The government has done what it needs to do through the GST offsets, the Resilience Package and the many schemes which Singapore has in the Budget and off the Budget, in order to help people in the ways which would help them to help themselves – keep their jobs, find new jobs and help their families.
PM Lee urges citizens to do their best to get through downturn together
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Despite all the measures employed by your A-Team which yielded little or no results, there’s still ONE thing you’ve yet to implement, i.e. to REDUCE your MILLION DOLLARS SALARIES !!
dear prince
our royal highness
you alway urged us to do our best in economic downturns?
the chinese government have reduced their gst to 6% from 9%
so which part of us you are tryin to help?
i also can sing and danced on NDP/7th months kortais as well
opps
mine apologies
china reduced it gst from 4.5 % to 3%
miscalucalte
This downturn is different from others. Currently, it a confidence issues. The whole world is not spending. This is causing a short term demand to drop.
The is 6 billion people, everyone need food, a bigger TV! But the confidence is delaying the spending.
The factories are shut, people are layoff. This is causing demand and inventories to drop. Companies are losing cash flow.
There are lot of super tanker loaded will oil sitting around the world oceans and seas.
The next phase is going is happening, the demand will catch up and exceed low supply. It will takes time to get the factories output going again and get the people back to work. Those companies without the cash and unable to borrow will close.
The best strategy is to helps companies conserve and maintain cash-flow, keep as much people employed and machinery in-place and wait for the next phase to hit. The winner will be those that can catch the first wave, the loser will be those that miss the boat.
This up and down swing in demand and supply will happen a couple time before it stablelize. It depend on how far the companies is away from the consumer in the supply chain. The further away from consumer, the worst it get.
Get any source of income you can get and decide which career path you want to go and position yourself for it when it recover. Those without cash will go down, those with sufficient cash will sail through this and get a head start.
At this junction. The small nuclear family will suffer the worst, while the extended family will fair better. The government use this opportunity to encourage the family members to bond closer together and overcome the difficult time.
When the going get tough, the tough get going.
Anyway, I am struggling to earn a living for my family 6000 miles away, think of my family, Singapore and nasi lemak.
A lot more has to be done (and can be done) if PAP is to maintain its support base.
His rhetoric reflects his limited intelligence. Simply put, he has no solution to this crisis except to dance, talk and party. Besides, he has not cut his salary, his GST and the number of work permits granted to foreign tom,dick and harry. Thus it created a serious lack of confidence in this govt. How to unite and help our own comrades when the govt is breaking us apart with no sign of remorse & lack of honesty to its citizen? We have been hearing lies through their loudhailer media to create false hope and mocking Singaporean’s intelligence. Begging us to unite is a telling sign that tripartite did not work, JCS and other superficial schemes implemented did not achieve its purposes. This is the 2nd time we hear him begging Singaporeans to save ourselves and not rely on this overpaid public servants.
I am tired of listening to “boh liao” advice from overpaid political leaders.
PM Lee should call for an early election so that many of us can show him what we think of his ‘A’ team running the country.
You don’t just rob the ciitzen and tell them that you helping them by return a fraction of what belong to them in the first place.
Serious, we need an unemployment insurance after this crisis. We had suffered 3 recession in 10 years. I think it is high time we put in place such methods to help true-blue singaporean. A lot of singaporeans in the private sector would have experience the trama of being axed or going to be axed. And, looking for jobs in bad economy is no easy task.
9) lactobacillus on June 22nd, 2009 11.13 am ,
the worst is yet to come unless they know what to do (but i doubt) and acts fast.
aiyoyo
not sure when economy recover? elites got solutions? results?
but it seems their pay is sky high (pls correct if misunderstand).
just look at current situation, not sure is it worth to pay so much tax for
commoners? basically hope commoners to live happy & less pressure,
but not sure if this thought will be seen in this red dot?
aiyoyo
we cannot afford the “A” team anymore, have to cut cost liao. may have to settle for “B” or “C” team.
but the “A” team cannot be priced similiarly to “B” &”C” teams, they say liddat risk getting corrupt. but the “B” & “C” teams never say must pay fat fat salary to prevent corruption.
time to live within our means, pay what we can afford ah.
I always try to do my best in life. However, there are limits in different individuals. Some need more help.
When will our leaders willing to down their pay to match with HK leaders pay. Start talking about it before we forget again. I do not know what kind of action had they taken if they are serious in sharing the suffering with us. Downsize the elite no. inorder to save more cost to the government expenses and pass some to us.
