Minister for Health Ong Yu Kung, who leads the PAP Sembawang GRC team, criticised the Singapore Democratic Party’s (SDP) proposals, describing them as “mere populists calls” to win seats in Parliament. He urged the party to “explain honestly” what they are proposing.
Speaking at a rally near Sun Plaza in Sembawang on April 28, Mr Ong addressed policy proposals put forward by the SDP in its speeches and manifesto, and explained why the ideas were not feasible.
On healthcare, he said the SDP’s proposal made it seem as if the system could easily be redesigned to lower costs.
But as someone involved in designing Singapore’s current healthcare systems and policies, he said he could not tell what exactly the opposition party was proposing.
Under the SDP’s proposed healthcare plan, a single-payer, universal healthcare system would be introduced, in which the government manages a central healthcare fund.
Currently, a hospital bill is mostly paid in three ways: subsidies from the government, claims from MediShield Life and MediSave, he noted.
Mr Ong added that implementing the single-payer system would mean getting rid of the subsidies or removing MediShield Life.
“If there’s no subsidy, all hospital bills must be paid by health insurance. MediShield Life. What does it do to premium? Shoot through the roof. They never tell you, right?” he explained. “But if…there’s no MediShield Life. Then you depend only on subsidies. Then your taxes will shoot through the roof.”
“So, can SDP please explain honestly to our residents, what are you really proposing?
Mr Ong said that it may be the opposition’s role to challenge the status quo by being a critic of national policies. But the true test comes when it is time to take over and govern – a role that the PAP has to do every day since it is in government.
“We do, they talk. We implement, they claim credit. In terms of policy contributions, in terms of affecting the lives of Singaporeans, the opposition is a pale shadow of the PAP government.”
