Singapore Election 2006: Party Political Broadcast

Part 1: WP and SDA




Part 2: SDA




Part 3: PAP


Broadcast details: Political parties fielding six or more candidates in this election are eligible for party political broadcast. Airtime is in proportion to the number of the candidates fielded. This is the first of two programs, the speakers respresenting their parties are:

Mr Lee Hsien Loong, from the People's Action Party;
Mr Chiam See Tong from the Singapore Democratic Alliance;
Ms Sylvia Lim from the Workers' Party;
Ms Chee Siok Chin from the Singapore Democratic Party.

The party fielding the smallest number of candidates will appear first, the party fielding the largest number, last.


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singapore

S'pore Election: Parties Speak To S'poreans Via Political Broadcasts

By Jackson Sawatan

SINGAPORE, April 30 (Bernama) -- The four contesting parties in the Singapore general election spoke to Singaporeans last night via political broadcasts aired over television and radio.

The alloted time for each party to make their political broadcasts in four languages -- English, Chinese, Malay and Tamil -- was based on the number of seats contested.

The People's Action Party (PAP), which is contesting all 84 seats, was given 12 minutes while the Workers' Party and Singapore Democratic Alliance (SDA), each with 20 candidates, were given 4.5 minutes each.

The Singapore Democratic Party (SDP), with seven candidates, was given 2.5 minutes.

In his broadcast message, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said that the PAP had fulfilled its 2001 promise to create more jobs for Singaporeans.

"You gave the PAP a strong mandate. We delivered on our promise. Last year, we created 113,000 jobs -- the highest number in 10 years," he said.

He also spoke of making Singapore a land of opportunity, saying that he would put in all his energy to make it a reality.

"But I cannot do it alone. I need a strong team of ministers and MPs to help me. I need honest, capable and committed men and women who feel passionately about Singapore and can draw on the ideas and energies of all Singaporeans to create our future," he said.

He promised that the PAP would educate all Singaporeans to be the best that they could be, involve the people in building the country and help lower-income households and to have more affordable health care services.

He said that the PAP candidates were the best team for Singapore.

Workers' Party chairman Sylvia Lim criticised what she claimed as the selective implementation of upgrading projects for constituencies.

"Why we came forth? Amongst many other issues is one that clearly threatens to split the fabric of our nation. This is the use of taxpayers' money to selectively upgrade constituencies that vote for the PAP," she said.

Calling that strategy a threat to the voters, Lim said that the PAP used public funds to entrench and promote the party through public-funded grassroots organisations. "Is this a First World government?" she asked.

SDA chairman Chiam See Tong urged the voters to deny the PAP -- which has already won 37 seats in seven Group Representation Constituencies (GRC) -- a clean sweep.

"We need a multi-party system in Singapore to ensure that democracy survives... A vibrant and cosmopolitan Singapore needs creativity of the mind and innovation. All these can only flourish in an atmosphere of freedom and an environment where there is no fear -- the people's mind can be most creative and most productive," he said.

SDP made comparison of the salaries the ministers earn and the thousands of Singaporeans it said were not able to pay their utility bills or afford to buy their own flats or rent homes.

"The PAP ministers are paid S$100,000 a month -- the highest in the world," SDP member Chee Siok Chin said. The next and final political broadcasts is on Thursday.

-- BERNAMA

Singapore