Leong Sze Hian
In December last year, chairman of the Public Transport Council, Mr Gerard Ee rejected polytechnic students’ request for fairer transport fares. Mr Ee said then, “It’s not within our power to force operators to give concessions – that’s up to the operators.” (Asia One / TOC)
On 12 August 2009, Mr Ee again rejected calls for cheaper fares – this time for the elderly. Writing as Chairman for the Council for Third Age, Mr Ee’s letter to the Straits Times forum page, titled “Cheap fares for elderly not the best way”, said:
“For low-income older workers, putting more financial resources directly in their hands is probably better than further concessions on public transport”.
Calls for senior citizens’ concessionary travel to be applied throughout the day, instead of just off-peak hours, has fallen on deaf ears, over the years.
The income of older lower-income workers has continued to fall over the years. An elderly cleaner now earns only about $650 a month.
Allowing peak hour concessionary travel for senior citizens may go a long way towards lessening the financial burden of all senior citizens. The fact of the matter is that most measures to “putting more financial resources” in the hands of the elderly lower-income, as Mr Ee referred to, has not worked very well.
Citing the Workfare Income Supplement Scheme (WIS) – “For example, a 60-year old earning $1,000 a month stands to receive $2.400 in Workfare benefits, of which $686 will be in cash and $1,714 in CPF top-ups” – may be of little meaning to the debate on concessionary travel, as 71 per cent ($1,714) of the WIS is locked in the CPF which cannot be used to pay for transport fares. The other 29 per cent ($686) is to help the elderly whose low incomes continue to decline.
Public transport operators have generally continued to make record profits almost year after year, even despite the recent reduction in fares.
If we can employ hundreds of additional personnel to fine those eating or drinking on public transport, and increase the number of trains a day by 900 during the F1 races downtown, why can’t we give the elderly full concessionary travel? Let’s “cut all the crap” (pardon my language), but isn’t it simply about money and profits?
Other countries respect their elderly for their contribution to society and the nation, with unrestricted concessionary travel.
Why do we continue to give all kinds of excuses just to deny elderly Singaporeans the respect and dignity they rightly deserve?
Perhaps the transport companies, instead of Mr Ee, should look into granting more concessions to our elderly folks. After all, Mr Ee did say that even his PTC, which is suppose to regulate transport fares, has no power to force operators to give concessions.
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It is dark
and worse
it is getting darker
by the days.
Why ???
Conscience is absent in SIN ?
patriot
IMHO I think Mr Ee is talking rubbish…
Yes, he cannot force the public transport companies to give concessions but what about the government?
The government can give concessions – for example, issue the elderly with special cards that can record a trip and then the government make the necessary rebate to the transport companies…
Come on, we are living in such a high-tech world – don’t tell me they cannot flag such a simple transaction and make the necessary adjustments?
I think we definitely have the hardware – but do we have the heartware? sigh
Again. This is so anti-Singaporean.
I think majority shareholders are Temasek Holdings.
So, no, they cannot let the revenue fall by catering to the old in Singapore.
Sad.
wonder if Mr Gerard Ee heart is run by diesel (lots of black soot, lol)?… :P
everytime i read these heartless comments from the elites,
i wish god really exists so as to make them live the life of those that they are depriving. see whether they will still be so heartless.
The benefits of privatisation has been fully reaped. Government should revise its policy on this aspect.
HELLO GUYS, COMPLAIN SO MUCH FOR WHAT! VOTE THEM OUT IN THE NEXT ELECTION AND YOU WILL SEE THINGS CHANGE JUST LIKE THINGS HAPPEN IN US.
REMEMBER, DON;T LET YOU NEXT GENERATIONS SUFFER LIKE US. GET READY FOR THE NEXT ELECTION.SUPPORT THE OPPOSTIONS.
this just underlines the fact that we are just economic units in singapore lor……old no more use….got FT to replace….if you are over 50 and no cushy job…..too bad
#22 YODI
“In singapore it’s better to die than to fall sick! I saw that in my dad who died recently. Everytime he went to hospital is PAY first then see if a doctor is able to see you.
And they have the audacity to say our medical facilities have improved trust me you have been lied to! So my advice …. we cannot bid our mouths be shut cos we must be heard and we should speak out loud!”
