While we're still on the topic of citizens and rubbish - refer to my preceding post - I thought I would feature this short film by Martyn See. It seems quite relevant, since it contains many scenes about poor people and the trash in their environment.
No doubt these people live in the more run-down, dirtier precincts in Singapore. But do you think that their respective MPs should therefore raise their conservancy fees? As Aljunied Town Council is considering doing, for residents in Aljunied's dirtier precincts?
Interestingly, one of the places featured in the above video is Eunos. I could be wrong, but I think that this place is probably part of Aljunied GRC. (Aljunied GRC comprises five divisions, including the Eunos constituency).
Living on the other side of the world has us oblivious to what goes on around the world.
ReplyDeleteThe lady seen taking scraps from the dinner plate comes as nothing new to me because I experienced this when visiting Bulgaria.
With a purportedly world-class government, I expect Singaporeans to have more pride and expect higher standards for themselves and the nation.
ReplyDeleteIn general, I don't think we should use Bulgaria as our benchmark. Or Ethiopia, Somalia, Rwanda, North Korea, Indonesia, Myanmar etc.
Goh Chok Tong himself wouldn't use these sorts of countries as a benchmark. Instead he preferred to use Switzerland.
REMEMBER?
Exceptions can and must be made in this case. Exceptions to the rule are a part of Singapore life.
ReplyDeleteEg Chee Soon Juan is harassed for being a protestor but not for PAP sponsored ones ,eg by CASE.
Elections Dept cameras must work very well except those at Whitley Detention centre.
PAP constituency priority come first for govt funds.
Exceptions also in punishment under the Law.
Exceptions for foreign talent.
Anyway no point increasing the conservation charges for poorer dirty estates. The smart govt does not believe in flogging dead horses. That's why they are in power for so long.
Fraupenguin, you should be ashamed of yourself.
ReplyDeleteMartyn See has artistic talent and furthermore likes to make films that tell the truth. No wonder he keeps getting banned by the authorities.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteWhat's the purpose of the video? I have been to bigger and richer countries like the US and Japan for instance. They have their fair share of even worse-off underclass - street sleepers, if not a proportionately larger underclass than Singapore. Singaporeans who read and travel widely can attest to this. There is no paradise on planet earth.
ReplyDeleteMost importantly, the state and NGOs are trying to help these poor people as best as they can.
Unlike elsewhere, anyone here can alert the authority and the supposed vagrant will be picked up - cleansed, fed and housed indefinitely if indeed he/she is helpless.
The purpose of Mr Wang's post is quite clear. He has posed a very straightforward question for discussion, regarding conservancy charges and town councils.
ReplyDeleteOf course, some people here will deliberately avoid the question, and start talking about Bulgaria, the US, Japan etc etc. Anything but the real topic.
"Most importantly, the state and NGOs are trying to help these poor people as best as they can. "
ReplyDeleteBy merely raising assistance from $290 to $330, hence many of the recipients have to go hungry?
Luther
Maybe we should all learn which garbage is worth (aluminum can worth more than cardboard paper etc) more in preparation for early forced retirement.
ReplyDeleteWhy? With Ageism(as coin by one minister) more employer will want to employ younger, cheaper FT staff than local old(35+) and complacent Citizens (not to mention all those other media labels like Kiasu, kiasee, kiaguai, bochap and a whole lot).
But those same labels is what We observe in our civil servant most of whom we might not even have officially elected(as in Walkover).
What Martyn See have done is to show us the populace What the Official Medias was most reluctant to follow up on.
These are People who work hard all their life and contribute much to the success of our nation.While some are fortunate that their children(whose jobs are threatened) are working hard to support them, Some were forgotten by our leaders who claim that they are pillars of society and acknowledge their contribution(in actuality to boost one old man ego).
Resource and contribution which is consume by Cheap laborers(easier life than early immigrants(pre 1970)) who doesn't care about our nation with the objective of getting rich quick(hence Scamming).
And so Eunos which is part of Aljunied deliberated on increasing conservancy charges.For Dealing with Trash generated by most probably FTrash(example Serangoon Little India).
How the hell these poor people going to handle the raise in conservancy fees?
ReplyDeleteAnonymous May 10, 2008 5:07 PM. People should be ashamed bcos they have different opinion from u?
ReplyDeleteFrom:http://www.todayonline.com/articles/253044.asp
ReplyDeleteQuote:The elderly suicide rate peaked in 1995, at 52 per 100,000 males and 33 per 100,000 females. This was the world's second highest rate after Hungary.Unquote
So are the poor well taken care of in their old age ?
Singaporeans have delivered their end of the bargain by electing the pap into power for close to 50 years. Many are still waiting for Mr. Lee Kuan Yew and his team to deliver on their promised of a good life and a secure retirement.
I know the top 10% have extremely good and luxurious lives. Like those pap ministers, their chosen elites, their cronies, the rich and well connected, the foreigners and the smart ones. 350,000 Singaporeans take home less than S$1,200 per month. With escalating inflation life is a struggle to these people.
Wow ... great film, very poignant and authentic. And indeed it's not something that would have been shown in our compulsory NE classes. Thanks, Mr Wang.
ReplyDelete(1) "By merely raising assistance from $290 to $330, hence many of the recipients have to go hungry?"
