SINGAPORE: Health Minister Ong Ye Kung and Manpower Minister Tan See Leng addressed “false claims” around free trade agreements and the Singapore-India Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement in Parliament on Tuesday (July 6). (CECA). CNA’s YouTube channel broadcasted their ministerial statements and debate live.
Mr. Ong, a former trade negotiator, said CECA did not imply that Singapore must unconditionally accept Indian professionals, managers, and executives (PMEs).
Singapore’s power to enforce immigration and work permit rules “has never been questioned” under CECA or any other FTA. According to the minister, this contradicts assertions made by the Progress Singapore Party (PSP). “The PSP has made FTAs and CECA political scapegoats in order to criticize the PAP Government’s policies,” he stated.
READ: Nothing under the CECA requires Singapore to accept PMEs from India on a conditional basis: Ong Ye Kung is a fictional character. Ong Ye Kung responds to ‘false’ remarks about FTAs and the Singapore-India relationship in its entirety. In Parliament, CECA Dr. Tan stated in his address that the CECA debate was a “red herring.” The Government’s approach to implementing Singapore’s foreign worker policy is based on whether it will benefit Singaporeans, he said. Intra-corporate transferees (ICTs) — employees of multinational corporations (MNCs) who have been relocated from outside – must meet the Manpower Ministry’s work pass standards. He claims they do not have “unrestricted access” to Singapore’s labor market.
Last year, there were 177,000 Employment Pass holders in Singapore. There were 4,200 ICTs in total, with 500 from India. “Indian nationals who enter through CECA have become a source of conflict for the PSP. But they’ve been barking up the wrong tree, I’m afraid “Dr. Tan explained./n
