10 key issues WP aims to tackle for Singaporeans as part of GE2025 manifesto
The Workers’ Party (WP) released its 2025 General Election (GE) manifesto at a press conference held on Thursday (17 Apr) at its headquarters, outlining 125 policy proposals across five sections.
A three-member panel, Mr Gerald Giam, Associate Professor Jamus Lim, and Ms He Ting Ru, guided the media through the various sections of the manifesto.
The five sections are namely affordability and cost of living, economic growth and opportunities, inclusion and equality, accountability and democracy, and security and geopolitics.
Here are 10 proposals that stood out from the 122-page manifesto for the upcoming election.
1. Implement a national minimum wage
To ensure fair compensation for all Singaporeans, the WP proposes a national minimum wage of S$1,600 per month for full-time workers, pro-rated for part-time work.
This initiative seeks to boost wages while enhancing worker welfare and productivity across all income levels.
The WP recommends that the National Wages Council (NWC) should deliberate and recommend updates to the National Minimum Wage.
2. Introduce redundancy insurance
Acknowledging the challenges of job displacements like retrenchments, the WP suggests a redundancy insurance scheme.
Under this scheme, workers who are involuntarily retrenched would receive 40% of their last drawn salary for up to six months.
This will be capped at 40% of Singapore’s current median income.
Employers and employees will contribute equally each month — amounting to 0.1% of each worker’s salary — to finance the Employment Security Fund, which will provide the payouts.
3. Establish a SkillsFuture education loan
To promote continuous learning, the WP proposes a zero-interest SkillsFuture education loan as part of its manifesto.
This will serve as a supplement to the S$4,000 SkillsFuture Credit top-up and the SkillsFuture Training Allowance.
Source: SkillsFuture SG on Facebook
The initiative would support individuals pursuing private Continuing Education and Training (CET) programs, especially in high-growth industries lacking local manpower.
4. Abolish the statutory retirement age
Eliminating the official retirement age would allow individuals to keep working for as long as they are capable and willing.
This gives them greater flexibility in deciding when to retire.
It also helps to remove age discrimination at work, as employers would no longer be able to justify avoiding older hires by citing their limited time before retirement as a poor business decision.
5. Lower the eligibility age for singles to purchase BTO flats
Recognising the housing needs of singles, the WP proposes reducing the eligibility age for singles to apply for BTO flats from 35 to 28 years old.
Source: PropertyGuru
This policy aims to provide singles between the ages of 28 to 35 with greater access to affordable housing options.
The WP added that this reduction is unlikely to discourage marriage and family formation.
6. Reinstate Thaipusam as a public holiday
In 1968, when the government cut down the number of public holidays, the Hindu community was given a choice between keeping Deepavali or Thaipusam—and they chose to retain Deepavali.
Thaipusam holds deep spiritual meaning and is a joyful celebration for Hindus in Singapore.
It is time to restore Thaipusam as a national public holiday to honour Hindu religious observance, while also increasing Singapore’s total number of public holidays to 12.
7. Abolish the Group Representation Constituency (GRC) system
To enhance electoral fairness, the WP calls for the removal of the GRC system, advocating for elections to be conducted solely in single-member constituencies (SMC).
The GRC system, established in 1988, was intended to ensure that minority racial communities in Singapore will be represented in Parliament.
However, the WP notes that Singaporeans have progressed, and there’s no longer evidence that they vote purely along racial lines.
Maintaining the GRC system could inadvertently imply that minority candidates are unable to be elected independently.
All GRCs should revert to SMCs, ensuring candidates are fully accountable to voters in their constituencies.
8. Lower the voting age to 18 years old
Currently, Singapore is just one of eight countries with a minimum voting age of 21.
This limit excludes a significant number of young people from the voting process.
Since the nation trusts 18-year-old Singaporeans to serve and defend it, it should also allow them to have a say in its governance.
WP recommends lowering the voting age to 18 as part of its manifesto.
Letting younger Singaporeans vote empowers more meaningful civic engagement at a younger age.
It could also encourage them to develop a stronger interest in understanding public affairs.
9. Raise NSFs’ allowances
National service (NS) carries major opportunity costs for Singaporean men and second-generation PRs, who start their careers two years after their female peers, first-generation PRs, new citizens, and foreigners.
Source: The Singapore Army on Facebook
This impacts their career advancement and presents challenges for those aspiring to be athletes or artists.
To recognise young men’s sacrifices, the median NS allowance should be set at least S$1,600 per month.
The term “NS allowance” should also be revised to “NS salary” and should include CPF contributions.
10. Recognise the state of Palestine
Many Singaporeans are deeply concerned about the suffering in Israel and Palestine, and hope for a peaceful resolution.
Singapore supports a negotiated two-state solution, where Israel and Palestine, as democratic states, coexist peacefully within secure, recognised borders.
WP believes that Singapore should officially recognise the State of Palestine, even before negotiations on a two-state solution are finalised.
This recognition would reinforce the legitimacy of our two-state stance.
Four new faces introduced by WP on 17 Apr
At the same press conference, WP secretary-general Pritam Singh and chairwoman Sylvia Lim also unveiled four new candidates who will contest in the upcoming general election.
The candidates are:
- Mr Kenneth Tiong Boon Kiat, 36, director of tech start-up Sensemake.ai (Aljunied GRC)
- Mr Abdul Muhaimin Abdul Malik, 36, a senior property manager at Aljunied-Hougang Town Council (Sengkang GRC)
- Ms Siti Alia Abdul Rahim Mattar, 43, a legal counsel in a MNC
- Ms Eileen Chong Pei Shan, 33, a former diplomat who now works at Singapore-based charity Asia Philanthropy Circle
It is still unclear which constituencies Ms Alia and Ms Chong will contest.
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Featured image from MS News.
