Julian Lim
I’m a post-65er. My generation is known as the one that didn’t have to suffer. We grew up in a meritocratic society, went through the education system, and are lucky enough to enter working life in a country that is prosperous and well-organised.
Fast forward to 2011.
Soon a mother-to-be, I have just started to learn about my maternity benefits and also started to think long and hard about the problems I will face in raising a child while holding down a full time job. Like every parent, I hope to provide my child with good care (facilitated by time from parents) and a good quality of life (facilitated by plain money). I am also waiting to sign on the dotted line that will put my husband and I in debt for almost half a million dollars in exchange for the keys to our 4 room flat next year. As the election draws near, the hot topics of expensive public housing, high cost of living and foreign talent policy have emerged and led me to think about how we Singaporeans got embroiled into such a situation today.
Fact: Singapore needs a skilled workforce to survive and to be the most competitive Asian country.
This has led to the Government’s policy of educating all men and women, upgrading of skills to ensure all men and women contribute to the workforce, and thus the economy. This further leads to an improved standard of living, but everyone needs to work doubly hard to maintain status quo.As a result there is a greater sense of aspiration, both men and women feeling that they have studied and worked so hard, so they deserve more in life, and want more out of life. However, the strain of such a hectic working life leads to family units where husband and wife both work and toil to achieve more, yet end up with less time for childbearing or raising their kids. Many couples put off starting a family all together.
Fact: Low Fertility Rates
Our Total Fertility Rate declined from 1.6 in 2000 to 1.23 in 2009 and to 1.16 in 2010. The population needs a TFR of 2.1 to replace itself. To arrest the decline, the Singapore government started to import foreign labour, convert the suitable ones to PR and then eventually PRs to citizens to support the aging populace.
The government’s assurance to uneasy Singaporeans is that this is vital for our economy. You will also see a slew of content on press and on national television that propagates cultural diversity and harmony, integration of various cultures, and reminders that our forefathers were once immigrants too.
Fact: More Foreigners
In 2010, we have 5.076 million people, of which 3.230 million are citizens, 0.541 million are PRs, and 1.305 million are foreign residents. (Figures from Dept of Statistics, Singapore.)
This has given rise to a situation where Singaporeans feel threatened by foreigners but somewhat also accepting of the fact that it makes us more cosmopolitan and it keeps the economy running. If you’re a property agent, you welcome foreigners because they are a great source of agent commissions! If you’re a business owner, you welcome foreigners because they are just as skilled yet are less demanding about salaries! If you have colleagues and friends who are foreigners, you feel that hey they are just like you, ‘nice down-to-earth folks’ with the same drives, dreams and aspirations.
If I were a People’s Action Party (PAP) or an opposition candidate for an hour, and the press asked me the golden question: what issue would you look into if you were elected into Parliament, what would I say?
Well, I wouldn’t say lack of car park lots even though I do drive. And I wouldn’t be so clueless as to say everything that the PAP has done is fine so I don’t have anything to change. I wonder why Miss Tin Pei Ling, one of the new PAP candidates for the elections, even bothers to join the PAP if she really thinks there is nothing she can to do to value-add to the party. As a voter, I wonder why I should contribute my tax dollars to her salary when she doesn’t attempt to work her brains harder. And I’m not discriminating against my own gender.
I would say, simply because I’m a 30-something mother-to-be, that I think more can be done to encourage couples to start families and have children. I’m not against the “we welcome foreigners” policy. I’m saying that more can be done to solve the problem at the root than to treat the symptom of it. And I use the word ‘solve’ casually here – a better word would be ‘manage’. We can manage the problem so it becomes less critical. If you think about it, one out of every four people in Singapore are foreigners. Now, that’s a staggering statistic. But it does make sense why almost all cashiers I meet at Giant supermarket are PRC Chinese, and the sales lady helping me at the pharmacy is Filipino. If we could get it to one out of every five or six people, the sentiment on the ground would be very different. We may be able to embrace the foreigners in our midst better than how we are doing now, attributing the tough competition for jobs and living spaces to foreign talents.