ReplyDeleteThere are other sources like the Town Council, CDAC/MENDAKI/SINDA, Meet-the-people session, medical rebates for elderly, NGOs, places of worship, free textbooks, school pocket money scheme, waiver of school fees, etc., to supplement.
If you are unaware, many of our fellow single breadwinner Malay Singaporeans earning a small income have raised large families with such assistance also get by then and now.
By the way, how much pubic allowance then is enough? Where is the money to come from? What happens then if the number of recipients grows bigger and bigger given that money is now free (human behaviour is same everywhere)? How does the government then tell the genuine and the fake? Remember a karang guni collector reported living in a semi-detached house (used as warehouse) in the New Paper not too long ago.
One needs to understand simple Economics. Print more money? Even a mighty country like the US can go into into recession. Do u know what is a recession? What will happen to Americans at large? Do u have a solution for them? Maybe start the US government shd start doling out money to the unemployed?????
(2) "Quote:The elderly suicide rate peaked in 1995, at 52 per 100,000 males and 33 per 100,000 females. This was the world's second highest rate after Hungary.Unquote"
Why unquote????? Very mischievous. Reader might wish to check it out and read on yourself. . . . .
I don't think it's right for town councils to overcharge their conservancy fees, invest the extra money in stocks and shares, and keep the profits for themselves.
ReplyDeleteAll investment income / profits should be returned to the people periodically, either that or they can be offset against future conservancy fees.
I don't actually expect any kindness, compassion or welfare from the PAP government. But I wish they would at least stop overcharging us. It's not right.
A good portal is not a punching bag It shd be open to all and sundry - a marketplace of differing views and opinions for readers to judge themselves.
ReplyDeleteReaders are smart and they can then get to "see" intelligent from the silly writers.
I'm sure Mr Wang's comments (11.49 pm) are favorable.
Mr Wang> Not right you say? Since when has the gahmen of Singapore Inc. set policies based on what is morally correct?
ReplyDeleteI think the only thing you can trust the gahmen to do is set policies favorable to them and the elites in Singapore Inc., hence the increasing number of unpopular policies in Singapore.
fraupenguin said:
ReplyDelete"Regarding your assumption of my privileged life it's amusing. Unfortunately, you should be very disappointed to know that i've never been and still am not all that priviliged at all by mainstream Singapore standards.
I had to slogged it out in the workforce when i was just 16 and had to survive on a $540 salary living on my own ......."
Hmmm, indeed. My heart bleeds for you, truly. You neglected to mention growing up in a shoebox situated in the centre-lane of the CTE, carrying rocks at age 5 for its construction, paying the cruel, cruel, garmen to allow you to to drink water from the filthy canal at Bishan, and so forth. But we'll forgive you since you've had such a hard time of it.
You know fraupenguin (or would you prefer to be known as JYH?), if I were confronted with a message containing a prominent paragraph of clearly erroneous personal data, it would stick out like a sore thumb and normal behaviour would be to indignantly and immediately pounce on the error with a few choice words. Indeed, I was awaiting that very response from you. However, and rather strangely, you chose to ignore it till now and instead blathered on about Switzerland's 40th birthday, boss victimisation, ants, and a baffling excusion into a tale about colleagues A & B. All entirely irrelevant. Now why is that?
In earlier posts, you have alluded to extensive travel in Europe and Japan, spoken confidently about German and Japanese social norms and rubbish disposal in those countries, referred to your blog, and even attached a piece from Der Spiegel in German. Curious for someone who asserts "still am not all that priviliged at all by mainstream Singapore standards", don't you think?
Unfortunately, my dear Mrs. Penguin, you do have a unique online presence and so it was not at all difficult to follow your tracks across 'teh Interwebs'. I'm afraid your prevarication seems a little, ah, shall we say, feeble and unconvincing? HAMLET: "The lady doth protest too much, methinks."
All of which is fine and dandy and highly amusing but it deflects and deviates from the main thrust of Mr. Wang's previous thread, which may I remind you, asks the questions:
[1] Why do ALL residents of Aljunied need to be penalised for the sins of the few?
[2] Why does the Aljunied Town Council need to charge punishing conservancy fees way above what would be considered fair and reasonable?
[3] Why has this TC seen fit to accumulate a staggeringly huge surplus and sinking fund and behave like a mini-Temasek?
These are questions which George Yeo as Aljunied GRC chief needs to answer, and answer promptly, clearly and unequivocally. Will we get that answer? Not if the waters are constantly muddied by digression into the personal habits of the ordinary Aljunied resident.
And perhaps that is the intent, eh, dear lady?
"What's the purpose of the video? I have been to bigger and richer countries like the US and Japan for instance. They have their fair share of even worse-off underclass - street sleepers, if not a proportionately larger underclass than Singapore. Singaporeans who read and travel widely can attest to this. There is no paradise on planet earth."
ReplyDeleteNo wonder Singaporeans are so complacent and it serves Singaporean right that LKY admonished them because it is of their own doing.
Why compare to other countries just to show the world not perfect ? Just tell me a case where Singapore want to improve and I can just show you serveral real examples of how it will fail miserably with respect to other countries.
Where Mr Wang is highlighting the plight of Singaporean in older age, we have Singapore clowns like ourselves showing examples of how these are normal and commodity in other countries. If you like other countries, by all means, stay there and enjoy the plight there, but if you like Singapore, give solution to the plight or at least create awareness. You can never improve a country by always taking a worse case scenario of other countries. Our gahmen used such argument to promote and sustain their political agenda, we citizen should be mature and smart enough to use such tactic discreetly.
