It may sound cool to blast our Government, but have you really given a thought about what you have now, or are you just complacent. Please. Travel the world, live abroad for awhile if you can. Watch more documentaries, if you soften up your hearts. Singapore and the way it is run, isn’t that bad. Face it, if someone is getting 8 mths bonus, though many of you will say ” It’s Our Money”, that person gets 8 mths bonus. You can’t do anything about it. You don’t run NWCDC. They don’t owe you an explanation either.

If one thinks they can run Singapore better, please step up and run for opposition and do your part instead of hiding behind the console and writing these things to gain popularity or for whatever insidious reasons.

There are reasons why so many foreigners living here like the system here. They may have better health benefits back home, better retirement plans or even housing plans. BUT at what expense? Do think about it.

- Benedict Koh

* I do not work for the CDC
* I am not in the Government
* I am not rich
* I am not highly educated
* However I work hard and I am very comfortable with my flat and my career.

I am a resident of Bukit Panjang and I can’t believe that Dr. Teo did not know that his 2 staff were give 8 months bonus.

My questions are, who judged these 2 staff’s performance? What so “exceptional” about their performance? Did they help Singapore to come out of recession? Did they help to create jobs for the unemployed and retrenched workers?

We are definitely NOT on the same boat that Dr. Teo and Lim Boon Heng are sailing. It is more like they are taking aeroplane and ordinary Singapore are struggling to keep their noses above the water level.

Take for example, Zoo admission tickets. They are so expensive, $18 per adult
and $9 per child. So an outing of family of three would easily cost $45.
And as Singaporean, we have to pay the same rate as tourists
which I don’t feel right at all. They should give concession to Singaporeans to encourage them to visit the local attractions with their familiies as often as possible.

Other attractions like the Jurong BirdPark,
Cable Car are also too highly priced that most middle income families
won’t be able to bring children there as often as they wish.
Last year the STB even give 50% to tourists to attract them here,
how come as Singaporeans, we don’t enjoy any concession?

Salaries are declining but cost of living remains high,
How can the people not be depressed?
There are already so many people down with
stress, anxiety and depression.
Can the PM truly understand why people are depressed?

Singaporeans are not stupid, they can be trained and take on new jobs.
But before they can do so, they don’t have the means to pay for the high course
fees of the training courses, as most middle-aged people already have family committments. And even if they are able to pay, there is no guarantee they can switch jobs easily. And the influx of skilled and semi-skilled foreign workers
only make things worse.

Sweden, a highly developed and successful country,
has many social policies that truly takes care of the people.
The country’s productivity is very high and their government
don’t demand for high salaries.

Here, we live more stressful lives, take on more jobs and hours
to make ends meet, pay more indirect taxes, i.e. GST on even basic necessities, like water and electrical bills, medical fees which is ridiculous, you need to pay taxes when you fall sick. Talk about the Water Conservation Taxes, why should we be paying this tax when we had already pay for the water we used and the
the added New Water should have brought the cost of water down.

Here we have Workfare, which is insufficient, there are not even enough
jobs for everyone.

I felt our leaders don’t care if we live or die, as we can easily be replaced
by foreigners. If they let the vast number of workers in from China,
India, then of course our workers won’t be able to compete.
Our lives will be very difficult.

I knew someone working for a Sweden MNC here and at best
time of economy, they only get 3 months’ bonus, including AWS.
All levels of staffs, including Senior Managers to low level staffs
get the same bonus.

So again, what could justify the civil service to pay out such fat bonus, 8 months?

Talk about HDB, if they have so much money and can afford to give their staffs fat bonus, then we should not be made to pay for lift upgrading, which is due
to the own poor foresight in not recognising that people do age
and flats should have lifts that stop at every level.
We should also not be made to pay hefty levies when we
change flats. All these policies are simply not social friendly
and gracious for a mature society.

Everyone knows (scholars will even describe it with flowery mastery) that you need to take a plane by air / ship by sea to a far away country, but how many of us really know how to make a plane or a ship.