What can be done to encourage couples to start families and arrest the declining fertility rate? Their concerns about career and making a living as opposed to childbearing need to be addressed. Their concerns about providing quality care for their newborns and children need to be addressed. Their concerns about the effects on their quality of life with a child or children in tow need to be addressed.
A one-time cash incentive or cash payouts are a ‘nice gesture’ but not the decisive factor for a couple to have a baby. Paid maternity leave helps but in reality it helps only in the first four months of the entire eighteen years and some might argue, lifetime of parenthood. What is the working mother going to do with the baby after four months? The options are not cheap, not pretty and not much – hire a maid for approximately $600 a month, place the newborn in infant care for approximately $1500 a month, or entrust the child to grandparents, assuming they are not working themselves now that the retirement age is 62.
Many people do not realise how hard a decision it is for a woman climbing the career ladder to give up what she has achieved to start a family. Some women don’t even have the luxury of such a decision; a single income source is just not enough to pay for the flat, living expenses, and support parents from both sides. Many decide to continue working full time out of not having a choice, some simply as means to upward mobility. I also know women who forego careers for children only to regret it a few years later. It is all these considerations that make couples shelve family plans for now, till they feel they have achieved more in their careers, or till they feel they can afford it.
I wish Singapore could be as thoughtful as Sweden, Norway and the UK – where they offer one year of paid maternity/ paternity leave. However, as an informed Singaporean well aware of the “hard truths”, a year of paid maternity leave places Singapore out of the competition as best Asian country to site a regional HQ or MNC arm in – if the government enforces such protective measures for its workforce, companies could easily shift to another country where they don’t have to deal with such rules.
Hence, I feel a more elegant solution would be to encourage an economy that offers part-time jobs for mothers – so they can juggle the dual responsibilities of child-minding and making an income to upkeep the family in a Singapore that’s become increasingly expensive to live in. Not only should part-time jobs be available, it must be looked upon as an important mechanism for the economy. Companies could modify parts of its operation so that part-time workers can contribute meaningfully, and also provide a career progression path for such part-time workers.
Overall, the business environment needs to embrace part-time workers, which the government could encourage through incentives. It will be money well spent if it can achieve better fertility rates while keeping a good percentage of Singaporeans in the workforce. It also means a less lax foreign talent policy, and less disgruntled Singaporeans.
Part-time jobs give mothers a choice. It allows a mother to continue her career, albeit at a slower pace. Most of all, now she can find time for her child, while continue to make money to ensure a reasonable quality of life for the child. The decision to start a family is not so difficult now. Yes, we would like to have our cake and eat it. If it’s possible, well, why not? This goes to serve the big picture which is summed up earlier in this writing – women can continue to be part of a skilled workforce and contribute to the daily grind of the grand machine called Singapore.
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still continue to vote for pap
guranteed you will be safe and happy
AS LONG AS YOU CONTINUE TO PAY & PAY
if no money..no honey
butt whatever the cost..please ENSURED your baby BOY must be healthy
the pap party need HIM to protect their pap interets(not OUR nation)
When we examine the evidence the PAP is a failure because of the very low fetility rate and also the ex-native Singaporeans are leaving the country in droves (what PAP call ‘quiiters’).
GDP really means nothing because it can be easily manipuliated with the influx of cheap labor.
There is no other country I know where the very senior citizens (uncles and aunties) are cleaning tables, toilets and slogging away just to earn enough to survive.
JUst chin chai vote
You may like PAP
But just chin chai vote this time..
Anybody who can talk for you in parliament
is okay
nevermind if he is Ah Beng or ah Lian
Can speak for you then okay already
Dun scared
Just try..
Opposition can’t bit you
But Big Daddy can
Finally, it is all about leadership by example, by virtues and by interacting with people based on good cheacter and morality ethics.