Just simply point out such precedent is a common scene in other countries are just time waster. Why not even compare our ministers'pay with the rest of the gahmen in the world ? By this comparison, our gahmen ought to do better. Don't you think so ?
That is the reason why Mr Wang write this post in the first place.
We have already clown running the parliament and country, let us not be clown as citizen. We should do better.
It's not just the poor underdogs. Neither has the PAP government shown any kindness, compassion or welfare to any of its citizens, of course except for the PAP and their khaki dogs who know no bound on greed.
ReplyDeleteYou might want to know that PAP shows more welfare to foreign students and workers! Check that out before comparing Singapore to Bulgaria or Lebanon, Fools.
of course they MUST overcharge us, so that in time of emergency, they have enough reserves to help us. Imagine, if a cyclone hits us, like in Myanmar, what will PAP do?
ReplyDeleteLet me guess -
Singapore Govt approach would be a targetted help. All the people would have to row their boats and queue up to see their MPs.
Only those who earn less than $1500 will be entitled to aid.
Meantime, you need to row your boat to CPF and deposit a minimum of $100 to get a pack of rice.
NTUC will also help. Please pay $9 per month to be a fairprice member first. You will get vouchers which entitle you to a 5% discount for every one hundred dollar you spent. Yes yes, we need to prevent a crutch mentality from slipping in. We cannot simply spend the GIC reserves on the people.
With inflation now and the kind of help we are giving to the poorest 20 percent of Singaporeans(easier entry of China menial workers who washes untensil for $1000 per month, 14 hour work day, 2 days off per month) we all know very well how PAP govt will help!!
please we need more forgin workers coming in to keep the economy humming along. GDP goes up, performance bonus for ministers goes up.
SGH / CGH revenue go up, Minister Khaw salary go up, so, no, no meantesting for hospital / nyeh nyeh nyeh - yes yes yes, means testing I changed my mind.
In the meantime, PAP will use the reserve to build another 3 more integrated resort to maintain a high GNP - remember the ministers performance bonus is linked to GNP generated.
Soon the amount of Town council reserves will also form part of the kpi of the MPs. (maybe it already is a part of their kpi - let us see how much TC funds each MP can squirrel away from its citizens!)
There Mr Wang, you said it. What makes my blood boil is when they claim to be kind when they are really taking people for a ride. And they do so with the help from the shittiest media this side of the free world.
ReplyDeleteTo all those people who say what's the point of the video, since poverty is in US and Japan and all over the world,
ReplyDeleteThe main difference between Singapore and the rest of the developing world is, we pretend poverty has been eradicated, we sing a song and project an image to other countries that we have no poor.
The crux is not poverty. It's hypocrisy.
I think the conservancy charges should be seriously looked at by the PAP government. Mr Wang raised a very good issue.
Feedback Unit, zo gang please?
"I have been to bigger and richer countries like the US and Japan for instance. They have their fair share of even worse-off underclass - street sleepers,"
ReplyDeleteBut you, anon of May 10, 2008 6:50 PM, conveniently did not mention that in these countries, their "underclass" are the alcoholics, the drug addicts, the good for nothing YOUNG people who can find work, but refuse to work. There are *no* elderly street sleepers. Elder citizens who have worked hard during their younger days are now enjoying their golden age with government pension.
So, you have spread half-truths. Who did you learn that from? :)
Recently I went to the place next to Lavender MRT to try to get a new IC as my old one is cracked and about to be broken into two pieces. I was shocked to learn that I have to fork out $60 to change a new one.
ReplyDeleteI was paid $90 per month for doing national service and it was out of national pride of being a Singaporean that I want to have the identity card in mint condition. Even banks do not charge for replacement of their ATM cards if it is due to wear and tear. Even after getting foreign talents to head the banks when they charge it is only $2 or $5. But our own national institutions charge $60 to replace ICs that were used for decades. Surely this is something that our govt should do for free? They charge $100 when IC is lost, I have no objection to that as the rationale is to discourage people from losing their ICs. But to charge for fair wear and tear simply shows a govt that is lacking in heart.
Quote:There are other sources like the Town Council, CDAC/MENDAKI/SINDA, Meet-the-people session, medical rebates for elderly, NGOs, places of worship, free textbooks, school pocket money scheme, waiver of school fees, etc., to supplement.
ReplyDeleteUnquote
These are not genuine attempts to help the poor and needy. If they are then they should not be place under the direct control of the pap.These are the new tenticles which the pap evolved to enslave Singaporeans.
Quote:By the way, how much pubic allowance then is enough? Where is the money to come from? Unquote.
With over US$500 billions invested all over the world. At 8% return the income per year is US$40 billion. Is this not enough? This is even more than the whole yearly budget on expenditures. The US$500 billion excludes the massive government land holdings which are worth hundreds of $billions if not trillions.
"There are other sources like the Town Council, CDAC/MENDAKI/SINDA, Meet-the-people session, medical rebates for elderly, NGOs, places of worship, free textbooks, school pocket money scheme, waiver of school fees, etc., to supplement.
