tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4405345292513335071.post419965744387742262..comments2024-03-19T18:44:15.041+08:00Comments on Little Stories: Please Look at the Fundamentals Before You VoteGilbert Koh aka Mr Wanghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01027678080233274309noreply@blogger.comBlogger66125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4405345292513335071.post-50737757226739694502011-05-04T07:38:17.533+08:002011-05-04T07:38:17.533+08:00You took the words from my mouth. The PAP likes to...You took the words from my mouth. The PAP likes to talk about track record, but the people who made that track record are no longer around. It is like comparing 2010 Leeds Utd to 1970's Leeds Utd (league champions).Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4405345292513335071.post-85634268507228723822011-05-02T14:22:21.813+08:002011-05-02T14:22:21.813+08:00She will be a good pretty prostitute sucking all t...She will be a good pretty prostitute sucking all the balls of our PM, SM, MM and all the other old ministers...hahahaAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4405345292513335071.post-91292282918196645362011-04-30T23:07:54.209+08:002011-04-30T23:07:54.209+08:00I will certainly not vote for anyone who threatens...I will certainly not vote for anyone who threatens the voters into casting their votes or else you will not get anything from the government.<br /><br />I would like to remind all of us that those national reserves belong to Singapore and not the PAP. Anyone including the opposition voted into office can make use of it to do good for Singapore and its peopls. NOT ONLY PAP can upgrade HDB flats.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4405345292513335071.post-29804781829615544142011-04-27T21:29:45.947+08:002011-04-27T21:29:45.947+08:00I am not a financial expert but as a security cons...I am not a financial expert but as a security consultant I do have some knowledge of what constitutes fundamental security and it is fundamentals we are talking about right.<br /><br />If you have, let us say, $100 billion would you not want MORE consent and signatures before issuing a cheque. Now I am not saying that what we have is inadequate BUT in life surely one cannot be too careful. A day may come when you have the best assets in the world only to realize upin cashing these that they are somehow worthless. The FUNDAMENTALS of BEING SAFE remain the safe. You have someting valuable, you make sure that you lock it up and make it as difficult as possible for someone to get hold of it.<br /><br />That for me is getting the fundamentals correct.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4405345292513335071.post-15506707271143838902011-04-27T21:17:59.996+08:002011-04-27T21:17:59.996+08:00To Liesl:
The picture (too bad it has been replac...To Liesl:<br /><br />The picture (too bad it has been replaced by a video) tells me that Tin Pei Ling is someone vain and materialistic. Nothing wrong with being vain and materialistic. But an MP vain and materialistic? What would her priorities be? Serve the people or clamour for material wealth? Would she be able to emphatise with the common people?<br /><br />Actually, I think your perception of her is coloured by the fact that she is with the PAP. If she were with the opposition, you would probably form a different conclusion about her, one similar to mine. And I am sure the PAP would say (in relation to her) that the opposition doesn't have credible people.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4405345292513335071.post-9343939692197999492011-04-27T17:39:06.433+08:002011-04-27T17:39:06.433+08:00"and the year after the recession, our growth...<i> "and the year after the recession, our growth is a disgustingly high 15%" </i><br /><br /><br />I already commented on that in a previous post. Let me quote myself:<br /><br /><i>A rise in the cost of living is not a problem, if it is matched with a rise in average wages. Unfortunately, over the past five years, Singaporeans have NOT been able to earn more money. Singaporeans are working as hard as ever (and in fact, hold the current world record for working the longest hours), but their incomes have been stagnating. If you don't believe me, read this.<br /><br /><b>To put it simply, while Singapore's economic growth has arguably been decent, this simply hasn't translated into a better life for the average Singaporean in the street. Our reserves may have grown; our government ministers may be drawing bigger and bigger salaries; the Bangladeshi workers and the Filipino waitresses may be feeling satisfied - but the average Singaporean just isn't getting any benefits out of the nation's success. </b><br /><br />Why is this so? Well, wages are related to productivity. To earn more money, the Singaporean has to raise his productivity by learning new skills and gaining more knowledge in value-added areas. Companies have a role to play in this too. They have to innovate, become more efficient, invest in new technology, and in training their employees. That's how productivity can increase, together with sustainable wage growth. <br /><br />But this isn't happening in Singapore. On the contrary, our labor productivity has fallen to shockingly low levels. In 2009, for instance, labor productivity growth was worse than zero. It was negative (-14.9%). And why has labour productivity fallen so badly in Singapore? It's because the PAP government's policy on foreign workers actually discourages productivity. Instead of getting Singaporeans to increase productivity by learning new skills and knowledge, the focus has instead very much been on importing more and more cheap foreign labour to do the job. </i><br /><br />---------<br /><br />Let me put it another way. <br /><br />Why do we want GDP growth? What purpose does it serve?<br /><br />The purpose is so that the citizens can do better in their jobs; earn more money; lead a better life.<br /><br />This hasn't happened in Singapore. There is GDP growth, but income growth has stagnated for years. If Singaporeans aren't getting richer, if they only end up struggling harder and harder to meet the ever-increasing costs of living, <b>then the very purpose of having high GDP growth is defeated.</b>Gilbert Koh aka Mr Wanghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01027678080233274309noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4405345292513335071.post-14179784755474640802011-04-27T17:32:38.120+08:002011-04-27T17:32:38.120+08:00By the way, I work in a bank.