YODI, I am sorry to hear regarding your dad’s case. To be sure, this govt cannot ve trusted. Some years ago Goh Chok Tong openly announced that no citizen, even the destitues, would be deprived of mediacl care; he said this when he was the PM. He was then projecting the impression that if a person was really penniless and was hospitalised, the govt would take care of the bill. I wonder whether this was put into practice.
The truth of the situation today is that when you enter into a govt hospital, you have to pay upfront or put down a cash deposit [or show that you have a sufficient balance in your CPF account] before you are treated or warded.
The Singapore govt is all about money; no money no talk!
There was this anecdote I heard about a taxi driver trying to get admitted into a govt hospital and was informed that all beds were fully taken up. He had no cash, no money in CPF and no bank account. Truth? No money, no entry, no treatment.
#42 atrocious
“They pay themselves millions, then lose billions, but when it comes to a few dollars of subsidy, no! thats not the rigth way.”
Good observation there, atrocious.
Several years ago, a member of parliament requested the govt to increase the pension payment for retirees. The govt eventually agreed, and raised the pension by $10 per month. This was something that Richard Hu, then the Finance Minister, considered appropriate. That’s a typical style of PAP helping the poor to cope with inflation it was hugely responsible for.
I am truly disappointed with Gerard Ee’s view. He is forcing older people like me to work for peanuts so as to earn the so-called workfare. Does it mean that elderly people who for one reason or another cannot work will have to stay at home to avoid paying exorbitant bus fares?
At my advanced age of nearly 70, must I take up a job to clean toilets or to wipe the tables at foodcourts, in order to earn enough money to take buses.
Is Gerard Ee encouraging social isolation or social integration of old people?
time to buy bicycle + helmet + knee & albow pads + rear signal lights….
Dear older folks,
Do you know why they want you to work till 75 or older?
Just so you can afford your medical fees and transport fares. You see, when you go to for treatment, you need transportation.
In other words, you work to live. Don’t stop or you’ll die. Ok if you die working, just don’t stop working.
“….However, he is not in favour of subsidising transport ‘because then you will have UNNECESSARY TRAVEL…In this way, we impose on every individual the RESPONSIBILTY for his life.’ “
Subsidised public transport is a tangible way to thank and respect the older generation for their past contributions to the Singapore economy. It is done in almost all countries run by people with a heart. In Hong Kong, elderly people travel on public transport at a flat rate of only HK$2 which is about S$0,.35c.
Even in communist China, the elderly people travel FREE on MRT trains and they are allowed free admission to all govt-run public parks. Even those run privately generally offer 50% discount for admission to their amusement centres, etc. In Australia all old citizens are given free medical consultations and hospitalisation.
If we simply discard old people once their economic usefulness is lost, then in time to come we will also become old and face the same music.
old folks who recievehuge pensions after retirement will never understand, to such people only know how to harp meritocracy.
& to run salt on others wounds with “who ask you never save when young?”, “no such thing as free meals”, “no welfare”. just look at how much our local (Uni) grads earn, not Poly or ITE wans…
time to “moderate expectations” further, lol… -.-”
Cannot give old folks subsidized fares lah. What if they go for unnecessary travel (quote Mah Bow Tan) to have meals in food court and restaurant (quote Vivian), and go home late and have to use unnecessary electricity?
Worse is they become addicted to the unnecessary travel and go around touring Singapore instead of working as cleaner to support themselves? Then have to give these jobless elderly money! Travelling around unnecessarily will also wear out their body and we have to subsidise more of their medical fees.
So you see, it is not so simple one….giving old folks concessionary fares will mean have to increase GST to 10%. The best solution is still to ensure the old folks have no activities other than travelling to work and back.
I strong believe Singaporean has the right to travel anyway in Singapore with affordable fare.
Is time to tax the immigrants heavily to subsidize my losts.
Phew to the system that tell me sh*t. a f**k up stories.
Another way is to send all the old folks to batam or johor. The fares are cheaper and they can travel all they want.
No such thing as thank and respect the older generation for their past contributions to the Singapore economy lah. This is a meritocratic society – you are wanted only if you can contribute NOW. A young energetic foreigner is better than the old Singaporean.
