

Keong’s initiatives included raising funding for the Workfare Income Supplement and Silver Support Scheme, programs that provide funds to those in need, by $500-$600 a month. He went on to explain his research-based policy initiatives, which the government could enforce to support its impoverished citizens. Keong defined three classes of poverty in his presentation– the elderly poor, the working poor and the unemployed poor– to establish an academic understanding of the situation in Singapore.
#Sg project 5 psp
PSP Talk opened up an opportunity for education and reflection on Singapore’s relationship with poverty and welfare reform. “To my shock and horror, I that the position of the poor in was much worse and much more awful than I imagine,” said Keong about his research. Keong took the opportunity to emphasize the severity of poverty in Singapore. Yeoh Lam Keong, the former chief economist at GIC Private Limited, spoke at the talk series, notably proposing several poverty reforms based on the findings from his research. Poverty in Singapore was one of the major topics of discussion during the event. The party hosted a talk series, PSP Talk, in September 2019 to highlight pressing issues and direct the national conversation. The party’s rhetoric largely focuses on fighting for all Singaporeans, not just elite classes that possess money and power. The Progress Singapore Party is a major national political group, that describes itself as the ‘party for the people.’ It supports increased attention toward rising poverty rates. Various government policies, such as the lack of a minimum wage and restrictions on the withdrawal of retirement money, often receive critiques as possible causes of the growing problem of poverty in Singapore. This rapid increase has spurred government officials to address the issue. Poverty affects the elderly the most, with their rates increasing 74.32% within the same time period. Poverty in Singapore increased by 43.45% in just three years, from 2012 to 2015. Leaders within the country, however, are bringing the issue to the forefront of the national conversation. With the lack of a minimum wage, there is no guarantee that Singaporean citizens have the opportunity to make enough to live on. Despite the enormous wealth present in Singapore, poverty is also a pressing issue within the nation.
