Eng Cheong /
个人的事再大也是小事。国家的事再小也是大事。
The above words in English means “However big a personal issue is, it is still a small issue. But however small a country issue is, it is still a big issue”.
Upgrading
At every election, there is one single thing that the government will do – upgrading of flats and precinct. I believe that everyone knows the real reason why multi-million dollar upgrading programs are unveiled at this time, although the majority chooses not to talk about it openly.
If you look at the letters published in the papers, people talk about how they are contented with the current situation or what our country has achieved since independence. They are happy and cannot imagine what will happen if they wake up on the 8th of May to find that the value of their house dropped from 400k to 200k. It is an asset which they have worked so hard to pay for in the last 30 years. Others are very pleased with the upgrading programs that they have been getting, and cannot imagine what to do if they do not get a fresh coat of paint every 5 years. They want the value of their home to appreciate. This is a personal interest.
This “personal interest” tactic is one the ruling party adopts over and over again. Recently, an NUS student asked PM Lee why flats in opposition wards are last in queue for upgrading, and it was confirmed by PM Lee that he has to take care of PAP wards first because those residents supported PAP. This was further reinforced by MM Lee when he guaranteed voters will regret if they vote opposition. The value of their flats will drop and upgrading plans won’t be carried out.
As a responsible government, how can the People’s Action Party (PAP) discriminate against Singaporeans by dividing us this way? It is well-known that their salary and the money used for upgrading comes from all of us taxpayers. They are supposed to provide fair treatment to all citizens and not utilize such funds for their sole interest of gaining votes. In fact, if they really want to win the opposition wards over, they should not just dangle carrots, but give them out wholeheartedly even when they lose.
I, too, am a normal Singaporean living in an HDB flat. Of course I would like the value of my flat to appreciate over time (again personal interest), but not at such a rate that is much faster than how our salary grows. Every time you think of how the value of your flat goes up, try thinking of those who are less fortunate in terms of affording a flat. Not everybody is eligible to rent a flat from the government, and for those who have to rent from the open market, the rental is tied to resale value, which they cannot afford.
Recently, both the Worker’s Party (WP) and PAP candidate for Hougang were asked “What do the residents need?” The WP candidate said that they needed someone who is caring, responsible and who can help them. In contrast, the PAP candidate said that they needed lift upgrading, more covered walkways and education assistance. Which answer do you prefer?
Lift upgrading is not supposed to be a gift from the government. It was because back in the ‘70s and ‘80s, housing people was more important so HDB did not provide a lift landing at every floor so as to keep building costs low. If they are making up for it now, they should not make it appear a new idea, as if we owe it to them to do something they should already have done.
Singaporeans are well-travelled and well-educated compared to a generation ago. Just take a look, which country has more covered walkways than we do? While we are in a tropical country, do we need to be so sheltered that we cannot even carry an umbrella on a rainy day?
There is a joke I am reminded of every year during in-camp training. When asked to provide suggestions as part of the improvement process, there will always be a who would suggest building a covered walkway from our unit to the cookhouse, which is just 50m away. It never got implemented, maybe because we soldiers do not need to vote in the SAF.
High Cost of Housing
Why are people marrying in their 30s? A few years back, one of my new colleagues from a neighbouring country laughed when she heard that in Singapore, couples wait for flats to get married. On the one hand, the government wants us to get married early and to boost the declining birth rate. But on the other hand, our MM Lee is saying that Singaporeans are impatient in waiting for their flats.
There are two reasons for the impatience. Firstly, not all marriages are so well-planned that you can do it five years in advance. When you feel like marrying, you just want to get married. Sure, you can rent, but why waste money to pay for something which does not belong to you in the end?
Secondly, everyone is worried about the rising cost of new flats. I don’t believe that young couples find it affordable anymore, because I have taken that route before. In 1993, my parents bought a new flat for about $95 psf at the lowest range. In 2004, my new flat was $173 psf at the lowest range.