ReplyDeleteIf you are unaware, many of our fellow single breadwinner Malay Singaporeans earning a small income have raised large families with such assistance also get by then and now."
i am aware..
but i am also aware that many old ppl goes hungry everyday dispite all the claim by PAP..
i am also aware that many old woman are draging their frailing body collecting cardboard and drink can @ HDB heardland.
i am also aware that these issues were raise by Dr Lily Neo (PAP MP) and Siew Kum Hong (NMP) and was shoot down by the famous "where they expect to eat, restaurant" response from Dr Vivian.
i also aware that from a recent news, CDC(one of the aid agency)'s staff shout at those ppl who seek help (news report).
Those old ppl who walk around HDB heartland collecting drink cans are surely no bum, they are probably more hardworking than us. But they still go hungry, are you aware?
Luther
Quote:Even a mighty country like the US can go into into recession.Unquote
ReplyDeleteWhat has the size of a country got to do with recession. All economies big or small go into cycle of boom and burst. Name me one country which has not gone through an economic cycle.
Your hollow attempt to confuse and impress others by refering to mighty uncle sam is obvious.
Quote:One needs to understand simple Economics. Print more money? Even a mighty country like the US can go into into recession. Do u know what is a recession? What will happen to Americans at large? Do u have a solution for them? Unquote
ReplyDeletelol, understand economics indeed. Please start with yourself.
Quote: Why unquote ?
ReplyDeleteSimple. The suicide focus has shifted from the old to the young. While the suicide rate of the old has decline since then, those of the young has gone up.
Madam Phua in the sunday times said ' no no we do not intend to raise TC charges with the index'.
ReplyDeleteright, I have so much confidence in her after our dear Best Minister of health flip flopped over the means testing fiasco.
Sure. What about lowering the TC charges in view of the huge surplus??
Simple maths here,
ReplyDeleteNow I knew I need to pay only about 1 and half months of S&C charges for the whole year. The rest of 10 and half months is for them to play in the share market.
Hey hey, another thought of the day, besides taking residents' money to play in the share market, can the office-bearer or by proxy (in the name of town council)involves in the share market. Isn't it is illegal or conflict of interest.
As a resident of Aljunied GRC, I don't find that it is any dirtier than other constituencies.
ReplyDeleteIt is therefore enigmatic that the littering issue is suddenly being raised along with a punitive measure for the residents being proposed.
Something else is up PAP's sleeves. The littering issue could eventually be used as an excuse for PAP to spend that GRC surpluses - and by extension also for other GRCs - on some Temasek GLCs to do so-called extra cleaning up of dirty blocks.
This could be one way for PAP to make up for their huge $multi-billion losses in troubled Western banks in recent months.
Surely Temasek and GIC cannot just write off their recent heavy losses as though they are just figures on paper and still expect rating agencies to report a glowing rating for Temasek.
Given the very kiasu nature of PAP, it would be strange if PAP is really serious about the punitive policy, one that will only alienate the voters in an already precarious GRC for PAP.
very funny how people believe all on internet. they think type in few words and read a few information mean they are right and then act smart.
ReplyDeleteifi analyse the words "geriatric" and "eunuch", no need so smart also quite easy to know what 2 words mean. is that reason why this person get so personal?
this blog is just another place for people to vent frustration only. how can people take this seriously? and no wonder PAP do not take us seriously.
Just a few thoughts, on the main issue...
ReplyDelete1. Maybe Town Councils of the areas featured should be pay the oldies for their services that makes their district more environmentally friendly through their collection of rubbish for recycling?
2. Town Councils have no reason to keep huge excess funds for investments. IMHO, all Public Service should be non-profit in nature.
Side-track thoughts. I strongly disagree with the stand taken not to give hand-outs to the existing elderly whose efforts created the very foundations of this nation.
Some argue that the idea cannot be supported because of the growing numbers of elderly. I counter that the numbers can be limited only to the pioneers of the nation, e.g. those 75 and older as at 2005 (who would have been 35 at 1965). Given that there are below 101000 of them in 2005 (based on Dept of Statistics website), giving them each $500 a month would amount to $0.6 billion a year. This expense will gradually decrease as the elderly pass-on over the years.
How significant is $0.6 billion a year (based on 2005) wrt our economy? In 2005, Singapore's FDI is $200 billion, a $0.6 billion handout is merely 0.3% of Singapore's FDI abroad. If Singapore can afford to invest $200 billion overseas, surely it can use 0.3% of the amount to repay the pillars of our society (think of it as dividends to their nation building efforts)?
Btw, IMHO, there should be no "means-testing" in handling out these hand-outs. The rich elderly may opt to donate their share to other elderly through some charitable funds.
To anonymous at May 10, 2008 6:50 PM who wrote:
"Unlike elsewhere, anyone here can alert the authority and the supposed vagrant will be picked up - cleansed, fed and housed indefinitely if indeed he/she is helpless".
Would you personally like to lose your freedom indefinitely just so that you can be "cleansed, fed and housed"? Have you asked any of the old elderly if that is what they would like?
Your comment reflects a high-handed attitude, not unlike the "get out of my elite, uncaring face" attitude of a particular PAP family, the one where both the PAP daddy and his daughter's elite education were supported by the taxpayers.
Quote:this blog is just another place for people to vent frustration only. how can people take this seriously? and no wonder PAP do not take us seriously.Unquote.
ReplyDeleteHey who do you think you are trying to bluff. Your cheapo way to confuse others into believing that the internet has no political impact on the pap government is downright stupid. Your are making a fool of yourself.