Millions bucks salary for such cheap talk. If sold on getting & integrating FTs, then should try to pull people like Obama in — got liao want & cheaper. Instead only get types like LBW — expensive, take cover queen, table-tennis passion sure useful to us now during recession. What was it that a minister said we should reinvent ourselves as — Cheaper than others but still Better? Let’s start at the top.
It would help if the MPs would STOP insulting singaporeans and breaking ranks instead of closing them:
being too choosy,
too complacent,
being too demanding,
being too mollycoddled,
being lesser mortals,
complaining about waiting 15 mins for a bus whereas a foreigner is happy that the bus comes in 30 minutes,
and when people lost our money, instead of an apology we’re asked to be thankful instead.
I wonder is it IMPOSSIBLE for a Opposition member to come up the same ‘solutions’, if not better ones?
The JCS is come up by, i recall vaguely, some young people with some experienced people right? So, get these and can come up solution already?
Is it or is it not?
So, who generates a report to say how ‘effective’ are the solutions?
or who ascertains the effectiveness?
Can the people also ascertain?
We need Referendum to achieve this in a convincing manner.
16) sgean on June 22nd, 2009 5.40 pm
Does Charles Chong take the bus to work EVERY day?
What does he mean by Singaporeans? ALL singaporeans?
If not , is it a fair statement? Is it insulting some singaporeans?
Did he compare with 1st world standard? Europe trains or cable trams come very on time and frequently also.
Did Chong compare Apple with Apple – the fare price we pay and those in 3rd worlds? The Distance coverage by the transport services. Which is more? Which transports more people ? Which country bigger? Bigger is always more tough to manage with bigger population.
I wonder are these factors taken into his Remark on ‘singaporeans’?
1st, it was job choosey in a recession.
then, it was mollycoddled.
now, it is compare 3rd world transport with 1st world.
oh, i almost forgot the many zeroes and JB ah kong homes.
What our dear Pinky was saying is this: we’re going to import even more foreign trash so you all better shut tf up, and live with diversity and tolerate our loud-mouth, spitting, loafish, oafish, loutish, boorish Chinamen and women amongst you in the food courts,wet markets, schools, libraries, MRTs, buses, malls,supermarkets, Geylang, Tiong Bahru, Ponggol etc. This is what his Daddy-O told him to say and do.
In the original report, the ghost of Wee Siew Kim has reappeared. For those who have forgotten him,he was the one whose daughter made the one-liner famous: Get out of my elitist face! The report quoted him as making agreeable noises and citing Heartstrings as the programme to help the disaffected. Haha..how incredibly funny and ludicrous the way life turns around- the father of the cynical and snobbish daughter making platitudes..Elections coming, so got to show his worth a bit and emerge from under the rock he’s been hiding all this while.
He meant that he will bring in some more foreign trash to flood the place, so better bear with it, and stop whining if you Sinkies find yr foodcourts, malls, buses, trains, shops, markets, schools, running around with boorish country folk from PRC who spit, talk loudly, behave uncouthly, litter, pick their noses, elbow you and yr children around etc.
The original CNA report went further to say:
Tackling the economic crisis in Singapore also involves the “many helping hands” approach. And one programme which the Jalan Kayu division has launched is called Heartstrings. It will benefit a hundred needy families in the division.
Wee Siew Kim, MP, Ang Mo Kio GRC, said: “By using the Heartstrings approach, the local grassroots organisations, which is the RC, can reach out to them directly with a package of household necessities. We intend to make it an on—going project, it is not meant to be mandate just for these trying economic times.
“And we intend to start it small with a package of S$40—50 a month on the basis that we can sustain it. We also (that) intend every two months, the RC works with the other entities in the constituency, whether it is the merchants association, mosque or temple, and together they can reach out to the needy households in our midst, and the households also see that these entities are working together as part of a community.”
Can you remember this bloke Wee Siew Kim? Can you imagine him making ingratiating noises about something like Heartstrings? Hey, he still has to recover his credibility you know, after his daughter destroyed him some months ago with the now infamous liner: “Get out of my uncaring elitist face!”
Funny how life’s tragedy comes full circle! Maybe elections are really coming soon,and this guy had better say something that will whitewash away his elltist uncaring family trait?
help ourselves, he said! this Gahmen is obviously not very good at PR…he could have said “i will cut my salary until this crisis is over…” in end effect, it also means he is not too willing to go with us what…
Lee Hsien Loong and his team are doing very well. Look at the PAP results at every election. Easily 66% mandate and 98% seats.