8 months’ not a lot. I even heard of 11 months bonus for director position. Even a fresh scholar who knows nothing beside writting good essay is also getting at least 4 months bonus.

Our scholarship system is getting fundamentally wrong. These scholars are articulate, smart, and capable, but they are so lost touch with the ground that drives them to make stupid policy. One example is that LTA decided that taxi cannot stopped at roadside. Heard that policy was drafted by a scholar and approved by his scholar-boss.

Born Singaporean for six decades, my observations all these years consistently showed that the Leaders lead, demand, enforce and ensure that the people follow, take their orders and never to interfere with their powers and authorities. The Leaders never yield to counter suggestions nor accept any meddlings from their subjects, nor matter how benign or constructive your ideas are.

They launched a women-back-to-work scheme in october last year with a big hoo-hah, a big and enthusiastic advertisement enticing housewives to go back to the workforce with jobs in various sectors. But when I called up, it was a big let down, they don’t sound so enthusiatic and on hand they only have very few and mostly low level jobs. In the end I gave up on them and do the job seach on my own.

When they have a compliance officer conversion programme which
promises job placement and 90% subsidy from MAS as indicated in the WDA website. I was a bit happy at first, but when I called the training institute (ICA) to enquire, I was shocked to learn that you need to pay the fees 100% upfront which
can amount to a few thousand dollars,sit and pass the papers every term before you can proceed to apply for the subsidy. And when I asked the ICA whether
they is job placement before or upon completion of course, they said no
and they only act as a referral.

Luckily I checked it out myself with ICA, otherwise I may have assumed
wrongly that there is indeed job placement after program completion.
I urged the PMETs to think carefully and practically before committing their
time and money to the training. They are very costly and I wonder
why the 90% subsidy is not given upfront to help PMETs lessen their
financial burden at a time like this.

In reality MPs represent PAP, not the people.

Why do we need so many MPs who don’t walk the ground and are so well paid that they don’t even bother to speak up for the people?

Minister’s later comments even though he has no portfolio make sense – these are most probably front line staff on their own doing long hours of “thankless work ” to try to help citizens within the ambit of the CDC. They are most probably very good workers and must be rewarded to persuade them to stay. Good front line staffers are really hard to find. Do not begrudge them as their basic salary even though may be competitive is very structured and do not come with massive perks, and their jobs do not open them to big opportunities or future.

It is perhaps timely that the minister take a good look at himself and the entire political machinery from president , ministers , parliamentary secretaries, mayors, etc, appointments who could also have thousands working for them in the workload system.
It had been said that the massive salary for politicians is to bring in the best – is it really so ? has it happened ? look at the massive jump in salary of a common working man when he crosses over to be a PAP politician . One cannot be far out to say that it is easier money paid compared to the CDC front line staff.
If there is no attrition – there will be many political overstayers and if the hire and fire policy is not there to ensure that the PAP politicians are really Division one materials. On performance, one could perhaps conclude that the learning process seems to be a long one and perhaps lifelong.
This is the real sore point for voters in the coming GE, and unless the PAP addresses the selection, pay and tenure issues – it is going into a hard landing for them.
PAP – please feel the ground and be courageous to act. You have done well for almost 40 years ; please do not let the last few years continue to be your spoiler……..
Citizens are not born yesterday and there is a limit that FTs including Malaysians can come in to counterbalance the ground swell…….
Thank you.

News articles on North West CDC 8 months bonus disappeared from Mainstream Media?

HOW COME ???

So,they want TO HIDE THE TRUTH??!! &&%%()(#%$^&(#!*

The fault lies with the one who ‘design’ the budget from the drawing block. The one sitting in the office and pluck the figures from the records & reports, doesn’t know what the hell is going on within each ministry or its sub-units. Dont even bother whether the taxpayers monies are spent wisely, except ‘spend within what you are given’. And always work on theories but never hands on or walk the ground, always follow the policies of their predecessor not realising the changes on the ground and the feelings of heartlanders.

I call them theory-king scholars. So i really doubt if these scholars could really survive the private sectors if they are thrown there in the first place, before entering the public sector and became protected species.

By the way, some species are born protected.