From what I can see the pap government monitor comments on the internet very closely and at times LHL's speech are in direct answer to comments on the internet. They are even more serious now in view of the happenings in Malaysia. If they are not then they deserve to pay heavily like Abdullah Badawi.
Hi folks,
ReplyDeleteDoes anyone know where to get a copy of the West Coast Town Council financial report? They are not replying to emails and have not updated their website http://www.wctc.org.sg since 2006.
Geriatric one, you keep insisting on quite a few things with your questions. I thought i had been very clear but apparently you choose to stuff words into my mouth.
ReplyDeleteTo your questions, i have not taken the position that:
1. "ALL residents of Aljunied need to be penalised for the sins of the few".
2. "Aljunied Town Council need to charge punishing conservancy fees way above what would be considered fair and reasonable".
3. the town council is "fit to accumulate a staggeringly huge surplus and sinking fund and behave like a mini-Temasek".
In my original post on May 9, 7.13pm, i brought up the idea that every resident has a responsibility to keep their environment clean and in that post, i DISTINCTLY wrote that "the issue of how much surplus the town council has is another issue altogether". This is one point which i have repeated in other replies as well.
On top of misinterpreting the entire post, you go on to make many inaccurate assumptions, get personal and be sacarstic. Despite your use of 'seemingly' good vocabulary, i would urge you to re-read that post before being nasty.
On May 10, 3.22pm, i asked "You appear to disagree that being civilised lies in the hands of the individual. If this is the case, then whose responsibility is it? Is it solely that of every government to make it's people civilised?" You did not reply to this. I would like to know you opinion on this to understand better where you are coming from and perhaps your outbursts at me.
Herrtoucan is probably right - if Singaporeans are well taken care of by the government, there is really no need for the common people to take extreme measures - which as far as i know, all the extreme activities have been left to the Opposition to do.
Amendment to one point regarding my reply to Geriatric Eunuch:
ReplyDeleteTo your questions, i have not taken the position that:
2. Aljunied Town Council is right in charging "punishing conservancy fees way above what would be considered fair and reasonable".
Anon 1:15
ReplyDeleteYou should call up the town council and if they do not release one, you should demand it as a paying resident. Write to the higher up if necessary. This is the way to self-govern this country. Don't take everything lying down.
Quote:if Singaporeans are well taken care of by the government, there is really no need for the common people to take extreme measures - which as far as i know, all the extreme activities have been left to the Opposition to do.
ReplyDeleteUnquote.
Are you aware of the severe limitations on freedom of speech and expressions in Singapore ? Any gathering of 5 people and you can be thrown into jail.
It is just like taping up the mouth of someone, tie his hands and legs, then proclaim that the person has been well taken care off as he is very quiet and peaceful. You mental logic is laughable.
Between frame 2.05-2.08 min, shows the old lady picking up boxes in front of a Johor registered car.
ReplyDeleteThis picture will huant Singapore.
fraupenguin,
ReplyDeleteYou are still at it. Incredible!
What you tried to put across is very simple, in your own words : "Government policies cannot make it's people civilised. Being civilised lies in the hands of every individual citizen."
The problem is not that you are totally wrong but that it is too simplistic a concept as geriatric_eunuch rightly pointed out.
Can't you understand this belief of yours have been tested for the last 40 years of so by PAP through "good citizen" moral education, anti-littering campaigns, heavy fines ... and now you are saying this is the way forward, let use it.
Stop flogging that dead horse, deluding yourself that you have such a world-shaking Eureka like Archimedes jumping naked out of his bathtub.
Please read the post geriatric_eunuch recommended you. It already explains how wrong you are.
Enough of your arguments!
I visited HK recently. This Canton guy chatted up with me during tim sum. He moaned that we are both Chinese yet shared different lives. He went on to say I shd bow my head 3 times to my ancestor for having taken his descendants to Singapore. He spoke highly of LKY and the way Singapore is managed over the years.
ReplyDeleteYes, this tiny red dot has no natural resources whatsoever nor economy of scale to begin with. Its per capital GNP is one of the the highest in Asia outside Japan. A feat by any standard!
Honestly, I don't envy nor begrudge the government even if shd cream off 0.5% from the GDP to pay themselves for its sterling management of Singapore over the years. 66.6% of Singaporeans who have enjoyed, seen and read abt the REAL, UGLY world appreciate the effort it has put in.
The cake is in the eating. Today we see spiraling international food and oil prices. Many, many countries are reportedly having anarchy over bread and butter issues.
Thank God tiny independent Singapore is spared. And this is the world's only surviving city-state without a hinterland!
A fortnight ago, I went home to see my aged parents in Penang. The first thing they asked me was how Singaporeans were coping. Empty shelves like in some Malaysian supermarts? Food queues? Street protests? They know Singapore has to import and pay for almost everything. When I told them the government has just deposited money yet again into the kitty of each and every Singaporean, they were simply baffled!
Luck??? think hard fellow Singaporeans. Todate we are virtually unscathed. Why?
Now, are we anymore safer today? We are in fact the envy of the outside world who wants to see us done in as well (not unlike what's happening to a wealthier China vis-a-vis an uneasy West) if only we care to open our eyes despite whatever help we offer them. Malaysia and Indonesia have stopped sand and granite from going into Singapore to try and hamper our development. They know we need them badly and cheaply for our 2 big IR projects. When our telcos start to make money in Indonesia and Thailand, they want them back.