I personally would love to stay in Riau or Malaysia.
So, I appeal and plead to the Compassionate Buddhism Embracing Health Minister Khaw Boon Wan to help me and others to get domicile at the said places.
SIN makes me heart broken and I suffer headaches whenever our leaders open their mouths.
patriot
aiyoyo
sometime still cant understand, if compared the
INvestment LOSS made ($billions) vs the bus fare xx cents;
which topic should spend more effort/energy to look into & resolve??
just a tinkle for breakfast discussion…
aiyoyo
He said we should encourage cheap foreign talent here, unlike Japan where the GDP is sluggish for many many years.
Why the hell would we want a high GDP for if monies earned are not spread to the old and poor in the form of cheaper transport?
more foreign people so that SMRT can earn more monet for Temasek holdings isit?
Then the money go into charity is it?
wonder where is the link…….pple asking to relook at fare policy and the reply is something to do with WIS……if really want to confuse instead of convince, also use some reasons that is closer to fare policy……
i, an ordinary housewife raising a teenager in this now very overcrowded little island i used to be very proud of, am very disappointed with mr gerard ee..no cheap fares for the elderly? i m only years ago before i become an elderly person myself, i gave up a career to look after my family’s needs, so that the husband can contribute to the economy, so my son has someone to come home to after a long stressful day in school, to come home to homecooked meals, to come home to a clean orderly flat..and there are thousands of women like me who stay at home so their spouses can contribute their cents’ worth to this tiny island’s economy, and who are only years away from being called senior citizens…mr gerard ee, shame on u for saying no cheap fares for the elderly! are we worth less now that we are old, did we not ‘contribute’ to this nation’s economy by staying at home to look after the family’s needs, do u know how much it costs these days to have a simple decent lifestyle (a lifestyle that doesn’t include going to movies, shopping malls, eating out), just to have enough to pay the skyrocketing bills…do u want us old people to go begging for subsidies? shame on all of u who say the elderly doesn’t deserve better treatment!! i m soooo fed up with this govt, i was all PAP before, but now i am sooo disappointed with the way this country is being governed! u young ministers, get outta there and go mingle with the old, the sick, the poor, and the common tom, dick, harry, mary and jane, and stop living in ur ivory towers! go take the bus to ur ivory towers every day instead of being chauffered to ur ivory seats! what’s next? no more subsidized care for the elderly? u spent so much on setting up the formula one racing scene, on that monstrous structure u call the singapore flyer which ordinary people won’t be ale to afford anyways, and u tell u no cheap fares for the elderly? what the hell is the matter with u people? where is the compassion? or is it just money money money these day with u people in ur ivory towers! what is happening to my singapore? u telling me we r of no use to this country, that we deserve less cos of our age? what is wrong with u people!!!!!!
It’s plain to see…the old retiring folks who can afford will migrate to places where things are free, good pensions after their economic earning lifespan is well and truly over. So the state has less burden to take care of them.
As for those who cant afford, no need to spend too much lah, a bit of BS is good enough to pacify the masses. Give them small goodies, and they remember for life.
Sillypore is a corporation, runs like clockwork. We are like production line parts. If this part is out of its useful life, discard, and get a new one.
and another thing…u want us to work till we drop? we deserve, in our old age, a bit of rest, we have done our bit for this nation, in our own different ways, and we don’t ask for much in return, we don’t ask for free transport fares, we don’t ask for free food, we DON’T ASK FOR MUCH!! no cheap fares for the elderly, bloody hell! what is wrong wi u people!!
#66
Yes. Edlerly in China travel free on public transport. This concession is also extended by private transport operators.
The shuttle from a private condominium in ZhongShan, Guangdong, to the citiy does not collect fares (RMB2) from senior citizens.