If leaders are lacking in such qualities, they will finally be seen through by the people as chalarton and hypocrites. By practizing all the gutter politics as seen in so many elections past, we are witnessing a backlash of distrust and unhappiness among the people. No matter how “good” are their academic quality and claims about their leadership abilities if they cannot demonstrative sincerity, love of truth and respect for others’s views and needs such as estated in all the feedbacks regarding high costs of housing and living and unethical millions of foreginers taking away cashiers; and other mindane jobs, we will be doomed.
As a check on sincerity or internal change, questions requesting for transparency and accountability and governance on basics and fundamentals of nation (see other posts) building were specially sent to live forum and media but these were put aside and not replied. A letter sent to the Straits Times regarding the over-charging on refuse collection fees to private condomiums was also ignored due to lack of space.
What we are seeing is after giving our leaders so many opportunities to change their own self-centered mindset, there is no change. What we see are denials, generalities and superficial claims of leadership success.
Mothers-to-be rejoices in the newborn
child with Love & Humility of heart.
The PAPies are for Abortion, Stem-cell
research – killing of innocent lives
at the moment of conception because
they believe in growing the Biomedical
GDP by selling human DNA and spare parts
ie. if they think they are GOD to make
liver, kidneys, heart organs from
their research.
Mothers-to-be will vote for Life and
support the Opposition especially in
the Easter season of election.
Easter is the Resurrection of Life and
ends the death of innocents again.
Sweet Mothers we trust in you.
It’s easy, come polling day,
“KICK THEM ALL OUT”
HDB prices will fall, as all foreigners will be BOOT out. Cost of most things will rise, inflation and after 6 months, will stabilize, a return to buyer=seller.
The nation will not suffer a bit, old and new (built too closely)flats will be torn down especially the old ones, all residents move into new ones, but beware of earthquake.
Jobs will be lost as some business owners and mnc had taken advantage of subsidies and taxes and no longer is viable in todays business(no one need the products)and cheap CEO’s will be gone. Equilibrium will be met in 6-9 months as foreigners (slaves) will be BOOTED out.
Minimum wage implemented across the board to all singaporeans, cost mainly from MIW wages and president(do we really need) wages cuts.
MP’s to be reduced to 65 or less and RC members will be on, “serve”, “rotation of citizens” basis. NO WINDFALL or priority for flats or subsidies or croynism, nepotism.
COE’s, to be scrapped and buyers to pay taxes, bigger the cc, more tax to pay, money to the poor,55 and above will get 20% less for rides on all transports and welfare programs.
No more train lines as present is enough for pop of 5 million or less. Burden of new train, not lines, to come from gov, once the lines are nationalized.
Ponder no more. Vote for voices for checks and balances otherwise there will never be an end to mercenaries, ruthless and heartless treatment. We want a home, not just a house which we flounder and crawl our way back to rest. No time to reflect, no time to bond. By the time the infant turns toddler , teenager, we will realise much time has lost and we cannot redeem back. Vote wisely for our next generation. They are precious. Men and women with hearts for the nation can move mountains not paper qualifications. Wisdom from righteousness will fill them with favour and lead them to do what is deemed fit for the nation.
Thanks Julian. Good article.
Damn cham being a Singaporean in the First World Singapore. I never seemed to be able to catch up with the high cost of living here. Over the years, my take home pay grow but still never able to cope with the pay-and-pay policies… money like always not enough. Of course, with the higher pay comes with more responsibilities resulting in more time working…Something is terribly not right here… I am not better off then my parents’ generation. We need a change…
LOL.. If Tin Pei Lin aka Tin Palin is clueless, then the folks who selected her out of hundreds of potential candidates would be super clueless.
They just don’t get it, do they…
The bottom line everything has became so expensive is because of depressed wages. The root problem that caused the wages and productivity to come down drastically is the open door policy where any Tom, dick and Harry can enter our shore and landed a job that could easily go to the above writer or part-time mother to look after their new born babies.