Asian countries - a...By the way, I work in a bank.<br /><br />Asian countries - and you can include Japan - generally did not suffer the financial crisis the way the US did, for a very simple reason.<br /><br />NOBODY in Asia structures or sells CDOs linked to the US subprime mortgages. <br /><br />Congratulating the PAP government for having avoided the financial crisis that the US suffered is as meaningless as praising the PAP government for having saved us from the earthquake that Japan experienced.<br /><br />1. US subprime mortgages are NOT sold in Asia.<br /><br />2. Richter 9 earthquakes do NOT happen in Singapore.Gilbert Koh aka Mr Wanghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01027678080233274309noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4405345292513335071.post-17096057878076129302011-04-27T16:38:34.121+08:002011-04-27T16:38:34.121+08:00hmm... yes, sri lanka et al did well even during t...hmm... yes, sri lanka et al did well even during the recession. but do you want to go stay in sri lanka? <br /><br />i think comparing us to Vietnam, North Korea, etc is not a fair comparison. our economies are very different from theirs. <br /><br />and the year after the recession, our growth is a disgustingly high 15%. tt's the growth rate of a developing economy just at the starting to industrialise. a study of economics will tell us tt a economy like ours really shdn't be growing at tt rate. esp against the global backdrop. but we did. so...rench00https://www.blogger.com/profile/08945837600494918295noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4405345292513335071.post-37992571348763786692011-04-27T14:06:14.187+08:002011-04-27T14:06:14.187+08:00I believe that the fundamentals are still the same...I believe that the fundamentals are still the same.... Singapore is small, with limited resources, is in a region that is not very friendly, and has to compete in a very globalised world... <br /><br />I agree that past performance does not suggest how the future will unfold in a ever changing world. <br /><br />However, the party that wins in this watershed election must be one who is STILL able to navigate the country and its people through these minefields.<br /><br />So, my advice to the parties is to stop mudslinging the candidates or 'frightening' the voters with doom and gloom. These cheap tactics just leave a very bad taste in the mouths of many Singaporeans. We do not like to be treated as if we are stupid. So, please focus on the policies.<br /><br />And my advice to voters, please choose carefully. Do not be overwhelmed by emotions, even this GE is going to be very emotional because we are all so the pent-up.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4405345292513335071.post-56564900409827455882011-04-27T13:58:39.579+08:002011-04-27T13:58:39.579+08:00About Ms Tin, is she matured enough to take up pol...About Ms Tin, is she matured enough to take up politics? Look at the way she stomp her feet when she dunno what to say. So how will you react when you go up to this MP, present your problem and seek her help and she just stomps her feet, shrugs and tell you " I dunno what to say."?<br /><br />Think about it........Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4405345292513335071.post-29146274920321047902011-04-27T13:52:37.631+08:002011-04-27T13:52:37.631+08:00Singapore was less hurt in the financial crisis th...Singapore was less hurt in the financial crisis than the US and the UK.<br /><br />Even less hurt than Singapore were countries such as Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam, Sri Lanka, Mongolia and North Korea.<br /><br />Do you know why?<br /><br />Let me tell you that the answer has nothing to do with Kim Jong being superior to LKY; nor anything to do with LKY being superior to Obama/Bush.<br /><br />Nevertheless, you raised an interesting example which reminded me of another failure of the PAP government.<br /><br />Remember the Lehman mini-bonds? If you had bought some from DBS in Singapore, then when the bonds collapsed, you probably received next to nothing in compensation.<br /><br />But if you had bought the exact same Lehman mini-bonds from DBS, but in Hong Kong, you would have been compensated properly.<br /><br />Why? What's the difference? <br /><br />The difference is that in Hong Kong, the HKMA decided that the banks ought to compensate the little man in the street. <br /><br />Whereas in Singapore, the MAS decided that the little man in the street ought to be made to eat the losses. The citizens don't matter, the corporates matter more.<br /><br />It was only when the MAS saw what the HKMA was doing in Hong Kong that the MAS decided that it had to step in to help the S'porean uncles, aunties and grandmothers who had invested in that crappy stuff.