the gov’t is given the mandate to rule….

i don’t remember agreeing to the the gov’t using the monies tax direct / indirect for investing public funds….and the gov’t even if it uses these monies for investment, should they not check or re-vet with the mandate givers which in this case the citizens of singapore…

it seems the mandate given by the mandate givers [us] allow the gov’t to do as they please without even bothering to at least brief or justify their policies with the citizens of singapore.

We elected the bloody gov’t…and we have the goddam right as mandate givers to ask and question the gov’t…

to those in the forum who mention we are whiners or ask too much…please do kindly remember we voted [be it willingly or unwillingly] do have the right query, to question, to ask, to raise concern and to DEMAND as we gave them the mandate…even citizens who did not vote for the gov’t has the same rights to question and raise concerns and ask and demand from the gov’t too.

To those who says or said we are lucky, we are the best and we should know better….remember the citizens of singapore gave them the mandate…thus they have to answer and do well for the citizens of singapore.

To those who are not satisfied or feel let down by the gov’t and if able to cast your vote…

please do the right thing…not only for yourselves but also for your kids and future generation of kids…we should work with a gov’t that works with its citizens and both parties leverage on each other…when a gov’t does not do that for its citizens [majority 66% = mandate givers] and 30+% non-mandate citizen givers…then please.vote such a self serving and uncaring gov’t out.

Gov’t will think we are ungrateful and disloyal….but the gov’t must remember…how many citizens over the 44 years contributed to singapore well being…and how many citizens made sacrifices over the 44 years too to singapore…without the citizens in the first place who stay and fought it out…where will singapore and the gov’t be….

the gov’t has forgotten its citizens….and it is up to the citizens of singapore do decide for better and for worse.

I am just dying for them to do that.

I hope they will do that as soon as possible.

That will be the end of the PAP.

A bunch of highly-paid idiots. What have they done since winning the elections in 2006?

F1?

Casino?

Singapore Flyer?

Increase their own pay TWICE already?

Low Thia Khiang is right: Pay peanuts get monkeys.

Pay bananas STILL get monkeys!

“Finance Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam has warned that Singapore could face another round of inflation if companies increase wages to help workers cope with the higher cost of living today. ” ~quoted from CNA

I would like him to explain which data did he gathered to make such a statement. From my observation, many families in singapore are barely struggling to survive because of the higher cost of living. Some of us dont even have savings. Every month income goes directly to paying for all the bills. I mean if the inflation was due to the purchases of luxury goods, his comments would be justified. Right now we are all facing core inflation on our daily necessities.

IMHO, i think the PAP had lost it’s plot and the trust of many singaporeans.

Aquino proved that. The people in the former Soviet Union also proved that if necessary, change can be brought about by the people.

If some of you think that our situation can by any stretch of the imagination be likened to Marcos/Aquino or pre-Gorbachev USSR, then… well, there’s always one in every crowd. I’m certain that the vast majority of Singaporeans do not think so.

So in the final analysis, yes, a country deserves its Govt if you pull-back and consider all the things that the country-folk can do to change its Govt. It runs the entire continuum — from providing feedback and participating in discussions, to offering oneself up for public office regardless of personal cost, to… well… to whatever it takes if the situation demands it.

All those that are saying that the Govt is somehow directly responsible for even white-collar jobs going to the foreigner are in essence pushing for a protectionist approach, which in today’s globalised economy, is really like spooning water out of the ocean with a leaky teaspoon. There are forces at work that are far greater than any one or several Govts. Thomas Friedman discussed it a lot in Lexus and the Olive Tree, and The World is Flat. These forces are (probably) unstoppable, and people need to adjust to change because change is the only constant.

Remember that other little bestseller, Who Moved My Cheese? In that book, the ones that thought that the mountain of cheese will always be there, and will always be sufficient, will ultimately find out that it is finite. The ones that wander further afield, looking for alternatives, and planning for tomorrow, will actually have a future.