Having said that, PAP has sucked up employers so deeply that they even turned our labour union into employer union. Let’s be frank, members of labour did not benefit much from our govt policy thru the so-called make-believe “Labour Union”. To add insult to injury, Lim Swee Say wanted its union members to be CHEAPER, BETTER AND FASTER and should never ask for salary “inflation” a term he deliberately used to protect the employer union.
Under the above scenario, no wonder Singapore fertility rate is moving in a downward trend and will never go up again. Workers became a charity – working hard for PAP without much savings.
The relentless influx of foreigners will continue to be PAP core motive after election (provided they win again) and the side effect will further tear this country apart. This will intensify the negative sentiments flowing from our man-in-uniform as they began to question again their purpose of serving a country that is not even a nation and Singaporeans priviledges shares equally with strangers not born here, or worse, do not serve National Service.
Eventually Singaporeans efforts in nation building were ended up helping foreigners achieve their own goal and bring with them the source of our livilhood which help them produced more babies and built their cheap dream home in their own country with the funds they found here.
Singaporeans will continue to struggle no end with the high cost and lower wages because of foreigners presence. It is even more heart wrenching to know the hard truth that PAP don’t care. Their attitude towards the people – you die your business – is no longer a joke frequenly used by forumners. They are real to us now.
However, there is only ONE LAST HOPE left for Singaporeans.
I hope 7th May 2011 will mark Singapore new independence day. A day when all Singaporeans can truly call Singapore our Home comes true.
The thoughts in this article is troubling indeed. How have things gotten so seriously wrong?
I have a summary and some observations to make with regards to your article :
1. Your perspective as a mother to be acknowledged the realities today of Singaporean families. The dual income family is set to stay, as well as the high cost of living and housing. This, as you have mentioned, is because we need to maintain our status as the most competitive economy in Asia, (if not the world). This has led to the declining fertility rate and thus the import of foreigners as a solution, after efforts to increase childbirth has failed. The efforts have failed because of the high cost of living, concerns about career stability, high cost of childcare etc. And now this has led to even lower childbirth rates, even more foreigners, and even an effort to increase the population to 6.5 M by relying on even more foreign imports. The foreign imports are making our careers even more unstable, cost of housing even higher, and in general tougher living conditions, longer working hours, tougher competition for schools etc.
Thus I am sure you can see now this is a vicious cycle that will not see any short term solution, including the one suggested to employ mothers as part time workers.
2. And this is where the ruling party lacks : no creative solutions, no long term plan to address parenthood concerns and/ or cost of living, other than the periodic pre election payouts and one time handouts and rebates. That is why we need more diversified voices in Parliament, soem new breath of ideas and new perspectives. If there are no real alternative in voices in Parliament (with real voting rights), any idea that is different or radically creative will instantly be shot down, ridiculed as “dangerous” or “irresponsible”.
3. One clear example is our ruling party’s continued reliance on MNCs. It is clear to anyone who worked in an MNC, that whether you are a mother or not, you are working in the most competitive of environments. In fact it is the exact microscosm of Singapore Inc – you are really competing with foreign talent from all over the world, just to keep your job and keep up with the standards of living. Faced with such conditions, many couples worked even longer hours, with the net result that even fewer have any desire for a 2nd child, or even a first child.
However, when alternative voices from the ground suggest lesser reliance on MNCs, and building up SMEs (where life maybe simpler, less stressful but as a result we may be less comepetitive), the idea is instantly rejected as “unpractical” or downright “dangerous”. May I remind you of the fact that this was the same perspective when the ruling party trumpeted that they want to build a “second wing” for the economy and yet after a few half hearted efforts, we are now back to relying on 2 IRs and a faltering biomedical sector.
For the local companies? More of the same. More training and retraining, more productivity courses that did not translate into any real productivity gains or vibrant SME sector.
