The Progress Singapore Party (PSP) launched its 2025 General Election manifesto on 6 April at its party headquarters in Bukit Timah, laying out over 60 wide-ranging proposals to tackle Singaporeans’ concerns over rising living costs, housing unaffordability, job competition, and long-standing social inequality.
Titled “Progress for All”, the manifesto is PSP’s most comprehensive policy platform to date. It covers ten major domains including cost of living, housing, jobs and wages, education, governance, healthcare, and the social safety net.
The document positions the party as a “constructive opposition” offering not just critiques, but what it describes as “viable, people-first alternatives”.
Speaking on the manifesto, PSP Chairman Dr Tan Cheng Bock said: “PSP has shown that we are a constructive opposition party by putting forward more than 60 policy proposals in our manifesto. This manifesto is a culmination of almost two years of work led by Mun Wai and Hazel, and I am very proud of the team’s efforts.”
First Vice-Chairperson Hazel Poa highlighted the collective effort behind the document, stating: “I would like to thank the team of PSP members, volunteers, and consultants who contributed much of their time and effort to produce this manifesto. It is a collective effort and would not have been possible if not for their hard work.”
Secretary-General Leong Mun Wai expressed confidence in the party’s ability to present credible alternatives to current policy. “The policy proposals in PSP’s manifesto have been well-researched and carefully considered.”
I hope we have demonstrated to the public that PSP is capable of offering constructive alternative solutions to enable every Singaporean to benefit from our country’s progress.”
He added, “We will work hard to earn the trust of Singaporeans at the ballot box, so that we can champion these ideas in the next Parliament.”
The party also confirmed during the launch that it will contest West Coast GRC and Chua Chu Kang GRC in the upcoming General Election, which is widely anticipated to be held in early May 2025.
Both constituencies were contested by PSP in the 2020 election, with West Coast GRC being the party’s strongest performance.
Reversing the GST hike and targeting essentials
Among the most prominent economic proposals is PSP’s call to roll back the Goods and Services Tax (GST) from 9% to 7%, reversing the two-stage hike introduced in 2023 and 2024.
The party argues that GST is regressive and disproportionately affects lower-income households, who pay a larger share of their income in consumption taxes.
In addition, PSP is advocating for GST exemptions on basic essentials, including rice, cooking oil, eggs, water, wheat flour and infant formula.
These exemptions would be tiered by price to prevent abuse by wealthier consumers — for example, rice sold under S$2 per kilogram would qualify for GST exemption, while premium varieties would not.
To support these changes, PSP points to Singapore’s strong fiscal foundation, citing over S$1.2 trillion in reserves and S$47 billion in investment returns in FY2023.
The party maintains that these resources provide sufficient fiscal space to sustain public spending without relying on a higher GST burden.
Containing inflation through rent and land reforms
PSP’s manifesto highlights rising rental costs as a major contributor to inflation, particularly in food and retail.
It proposes empowering the Fair Tenancy Industry Committee (FTIC) to publish annual rent increase guidelines for commercial spaces — similar to the role played by the National Wages Council in wage negotiations. The party believes this could help small businesses and reduce downstream consumer price pressures.
On public hawker centres, PSP proposes a shift away from the current tender model, under which hawker stall rents are awarded to the highest bidder.
Instead, all hawker stalls would be charged a monthly rent of S$500 or 3% of gross revenue, whichever is higher. The aim is to ensure affordability for both hawkers and consumers while disincentivising excessive bids that inflate food prices.
Housing: A new ownership model for affordability
In a major departure from the current public housing model, PSP’s manifesto introduces the Affordable Homes Scheme (AHS).
Under this proposal, buyers of new HDB flats for owner-occupation would pay only for construction costs and a location-based premium, while the land cost would be deferred — and only payable if the flat is later sold on the resale market.
PSP argues that owner-occupied flats are public goods and should be treated like schools or hospitals, where land cost is not included in pricing.
According to the party, this shift would reduce mortgage burdens, preserve CPF savings for retirement, and make homes genuinely affordable across generations.
The party further proposes lowering the age at which singles can purchase BTO flats to 28 (down from the current 35), and introducing a Millennial Apartments Scheme — short-term public rentals in the CBD and mature estates to provide housing flexibility for young adults and couples.
To meet demand, PSP suggests HDB should build ahead of demand based on demographic trends like marriage and birth rates, rather than rely solely on the Build-to-Order (BTO) application system.
Labour reforms: A minimum wage and EP restructuring
To ensure baseline income security, PSP proposes a Minimum Living Wage of S$2,250 per month for all resident Singaporean workers.
After CPF deductions, this would translate to S$1,800 in take-home pay — an amount the party says is necessary to support basic living needs with dignity. This figure is based on a 2019 Minimum Income Standards (MIS) study conducted in Singapore.
The party argues that this wage floor would reduce dependence on complex schemes like Workfare, GST vouchers, and CDC handouts, which lower-income workers currently rely on to make ends meet.
PSP also lays out a suite of foreign manpower reforms:
- A monthly Employment Pass (EP) levy of S$1,200 to reduce cost advantages over Singaporean hires
- A flat EP qualifying salary of S$10,000, regardless of age or industry
- Company-specific diversity limits, capping the share of employees from any single foreign nationality
- A stricter Fair Consideration Framework, requiring firms to prove they cannot find suitable Singaporeans before hiring EP holders
Supporting caregivers and strengthening retirement security
PSP’s manifesto calls for a S$1,250 monthly caregiver allowance, including CPF contributions, for parents or grandparents caring for Singaporean children below age 7.
This would replace childcare subsidies for those opting to stay at home.
The party also wants to double payouts under the Silver Support Scheme and simplify Singapore’s fragmented welfare landscape by consolidating the more than 60 existing assistance schemes into fewer national-level platforms.
In healthcare, PSP proposes that the Government fully fund MediShield Life and CareShield Life premiums and expand MediSave coverage for dental procedures, maternity care, and elective egg freezing.
Education: From PSLE reform to mental health support
In education, the PSP advocates for a 10-year through-train programme, under which students can opt out of the Primary School Leaving Examination (PSLE).
These students would be assessed through continuous internal evaluations and gain access to a more holistic curriculum that includes subjects like arts, physical education and citizenship.
The party also proposes reducing class sizes, particularly in light of declining fertility rates. It calls on the Ministry of Education to stop automatically merging small schools and instead maintain a mix of school sizes to cater to diverse learning needs.
To support student and teacher well-being, PSP proposes appointing two counsellors per school, up from the current one in most schools, and implementing an annual mental health monitoring system.
It also calls for external feedback mechanisms to gauge teacher burnout and retention.
Additionally, the party recommends scaling back scholarships and tuition grants for international students, converting more of them into full-fee-paying enrolments to free up capacity and subsidies for local students.
A bid for credibility and momentum
While many of the proposals in the PSP’s 2025 manifesto are bold and potentially contentious, the party presents them as carefully considered, evidence-based responses to long-standing issues in Singapore’s policy landscape.
As the party seeks to grow its parliamentary representation, the manifesto marks a shift from critique to comprehensive governance ambition.
Whether the electorate sees PSP’s policy slate as feasible and grounded—or overly idealistic—will likely shape its influence in the next electoral cycle. For now, the manifesto has added significant substance to the policy discourse, promising a more contested and thoughtful election debate ahead.
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