Tougher times ahead if oil continues to streak higher. It's already passed the US$120 mark! Scarry for Singapore if we understand its implications and impact.
There will always be an underclass in any capitalist system. I'm sure the authority will do its level best short of throwing excess good money after bad to the detriment of all.
Let the government focus on more urgent & pressing needs now like mitigating imported inflation, for example, instead of our trying to work the ground swell which counld threaten the vulnerability of this little island of ours. Asians, especially the chinks, have to eat humble pie elsewhere. We'll have our chance at the ballot come 2011 to express democracy. So in the meantime let's for the bigger picture unite in this rough time together.
Anon 2:55
ReplyDeleteHow can anyone contradict your views? They so complete and true but we don't need them here because we heard them countless times in the from the mouths of the PAP politicians and its media.
Given such parroting of views, there is no need for thinking on your part really. Just copy and paste. Be a robot.
And to think you call Singapore Chinese as "chinks", a racial slur and thus betraying how much you despise our own people.
But I actually agree with Anon 2:55's opinion that the government should focus on the inflation problem. It's important therefore that as citizens, we should constructively speak up against unwarranted proposals to increase the cost of living for the general population. For example, Aljunied residents should not be punished by being required to pay higher conservancy fees for offences they did not commit, especially not when the town council is already collecting surpluses every year.
ReplyDeleteI'm pleased that PAP MP teo ho pin agrees with me and Anon 2:55 on this point.
And we are indeed quite blessed to be living in Singapore. We are often said to be lacking in natural resources, yet we often forget that we enjoy huge natural advantages over practically all the neighbouring countries and even countries like the US and China. See how cyclones, hurricanes, freak snowstorms and tsunamis have wreaked havoc and massive destruction in recent years, in Indonesia, thailand, myanmar, US, China etc. All singaporeans, including the PAP, should be glad that singapore is such an easy country to run.
ReplyDeleteAhem. Dear Mrs. P,
ReplyDeleteYou sound rather indignant and a little sulky at having your posts closely examined by readers and laughed at. There's no need to throw your toys out of the pram, it's not personal. If it were, we'd have reported you to the NEA for being a persistent nit, now wouldn't we?
Unfortunately, my 'seemingly' good vocabulary is seemingly unequal to the task of convincing you not to continue to try to move the thread off-topic. I'm sure you'd love to keep banging on about 'civilisation being the responsibility of individuals' but Anon has already provided an adequate answer to your assertion ages ago. I agree with him. Now you know where I'm coming from. Can we stop playing this game and move on?
"i DISTINCTLY wrote that "the issue of how much surplus the town council has is another issue altogether. This is one point which i have repeated in other replies as well."
Sure did. Over and over. But what is this thread about if not that very point? It would be so convenient to make it another issue since it could have rather embarrassing political consequences, couldn't it?
"To your questions, i have not taken the position that:..........etc"
Quite so. You have consistently beaten about the George Bush and done your level best to avoid the main subject matter entirely. Prevaricating, it's called. Since you clearly state i have not taken the position, is it now your position that
1. "ALL residents of Aljunied need to be penalised for the sins of the few". -NOT-
2. Aljunied Town Council is right in charging "punishing conservancy fees way above what would be considered fair and reasonable". -NOT-
3. the town council is "fit to accumulate a staggeringly huge surplus and sinking fund and behave like a mini-Temasek". -NOT-
So you do think the Town Council is wrong on all counts?? Or is there some other fence you'd care to sit upon?
*kopfschüttel* - Bavarian slang for *shakes head*, so I'm told.
Is the subject littering problem in Aljunied GRC real?
ReplyDeleteIf not any suggestion that it uses the SCC surpluses to pay for the extra cleaning would result in the town council justifying spending more than is necessary - and for all we know just to help some GLCs make more money.
We must be careful not to fall into such a trap by giving the wrong suggestion and allow the TC to say this is based on public feedback.
Quote: He spoke highly of LKY and the way Singapore is managed over the years. Unquote.
ReplyDeleteSure many people outside Singapore has very good impression of Singapore because they only see the glossy surface which the LKY did a dam good marketing job of publishing it to the world. They have not lived in Singapore long enough to realise the problems average Singaporeans experience in their daily struggle. It is not right for the pap government to take all the credits and blame the people whenever there is any shorcomings.
Quote:Yes, this tiny red dot has no natural resources Unquote.
Is the strategic location of Singapore not a natural resource ?
Are the hardworking, intelligent and obedient Singaporeans not a resource ? Are the 40% of Singaporean savings not a resource ?
Quote: Honestly, I don't envy nor begrudge the government even if shd cream off 0.5% from the GDP to pay themselves for its sterling management of Singapore over the years. Unquote.
You must be mad to pay a politician $billions just to do the job which is expected of them. Without the efforts, cooperations and sacrifice of Singaporeans do you think they will be able to do it ? Many countries have paid their politicians less and yet they are not only having a higher per capital income but also happier.
Quote:66.6% of Singaporeans who have enjoyed, seen and read abt the REAL, UGLY world appreciate the effort it has put in. Unquote.
You made lots of assumptions in this statement.