I think Singaporeans are finally realizing that the ruling party have either run out of ideas, or by refusing to entertain any perspective different from thir own, they have just shot themselves in the foot and just offer “another 5 more years – more of the same”. And even the time tested tactic of saying if the “A team” cannot come up with the best ideas, “no one else can” does not work any more. For more and more we can see diversity and quality in the opposition ranks, and “more of the same” i.e army, civil service form the PAP ranks. From the same cloth, we can only expect “more of the same” : and this time round,I don’t think this is what Singaporeans want.
without prejudice…Congratulation!mother-to-be, just enjoy your pregnancy with your husband and families. Don’t worry so much now, live in joy while carrying your precious child. When the time for you to vote, while walking to the election station, just listen to your heart and look around you and let your “eyes” listen too what you have read about the situation in Singapore or shall I shall say the “plight” of the general birth right-Singaporeans who are actually your fellow men and women. And your beautiful child will be a Singaporean too when he/she is born. It does matter who you believe…lest one must not forget that an opposition was also a little child when he/she was born, he/she is not a monster from another planet but all born in the same red dot kingdom. Someday, a fellow Singaporean voicing the cry for its fellow citizens and “fighting” maybe your child but for now…when the child is born…enjoy and hear the pleasing joy of a different cry from your beautiful child.
Dear mother to be,
Your nightmare is about to begin. Not only you have to work hard to ensure you have money for the mortgage and the baby expenses, worse things are to come.
When junior reaches schooling age, you will have to make sure he fights with other foreigners to get into better schools. You have to supervise his numerous exams and test (CA1, SA1 , CA2 and SA2) to make sure he does not fall behind and become daft.
All this on top of having to work hard so you are not replaced by cheaper, faster and betterer foreigners.
I threw all these arificial competition away few years back. I migrated elsewhere where mothers are usually part-time workers. The companies even schedule work hours to accommodate their sending and picking up of their kids at school. An average family is 4 or 5. One child is rare.
Singapore is not really without choice. It is how the government want to structure the economy. Here, even the tradesmen can afford their wives to work part-time because they are paid a fair wage, a decent wage.
Those who have really lived overseas will realise that PAP had indeed failed big time. It is not the lack of resources nor Singapore’s small size. It is all the failed policies that caused so much hardship now.
My advice, vote wisely and Singapore still has a hope of steering back to course. Otherwise, you will have more to be sorry about.
The mother-to-be wishes Singapore could be like Sweden, Norway or UK. Does she realise how high the tax burdens are in these countries?
What about Malaysia, Indonesia, and Thailand? They all have higher tax rates than Singapore but none even comes close to the purchasing power or standard of living of Singapore.
Applause!
Real issues!!
suggest you look at australia, it has a system that balance real life of family and work and tax.
many local nurses went to asutralia because of the balance.
in hospitals here, the patient / nurse ratio is 16/1, while in aust, it’s 8/1.
pay is higher too, compared to cpf here, which one uses to pay horrendous flat prices, which at the end, means, CRAP.
in aust, when one goes home to spend time with family, no one calls you after 7.30 pm. and when you have 2 family income, each works the opposite time, due to nanny care being expensive or nil.
but when holidays are norm, contractors come in to cover work at high wages, so it’s very common to find a security guard’s working on sundays at, 1k aussi.
Dun talk cock here. Go refer to the UBS latest findings.
Signaporeans are the most pathetic lot of developed nations.
Oh .. i forgot …. we like to compare with the Nigerians and afghanistans to feel good.
We all know that singapore is not a old country. Yet, it is not new also. 50 years is enough to form a culture and national identity IF it was done right.
HDB neighbors are not your old kampong neighbors despite living closer to one another than the old days where houses are large and spaced further apart.
Singaporeans face sulk every morning on MRTs, buses.
Influx. People seem like isolated. They seem like can only keep to themselves their 苦衷 ku3 zhong1.
Mini bons. Much the same. To be fair, a small handful have turned up at hl park.
min sum rise, gst rise : sama sama.