That is an 82% increase in 11 years. A latest check on HDB (2011) for a new flat at my estate was $289,000, which is $295 psf, and translates to paying $1,144 per month on a 30-year loan. This is a 70% increase in seven years. If this sounds much higher than what you thought, it is because the sizes of new flats are smaller, and it is only fair that I compare it based on psf.
Scenario
Assuming you and your spouse are now 30 – 35 years old and are buying a new 4-rm flat of the lowest range. If you want to pay for the flat fully using your CPF, it means that both of you need to have $572 every month on your ordinary account (OA) till you are 60 – 65 years old. As OA contribution reduces based on age, this is how much you need to earn every month to ensure timely payment on your loan.
| Age | OA contribution | Salary | Monthly OA |
| 35 & below | 23 % | $2487 | $572 |
| 35 – 45 | 21 % | $2724 | $572 |
| 45 – 50 | 19 % | $3011 | $572 |
| 50 – 55 | 13 % | $4400 | $572
|
| 55 – 60 | 11.5 % | $4973 | $572 |
| 60 – 65 | 3.5 % | $5000 | $175 (max) |
| Above 65 | 1 % | NA | $50 (max) |
NOTE: CPF’s salary ceiling has increased to $5000 from Sep 2011 onwards. So you will have to fork out cash beyond 60 years old.
Questions:
• Are you sure you can earn $5000 when you reach 60 years old?
• Are you sure both of you will be working throughout 30 years and earning this kind of salary?
• Are you sure you can achieve the CPF minimum sum of $123,000 (which increases every year) for retirement when you are 65 years old?
• Do you think this scenario is going to get worse or better?
• Are you worried for the next generation or just yourself?
• Do you still believe our minister when he says that flats are still affordable?
Before ending, let me relate a story that I think is much better than Mr Lui Tuck Yew’s.
A man was sentenced to life imprisonment. The first day when he stepped into his cell, things started to go wrong. The spoon for drinking soup had holes in it. The fish had a mouse-trap-like spring that poked into his jaw when he eats it. The chair he sits on is made up of knives that injured him. When he fell down on the floor, he sat on nails. And there are other traps that hurt him faster than he can react. He realized this is not a normal cell, but a torture chamber.
Then, he saw a small opening in the wall, and began to dig until it was large enough to crawl through. Outside lay a green patch of land with flowers and a clear blue sky. He wanted to get out, but was very worried. What if there was a chopper waiting at the other side of the wall that will drop on him and slice off his head when he sticks it out? So for the next 50 years, he just sat at his cell every day, looking out to the green pastures and the clear blue sky.
Do you have the courage to go through that opening?
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SAVE our next generation children from DEBTS.
Share with your friends the lyrics of the links is so heart warming
http://www.youtube.com/user/project2O11#p/a/u/0/p1tzIRkIFs0
That we are mired with a govt that purports to be a democracy is our own undoing because we acquiesced unawares to a one-party system and today the reality is far from it. It is a pseudo-democracy and it is in expereince a dictatorship. Singaporeans have been for much too long deluding themselves that they have an accountable, responsible, just and transparent govt. It is a myth – the reality is that it stinks from all quarters! Even if one tries to obtain info or .., one is more likely to run into a bureaucratic cul-de-sac. If they really “listened” n not hear they would have made a big difference to many lives and Singaporeans would be proud of them as a government or what-have-u.
Singaporeans are in a relatively unfavorable and in a sorry state in many ways – eg, high cost of living has been oversold as higher standard of livng, so-called subsidized HDB flats though claimed to be offered at reasonable prices is in fact most likely untrue and no independent source(s) have yet to or has it ever been verified. HDB has never and doubt it will ever release the actual costing (costs) or how they came about with this pricing. Why the secrecy? No one owns any HDB flat – it is being leased at an exorbitant rate and top of that tenants (that is the reality) pay for the building costs of each unit n incur property tax which should actually be borne by HDB. Muse over this – Does one rent a room and pay the landlord for the cost of the unit and foot the property tax bills?