How can you say they are not good? The results speak for themselves.
They are totally mean, unsympathetic and money-minded to implement means-testing in public hospitals last year even when the average Singaporean is suffering.
In the first place the 80% subsidy is not really a 80% subsidy as many better drugs and treatment are excluded.
Yes. We will be able to help ourselves if u and your wolfs stop helping themselves with our pocket! If not, kindly shut your gaps and move on till the day we have the chance to vote you and your gangs out for good. Thanks
It’s time for action! Stop telling the people to band together during this hard times and forge ahead. The good times will come. But should not the government start frist by taking a huge pay cut. I cant wait to see the governments reason when they start raising the salaries of the ministers when times are good.
The reason will be probably that they did not ask for a raise during the hard bad times of recession!! So now they are entitled for a huge raise and apy hike. I sincerely wonder if any of our so call “A” team ministers will be able to get a job in another country and be paid what they are getting. Perhaps we should offer the US government our ministers to help them run the US government since we keep saying they are the best!
20) ikanrajah on June 22nd, 2009 6.34 pm
I see that though it appears nice gesture, I would have been impressed only if the root cause of the problem can be addressed – joblessness / livelihood is the problem.
Instead of spending money on these gestures, I would suggest someone come up a solution to CREATE Jobs.
EDB, can you tell us how much investment is coming to singapore compared to year-on-year last year and the years before?
22) PAP has majority votes on June 22nd, 2009 9.24 pm
I think foreign ruling parties would be so so very envious of them in that they know they will continue to rule despite whatever has happened.
This, I feel , is something they should feel very fortunate about.
Overseas, they have so much competition they cannot predict their future.
So, though they are the highest paid, what is more fortunate than fortune is the feeling of security of rice bowl.
juz my 1.01 cents.
We are pro worker! (oi oi!)
We are pro business (oi! oi!)
Uptuuuuuurrrrrn the downturrrrrrn!!!!!
it’ll be tough digging up all the roots of the problem. the tree has grown too big for too long. the only tree so big, it is willing to risk all other smaller trees in the entire forest!!
a tree too big to be felled (just look at the banks & car makers, they all claim that also)?
If You did, then You should know that PM Lee was swarmed by loyal Singaporeans who thrusted their toddlers to his arms and proudly posed for picture takings and news crews.
And here are just a handful ranting away, contrast the two and one realises there are many supporters of our leaders including one that justified the saying “Get out of my uncaring ellitist face”. On a superficial reading, it seems that the majority of Singaporeans are very impressed with the Leadership lead by PM Lee. It will be difficult to dispute or deny this fact.
Rant and whine all You like but the fact speaks for itself.
for news on air, editors have the luxury of selecting that few seconds out of who-really-knows-how-long the total recorded footage is.
just look at movie trailers, some trailers are the movies!! :P
Shame to just talk. Talk is cheap. Pls walk the talk. Show by example by cutting the ministerial astronomical salary by half. Even then ministers are still getting many times what Barrack Obama gets.
Singapore is now the world’s laughing stock.
Please allow me to express my condolences to the Family of the Late Anthony Yeo.
May He Rest in Peace and His Family be strong.
patriot
22) PAP has majority votes on June 22nd, 2009 9.24 pm
Hi. When you say majority, I kind of wonder if you have include the walk over? But one thing for sure, most of the dreamer in Singapore still have no idea of the nightmares that is in the making on the expense of their sweet dream.
Can’t wait to laugh at these dreamers, finally when the PAP collasped! I do believe I can see it in my life time. By then I most likely watch it in the TV in other country slipping my coke light. Cheers
hi number 22, 66% is only for the eligible voters, not the whole population of singapore as you well know the many walkovers. in essence, less than 50% of singaporeans voted for the PAP… anyone got a confirmed figure?
Indeed, in the next elections – the people will do what it needs through CAREFUL VOTING, in order to make helping themselves POSSIBLE.
i come to this conclusion….his only skill is cooing babies…the rest is humbug!
31) Did You all watch the Newsreel on television ? on June 22nd, 2009 11.52 pm
Erm, are they RC members?
Public servants?
anyone knows?
{{{{{35) RED-man on June 23rd, 2009 12.39 am 22) PAP has majority votes on June 22nd, 2009 9.24 pm
Hi. When you say majority, I kind of wonder if you have include the walk over? }}}}}
Question 1 :
Who in singapore, or any where in the universe for this matter, knows
HOW MANY Singaporean voters , OUT OF ALL VOTERS including ALL WALKOVER WARDS, Actually Support them?