HDB construction cost : sama sama. non-political also scared.
When divided, you are forking conquered.
A daft person does not know he is.
If comparing standards of “first-world” countries/economies… We should use “similar” scales of comparisons with variables such as housing and standard of living.
By comparing with developing countries… We’re not effectively able to measure the performance our leaders have done. GDP progress and growth is not the only factor to gauge their performance, rather people’s expectations and market forces for better living standards and quality of life should be used to gauge whether they’re performing.
Ultimately, they’re working for people and better GDP should mean better life for people. Because they are People’s Action Party, they act in the interest of people not just some “selective” group of people. What is a good GDP when there’re retirees(old man and woman) carrying dirty dishes and washing them, while they should be enjoying their retirement after working for so long.
Now low fertility rate is real… Yet our government said to import more foreign people to booat economy and help our people. How is it helping us, when our people simply cannot afford to stop working to boost the birthrate. A vicious cycle of constant slavery indeed.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/19/opinion/19Lepore.html?src=me&ref=homepage
SLAVES , SLAVES, BE SAVE !
We just have to Vote more opposition . Your. FEAR is real.
Make New Party for Sporean
You die your business. Cannot manage shift out of Singapore. You mean you don’t know the mandate we have been giving them for the past 45 years? Not happy, vote carefully.
We singaporeans were already slaves of the PAP, now we get pushed further down by these new foreigners so that our kins
and children become slaves of PAP and foreigners.
The future does NOT look good at all.
Ironically, some MNC practise a very holistic and pro-family and pro-employee HR regime. Select the one you want to work in well.
The problem just started to swell, not much was done from the year 2000.
We walked into the 21st century blind and after 10 years, PAP still has no proper direction, conrete plans, but for themselves.
All they crow about is foreigners are good and talented, yes some are but some are not. Most contribute but in what way?
How did we end up here?
Hardly an examination done, worst
even as problems are being highlighted, solutions are not accepted.
I empathise with Julian Lim, my friend just gave birth to twins, double trouble, we discussed the cost and where things would be heading, half way through we stopped and did not want to go further. It was too mind boggling and the pain of being unable to provide for the kids desires, made thinking ahead painful for him.
@once a singapore mother
i regret that you have migrated. i wish to tell all opposition parties to please and kindly educate our local electorate
as first priority!!
INFORM them about the Adverse IMPACTS of
the incumbent’s Policies that are fast doing us in.
We the ordinary people cannot tell them, you have to educate them so that their eyes open, their ears hear and they must think about the CONSEQUENCES of their vote to give mandate to INFLATE our tiny island with foreigners and more foreigners … it is An INVASION in the making .. worse than worse B-grade movies!
“How have things gotten so seriously wrong?”
Three words, “out of touch”.
@Julian Lim
I read an actual report yesterday.
Overall population grew by nearly 20% to
5+ million in the past 5 years, driven by
strong immigration Intake.
During this period, only 4% rise in our local population, compared with 40% rise in Permanent Residents and a 64% jump in
foreigners working/living in Singapore.
This effectively Changed the mix of the population ratio to 1 out of 3 residents being Foreigner/PR from 1 out of
4 before the last GE.
I would like to plea to readers to go out and attempt to get at least 1 vote for the opposition.
That person won over will then do the same.
We must do the right thing now. There is no time left.
Singaporeans are like dispersed sand particles. There is no strong unity. 70% are chinese.
Chinese have been proven to be well controlled under Communism.
But chinese are the most diverse in the world : they are scattered all over the world. any religion has chinese followers. any culture has chinese.
The chinese are scattered.
We must fight for ourselves.
Many have not woken up.
Many sweep the known valid concerns and problems under their carpets as they are not badly affected when the rest are.
There is no sense of comraderie.
Scattered sands.
The motto is Self-preservation. Money and Greed.
Divided, Isolated, Conquered. Forked.