What do you expect from Gerard Ee when he wears BOTH HATS – chairman of the Public Transport Council and Council for Third Age? There is a conflict of interest on the issue of concessionary fares for seniors. The right thing for Mr Ee to do is to RESIGN from one post. Come on, Gerard, resign! Make a choice – it’s either the PTC or Council of 3rd Age. Ah, but sadly in Singapore you can have your cake and eat it, in more ways than one.
is he like one of the tsars in the obama admin?
mr ee, stand up for the elderly, PLEASE!!!!! why m i so passionate about this, mr ee, u ask..cos i know of the elderly people in my estate who are having trouble making ends meets, and they don’t ask for MUCH! and cheap fares for them isn’t MUCH!! NOT FREE FARES, BUT REDUCED FARES, for heaven’s sake!! one elderly i know even walk s to work to save on bus fares, and she’s in her 60s!! elderly like her should be spared from such bureaucratic bullshits!
Gerard ee no more mr. charity, he is now another crytal balls polisher for the Papies after being pat on the head by the elderlee. Now it is really hard to find few good men and women who have the heart for the poor after being too close to the ruling govt.
Gerard Ee had colon cancer
http://www.asiaone.com/Health/News/Story/A1Story20081112-100169.html
i m sorri he has colon cancer, but it doesn’t excuse him saying no cheap fares for the elderly, ok?! my parents died of cancer too, but they still fought on, worked till they couldn’t work, and expired..mr ee can do the same for the elderly..speak up for them! REDUCED FARES, NOT FREE FARES! i thought he was one of us..very disappointed!
The issue is more than cheap fares. Let’s all be very clear about this.
It’s about giving senior citizens some comfort for the years they have slogged to build Singapore. Why can’t the leaders see this? If this is the way we choose to treat our senior folks, be prepared to be treated to same when you reach their age. Be prepared for your children your grand children as well.
This pattern of hoarding wealth cannot be allowed to go on for it would be a culture and practice that is hard to change in years to come. It must be stopped!
Why should anyone work hard to help economic growth and not expect to be taken care off when the need is there. Why can’t we let our senior folks enjoy the final few years of their lives.
So, the next time you hear calls for hard work and sacrifice, ask yourselves what’s in it for you. Basically just follow the examples set by our leaders.
At one time, public transport is managed by the government. One of government’s responsibilities is to provide essential services.
There was a wave of privatization of these services: transport, healthcare, telecoms, etc. All was done in the name of efficiency. as preached by neo-liberalist economists (now seen falling out of fashion, thankfully). Whether private enterprises are efficient is debatable; what is definite is that the focus will shift to profit maximization Meanwhile public altruism is relegated to the marketing department – to do as little as possible while making as big a show of it as possible. This is the private enterprise way.
Thus you see the sprouting up of shops at MRT stations to maximise rental income (from state land inherited for free) and creative innovations like lunch time express services in town to create demand.
Private enterprise is a money-grabbing monster, it is the nature of the beast. For essential services, it has to be held in check by a governing body. Which is why we have the PTC, the TAS, etc. To say that the PTC has no power to force operators to do the right thing, is, again, the government shirking its responsibility. And a Asian government at that, who once preached Asian values: what happened to respect for the elderly?
Singaporeans have to wake up to the reality that when they are young, economically active and ‘useful’ to the Government, they have the best of what the country can offer you. However, when they are past the ‘use-by’ date, the Government will cut them off, like as if it has no time to waste on the oldies. Don’t believe me? Just ask the people who had retired from Government service, the Police Force or the Singapore Armed Forces. The older citizens are a drain on the Government’s expenditure budget! It’s sad but the Government and its highly paid officials, or co-opted office holders, are mostly compassionless.
“For low-income older workers, putting more financial resources directly in their hands is probably better than further concessions on public transport”.
Sounds like “left pocket in, right pocket out” to me. What’s the difference? Problem is, are more financial resources in older workers’ hands? I don’t think so, given the current fact that so many foreigners are taking away their jobs.
Now I know why Gerald Ee is sick.
simply put, we are at the mercy of bureaucracy.
I used to have great respect for Gerald Ee, but sadly after becoming Chairman of Council for Third Age he is now just like the pappies.
He should simply learn how our own bus company operates the buses in London. Over there, the bus company provides an essential service to the passengers without collecting a single cent directly from the passengers. All the bus fares are collected and kept by the govt who in turn provides the bus company an annual budget to cover its operating costs and profit.