Those lamenting their loss of jobs — do check (I’m not saying you haven’t) what WDA has to offer. There may be things there that would surprise you. Those lamenting others’ loss of jobs without assessing what options and backups (short of handouts) are in place, could do well to do some research *first*.

There. I’ve emerged from observing, largely because the flamebait I put in was finally taken.

Thank you for your kind comments. I hope you found the illustration to be clear and accurately reflect ground sentiments.

To Amanda:

I’m that you can see our perspective. The anxiety is real and nobody wants to keep running in an accelerating treadmill, certainly not when people have reached their 60s and 70s.

Some professionals believe that they are immune. Managers believe that they are immune. Civil servants believe that they are immune.

Just keep your head down, keep quiet and follow instructions. Everything will be OK.

The reality is that nobody is immune, because nobody, not even the government, can predict the future.

If we don’t speak up for the elderly poor today, then one day when some of us end up as elderly poor, there will be no one left to speak for us.

“A country gets the Govt it deserves. ”
-Good Grief

And they probably deserve Mugabe. Good lord.

How apt.

My apology.

patriot.

DOES ANYONE WANTS TO UPGRADE TO WHERE THE SAID PROFESSIONALS AND MANAGERS WERE AND SUFFERS THEIR FATES, AFTER SPENDING MONEY AND TIME AND NEGLECTING ONES’ FAMILY IN THE PURSUIT OF UPGRADING?”

May I add here that many job applicants are rejected because they are ‘over qualified’ and many that were retrenched were because their pays were much higher than the many new candidates, including foreigners available in the market who are able to replace them(current employees) at a much lower cost(salary).

This is a very vicious development, which of not arrested, could result in serious turmoil in time to come.

patriot.

That is why those who can speak out must speak out and remind the government of its promises.

Swiss standard of living – but we must ignore old 70 year old who work for the dignity of employment – what ? Say that again? I heard the Chee Siok Chin vs Davinder Singh and I almost threw up. (I would not put Lee Hsien Loong cos he was silent most of the time :)

>>
but I would not blame the firm if they can find someone better than me, unless the decision to lay me off is a matter of favoritism or biasness
>>

What about you being retrenched simply because of your age? Often times, it is not not even a case of competency. If the firm can hire someone younger, why not? Be in touch with the reality of ageism and its effects on older workers.

also, if I haven’t mentioned yet, I think your response was well written. It helps me sort of see things from your point of view.

but I would not blame the firm if they can find someone better than me, unless the decision to lay me off is a matter of favoritism or biasness.

–>If you realize that YOU were going to be the next player to be switched out, would you greet this shining future with a smile?

I do not know what a football player would feel.

But if put in a workplace context, say, if I believe there is a good chance that I would be laid off by my firm, I would definitely be worried and start looking for alternatives (eg. to search for other jobs).

So the answer to your question is no, I would be worried.

It is very difficult to walk in Singapore. It is even tougher to breathe in Singapore. Sometime, I am even worried for the younger generations. The ever increasing prices of the necessities but the salary of the low skill workers have stagnant or even dipped worries me.

Many rich people failed to have any idea of how people tighten their belts to curb inflation. My dad does not earn much, hence, can consider myself in this group of people. Perhaps what make me looks better then others is to have access to internet.

Economic theory talks about constraints, trade off, opportunity cost and blablabla… Hence, with the extra entertainment, what I see on my dinning table would be mostly vegetables with few pieces of meat and a bowl of rice.

People like Amanda who fails to put herself into the Poor’s shoes is understandable however she has gone overboard. She fails to understand each individual has their own constraints and they are also fighting for a breathing space so please don’t penalize low skilled workers by suppressing their wage. To most economist, minimum wage is a bad idea as the trade off is the increase in unemployment rate. I believe the main point is to help these unfortunate ones. Everyone plays a part for the success of the county and shall not be forgotten when these people have retired. These retirees should be recognized and remunerates them reasonably well if they decided to continue to contribute to the economy as most of the time, good economy accompanies inflation.

Glad that you like my writings, I prefer to write about science. I’ll comment at the TOC occasionally.