[20250428] WP Rally Speech #1 [Punggol]

Friends, fellow Singaporeans! My name is Kenneth Tiong. I am running to be your Member of Parliament in Aljunied GRC. Tonight, I want to speak about why I stand here with the Workers' Party.

I found in the Workers’ Party a group of Singaporeans who are driven by ideals. The people of this Party are not here for titles, positions or material benefit. They are Singaporeans like you and me. Who give their precious time and sometimes even their own money, purely because of what they believe in. The possibility of a better Singapore. The belief that Singapore deserves a real choice.

And to be that credible choice, to earn your trust, we hold ourselves to clear standards. Our leader Pritam Singh spoke about the Workers' Party being Rational, Respectable, Responsible. Our 3Rs. Our guiding principles.

But tonight, I tell you, there's a 4th R that defines us, especially now: Ready.

We are Ready: Ready to listen. Ready to serve. Ready to fight for you.

That’s why I’m proud to stand with this party. Our ideals and principles compel us to listen closely to your concerns and propose the solutions you need. Let me give three examples - work, NS, and justice.

Work. What happens if you're retrenched? It's a worry we all share. As far back as 2006, the Workers' Party called for unemployment insurance – a safety net. We repeated it in manifesto after manifesto, pushed it in Parliament. It took until 2023 – seventeen years later – for the government to announce temporary support. Only this year, in 2025, a scheme took shape. We saw the need decades ago. We believe you deserve security today, not after years of waiting!

NS. Think about our sons, our brothers, our friends, serving National Service. Is their allowance fair? Does it meet the rising costs we all feel? My colleague Gerald Giam didn't think so. In 2023, he demanded better. Months later? Allowances went up. He pushed again this year, and they went up again. Why? Because defending our nation deserves fair compensation! It’s common sense, it’s what’s right!

And what about justice? Should your access to a lawyer depend on how much money you have? He Ting Ru and Sylvia Lim said NO. They called for fair access for everyone. That same day, the government acknowledged the need and moved towards a Public Defender's Office. Today, it exists. Is our system perfect? No. But is it fairer because the Workers' Party was there, speaking up? Yes!

This is the pattern. We listen to your real concerns. We research, we propose solutions – often years before they become popular or even common sense. We bring your voice to Parliament. We push, we persuade. And maybe not many people watch the Parliament livestream, just a few hundred people, but we fight for you, policy by policy, step by step.

What’s still on the table? The work is never done. Today we fight for mandatory retrenchment benefits, independent unions to safeguard your rights as employees, truly affordable housing, among others.

Some people try to label us – "PAP-lite," "one step to the left." Let me tell you what it's really about. It's not left or right. It's about future versus past.

Are we building the Singapore of tomorrow, facing today's challenges head-on? Or are we stuck looking backwards? No matter how great yesterday was, yesterday is over. The Workers' Party has its eyes firmly on the future, because you, the people of Singapore, are in our hearts.

So, when they call us "PAP-lite", I say, maybe they've got it backwards. Maybe the PAP is WP-late!

Think about it! If you want a preview of the sensible PAP policies of 2030, vote for WP in 2025! Get those policies five years earlier, when they actually matter for the challenges you face right now!

Now, you hear the PAP responding, digging through archives, saying 'Oh, we mentioned that idea back in 2008!' or 'We needed time to study!' Friends, they talk about 'study time' – seventeen years for unemployment support! While they 'studied', did your bills wait? Did your family's struggles pause? Whatever label they put on that long process, the undeniable outcome for Singaporeans was delay. Friends, that cost of delay is paid by you!

Ultimately, whether they admit it or not, whether the final policy is a perfect copy or slightly different, our relentless push – on unemployment support, on NS pay, on getting justice for scam victims – forced them to act. It delivered progress, it made a difference in your lives. That is the outcome we fight for, the outcome for Singaporeans that truly matters!

So why wait for a delayed, watered-down version of a good idea? Why settle for policies playing catch-up?

You deserve leaders who don't just monitor, but act! You deserve solutions that are fresh, relevant, and address your life today – the cost of living, the pressures, the dreams you have for your family.

You deserve a party that is Ready. Ready to represent you. Ready to shape a better future, starting now.

This GE, make your vote count. Vote for the Workers' Party. Vote for the party that is always Ready to Work for Singapore. Thank you!