From what I have read in the newspapers, the Indian Legislature is filled with corrupted politicians, who have a criminal and underworld backgrounds.
YET, today, India is a strong economic power and a country that many MNCS are flooding to.
Today, we have a very fast growing FT Indian population, sweeping thru the majoirty of mid management and upper management jobs in Singapore.
When compared to the criminality involved with the Indian Poilicians, I would say the candiates the Opposition have put in place are respctable, educated and honorable Gentlemen and Ladies who have come forward to serve.
If India can survive, I am sure Singapore WILL survive with the standard of Opposition that we have.
Singapore WILL continue to grow.
VOTE OPPOSITION. VOTE FOR YOUR FUTURE.
okay
just give birth to your baby
you can’t stop it from coming out, can you?
Too late already to think so many things
Go and buy your diapers and get ready to give out a baby
and don’t forget
to COLLECT yout baby bonus
and be Happy !
well said Vote.Singapore!
Taiwan, Korea, and even Indonesia etc all have or are enjoying high growth, and some has hight per capita GDP growth than Singapore. And what political system do they have? Not a one-party system. Some even has fist fights in parliment! One other place with a one-party rule AND high growth is Communist China. Now – is China copying Singapore? Or PAP copying Communist China?
Reality 1: If you pore over global statistics, it is a common trend that as the population becomes better educated, fertility rates drop. This phenomenon is known as the demographic-economic paradox.
Reality 2: We live in a competitive world. The Chinese, the Indians and our neighbours will not stamp on the brakes and let us keep our lead if we decide to go easy.
Reality 3: Our predicament is captive to our small size and lack of natural resources. We have little choice but to strive harder to ensure that we remain fit and strong for the race. Not only are there are no consolation prizes if we fall out but if we do not keep making the winning trades, we will gradually lose our relevance and fade into oblivion.
Reality 4: Our only edge is to be better organised so that we can be in a position to capitalise on any opportunities that present themselves whilst the rest of the competition are still in the process of keeping their houses in order or still figuring things out. Since we don’t know exactly how and when those opportunities will surface, we can only prepare for them by upskilling ourselves so that when the time comes, we’d be ready.
These are realities that no matter who is in power will have to confront. It’s either we continue this track or we change course, but we need to be careful of what we wish for.
I think Indians very smart, they should be able to get rid of Corruption right?
Afterall, their IT skill good good or not?
Good. hahaha so happy. Talented talents.
Yahooooo!
Goooogoool!
Meeboooooo!
Orakooo!
Nanooooo!
The point is, jobs will be lost, when businesses that taps into all subsidies can no longer do so, but think again, will these businesses survive elsewhere, after using our nation’s resources, and with some on tax free holidays, most likely not, if they cannot survive without 16% tax and all subsidies given out, where can they find a LEVEL PLAYING FIELD ?
Unless, our neightbours hand out same or less than 16% tax and much more subsidies. But then, with our neighbours employment restrictions, businesses will wish to go elsewhere. Indonesia and Thailand has strict retrenchments benefits of 6 months minimum payment. Not sure about Malaysia. With the Thai and Indonesian gov almost nil reserves and no cheap money or ability to tap the funds or provident funds of the workers, not much luck here.
Taxes, well, they look after themselves first, then maybe some money to go into infastructure and being a huge land mass, do you think there will be enough to go around. Funds for private businesses, subsidy, wait, tell me how many will be employed and what level.
So, if most of you seem to think jobs will be lost, think again.
But then, with the certainty of riots when such a scenerio appears, the gov has to cut the MASS IMPORTS of slaves and maybe like the German gov, pay them off, to go home, and may the equilibrium of work available = locals expectation.
Yes, HDB flat prices will fall, but to what extend when the older flats and newer ones(built too close) are torn down, of course, buyers=sellers market will prevail singapore being such LIMITED land.
Will the DAFT singaporeans see this, no, they are LIVING in GREAT FEAR, OF EVERYTHING…….??????
