bedrock of a prosperous nation, and the dividends of investing in our children will benefit all Singaporeans," Mr Lim wrote on Facebook.

The PAR chief also said that free school meals would "level the playing field" and ensure that children have the fuel they need.

Children should be given these free meals regardless of their family income, he said, adding that this was a "cost-effective investment which goes a long way" towards helping children and the nation.

Referring to healthcare costs as "another heavy burden" on families, he called for free, universal healthcare for all Singaporeans.

"By tackling these three major cost barriers - education, food, and healthcare - we will restore confidence among young Singaporeans to build families.

"It is natural for people to want to have children. It is the state's duty to ensure they are not held back by financial fear," he said.

Mr Lim added that the notion that opposition parties are "going to raid the reserves" to fund these schemes was a "fallacious, tired argument which has no place in modern Singapore".

In response to CNA's queries, he said that PAR's manifesto would be released after the Writ of Election is issued.

OPEN TO DISCUSSIONS

Mr Lim on Sunday also confirmed that the PAR would run in Jalan Besar Group Representation Constituency (GRC) and Tanjong Pagar GRC.

"These are the two GRCs we will 100 per cent contest in this time round," he said. 

Peoples Voice (PV) – which is one of three parties under the PAR along with the Reform Party and the Democratic Progressive Party – contested in Jalan Besar in the 2020 General Election but lost to the People's Action Party (PAP).

He added that PV had been active in Tanjong Pagar GRC since 2018 but "ceded" to the Progress Singapore Party (PSP) in 2020. PSP lost to PAP with 36.9 per cent of votes.

For Single Member Constituencies (SMCs), he said there was "absolutely no change" in PAR's plans to contest in Potong Pasir, Mountbatten, Radin Mas, Queenstown and Yio Chu Kang. 

Last month, Mr Lim reiterated that the alliance would contest in Potong Pasir SMC, despite an appeal from the Singapore People's Party (SPP) to avoid a three-cornered fight. 

SPP had said earlier that it would run in Potong Pasir - a familiar battleground, given that opposition veteran and the party's former leader Chiam See Tong had held the seat for 27 years.

When asked about the three other SMCs the alliance previously announced it would be contesting in – Jalan Kayu, Kebun Bahru and Marymount – Mr Lim said he was open to discussions with other opposition parties. 

PSP announced on Saturday that it would contest in Kebun Baru, Marymount and Pioneer SMCs. Addressing this, Mr Lim said he was open to discussing with PSP secretary-general Leong Mun Wai on which party should stand in Kebun Baru and Marymount. 

For Jalan Kayu, one of six new SMCs, he noted that Red Dot United (RDU) had introduced Ms Kala Manickam – a former PSP member. 

Mr Lim similarly said that he would discuss with RDU about the best candidate to contest in the SMC, adding that he was "quite confident" that there would not be a three-cornered fight in the constituency. 

When asked where he would be running in the upcoming election, Mr Lim said he was not revealing his plans yet.

"I may stand in many places. I may stand in Jalan Besar. I may stand in Mountbatten, where I have actually done so much work. I may stand here in Potong Pasir, where I have been incredibly active," he said. 

"I have given you three possibilities … The final line-up will be decided very close to nomination day."

He introduced two candidates who have been walking the ground in Jalan Besar - PAR treasurer Mohamad Hamim and new face Chiu Shin Kong.

Mr Hamim, who is secretary-general of the Democratic Progressive Party, has been tireless in visiting various wards in the GRC and has also reached out to the minority communities there, Mr Lim said. 

When asked about the qualities he looks for when fielding candidates for the election, the PAR secretary-general said the alliance was "not a party of elites" but a "party of the common man and woman in Singapore".

"You will find in our entire line-up ... people from common walks of life. We will not have any generals, all right, we will not have high-flying civil servants," he said. 

"You can be rest assured that the candidates we have go through the same struggles as the common, ordinary Singaporean(s) every day."