<br /><br />Help them in a teeny-weeny, mousy sort of way.mr wang says sonoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4405345292513335071.post-38561015308577795492011-04-27T13:37:38.710+08:002011-04-27T13:37:38.710+08:00"does steering the country out of one of the ..."does steering the country out of one of the worst recessions the world has ever faced relatively unscathed count?"<br /><br />Indonesia had positive growth during the "worst recession" years of 2008-2009 (at about 4% p.a.). <br /><br />Maybe we should hire their Finance Minister eh? His salary is more affordable.Amusednoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4405345292513335071.post-90976610094266106812011-04-27T12:04:45.846+08:002011-04-27T12:04:45.846+08:00Remember during the financial crisis, GIC went to ...Remember during the financial crisis, GIC went to buy big stakes in a few of the US/European banks and lost money! So did government do a good job during the financial crisis or not?<br /><br />And by the way, one of the banks, UBS, which we now own a large stake in, is the same bank who prepared the report that said our standard of living is same as Russia. So is UBS correct or did we invest money in a crap bank?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4405345292513335071.post-13897449946628550742011-04-27T11:58:51.016+08:002011-04-27T11:58:51.016+08:00Chua:
Few countries in Asia were as badly hit by ...Chua:<br /><br />Few countries in Asia were as badly hit by the financial crisis like US and Europe. If you were around in Asia at that time, the effects of the financial crisis were hardly felt in our neighbours like Indonesia and Malaysia.<br /><br />So why does PAP get credit for steering us out of the financial crisis? Don't forget that though we were the first to recover, amongst those around us we were the one who also dropped the lowest.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4405345292513335071.post-22375039686287557002011-04-27T11:25:17.171+08:002011-04-27T11:25:17.171+08:00/// Anonymous said...
Mr Wang,
The thing i.../// Anonymous said...<br /> Mr Wang,<br /> The thing is that none of the opposition has provided any proposals to show how they would achieve they want to achieve. <br /> April 26, 2011 8:33 PM ///<br /><br />The WP published an impressive manifesto with concrete action plans and ideas, whereas the PAP came up with a 1688-word fluffy re-cycled manifesto without any specific plans.<br /><br />Tan Jee Say published "Creating Jobs and Enterprise in a new Singapore economy – Ideas for Change" - a blueprint for change instead of the growth at all cost model adopted by PAP (because their bonuses are linked to the GDP KPI) by throwing a million foreign workers at the economy.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4405345292513335071.post-14052360132162863882011-04-27T11:23:48.013+08:002011-04-27T11:23:48.013+08:00does steering the country out of one of the worst ...does steering the country out of one of the worst recessions the world has ever faced relatively unscathed count? <br /><br />i was in US when the recession struck. not in the very good neighbourhood. ppl there, not just the not educated, but also the once-middle income ppl, were having a really difficult time. jobs were lost in swathes. and i thought, oh dear, Singapore sure die. <br /><br />but i was surprised to hear tt things, although difficult, weren't really as bad. <br /><br />whether or not it's because of the PAP govt or because of the resilience of Singaporeans as a people, we rode out the storm of the 2009 financial crisis very well. isn't tt something tt is worth remembering?chuanoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4405345292513335071.post-53302734766435524162011-04-27T11:19:52.535+08:002011-04-27T11:19:52.535+08:00No good points anyone? For $3m salary per year and...No good points anyone? For $3m salary per year and 8 months bonus for ministers, surely there must have been some good achievements?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4405345292513335071.post-87797890199677554212011-04-27T10:06:57.847+08:002011-04-27T10:06:57.847+08:00Maybe we shld do this in systematic manner and lis...Maybe we shld do this in systematic manner and list out pros and cons, pros on one side and cons on the other, on what pap has done well last 5 yrs and not so well. But cannot include things that would have happened even if the pap was not in power (like global recession etc).<br /><br />Whoever wants to argue either side has to add this to substantiate their point. Mr Wang already listed a lot of bad things.