All that is palpable is HDB fattening itself on $$$ and if it is not rationalizing, it is hoodwinking the citizens into believing half-truths and sadly roped in a conniving media (we dont have a msm, a lame one – yes!) to prop itself up and propagate its one-sided stories n truth-sounding lies.
Also, the incumbent ruling party/govt keeps harping on this: that other models or so-called political models (eg multi-party/proportional representation) are unsuited for Singapore and it must be discouraged or eschewed at any cost;of course, it is utter rubbish and crap and one has to be an imbecile to subcribe to such rantings! Beware, it is a ploy to perpetuate power and the rationale and arguments put forth seems at best hollow and dubious. Citizens ought to be able to decide and it is thro wise voting. To be dictated to as to what is ‘good’ for the citizens is not being democratic but telling people that u are not wise, u are immature – ‘let me decide’. They have decided enough and ENOUGH IS ENOUGH.
Is not this being enslaved to a system (one-party state) that is choking and stultifying us in many ways?
Eg, this bullshit about ‘Swiss standards’ or ‘good’ years simply vaporized! what an insult! Why is there no longer this mention of attaining Swiss standards. ‘It was talking cock’ during elections. It was futurizing and the reality today is, to cite a jarring eg. PMETs are driving taxis, wating on tables and … add on.
From health to education to transport n CPF … – all one way traffic (almost opaque). Who are these people who sit in committees or bodies that make recommendations or implement …? people who are ostensibly yes-man/woman!
Why? Simply, cos the one-party system favours PAP”s style of governance. It was NEVER transparent nor accountable to the people (citizens) and doubt it will as long as the one-party system remains.
Does Singapore ministries/ govt depts have an OMBUDSMEN? Do we have checks n balances? Who is checking whom? Imagine an independent organisation or an oppostion party – it would make a BIG difference. The so-called ‘’self-check” mechanisms are at its best lip service gestures, cursory and perfuntory and at its worse, sadly spurious!
These are questions that Singaporeans need to seriously consider when they vote and hopefully not be simply be swayed by short-term money handouts or rebates or for that matter, eg, the upgrading programs that had been recently announced. All of us know , ti will eventaully be recouped (hidden) through price escalation/increases in medical,tranport, …. add on
Also, the FT (foreign ‘talent’ in quotes cos the incument govt defined and decided which or what is .., on close scrutiny it seems so facetiously shallow) policy is not in the favour of SIngaporeans but to the advantage of the govt. Do other countries allow foreigners to take up PR/citizenship so VERY easily and facilitate them and what is worse is that Singaporeans who were born here and in some ways directy/indirectly contributed to the country have to COMPETE for jobs, schools and who knows what else is to come.
Why accord preferences (preferential treatment) to foreigners when NS is concerned? It is criminally unfair! Utter shame that it has come to this. This is a self-serving policy.
The benefit(s) of FT policy to the citizens is a mere trickle effect! It seems more of a political tool to leverage (and benefit) during elections. Lest one forgets, higher poplulation means higher GDP = means higher salaries for ministers and their cohorts cos salaries are pegged to GDP. For political orthodoxy/patronage n personal gains, Singaporeans have been (and are being) sacrificed and pawned.Does anyone know or heard of any country allowing foreigners on a social visit(toruist) pass to seek employment while they are in that particular country?
Foreigners dont create jobs, on the contrary locals forgoing market-rate wages are SUBSIDIZING EMPLOYERS N FOREIGNERS. Hence, the resistance to a polcy of minimum-wages.
Winners are MIWS and Employers.
Losers are Singapoerans!
By ignoring the realities we are unwittingly perpetuating ‘ tyranny’. The crime of ‘tyranny’ would persist as long as we are complicit and stay non-chalant to this charade.
Singaporeans, need to wake up and disallow these state of affairs to persist and seriously consider a two/multi party system. It may not be perfect but is all hunky dory now?
The past does not equal the future. There is no nation, no country, individuals make up that nation or country. It is the quality of individuals that makes or breaks a nation/country. Life without dignity is worthless. Hopefully Singaporeans understand and vote sensibly and vote for BIG changes.