AND ANYTHING !!!
Q: What’s the difference between me and SG ministers tackling low fertility rate?
A: Salary (+ Bonus). I’m clueless in solving the low fertility rate, and so are they.
Old Guy
Go and BUY your diapers and get ready to give out a baby
………………..
well spoken ole fart guy…
the very words i am lookin..
go and BUY….
so we BUY this that everythingiie
when time to surf national service
we BUY the sar21 rifles as well?
so voters..remember the keywords
BUY! BUY!! BYE!!!
@Pro-singapore
u are upper-class joining the discussion on praising pap again? pap in disguise
@Realities
the reality of pap coming out to scare /
frighten / warn us yet again
Except our nation Singapore is no longer
recognisable, even by us locals !!!
@Realities
u speak exactly as the pap men themselves
u must be them!
I am disgusted with painting a simplistic picture of the misery in Singapore by such articles.
The govt policies are inadequate and does not cover enough.
We should stop making the govt doing business but rather take care of the people.
This kind of weak appeal for help is not good at this time.
We need a strong signal.
@Pro-Singapore/Realities
If you dun belong to the elite group who do not experience the pain that average Singaporeans are going through, you must be a foreigner or new citizen.
Singaporeans work hard to ensure that our ministers are well paid and well fed. We made sacrifices because we believe it is for the good of the nation. We struggle against the high cost of living, accept low pay and just hope to make ends meet. At the end of the day, we are labelled daft. Our leaders are ingrates. They do not deserve our votes anymore.
Why are there so many good opposition candidates surfacing? This is because they hear your voices and your complain and they need you to give them your support to speak up for you. They understand your concern and grievances so please do give them a chance otherwise in the next general election there will not be anyone else to speak up for us.
aiyah anyhow vote lah whether the papies or the opps are your mps or ministers make no diference one lah what big idea they got in this little red dot is the same one another 40 years will only see our country getting weaker and weaker so get your money and run away why contribute to the gahment when they will spend your money elsewhere that you dont even know or realise sorry lah i just a small people a small deal only
@no rest/no fool
I am voicing my opinions as it is, there is no need to insinuate. Please just ponder for a moment and tell me objectively if there is totally no concurrence with the points I’ve raised.
@Best4Singapore
I am born a Singaporean. Served NS, still doing reservist, have a young family, takes public transport and leading a very Singaporean life.
If housing, transport, utilities, medical cost, education costs are less expensive in Singapore, I would of surely want to spend more time making more babies. But I can’t. I need to spend more time working to make ends meet. That’s the reality here. My MP came by for house visit last time (seen him only once in 5 years) and tell me that I should have more kids. He said he has 4 already. But he forgot to say that he has a 5 figure monthly salary, can afford maid, can afford wife being full-time housewife (if need-be), can afford best education for kids, can afford private property(ies). I can’t!!! So I am contended with only 1 kid. Am I wrong?
@Realities
Reality 1 – Agree with you
Reality 2 – To a certain extent. We’re not exactly competing in the same race. China mass produces toys, shoes, clothes etc. Indian provides outsorucing services. Singapore is supposed to be financial services, education, and tourism driven. Competition comes in the form of jobs here, which arises from the lax immigration policy.
Reality 3 – We are already drifting slowly to irrelevance. Shanghai and Mumbai will be the financial centres for China and India respectively. They don’t need Singapore as an intermediary. Building IRs and casinos will not stop this drift.
Reality 4 – What makes you think the competition has not already figured things out before us? What do you wish to upgrade when you don’t even know what’s going to present itself? Sure, you can improve soft skills but what else?
I have nothing against you, but your views sound too academic.
Yes, some other countries do provide better maternity benefits like Sweden and the UK, but have you considered their astronomical tax rates that pay for it in the first place? It’s more than 50% in all Scandinavian countries and around 40% + 11% in the UK. You are still paying for your own maternity benefits anyway!