The benefit of this system is twofold:
1. The bus company will have no incentive to increase fares, and can devote all its attention on providing efficient and more productive services.
2. The govt, being the middle man that collects the bus fares and also provide the bus company the annual budget to run the buses, can decide on how much subsidy to provide the bus users. This subsidy actually does not come from the govt coffers at all, but is instead derived from the hefty car congestion charges that the govt collects from private car drivers (at the rate of 8 pounds per day per car).
We could similarly use the ERP charges from private car users to subsidise public transport so as to encourage more people to use public transport without eating into the govt coffers.
Instead the bus company collects its annual budget from the govt, who in turn all bus fares are returned to the govt.
89) Has Gerald Ee lost his compassionate heart? on August 14th, 2009 2.51 pm
The London system you mentioned is good but it won’t work here. The Singapore government will simply collect all the bus fares and use it somewhere else. Just how our TV licence fee are collected – they collect a few hundred millions annually but give only a few millions to produce programmes. The rest is just easy source of tax.
What about the GST supposedly raised to help the poor? How much is used to directly benefit the poor?
Without a transparent government accountable to the people, all good systems will simply turn into money making machines for the PAP government.
When almost everybody else in the world is gearing towards initiative on CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY (CSR), it is rather disheartening to know that the FIRST CLASS COUNTRY in South East Asia is very calculative towards her own senior citizens.
Apart from that :
Nothing is being said about National Food Plan Policy so as to ensure that such basic need is made affordable to the people.
Other basic need such as water, electricity, minimum healthcare service, public infrastructure should also be made affordable.
What is the point of making billions and bragging about it but the people is not benefiting from it. Infact, they are relentlessly having to PAY AND PAY.
SWISS STANDARD IS JUST IN NAME FOR MOST BUT NOT IN VALUE AND PRACTICE.
profit-driven monopolies again.
without competition, there will be no improvements; that much is certain. the current transport system is just one big family, no rivalry at all. how is expected progress induced if something like such exists?
and on the point of elderly, i would hate to grow old in singapore. there is no welfare at all, you are simply eating into your savings. the government does not appreciate you for whatever you have contributed in your younger, more energetic days.
you have, in short, become akin to a piece of used tissue.
the transport companies (or GLCs for short) squeeze every nickel out of your malnourished body, which is already under pressure of barely subsidised medical bills while the government pays no heed to advocates of a welfare state (or semi-welfare state, for that matter) or advice to a minimum wage policy.
you look at old people from other countries, enjoying their late years with a companion, growing old with bliss and serenity. they worry not about financial burdens, or foreigners snatching their fragile rice bowls, or not having enough for the next meal. they travel, hopping from city to city, country to country with not a care in the world.
what have you done to deserve this?
nothing. for it is precisely what you have done to preserve this; nothing. you stood by the government during the elections, you are too reserved to publicly voice out your opinions, you are unwilling to hop out of the sinking ship when you had a chance.
and that’s what happens in inaction.
Yes, we now know why Gerard Ee is sick with colon cancer. The black soot in his heart has spread to his colon !!
Gerard Ee. Inconsiderate and a real ignorant, selfish ass.
Just cuz you’ve got $$$$ in bank and high paid job, doesnt mean other elderly ppl just as lucky as you right???
want to talk so much? I bet he doesnt even think if he’s the one struggling just to get by day to day expenses. Be it an uncaring idiot like him.
More lawmakers like him? Sg will become a place only for the elites, where the poor and less fortunate are trapped in the poverty cycle.
bootlicker. another suckup to their master.
What’s wrong with “putting more financial resources directly in their hands” AND giving consessionary fares to the elderly?
95) Minipaw on August 15th, 2009 12.59 am
In Singapore, we are not supposed to have our cake AND eat it. For display only.
we kind of in a tin can society, with a body + brain.
wat is missing is our system is “heart” or “soul” (whichever u prefer to call it)!
Do we expect Gerard Ee undretsands how difficult the retirees, laid-off, old and sick face every day when one has nice office and home entertainment system and sunken bath ?
This is just another smiley out of touch, heartless professional ..
yeah, smiley elites with uncaring faces smiling all the way to the bank or banks….
Torch those who talk rubbish.