Redefining Family and Social Success in Singapore's GE2025 Manifestos

In a time of rapid change, family and social success in Singapore is evolving. This includes not just economic stability but also access to quality education, healthcare, housing, and strong social support.

With the General Election (GE) 2025 approaching, political parties are presenting their visions for strengthening families, supporting caregivers, and ensuring equal opportunities.

This article examines how the People’s Action Party (PAP), Workers’ Party (WP), Progress Singapore Party (PSP), Singapore Democratic Party (SDP), and Red Dot United (RDU) aim to redefine family and social success.

By analysing their policies, we can see which resonate with Singaporeans' aspirations.

People’s Action Party (PAP): Strengthening Foundations for Families

Holistic Support Systems

• Proposals: Enhance ComCare, Silver Support, and Workfare; extend childcare subsidies and parental leave; introduce ComLink+ for lower-income families.
• Impact on Families: These measures aim to reduce financial burdens on families, particularly those with young children or elderly dependents. By subsidising childcare and eldercare, the PAP seeks to enable dual-income households while ensuring seniors age with dignity.
• Challenges: Critics argue that piecemeal enhancements may not address systemic issues like income inequality or rising living costs.
• Solutions: Integrate these programmes into a unified platform to streamline access and ensure no family falls through the cracks. Regular reviews of eligibility criteria can help adapt to changing needs.

Preventive Healthcare and Aging-in-Place

• Proposals: Launch initiatives like Healthier SG, Age Well SG, and Grow Well SG; add 13,600 hospital beds; redevelop hospitals by 2030.
• Impact on Families: Empowering individuals to stay healthy reduces long-term medical expenses and caregiver stress. Aging-in-place models allow seniors to remain in familiar environments, easing emotional and logistical challenges for families.
• Challenges: Expanding healthcare infrastructure requires significant investment and time, potentially delaying immediate relief for overstretched facilities.
• Solutions: Prioritise community-based care models and telemedicine to alleviate pressure on hospitals while scaling up infrastructure.

Housing as a Pillar of Stability

• Proposals: Introduce three-tier BTO categories (Standard, Plus, Prime); explore rejuvenation schemes like VERS.
• Impact on Families: Diversifying housing options caters to different income groups, enabling more families to own homes. Rejuvenation plans ensure older estates remain livable, preserving community ties.
• Challenges: Rising property prices and long wait times for BTOs continue to concern younger families.
• Solutions: Accelerate construction timelines using modular building techniques and expand rental options for first-time buyers awaiting BTO completion.

Workers’ Party (WP): Prioritising Inclusion and Equity

Caregiver Support and Work-Life Balance

• Proposals: Expand respite care, compensate family caregivers, enhance parental leave, and close gender health gaps.
• Impact on Families: WP’s focus on caregiver compensation acknowledges that the unpaid labour often shouldered by women and low-income families. Flexible work arrangements promote work-life balance, benefiting working parents.
• Challenges: Implementing nationwide caregiver compensation requires substantial funding, which could strain public finances.
• Solutions: Partner with private sector employers to co-fund caregiver benefits and incentivise flexible work policies through tax breaks.

Education for All Abilities

• Proposals: Reduce class sizes; delay school start times; improve support for children with disabilities; provide tuition access for low-income students.
• Impact on Families: These reforms aim to create a more inclusive education system, reducing academic pressure and ensuring no child is left behind. Parents benefit from reduced private tuition costs.
• Challenges: Smaller class sizes demand hiring more teachers, posing logistical and budgetary hurdles.
• Solutions: Invest in teacher training programmes and leverage technology to supplement classroom teaching, ensuring scalability without compromising quality.

Tracking Social Outcomes Beyond GDP

• Proposals: Set an official poverty line; broaden metrics for success beyond economic growth.
• Impact on Families: This shift highlights the importance of non-monetary indicators like well-being and equality, aligning policy priorities with grassroots needs.
• Challenges: Defining and measuring “social outcomes” objectively remains complex.
• Solutions: Establish an independent body to oversee data collection and reporting, ensuring transparency and accountability.

Progress Singapore Party (PSP): Addressing Immediate Needs

Cost-of-Living Relief

• Proposals: Reduce GST to 7%; exempt essentials; introduce $3,000 “HealthierMother” cash gifts per birth.
• Impact on Families: Direct financial relief alleviates day-to-day pressures, encouraging higher fertility rates among younger couples. Cash gifts incentivise parenthood without increasing long-term fiscal commitments.
• Challenges: Rolling back GST risks reducing government revenue, potentially affecting funding for essential services.
• Solutions: Offset revenue losses by broadening the taxable base for high-income earners and introducing targeted luxury taxes.

