SINGAPORE: The People’s Action Party (PAP) team of candidates for West Coast-Jurong West GRC launched a five-year plan on Wednesday (Apr 23) hours after confirming their candidacy.

Titled “Securing a Better Tomorrow, Together”, the 38-page document manifesto by PAP's team comprises nine pillars, touching on themes such as cost of living, providing jobs and creating a green and sustainable environment.

The manifesto recaps programmes and initiatives already carried out in the constituency and what they intends to do going forward.

In a statement to the media after the launch of the manifesto, Minister for National Development Desmond Lee also called upon the Progress Singapore Party (PSP) candidates challenging his team to also release their own plans for the residents to scrutinise.

He was responding to the PSP team for West Coast-Jurong West GRC, which had earlier challenged the PAP team at the nomination centre to a debate on national policies. 

PSP chief Leong Mun Wai had said in his address to the crowd at the Nan Hua High School nomination centre: “We would like to invite minister Desmond Lee and his team to debate on policies. Let the voters decide who has better ideas."

The PSP slate contesting in West Coast-Jurong West GRC comprises Mr Leong, party chair Tan Cheng Bock and first vice-chairperson Hazel Poa – all part of the team that nearly unseated the PAP in 2020. Joining them are newcomers Sani Ismail and Sumarleki Amjah.

Mr Lee, who is anchor minister for the PAP team at West Coast-Jurong West GRC, initially said during a press conference launching his team's manifesto that he will issue a response on the debate issue separately.

Shortly after the conference, he released a statement to the media: “There are platforms during the general election (GE) for political parties to debate policies. Parties also publish their policy ideas in their manifestos. Voters can scrutinise these plans during the GE.

Political parties who say they have walked the ground should also be able to put out detailed proposals and local plans to benefit residents. We have done so. We ask PSP to publish these local plans for residents to study.”

Presenting the PAP's plans on Wednesday after Nomination Day proceedings, Mr Lee did not provide a ballpark figure on how much the plans would cost as certain projects may go beyond five years, while others are still in the consultancy stage and the costs are therefore “not cast in stone”.

Accompanying Mr Lee during the press conference at the party’s branch office in Boon Lay to launch the manifesto were his other team members: Mr Shawn Huang, Mr Ang Wei Neng, Dr Hamid Razak and Ms Cassandra Lee.

REJUVENATED, GREENER WEST COAST-JURONG WEST

On the theme of helping households cope with the cost of living, the PAP team said that it would continue to roll out and scale up local programmes to supplement nationwide measures by the Government.

These include half-price grocery shopping in Boon Lay, S$3 value meal vending machines in Nanyang and grocery distribution to lower-income households in West Coast and Jurong Spring.

On estate enhancements and rejuvenation, the manifesto highlighted what the team had achieved such as transforming some roads into Silver Zones and Friendly Streets to improve safety for the elderly and the roll-out of the Home Improvement Programme for public flats.

Moving forward, developments that residents can look forward to include the redevelopment of Gek Poh Shopping Centre which will be integrated with an upcoming MRT station along the Jurong Region Line, and a new Clementi Stadium.

The five-year plan also promised to enhance existing parks in the constituency, such as the West Coast Park and Jurong Lake Gardens, under the manifesto’s theme on creating a green, sustainable and inclusive constituency.

Smaller neighbourhood parks will also be enhanced, said Ms Lee.

“We plan to make the parks even better, more accessible and more connected for residents of all ages,” she added.

Other themes in the manifesto include helping job seekers find good jobs, supporting seniors lead full and healthy lives, as well as empowering persons with disabilities and mental health challenges together with their caregivers.

West Coast-Jurong West GRC is a newly formed constituency comprising a large part of the former West Coast GRC and a portion of Jurong GRC.

In 2020, the PSP came within a few percentage points of victory in what was the tightest race of the election.

The PAP retained West Coast GRC with 51.69 per cent of the vote, while PSP secured two Non-Constituency MP (NCMP) seats as the best-performing losing team.