SINGAPORE: Dr Chee Soon Juan, Secretary-General of the Singapore Democratic Party (SDP), highlighted the rising costs and the impact of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) increase to 9% has widely affected businesses and reduced consumer spending, leading to lower sales and retrenchments.

This came after Orange & Teal, a café owned by Dr Chee and his wife, Dr Huang Chih Mei, announced on 11 October that they had closed down their second outlet in Marina Square.

The café, which opened in 2022, shared on social media that the closure was due to “rising costs,” while their Rochester Mall outlet would continue to operate as usual.

Dr Chee criticises Singapore’s “rentier economy” for contributing to economic downturn

In a video message on 22 October, Dr Chee Soon Juan addressed the closure of the café’s second outlet, noting that over the past couple of years, suppliers of coffee, cake, vegetables, and meat have been issuing notices about necessary “price adjustments.”

While he stated that he did not blame these businesses for their actions, he pointed out that they, too, face significant expenses and cost burdens.

He emphasised that these adjustments have been particularly noticeable since the increase of GST to 9%.

Dr Chee highlighted how this increase, combined with higher costs for supplies, rent, utilities, transportation, and fuel, has significantly contributed to inflation.

This inflationary pressure has created a double burden: rising costs for businesses and reduced consumer spending, resulting in lower sales and retrenchments.

He noted that these rising costs are forcing multinational companies such as Dyson and Samsung to either lay off workers or leave Singapore entirely, with UOB relocating to Kuala Lumpur.

Dr Chee also cited a report from Business Times, which revealed a significant increase in closures within the food and beverage (F&B) sector in 2024, surpassing even the pandemic year of 2020.

He criticised this downturn as a consequence of Singapore’s “rentier economy,” where the government relies on increasing fees and prices to extract wealth from the population, rather than fostering a productive and innovative economy.

To support his argument, Dr Chee referenced a recent study by Singaporean economists Professors Linda Lim and Pang Ng Fong, who described the current economic system as “inefficient, inequitable, and unsustainable.”

According to the study published on 15 October, this system’s weak productivity performance threatens Singapore’s competitiveness, economic growth, and living standards.

Dr Chee plans to corporatise Orange & Teal to fulfil his commitment as a full-time MP if elected

Dr Chee Soon Juan also reflected on his journey with Orange & Teal, expressing satisfaction with the success of the Rochester Mall outlet despite the challenges facing the F&B sector.

He mentioned that he had bigger plans for the café, which he would reveal in due course.

Dr Chee shared that the idea of starting the eatery was linked to his work with SDP over a decade ago, aiming to create a space that offered more than just dining.

He envisioned the café as a venue for passionate discussions, heated debates, and a place where minds and hearts could freely exchange ideas about life in Singapore.

Dr Chee described Orange & Teal as a microcosm of the Singapore he wished to see—vibrant, sophisticated, cultured, and built on open conversation.

He emphasised their efforts to keep prices low despite rising costs and called for continued support from customers to sustain the business.

Additionally, Dr Chee discussed his future plans to eventually corporatise the business and step back from daily operations as he prepared to honour his commitment to becoming a full-time Member of Parliament for Bukit Batok after the next general election, hinting at his intention to continue contesting in the constituency.

SINGAPORE: The trial of Workers’ Party (WP) chief and Leader of the Opposition, Pritam Singh, will not proceed today (22 October) after the court was informed that his lead lawyer, Mr Andre Jumabhoy, is unwell.

After over an hour’s delay to the proceedings on 22 October, Singh’s other lawyer, Mr Aristotle Emmanuel Eng Zhen Yang, informed the court that Mr Jumabhoy had received a medical certificate declaring him unfit for court for two days.

Deputy Principal District Judge Luke Tan approved the defence’s application to stand down the trial until the afternoon of 23 October.

Mr Eng stated that he would provide an update to the court in the morning regarding Mr Jumabhoy’s condition and whether the proceedings could resume at 2.30pm.

Originally scheduled to begin at 11am on 22 October, the trial was delayed until approximately 12.20pm as lawyers from both sides consulted with the judge in chambers.

Mr Singh is facing two charges of lying to a parliamentary committee about his handling of former WP Member of Parliament (MP) Raeesah Khan’s 2021 admission that she had lied in Parliament regarding a false anecdote of sexual assault case.

Both the prosecution and defence had been awaiting the judge’s decision on an application made by Mr Jumabhoy the previous day.

This application sought to tender former WP cadre Yudhishthra Nathan’s unredacted messages from 4 to 12 October 2021, in court.

Mr Jumabhoy also requested the redacted versions of these messages between Mr Nathan, fellow WP cadre Loh Pei Ying, and Ms Raeesah Khan, along with the reasons Mr Nathan had provided to the Committee of Privileges (COP) for the redactions.

Mr Jumabhoy argued that this was a reasonable line of inquiry, as it directly pertains to the credibility of Mr Nathan and Ms Loh’s testimonies.

However, the prosecution objected, asserting that the COP’s findings and the redacted messages are not relevant to the criminal trial.

Deputy Attorney-General Ang Cheng Hock highlighted that Singh’s first charge relates to a meeting with Ms Khan on 8 August 2021, while the second charge concerns a subsequent meeting on 3 October 2021.

He pointed out that the redacted messages pertain to a time after these meetings.

Judge Tan stated on 21 October that part of the prosecution’s case relies on the meeting between Singh, Mr Nathan, and Ms Loh on 12 October, making the credibility of the two WP cadres a significant issue, as it “goes to whether their evidence is to be believed or not.”

The judge indicated that he would review the message logs alongside evidence from Mr Nathan before making a decision.

Ms Khan had, on 3 August 2021, recounted an account of accompanying a sexual assault victim to a police station, claiming the victim was treated insensitively.

She repeated this claim before the House on 4 October of the same year, before admitting to the falsehood on 1 November 2021.

For each charge, Mr Singh faces a maximum penalty of a S$7,000 fine, a jail term of up to three years, or both.

The defence is expected to conclude its cross-examination of Mr Nathan on 23 October.

Following the completion of the prosecution’s re-examination of Mr Nathan, it is anticipated that former WP secretary-general Low Thia Khiang will be called as the next witness.

The trial, scheduled for 16 days in total, will see its first tranche conclude on Thursday. The second tranche, consisting of seven days, will begin on 5 November, with intermittent breaks throughout.