7th of May can be likened to D-day – either it is going to be that of PAP-Singapore or Singaporeans-Singapore.
When fools abide, rascals get voted in.
Will we be penny-wise, pound foolish again by throwing good money after bad money?
Upgrading is paying it with my own money. It is a rotten deception of vote baiting. People got sick of this cynical blackmail of pork barrel politics and worse still it does nothing to resolves our national economic crisis. This elite political class loves only money, power and fame and thinks, incorrectly that money bait will buy our souls.
A lot of those wealthier ones resent this treatment. It is one reason why some professional has turned against PAP.
Well George Yeo is spelling out some hard truths of electoral mood change and Singaporeans can think this over on cooling-off day.
http://sg.news.yahoo.com/blogs/singaporescene/minister-george-yeo-transformed-pap-155058643.html#mwpphu-container
Just look at his facial sombre expression. He knows his odds I believe.
very sorry to say they controlled the media for 50 over years this they will still win very big, I want to cry that’s why I havent sleep at this hour..!!!
see temasek review: Singaporeans will pay a very very dear price after 7 May 2011 – how they control us with iron first and how they dilute our citizen population soon!!
also see article about pap credibilty lost
Never mind whether you have the courage … in the first place do you have the confidence to continue to give PAP absolute power. The abuses of power of the present government are finally coming home to roost. Look at the quality of opposition candidates and the (lack of) quality of some PAP candidates and you know things have changed. Things are obviously bad enough that such a diverse slate of people have decided that it is time for change. Look at which party has run the least ethical campaign and you know thngs have changed. Look at how the PAP itself is falling apart with ministers stumbling to apologise and contradict what other ministers have said and you know things have changed. And now George Yeo says PAP needs to change – this is the message on the eve of voting day? So even George Yeo acknowledges that change must come but being PAP, he only wants change which involves PAP being voted in.
During financial crisis many citizens were encouraged to work as insurance or house agents. These have profitted from jacked up price due to influx.
Would these Singaporeans be so self less as to vote for opposition when the higher or crazier hdb price is the more zeroes in their banks? When these agents no one knows the land cost And construction cost?
Are singaporeans united like the India indians ? I am not confident they are. In times of war, will they fight or join the enemy for self interest?
Many agents are well aware country’s problems with leadership. However, its likely selfish self interest is what they ‘pray’ every day.
Humanity.
Ask yourself if you can afford HDB and can you compete with lower lower pay?
If you cannot, the choice is clear.
They wont change lah, they just need to win and the fix the gaps so that your votes will not be heard by next GE.
Remember 1M foreigners waiting at flood gate.
Nowadays dealership and leadership are synonimous when money and material are concerned. Only people with heartship can emphatise people with hardship.
This is the last election for true blue Singaporeans to fight for our rights before more foreigners are converted to new citizens. Can Singaporeans AFFORD it?
The Americans love saying this: If ain’t broke, don’t fix it. Voters in Singapore want to have a change because the PAP has lost touch with its citizens with their obsession on GDP growth and their salaries. Foreigners raise profits for corporations but depressed local wages. Locals slogged to make ends meet while the political leaders continue to live the life of a fat cat. A vote for the PAP is suicidal. To put an end to our suffering, we must vote for the Opposition.
Some of the changes are understandable. Government evolves with its environment, and that environment has become more complex even as the controls have become wobblier, less connected. The terrible twins of globalization and subsidiarity — the sound theory that services are most efficiently delivered by the administrative level closest to the user — now sorely test the ability of national legislatures to respond to challenges at home and abroad. Think of it this way: Trade, the economy and the environment have all gone global while the things that matter most to most of us — health, education and the quality of city life.
Politics and politicians being what they are, the reflex response is to grasp for all remaining power. Once secured, it can be used to exercise political will more easily by overruling rules and rewriting or simply ignoring laws. Power alone is effective in cross-cutting through the silo walls that isolate departments and frustrate co-ordinated policies. Important to all administrations, unfettered manoeuvring room is that much more important to minority governments desperate to maximize limited options and minimize opposition influence.