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4405345292513335071.post-18345654070774827062011-04-27T09:49:48.555+08:002011-04-27T09:49:48.555+08:00The PAP's policies worked in the 70s - 90s bec...The PAP's policies worked in the 70s - 90s because S'poreans throw in their lot with the ruling party to improve our lives. Now we have to share our success with instant citizens/mercenaries who just partake without any real work or committment. The last 5 years has been a betrayal and erosion of this goodwill. Whatever percieved as good from the ruling party comes with a heavy price. Do not forget their mantra "no free lunch" which has not been talked about during elections. Expect more of the same stuff we had the last 5 years if the present opposition representations remain.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4405345292513335071.post-61567007410994372652011-04-27T09:19:59.585+08:002011-04-27T09:19:59.585+08:00chrxn:
Why don't YOU list the good things for...chrxn:<br /><br />Why don't YOU list the good things for which the PAP has been directly responsible, in the past five years?<br /><br />Because I am having a lot of difficulty coming up with a list.<br /><br />The Circle Line is one thing I can think of, but it's marred by the related shocking collapse of the Nicoll Highway, which really should make you question the current safety standards of our government.<br /><br />The PAP will be quick to praise themselves about the IRs, but in my opinion, that is at best a mixed success, considering the endless social ills these casinos will bring. Did you read about the <a href="http://news.asiaone.com/News/AsiaOne%2BNews/Crime/Story/A1Story20110421-274911.html" rel="nofollow">latest robbery</a>?<br /><br />The Youth Olympics might have been something praiseworthy, but what happened in the end? A gross mismanagement of public funds, by PAP minister Vivian Balakrishnan.<br /><br />Did the education system improve? Not as far as I can see. My kids are of schoolgoing age and I see that all the old issues still remain. Too much pressure, too much rote memorisation etc etc.<br /><br />Did the SAF improve? Five years ago, I blogged a lot about ways that they could improve - among other things, the SAF should be honest and transparent about NSmen who get hurt or killed during training, and the SAF should buy insurance to compensate them. Did this happen? <a href="http://mrwangsaysso.blogspot.com/2010/05/but-i-didnt-tell-lie-i-just-didnt-tell.html" rel="nofollow">No</a> and <a href="http://mrwangsaysso.blogspot.com/2007/05/see-what-i-mean.html" rel="nofollow">no</a>.<br /><br />So please tell me. What on earth were you thinking about? When you referred to good things that the PAP has accomplished over the past ficve 5 years. I can barely think of any.Gilbert Koh aka Mr Wanghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01027678080233274309noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4405345292513335071.post-24519381568499548282011-04-27T09:02:59.996+08:002011-04-27T09:02:59.996+08:00People seem to forget that the Opposition has neve...People seem to forget that the Opposition has never been in power before so how can they have a track record in governance? If we don't try, we don't know. If the Opposition is voted in and does a bad job, we always have the power to vote them out again in 5 years. Don't forget there was a time when the PAP was voted into power without any governance experience as well.<br /><br />As for the issue about the manifestos, come on, do you honestly expect the PAP ministers and MPs themselves to know in great detail what their own plan is? Most of the policy work and planning is done by the Civil Service (which by the way is not beholden to the PAP but is supposed to serve the people and the country in a non-partisan manner). If the Opposition was given the same access to the Civil Service machinery, I'm sure they can come up with concrete and detailed plans to back up their manifesto.<br /><br />If the PAP Ministers and MPs really know the details of their plans (as many people demand to know from the Opposition), then why don't they talk about it instead of refusing to debate the Opposition and using diversionary tactics like personal attacks and semantics?HTnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4405345292513335071.post-90756026178791501232011-04-27T08:54:24.928+08:002011-04-27T08:54:24.928+08:00While we cannot judge a person by his or her cutes...While we cannot judge a person by his or her cutesy photograph, it says something when her associates are less than enthusiastic about her candidacy as well. A close associate of mine who has worked with TPL at the grassroot level and is also a potential candidate could not bring himself to be happy for TPL and in fact, told me that this is just the last straw for him, and will mark his turn away from the party in future years.