Affordable Housing Solutions

• Proposals: Defer land costs for BTO flats; introduce Millennial Apartments for short-term rentals.
• Impact on Families: Deferred land payments make homeownership more accessible, while rental apartments cater to young professionals delaying marriage or parenthood.
• Challenges: Ensuring a sufficient supply of affordable units without compromising quality is critical.
• Solutions: Partner with private developers to build mixed-use developments that include affordable housing components.

Mental Health and Caregiver Support

• Proposals: Increase MediSave withdrawal limits for mental health; regulate counselors; double Silver Support payouts.
• Impact on Families: Expanded mental health coverage addresses growing concerns about psychological well-being, particularly among youth and caregivers. Doubling Silver Support helps low-income seniors maintain independence.
• Challenges: Centralising mental health services requires coordination across multiple agencies.
• Solutions: Create a centralised digital portal for mental health resources and streamline referral processes between public and private providers.

Singapore Democratic Party (SDP): Championing Radical Reforms

Universal Healthcare and Education

• Proposals: Replace MediSave, MediShield, and CareShield with single-payer insurance; scrap PSLE; cap class sizes at 20; nationalise preschools.
• Impact on Families: A unified healthcare system ensures affordability and accessibility, reducing out-of-pocket expenses. Educational reforms ease academic stress and foster creativity, preparing children for diverse career paths.
• Challenges: Transitioning to a single-payer model involves restructuring existing frameworks, which could face resistance from stakeholders.
• Solutions: Pilot the single-payer system in select regions before nationwide rollout, addressing operational challenges incrementally.

Non-Open-Market (NOM) Housing

• Proposals: Offer NOM flats at fixed low prices ($90k–$270k); maintain buffer stock for minimal wait times.
• Impact on Families: Fixed-price housing provides affordable options for first-time buyers, addressing intergenerational wealth disparities. Buffer stocks ensure timely allocation, reducing uncertainty for young families.
• Challenges: Managing demand for NOM units requires careful planning to prevent shortages.
• Solutions: Use predictive analytics to forecast housing demand and adjust supply accordingly.

Expanding Safety Nets

• Proposals: Abolish CPF minimum sum; expand Silver Support to cover 80% of low-income elderly.
• Impact on Families: Removing the CPF minimum sum gives retirees greater flexibility, while expanded Silver Support ensures basic needs are met.
• Challenges: Balancing these measures with sustainable pension systems is crucial.
• Solutions: Introduce tiered contribution rates based on income levels to ensure long-term solvency.

Red Dot United (RDU): Building a New Social Contract

Equitable Healthcare

• Proposals: Ensure access to quality healthcare regardless of income; redesign MediSave as a supplementary fund.
• Impact on Families: Removing financial barriers to healthcare empowers individuals to seek treatment without hesitation, improving overall well-being.
• Challenges: Funding universal healthcare necessitates higher taxes or reallocation of resources.
• Solutions: Implement a progressive taxation model where higher earners contribute proportionally more to fund universal coverage.

Secure Homes for All

• Proposals: Guarantee every Singaporean has a secure home; retain flat value beyond 99-year leases.
• Impact on Families: Stable housing fosters a sense of belonging and security, especially for multi-generational households. Retaining flat value ensures investments are preserved.
• Challenges: Extending lease terms requires innovative solutions to balance land scarcity.
• Solutions: Explore vertical redevelopment and adaptive reuse of older estates to maximise land efficiency.

Transparency and Accountability

• Proposals: Enact Freedom of Information Act; strengthen judicial oversight; empower independent trade unions.
• Impact on Families: Greater transparency builds trust in governance, empowering citizens to advocate for policies that benefit their communities.
• Challenges: Resistance from entrenched interests may slow progress toward openness.
• Solutions: Phase in reforms gradually, starting with less controversial areas, to build momentum and public support.

Comparative Analysis: Which Vision Resonates Most?

Toward a Shared Vision of Success

The manifestos of GE2025 reflect diverse approaches to redefining family and social success. While the PAP emphasises stability and innovation, the WP champions inclusion and equity.

The PSP focuses on immediate cost relief, the SDP advocates radical reforms, and the RDU envisions a transformative social contract.

Each vision offers valuable insights into building stronger, more resilient families and communities. As voters weigh these proposals, they must consider which policies best align with their aspirations for a harmonious and prosperous society.

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