1. You assume that the 66.6% who voted for the pap do so willingly.
2. More than half of those eligible to vote were not given the chance. So the 66.6% is from less than half of Singaporeans who are eligible to vote.
3. You also assume that all those who voted for the pap are having a good life. I know of many not so smart Singaporeans who are struggling but decided to vote for the pap because they received a handout just before the election. I also know of well off Singaporeans who were extremely critical of the pap but voted for them one election after another for fear that their jobs and businesses will be affected should the pap government found out that they have voted against them. The climate of fear is pervasive in Singapore. This is not healthy for nation building.
Quote:Today we see spiraling international food and oil prices. Many, many countries are reportedly having anarchy over bread and butter issues.
Thank God tiny independent Singapore is spared. Unquote.
Singapore spared of the rising food prices ? Many Singaporeans are suffering in silence. They are too fearful of being thrown into jail for demonstrating. You are just so out of touch with reality on the ground. You must be one of those in the top 10% who came to Singapore and made it good. No wonder you write in such glowing tribute to the pap.
Quote:We are in fact the envy of the outside world .. Unquote
If Singapore is the envy of the outside world why are Singaporeans leaving by the thousands every year ?
Quote:So in the meantime let's for the bigger picture unite in this rough time together. Unquote.
Is it wrong to argue for more to be done to the underclass of society ? It is even more imperative now with the escalating cost of living. If you are typical of the those successful and well off in Singapore, I am sorry to say that Singapore is doom. If the rich and confortable don't emphathize with the plight of the poor, this country will go to the dogs.
Aiyah, they got so much money, do some "upgrading" install CCTV, like the polling station catch Gomez like that. See who throw, issue fine lah.
ReplyDeleteIf FT throw, can go airport claim back, like GST like that. "Littering Fine refund Counter".
Ahem. Geriatric eunuch,
ReplyDeleteWell, it is obvious that if something does not address an original post, then all else is worthless. And if it is not black, then it must be white. Ah, so you are one of those. I see where you are 'simply' coming from.
George Orwell - "If large numbers of people believe in freedom of speech, there will be freedom of speech even if the law forbids it. But if public opinion is sluggish, inconvenient minorities will be persecuted, even if laws exist to protect them." If you have an issue with this, please take it on with the dead man.
By the way.If your German is really that swell, you'd also know that 'frau' has more than one meaning. But i shall stop here because it really has nothing to do with the original post.
(1)Mr Wang - "See how cyclones, hurricanes, freak snowstorms and tsunamis have wreaked havoc and massive destruction in recent years, in Indonesia, thailand, myanmar, US, China etc. All singaporeans, including the PAP, should be glad that singapore is such an easy country to run."
ReplyDeleteSure or not?? No calamity can't be the key factor, right? Why aren't Mongolia, Cambodia or the many poor calamity-free, bigger and resource-rich countries in Latin America, Africa and Asia be in such dire straits????
Astute leaders are hard to find these days. Think abt it. Try getting the Cubans to get the Americans out of Guantamo (Naval Base). Try getting bigger countries to go to the Hague for terrirotial settlement eg Diayuti, Falklands.
Leadership in government here goes beyond its sovereignty. It's a feather in the cap! We understand but don't want to talk abt it so that none loses face.
(2) 4:57 PM anonymous . .
It's really laughable what u have written. It shows the amount of hatred and poison you have the government.
It all boils down to the Singapore miracle being the result of no cheng hoo (no government) right?
Isn't the 48 years of unbroken rule of government here PAP?????
Eg - "Is the strategic location of Singapore not a natural resource ?
Are the hardworking, intelligent and obedient Singaporeans not a resource ? Are the 40% of Singaporean savings not a resource ?"
An Israeli flying a fighter plane is not the same as one albeit a better one flown by an Arab. Understand? Somebody must create the software, connectivity thru' organisations like PSA, SIA, etc. ? Are not the educated the product of our schools built by the PAP government and teachers & principals recruited on merit by them?
Finally, your bottomline is - all that we are and have is the result of bo cheng hoo (no government) right? Or is it the PAP government for the last 48 years???? So which is what? The likes of Lim Yew Hock?
China wouldn't have arrived today without a visionary and a hardheaded government under Teng Xiaoping. The same China under Mao was a disaster!
Migration? Without migration there wouldn't be a Singapore, Australia or Canada in the first place. Amnesty International will then condemn us if we chain up Singaporeans from emigrating, right?
Your selfless concern "If the rich and confortable don't emphathize with the plight of the poor, this country will go to the dogs."
The poor can't migrate, can they? When every vote counts in a democracy why do you think the PAP has not or will not care for them?
Maybe u shd first start managing a shop then u will probably understand the difficulties of running a country, albeit a tiny country in a dog-eat-dog world.
I agree we have to be thankful for many things in Singapore. I believe things under PAP CAN BE BETTER if they will get off their ivory tower and help Singaporeans. For a start, Mr Brown's April fools joke spoke of many things that PAP could easily do.
ReplyDeleteFor me, I would like to see more help given to older folks who are pushing carts, selling tissue papar. The Singapore govt has indicated that it will be impractical to help them all - I say, help them anyway so they need not queue up to fill up some forms from their MPs. I understand old folks with children are not under PA - but like those old folks say - they do not wish to be a further burden on their kids, and I salute them.
It is when we (or PAP)always fear that the 2 karang guni man lives in a semi detached house, that the 98 genuine old folks are deprived of help!