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4405345292513335071.post-83324706157029869572011-04-27T03:07:57.530+08:002011-04-27T03:07:57.530+08:00Just could not resist contributing my 2-minutes of...Just could not resist contributing my 2-minutes of ramble to this.<br /><br />Speaking of previous track record, the government is now alienating the 40-60 age group that had supported and contributed greatly to the progress and successes in the accelerated growth phase of the nation from the mid 1970's to 2000. <br /><br />This group of people funded national projects and initiatives through taxes, fees, levies and hard work. Instead of reaping the benefits, we are being squeezed more and more, then made obsolete through the influx of foreign workers, escalating inflation, increased taxes, levies, fees etc. <br /><br />If you look at the unemployed, you will see a lot in this age group. After years of $$$ and effort contributions, we are out on the streets, struggling daily with high cost of living, fighting for jobs against younger, cheaper foreigners at one end and losing to perceived elite foreign talent at the other end of the spectrum -- so where do we fit in? The "more good years" slogan has turned into "the long struggle" for us.<br /><br />Ministers and MPs do not have this problem - they do not experience the psychological sting of retrenchment nor the trauma of sudden loss of income with its consequent struggle of how to face up to and provide for your family. Having lost a management level job, it took almost a year to get over the episode, learn new skills and chart new directions. So when I decided to start a business, I had all the associated costs but no real help in sight -- no line of credit, no credit card, no loan nor start up grants. After paying so much taxes over the years, what kind of help can we get in return? Perhaps even a properly qualified low-interest loan can help us back on our feet.<br /><br />On the subject of business, it will also help if one of the KPIs set for GLCs measures how proactive they had been to help promote local SMEs instead of competing against them both locally and abroad.<br /><br />How much more can we take? Just looking at the previous TV and Radio licence alone at $110 for households and $27 for car owners -- just figure out how much has been collected over the years. Where do the multitude taxes, fees, levies, etc that were collected go to? We need clearer accountability. <br /><br />The government cannot behave like a landlord, they are the appointed management committee, put in place by the residents to serve and administrate to the our home, Singapore. We are the stakeholders and if the committee does not live up to expectations, changes happen at the next election exercise.<br /><br />I have chosen to leave out political parties in this post as this does not matter to me -- the government is a collective that serves it citizens and whichever party or combination form the next government, these issues are still the bugbears to me.Temporal_Anomalitynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4405345292513335071.post-13939648378984109332011-04-27T01:51:23.601+08:002011-04-27T01:51:23.601+08:00I'm not sure what's wrong with the picture...I'm not sure what's wrong with the picture. In what way does it refute LKY's statement? Does posing casually with the peace sign and a Kate Spade box somehow prove that one doesn't have a proven character, isn't of high calibre, and is without a track record of performance that shows one will not fail in taking on responsibilities? And with regards to the anonymous response to Laremy's comment, how does it show bad character and/ or stupidity?<br /><br />Perhaps you should post certain election-related videos of her instead, to really get your point across.Lieslhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06058915003311450287noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4405345292513335071.post-51308008880843752482011-04-27T00:41:48.280+08:002011-04-27T00:41:48.280+08:00Mr Wang, this is by far the most blatant and harsh...Mr Wang, this is by far the most blatant and harsh criticism you have issued on the incumbent. <br /><br />Come on, list the good things that they have been directly responsible for in the past 5 years!<br /><br />Either you must be really annoyed, or you've delegated authoring to someone else, or your account got hacked!chnrxnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13354614082319060470noreply@blogger.com