Good for PAP that’s not nearly good enough for the rest of us. It fuels an inexorable power drift to the opaque political centre, creating what Donald Savoie, Canada’s eminent chronicler of Westminster parliaments, calls “court government.” It’s his clear and credible view that between elections, PAP now operate in the omnipotent manner of kings. Surrounded by subservient cabinet barons, fawning unelected courtiers and answerable to no one, they manage the affairs of state more or less as they please.
PAP are freeing themselves from the chains that once bound them to voters, Parliament, cabinet and party. From bottom to top, from citizen to head of state, every link in those chains is stressed, fractured or broken.
President Bill Clinton has said democracy is the path to greater stability and wealth.
Be AWARE of new MPs pass their BILLS 2U
a) Energy Sector-Sale of Spore Power etc.Why the new MP from this sector?
b) Finance – New MP is from MAS,Why is he being voted into as MP?
c) Defence Sector–New MP why is our defence spent increasing?
We need a LOUDER opposition to STOP them to pass more unknown bills to SPOREAN
Hdb is for living. Not for selling. To invest, invest in other products.
Price held steady, no one lose money. Sell at premium allowed to sell to pr or foreigner (private property). Let private property price continue dictated by market.
Will selffishness and selfpreservation lead to a dis-united people , in any way ? No?
Which man citizen is brave? Many women have stepped forward compared to men.
When self-interest prioritise over people interest, is it not an elitist system?
Time to change the maid:
Hiring Maid
I need your urgent advice about employing a maid. As a busy mother, I need someone reliable to help out at home.
My maid is from Profits Agency Pte (PAP) and she has worked for me for a long time. Her mother worked for my parents and did an excellent job, so I had faithll in her. For several years her performance has been very good, but recently she has become arrogant and insensitive, and is making lots of mistakes.
For examples:
1) She flooded my kitchen – she told me that the drain pipe has blocked (she was supposed to clear it once a month but didn’t). Then she assured me that it is very rare and won’t happen again in the near future. Guess what? It flooded again within a year!
2) She didn’t close a window and my terrier dog escaped. I was so worried cos he is dangerous and could bite lots of people. After the incident, she didn’t apologise and just shrugged her shoulders saying “What to do, it has happened.” Fortunately my neighbor found the dog and we locked it up again.
3) Without consulting me, she has been bringing in strangers for my house’s maintenance work. She says they charge low wages and keep costs down, but they eat my food, make a lot of noise and rest on my bed. I think they even tried to seduce my husband. It stopped feeling like my home, more like a cheap hotel, and I don’t always want to come back at the end of the day.
4) When she first came to work for me, I instructed her to clean the
different parts of the house at least once a week. But for some time she has stopped taking care of the bedrooms of PP and HG; they are now dirty and messy. I asked why and she told me that the kids had been disobedient, so she was neglecting their bedrooms as a punishment (she has forgotten that she is paid to clean all the rooms). Even though my maid has worked for me for many years and I value what she has done in the past, I think she is now getting complacent. Her attitude is imperious and dismissive. She ignores my comments and basically treats my feedback as “noise”. I wrote to
the agency about her behavior; they assured me that they are the best agency around and all their maids are “Commited to Serve” – but I think it is just rhetoric and I don’t see that in her actions. Her salary is much higher than maids in other countries, but the agency say this is to keep her honest and stop her moving to another employer. They say there is a limited supply of maids, and Singapore isn’t big enough for more than one good maid agency, so I should not trust their competitors.
I have to decide whether to renew my maid’s 5-year employment contract.
When we discussed this she said that she is now part of a team, and if I want her I must also accept her friends doing part-time work for me. One friend is very inexperienced, can’t do basic tasks or explain what she intends to do. I suspect that she is actually underage. When interviewed, she only seemed interested in her days-off and visiting Universal Studios.
When she couldn’t answer my questions she stomped her foot and exclaimed, ”I don’t know what to say!” But I am still expected to pay her a high salary.