"The poor can't migrate, can they?"
ReplyDeleteLOL .... That's according to LKY. The truth is something else.
"Why aren't Mongolia, Cambodia or the many poor calamity-free, bigger and resource-rich countries in Latin America, Africa and Asia be in such dire straits????"
ReplyDeleteI do not know whether you are just stupid and ignorant, or whether you are just trying to deceive people here. If you continue to provide evidence of the latter, I'll just have to stop publishing our comments.
For instance, Mongolia suffers from drought and winter storms and if you think that Singapore has a water problem, you obviously do not know that a large part of Mongolia is mostly desert. Temperatures are also below zero for a good part of the year.
.... The 4th largest desert in the world (the Gobi desert) is in Mongolia. Compared to them, Singapore has ABUNDANT amounts of water.
ReplyDeleteMr Wang, you forget hor, because Singapore no hurricane lah, sand storm lah, we all ganna must go work even when heavy flooding.
ReplyDeleteWhere else in the world you find such confirmed consistant daily worker exploitatio... sorry sorry performance one. Like this not enough to make things easier to attract investments meh?
Mr Wang, seeing that many have bordered on how the older Singaporeans are displaced by younger ones, I saw this article which I thought should be highlighted.
ReplyDeleteIt is an article on how younger Singaporeans are not as well taken care of as most thought. And probably suffering worse fate than older Singaporeans.
But it is not in line with your TC post, so allow it only if you think it is suitable to clearify certain misconceptions, or do a new post if you think it is worth discussing.
http://lemondroplets.spaces.live.com/blog/cns!26F399664A850E81!590.entry
I am horrified by the relentless frustration and resentment directed at the younger generation by the Singaporean elders, over displacement in employment.
While I agree that age discrimination has no place in employment, I question the contribution of the younger generation towards the elders' current plight.
Through their hardwork in building up Singapore, the elders have enjoyed rewards of being able to fully pay for their own flats in 5-6 years. The rapid property, stock market and employment boom of the 1980s-1990s gave the elders a wide window of opportunities to increase their capital and assets. The younger generation have largely missed these good times to face the 1997 meltdown upon graduation. Economic recovery was only in the last 2 years.
Surely, we cannot be responsible for capital loses due to rife speculation we were not able to participate in. We were too young to advise the elders towards capital protection. And we were the minority voters, if at all, in previous General Elections.
The younger generation now faces a 30-year span to pay for our first flat, stagnating income and higher inflation which does not allow us to even think of retirement, and pressures of an intensified rat race, not faced by our elders.
I shudder at the possibilities of enacted laws to procure compulsory employment for vocal elders, at the expense of the breathless younger generation. It will only cause more of us "ungrateful schmucks" to vote with our feet.
With time and patience on their hands, elders should develop businesses which the younger generation is not able to compete in. Elder networks can be developed into businesses running errands which test the patience of the younger generation. It takes half an afternoon to collate and pay bills for a few young working families, for a small fee, and spells benefits for everyone. The elders earn a fee, and finds work to pass time, while we avoid the nasty long queues.
Continued directing of frustration at us by the elders will probably mean a face-off at the next General Elections. Which the younger generation now has the majority votes, luckily or not. The greatest victim in this saga, however, will be our nation, Singapore.
Anon 9:54
ReplyDeleteWho is saying that Singapore is the result of no gov, 'bo cheng hoo'? You are accusing critics of PAP of something that they never said. If there really was no gov, how could they even criticise the gov, silly you.
Now let me help you. Your problem is that you assume only the PAP as gov could have govern Singapore properly. Why do you think only PAP is capable of that? This is story sold to you by PAP.
You also said that PAP gov is responsible for what Singapore is today. That's another PAP tale you have swallowed. You mean the PAP gov made up of the Cabinet did everything you see around you?
No they just created policies - some of which originated from the people's feedback - and their subordinates like bureaucrats see that they are implemented with the cooperation of the whole society - workers in various industries and also not forgetting the homemakers the 'background crew' - working together as one to accomplished the task.
You seem to deny this obvious fact and attribute the accomplishments of our society to the top politicians only.
Another delusion you are suffering under is that you believe PAP is so excellent, critics are just spouting nonsense.
If there were really no issues with PAP, why are so many issues being raised in the blogs?
The devil is in the details. But you refuse to consider the views of critics. You are looking at things in too unthinking and sweeping a manner. As such your thoughts contribute nothing to the national discourse.
You should instead write to the Straits Times which I know welcomes write-ups like yours.
But I am afraid you might not even make it into the shortlist because there are more clever versions to publish written by their highly paid journalists whose real profession is to angkat the PAP.
To anon May 12, 2008 9:54 PM
ReplyDeleteYou are so pathetic and confused. You are wildly throwing big names and concepts all over the place without any relevance to your argument if there is one at all in support of the pap government. In short you are spewing out rubbish. It is such a shame that pap supporters have degenerated to such low standard.
I believe PAP is feeling the heat. The people it is sending here to this blog and a few others to counter the critics are not up to par.
ReplyDeletePAP should delegate its top intellectuals like those from the Straits Times that can write long articles on politics or from Young PAP to come and debate with its critics here.
Then we may be we can see more reasoned arguments from PAP instead of just regurgitation of what PAP leadership has drummed into their minds over the years.