WP manifesto charts what it sees as working for Singapore

In the 122 pages of the Workers' Party manifesto, launched on April 17, some 10 pages early on are perhaps the most interesting.

- Tham Yuen-C

The party typically set out its views, intentions and proposals in the document, but this time around, it also included a section to highlight its impact on public policy.

"While we are not in government — and therefore not in a position to implement policy — we believe that many of our proposals do end up being adopted in some form, which ultimately benefits Singaporeans," so the introduction to the section goes.

It counts 15 policies on which the party has made a difference, from the recently announced SkillsFuture Jobseeker Support Scheme — which offers financial support to retrenched workers — to the shorter wait times for Build-To-Order flats and the Healthier SG programme that focuses on preventative health.

Besides this part, which is akin to a report card, the manifesto also laid out 125 policy proposals in five areas: affordability and cost of living, economic growth and opportunities, inclusion and equality, accountability and democracy, and security and geopolitics.

Unveiling it, Mr Gerald Giam, who heads the party's policy research team, said: "Our manifesto has essentially grown with us."

In 2020, an unprecedented number of WP MPs were elected, and this gave the party an opportunity to test out its ideas in Parliament, and put them through the "fire of debate", he said.