Now there happen to be a few other maid agencies – Workhard Pte (WP), New Solutions Pte (NSP), Super Personnel Pte (SPP) and Star Domestica Pte (SDP) - that offered me some helpers who seem sincere, genuine and intelligent.
They are keen to work, willing to assist me and have a good attitude. I know that they may take a bit of time to learn how everything works, but frankly I am inclined to give them a chance.
People say that the devil you know is better than one you don’t. But I feel that I can’t tahan my current maid anymore. Do you think I should sack my current maid and try out a new one?
I think our government is just not getting it. FT are taking over not just blue collar jobs but also white collars jobs that Singaporean can do. I have been in the work force for 20 years and the face of employment opportunities has changed so much… so much against Singaporean. I am a white collar employee and here’s my recent encounter.
My Ex-MD is a Indian National, since I joined this German company. He has been hiring his same kind from India. For those pro-PAP supporters, do help me understand the following:
a. He hired a marketing manager from India to do APAC marketing. However, it’s his first time out of India and never done marketing outside of India. So, no Singaporean can do this marketing role?
b. He hired a Analyst from India. Likewise, first time out of India also. PAP, Singaporean can’t do this role.
c. He hired a sales person, Indian FT also. No experience in regional sales. PAP, Singapore as a hub have not produce Singaporean who is able to do this?
To sum it up, almost 80% of the new hires are Indian FTs. PAP, you called this talents who brings in skills that Singaporean don’t have?
Are they cheap? No, they are not cheap and a recent news in Strait Times mentioned that the average income are S$6-7k per month. PAP, you mean Singaporean are not interested to do such jobs?
To top it up, the HR representative is also an Indian FT.
So this is my experience, not hearsay nor rubbish. So, can PAP or your cronies explain why this happen? Why MOM never even questioned the company? Why WDA never try to put forth Singaporean resume to them?
Lastly, have you notice that there are more and more FTs taking up white collar jobs in the government agencies too.
I think PAP has become arrogant and lazy over the past years. To quote ‘I am a Singaporean, I love Singapore.’
I say give the opposition a chance so as give all Singaporeans some hope for our future.
I will vote PAP because in spite of all the issues change is still best accomplished from within. Or else we have a fractious society. Just look at what happened in the past 9 days. You feel the society stretching at the seams. If we have an unduly strong opposition, we will spend all our time politicking and the population take sides. Unity is paramount once the elections are over.
I do not believe that the PAP is uncaring. It is hard headed not hard hearted. However, it needs to listen to its citizens much much better than what it is doing. I think they have learnt very much from this elections about the feelings on the ground and the party will have to change. I believe George Yeo will lead the change. Of all the leaders in the country now, I think he has the guts, the intellect and the trust of the people to make this historic change. Better to change the PAP than to vote oppositon and risk a fractious society. And George Yeo needs the moral authority to do this. This can come only from him continuing to be in Parliament.
God bless Singapore
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hqiXFcwhr00&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oOa3m4hsl3M&feature=related
The Opposition looks very credible this time.
Smart ^ talented people with honours from Cambridge, Harvard etc are willing to put their careers ”on hold” for us & are not asking for a big salary.
(versus the PAP expensive salaries!…PAP claim they must ”pay-up” to attract talent!).
Question—-so what are we waiting for?
I would be upset on May 8 Morning if opposition has only 2 seats still.
Worst, if they have ZERO & PAP 87.
In the latter event, I would seriously consider to migrate as I dont think I would want to live admist such a lot of people.
let me tell you a realive scenerio ere
everyday..many heartland shops/kopitiams are closin1 by 1..even in subsidise hdb hawkers stalls? if you and your familly hav been in this trade for generations find that you really had no choice butt to raise your prize not because you are a profiteers.. its the costnis by suppliers which they themselves hav to raise in order for them too to survive?
who raised the cost up?
do you peeps need a poll line or a lifeline? in our neigbourin countries..do you find their heartland shops closed or their hawkers retired?
why can our neigbourin countries able to maintain their businesses while singapoorium cannot?
