GE2025: Singapore Democratic Party calls on government to do more about 'mental health crisis'

SINGAPORE: Singapore is facing a "mental health crisis" that the government must do "much, much more" to address, Singapore Democratic Party (SDP) chief Chee Soon Juan said on Sunday (Apr 27).

In his speech at a rally outside Sun Plaza on Sunday night, Dr Chee, who holds a doctorate in psychology, linked poor mental health in Singapore to cost-of-living pressures and cramped spaces.

He called on Health Minister Ong Ye Kung, the People's Action Party (PAP) anchor minister for Sembawang Group Representation Constituency (GRC), to do more to tackle the crisis.

"There's no point in increasing the support network for Singaporeans without tackling the root causes of the problem. When you're mopping the floor, do you not turn off the tap first?" he asked.

Sunday was SDP's fourth rally in as many nights.

Nine candidates spoke at the rally near Sun Plaza in Sembawang GRC, where SDP vice-chairman Bryan Lim, Ms Surayah Akbar, Dr James Gomez, Mr Damanhuri Abas and Mr Alfred Tan are contesting.

They are in a three-cornered fight against the PAP team and the National Solidarity Party slate led by secretary-general Spencer Ng.

During Saturday's rally, SDP unveiled its Sembawang town plan that includes co-working spaces and storage places in void decks for residents.

On Sunday, Dr Chee said one of its most important proposals is a mental health wellness centre for youths that offers drop-in counselling services, peer support groups, as well as mental health, education and creative workshops to build resilience.

He also said there was a need to create more "green open spaces" for Sembawang residents, especially youths and the elderly, as this has been shown to be beneficial for mental health.

An Institute of Mental Health study last year found that about one in three young people between 15 and 35 years in Singapore reported experiencing severe or extremely severe symptoms of depression, anxiety and/or stress.

COST OF LIVING

Dr Chee, who is vying against the PAP's Ms Poh Li San in Sembawang West Single Member Constituency (SMC), questioned whether she had spoken up in parliament against rising costs.

"When parliament voted to increase the GST to 9 per cent, what did she do? When her party raised water prices in 2024 and 2025, how did she vote? When the government increased bus and MRT fares, did she speak up?

"When her party increased petrol duty by 23 per cent, did she vote against it? When the town council raised your fees, did she even try to stop it?" he asked the crowd.

Dr Chee said voters deserve "someone who will be your unwavering voice in parliament", and that the SDP was ready to do that.

SDP's Sembawang GRC candidates also took aim at the cost of living in their speeches.

Ms Surayah reiterated the SDP's call to scrap the Goods and Services Tax (GST) on essentials like food, medicine and baby formula.

"Cut hidden costs like COE (Certificate of Entitlement) premiums that have turned your family car into a luxury you're not allowed to afford," she said.

She also proposed lowering utility prices, because "turning on the fan during a heatwave shouldn't feel like a financial decision".

She also called for a reform of housing prices that did not involve "paying for market value on land that the government already owns".

"We're not asking for a miracle, just balance. Deny the PAP another supermajority that they desperately seek. Deny them a blank cheque, because when power is unchecked, the people pay the price and pay it with interest," she said.

Mr Tan said that "the government must not run nations like businesses".

"It must demonstrate the discipline of a people-centric government and not that of a profit-centric enterprise," he said.

He questioned why there was a need to increase the GST after the COVID-19 pandemic, and whether other revenue streams could have been explored at the time.

Mr Tan also listed some examples of what he called a "waste" of taxpayers' money.

He pointed to the Founders' Memorial, which is expected to cost S$335 million (US$255 million), and the five mayors, who each earn S$660,000 a year according to a White Paper on ministerial salaries in 2012.

In its rally on Saturday, the SDP called for mayor positions to be abolished.

Mr Tan also asked: "For a little small city-nation of 6 million people, why do we need three healthcare clusters with three times the administrative costs, three sets of multiple CEOs?"

The SDP has criticised what it calls "significant" wastage and duplication from the healthcare clusters, and called for Singapore to return to a "single unified public healthcare sector".

Singapore's public healthcare system is organized into three healthcare clusters – the National Healthcare Group, the National University Health System and Singapore Health Services, each responsible for a specific region.

CAREGIVING

Taking aim at Mr Ong again, Sembawang GRC candidate Dr Gomez described a "crisis of elderly care" in Singapore and said the health minister had failed to put in place adequate support for caregivers.

By 2030, one in four Singaporeans will be aged 65 or above. Dr Gomez also cited a 2024 study by Duke-NUS Medical School, which found that informal caregiving for seniors was valued at S$1.28 billion.

"We believe caregiving must be treated as a national priority, not a private problem," he said, before listing seven proposals by the SDP.

"We will expand community-based eldercare by setting up nursing care centres staffed by nurses and part-time physiotherapists to provide regular home care, advice and basic medical services under doctor supervision.

"We propose increasing the number of salaried positions for caregiving specialists to come directly to your home and service you," he said, adding that the funding would come from the Ministry of Health's budget.

Dr Gomez said the party would fight for comprehensive paid family leave "so caregivers no longer have to choose between their jobs and loved ones", and push for workplace flexibility across all sectors so caregivers can stay economically active.

"We will fix the subsidy system, removing unrealistic income caps and aggressive means testing, and increasing the support to reflect real costs.

"We will push for inclusive eldercare policies, embedding elder support into housing, transport and community planning. Ageing should not mean isolation or indignity, and caregivers should not be left to fill the gaps of the PAP's broken system."

Finally, the SDP will promote active ageing with outdoor activities, senior employment and peer support networks. This would help to reduce the long-term strain on caregivers and public health, said Dr Gomez.

"We believe the true measure of a country is how it treats those who cannot care for themselves and those who carry the responsibility to care for them."

Sunday's rally began almost an hour late, with the rain clearing before the first speaker took the stage close to 8pm.

The rally started with Dr Chee apologising for Dr Gigene Wong's use of a racial slur against her teammate, Mr Ariffin Sha.

Dr Wong and Mr Ariffin are both part of the SDP's team in Marsiling-Yew Tee GRC.

SDP is fielding 11 candidates across four constituencies in the polls on May 3. Besides Sembawang and Marsiling-Yew Tee GRCs, they are contesting in Sembawang West and Bukit Panjang SMCs.