SINGAPORE, July 10 — The second round of party political broadcasts was aired yesterday, a day ahead of the general election with leaders from the seven political parties which qualified to participate giving speeches on why Singaporeans should vote for them.

The messages were broadcast on various free-to-air television channels and over radio from 8pm. The programme was aired yesterday, which is Cooling-Off Day, when no new advertisements or campaigning besides the party political broadcasts are permitted.

Only political parties which have fielded at least six candidates are eligible for airtime, and the duration of each speech is determined by the number of candidates fielded. Most parties gave the speeches in the four official languages, though some used only three.

The first round of party political broadcasts went to air last Thursday, though with different speakers, except in the case of Progress Singapore Party’s (PSP) Tan Cheng Bock and National Solidarity Party’s Spencer Ng, who spoke in both broadcasts. The parties chose who spoke on each occasion.

Representing their parties in the English speech were the Reform Party’s Kenneth Jeyaretnam, the NSP’s Ng, Peoples Voice’s Lim Tean, Paul Tambyah from the Singapore Democratic Party (SDP), Sylvia Lim from the Workers’ Party (WP), PSP’s Tan and Lee Hsien Loong from the People’s Action Party (PAP).

PAP is contesting all 31 constituencies. In a 13-minute speech, Lee, PAP’s secretary-general, emphasised the need for a strong mandate to guide the country through the "crisis of a generation.”

He pointed out that the party and the people have worked together to overcome past adversities. He said the PAP had fought with the Pioneer Generation through independence and separation, and with the Merdeka Generation to take Singapore from "Third World to First.”

"We need the support of every Singaporean not just to return the PAP to government, but also to give it a strong mandate, to empower it to act decisively on your behalf, and steer the country towards better days ahead,” Lee said.

Most of the opposition candidates spoke of the need for accountability and alternative voices in Parliament, with several urging voters to hold the ruling party to account at the ballot box for decisions that negatively affect Singaporeans.

These included the impending Goods and Services Tax (GST) rise, which is set to go from 7 per cent to 9 per cent sometime between 2022 and 2025, the issue of "depreciating” 99-year flat leases, the level of immigration and the high rate of Covid-19 infection in the migrant worker dormitories.

In her speech, Lim, who is WP’s chairman, invited voters to "imagine a Singapore that is far better than it is now.”

While acknowledging the progress that the PAP has brought to Singapore in terms of its physical infrastructure and efficient systems, Ms Lim said more improvements can be made in creating a more transparent, open and fair society, where diverse voices can be heard.

"The PAP would have you believe that having such an open and fair society with press freedom will cripple a government’s ability to act quickly and firmly,” she said. But, she argued that the responses to Covid-19 from countries such as New Zealand, Australia and Taiwan — which have more robust democracies — show that this is a "false scare tactic”.

"We of the Workers’ Party believe that such positive change in Singapore can happen if enough of us work for it,” she said. "Our younger candidates have joined us because they have imagined a Singapore that can truly be even better.”

Tan of PSP dismissed the PAP’s appeal for a strong mandate, saying that a united Singapore must have a Parliament that reflects all views and an opposition that can push for transparency, independence and accountability in government.

SDP’s Dr Tambyah criticised the PAP for running an election campaign which relied on "old tactics of scaremongering and character assassination”, rather than focusing on providing "new ideas to deal with a world which has changed dramatically.”

This is a summary of the speeches:

Reform Party (2.5 mins)

Speaker: Kenneth Jeyaretnam, secretary-general