My uneducated answer which is also unofficial answer is NO ONE KNOWS. PERIOD.
Question 2:
For how long has this situation been?
Question 3 :
Is it healthy?
Question 4:
While in large countries, it may be difficult, though not impossible, to achieve >90% of Voters to vote, a tiny dot like this with comparatively tiny population should be able to achieve >95% voting for the following reasons:
1. small means easily manageable. Very easy comparatively.
2. the more vote, the more credibility and stronger mandate. Who disagrees? So, this is one more reason .
3. singaporeans are the most law abiding people on earth and some say the entire milky way. Law will make sure all voters vote. give it +/- 5% margin. should be achievable.
What is MAJORITY?
Tell me. Rebut me. If you can.
Mr Tan Kin Lian: We need your help in analysing what is the best way forward — for the ordinary citizen who wants to generate an income in these trying times. Should not the Government provide seed money to those who want to start a small business that has the potential to become an income-generator? By all means, provide training to those who will benefit from being able to rejoin the workforce when the upturn comes. But there are many senior baby boomers who have already got the skills but have got no cash — as their savings are locked up in their HDB homes and CPF retirement plans. They would appreciate seed money to start their own small enterprises. Share your views, Mr Tan. PM Lee has all the good intentions but the average Singaporean needs practical down-to-earth measures to survive.
Gabriel, the Government has a seed program where it funds $2 to $1 of seed money that you manage to raise from a private investment group (Business Angels). I understand that the cap is up to $1million dollars from the Government. However I think this scheme is not for all and definitely not for very small businesses.
Although it is not a direct responsibility of the Government to provide seed funds for small businesses, there are obvious benefits especially in such troubled times. Perhaps the Government can budget for a “microcredit scheme” where it lends seed money to anyone who is setting up a small business from a hawker stall to a shop. The amount of money should be limited (say between $5k to $30k); tenor of 1 to 3 years; low interest;on a reimbursement basis to minimise abuse. Only native singaporeans may apply.
hi sotong ball,
that’s a good ideas. but i doubt they will even consider unless situation in unemployment really gets into chaos.
Thanks SotongBall for your suggestion of a microcredit scheme. Even if a fifth of 10,000 out-of-job Singapooreans succeed in their small business set-ups, with help of seed money from the Government, that’s 2,000 companies which can grow and perhaps employ another 4,000 out-of-job Singaporeans.
That”s the way to go, if the Government wants to put good money to good use, and help preserve the dignity of Singaporeans in their own country. Heck, we need income to put food on our tables, not learn songs on how to upturn the downturn, oi oi.
i have not found a job after more than 4 months of intensive searching. Who is going to upturn my downturn. You want us to help but who the hell is really helping us?
FT? FW? FU!
It seems to me that our dear PM had for the past few months been revolving around the same line…did they round out of ideas?
to 31) Did You all watch the Newsreel on television ?
Do you see NGs been included in any show? or were they taken out or included at the end as a spoof?
aiyoyo
not sure if elites got good ideas on $ usage, instead on INVESTMENTS outside
the red dot… (just look at the $ invested & their returns, is it good?)
think take care of own house better la, until own house kilat kilat then may go
about INVESTMENTS outside…
a discussion topic with friends during lunch time; now back to work alamak..
aiyoyo
“And here are just a handful ranting away, contrast the two and one realises there are many supporters of our leaders including one that justified the saying “Get out of my uncaring ellitist face”.
what are rc members for. photos ops and visibility.
Hi photos ops,
very true; i once met a few busloads of folks attending an MP Walkabout in the East and inquired where they were from. The Answer, they were from Marsiling.
From Marsiling(North) to attend an Official Event in the East. What a great show !
But, we have to accept that whether the audience comprised of RC Members or any other organizations, they are by and large still SINGAPOREANS and citizens.
“But, we have to accept that whether the audience comprised of RC Members or any other organizations, they are by and large still SINGAPOREANS and citizens.”
like in marketing, visibility gives you a larger-than-life picture (in this case made in the context of some previous comment that they have many supporters) and it may well translate into a self-fulfilling prophecy of actual support (herd instinct). how else do they need to exercise control when it comes to oppo (remember the bicycle event).
yeah by and large, they are SINGAPOREANS (what an emphasis) and citizens. never mind, let us enjoy this wayang show and besides it is not that everyday you can get such free shows.