i leave this questions for you all to pondor
I am inspired by Nicole’s speech! Here is a young lady that has true courage to speak the truth! This nation needs to be rejuvenated by youthful and daring vision again!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KvejQcsoGjk
we singaporeans do not live with a heart
anymore
the govt can come on newspaper everyday
to tell us to focus on self and be selfish
other days they tell us to give and donate to charities because too many needy singaporeans
the foreigners policy is all wrong, they
are not correcting it, they are dressing it up for the GE and not answering our genuine questions on this
singaporeans are divided by the govt’s policies and not by this GE
leopards cannot change their spots even
from the inside
Originally Posted by glockman
What will happen in the next 5 years if PAP continue to rule?
April 7th, 2011 | Author: Contributions
If PAP wins the upcoming election in the next 5 years, this is what I predict will happen, I welcome any PAP member to come forward and prove me wrong,
- GST will be raised to 10%
- Tuitions fees in University, Polytechnics & ITE will be raised by 10%-20% each year because Education in Singapore is low
- More ERP gantries will be installed and ERP rate will go up
- Healthcare will increase because currently PAP claim that it is “low” and “manageable”
- Price of Public Housing will increase and PAP will continue to claim that it is affordable
- Reopen the immigration flood gate, remember the ultimate target is 6.5 million
- PUB bills will continue to raise
- Your salary will take 5 years to increase while the salary of the ministers will take 1 year to increase, and the rate of increase is higher than yours
- Public transport fare will be reviewed in Dec’2011 or earlier , and will be raised within 3 months, the formula for the increase will require PHD holder to understand
- MRT will be more packed
- COE/Car price will continue to increase
- We will probably need to pay $100 or more in 2014 to watch the World up and our neighbour continue to enjoy low/free coverage.
- Retail price will be raised in tandem as PAP raise the rental of entities under their control.
- Some of our elders might have to move to JB, as suggested by Mr Khaw Boon Wan
- In 2016, they will be given another Budget Hong Bao and people will vote for PAP again.
Finally, PAP is using Ting Pei Ling as test-water, the most exciting moment is the arrival of Li ShengWu (elder son of Lee Hsien Yang), LKY grandson and he should be 28 years old by then.
Other possible candidates in 2016:
1. Li Honyi (elder son of LHL/Ho Ching)
Li was apparently being groomed for a future leadership role after being awarded a government scholarship to study economics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (in 2008). The Singapore military has served as a training ground for political leaders and executives in state companies.
2. Teo Eng Siang (son of Teo Chee Hean)
Singapore pays S$280,825 for tuition for Teo’s son —
Teo Eng Siang was awarded a Public Service Commission Scholarship in a public ceremony by his own daddy, Singapore Admiral and Minister Teo Chee Hean. Young Teo now(2008) heads for the United States where he will be attending Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island. Brown University is a fashionable Ivy Leage school and has a huge annual tuition of US$42,303, or $US169,202 (S$280,825) for the full four years. Don’t you think there are needier students in Singapore?
3.Warren Mah
Warren Mah, son of Mah Bow Tan, Singapore’s Minister for National Development, is living in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He is on a scholarship to the University of Pennsylvania from the Monetary Authority of Singapore.
Like many things in life, be it a new job or a new relationship, venturing into a new ground would mean uncertainties and likely, a lack of confidence that things may eventually turn out well as hoped for.
However, if we never step out, we will never know.
A note that I read over this GE period that particularly stucks me is the very fact that LKY started out as an opposition as well.
If our parents or grandparents had not allowed him the first step out, would we enjoy the fruit of success now?
While we cannot guarantee that the new faces in the opposition would definitely be as good as the 2 veterans, we have to be fair to note that there are similarly some new faces embedded in the GRC teams sent by the other party as well.
Having said so, I hope that everyone will have the courage to vote with their hearts, a first step out towards the kind of tomorrow we want for ourselves and generations to come; instead of complaining when the verdict is sealed.
singaporean voters kindly watch Hazel Poa
video at Whampoa rally on 30 April 2011
available on GE.SG
each of us is a legitimate citizen of our
singapore
vote with honest courage
I agree with the point that HDB is public housing, and not be treated as an asset to be bought and sold.
