PPP chief Goh accuses incumbent of healthcare, job failings
The People's Power Party's Goh Meng Seng. Photo: Daryl Kang/TODAY
SINGAPORE — From the hospital bed crunch situation to the competition Singaporeans face from foreigners, People’s Power Party chief Goh Meng Seng barraged the leader of his rival team in Chua Chu Kang Group Representation Constituency, as he urged residents to back his bid to keep his tag of “Minister Slayer”.
The People’s Action Party incumbents are led by Health Minister Gan Kim Yong, whose previous portfolio was manpower.
Speaking at his party’s second rally held in Chua Chu Kang Primary School last night, Mr Goh rattled off a litany of issues he accused Mr Gan of failing Singaporeans in the ministries he helmed. “Since our public hospitals cannot cope with our population — there’s a bed crunch — why does Mr Gan allow our public hospitals to continue medical tourism? They still want to earn money from the filthy rich people from other countries, instead of taking care of our own people,” he charged.
Mr Goh suggested that polyclinics should operate around the clock and offer inpatient care to take the burden off hospitals.
“At this stage, it’s very difficult to increase the infrastructure and the necessary healthcare workers,” he said.
“The only way to solve this problem is ... to have polyclinics run 24 hours, with certain beds available. It will solve this problem of bed (crunch) in hospitals. People with less severe cases can go to the polyclinic first, instead of hospital.”
Describing Singapore as being “flooded” with foreigners, resulting in local graduates starved of jobs, Mr Goh laid the blame for the situation on Mr Gan, when he was Manpower Minister (from April 2008 to May 2011).
Noting that Mr Mah Bow Tan stepped down from the Ministry of National Development after a challenge mounted by him in the 2011 polls — where housing was one of the hot button issues — Mr Goh rallied voters to slice Mr Gan’s vote share to show their displeasure.
“We’re not a suicide team. We’re the Minister Slayer,” he said, to boisterous cheers.
The PPP team, consisting Mr Goh, Mr Syafarin Sarif, Ms Low Wai Choo and Mr Lee Tze Shih, is facing off against PAP incumbents Mr Gan, Ms Low Yen Ling, Mr Zaqy Mohamad and Mr Yee Chia Hsing. VALERIE KOH