More attractively, only when HDB price is low can Singaporeans use their savings to buy other assets.
Hence, the price of HDB must reflect its public housing nature.
Mr Mah Bow Tan, bring in the real cost of building a HDB flat. Why is it so difficult for you to show your hand?
We don’t need super duper HDB flats to justify the high cost.
Yes, we need upgrading but not just glossy outsides that impress viewers not the residents.
Cheap should not be synonymous with being sloppy. HDB flats should be decent but not exorbitant.
Only when HDB prices fall can Singaporeans use their money to invest in real assets.
The PAP should really think of creative ways at asset enhancement of Singaporeans. The HDB flat should just be a small part of it.
Take the gamble, have the courage, make the difference.
My dog is very sick: Should I keep it or euthanize?
My family owns a white papillon, in short we call her “Pap”. She is very sick and we have to quickly come to a conclusion whether to keep her under the observation of our vet or put her to sleep. We cannot afford to pay for her bills in the pet hospital for as long as we want because we are not filthy rich folks that earn 15 grand a month; in this dog-eat-dog world we have to save all the resources we can for rainy days, you never know when would a flood destroy everything you have. I heard from a friend that it is painful for dogs to fall sick; they would rather die than fall ill for the sake of their owner’s pocket. We are very sad that it has sunk to this state of despair and desperation. Our greatest regret is we have not brought her to walk around the Universal Studios as we have promised. We can only blame fate as we can’t expect more subsidy or free consultant from the vet. Could anyone help with us in the decision making please?
Pap loves this song called Because You Love Me from Celine Dion, she waggles her tail whenever she hears this part:
For all those times I stood by you
For all the truth that I made you see
For all the joy I brought to your life
For all the wrong that I made right
For every dream I made come true
For all the love you found in me
You’ll be forever thankful baby
I’m the one who held you up
Never let you fall
I’m the one who saw you through through it all
Last August, she participated in the championship as I wanted her to be conferred as one. It was like an Olympic, there were so many other dogs around to compete with. I can’t believe that so many people would want to pay 3 times more for the championship fee than to participate in another typical one. It seems all of us who were there are born suckers. Perhaps it was the amount of money spent in marketing this event and the promise that most of the dogs would go home with a certification of participation that made it so attractive. The organizer even catered dog food for the event, even though most of the dogs leave it untouched. I suspect that Pap’s illness started from food poisoning just like some other dogs in this event. Those dogs who did not consume the food seem healthy and fine till today. We could not put up a case against the organizer as it was only the minority. Bad luck did not stop here, it was later then I realized that the certificate of participation I received did not contain the right signature and the name was for another dog named “Vivian”. We did not blame the organizer since their reasoning is that all humans make mistakes, it was just our bad luck that we chose them.
I adopted Pap 5 years ago from a Spanish friend, and the championship made me discover Pap is a foreign talent as compared to our local breeds. We believe since she is foreign, she must be good! We therefore sign her up involuntarily for a condensed course of 2 years instead of the usual 2.5 years although she hates to leave home. We have faith in her despite her illness, we believe that the training course will make her stronger and probably speed up her recovery. In this course, they were trained to defend their masters and protect the home. We were happy that she completed the course with only minor injuries e.g. hair line fractures in her hind leg as some dogs were killed in accidents during the trainings. We did not blame the trainers as the training is safety certified and that we are guaranteed that the probability of an accident happening is as little as an Apache loses control and then manages to land on an empty parcel of land safely.
Because of her illness, she has become unreliable to guarding our home even though she was sent for training earlier. I remember it was 27 February 2008 when a burglar broke into our house from an unsecured toilet window and stole all our valuables (2 million dollars’ worth of loot). He escaped from the same window without Pap noticing him since she was soundly asleep at the main door. When we came home and discovered the break-in, we let Pap took a sniff around the house for the foreign scent and it took her awhile before she started tracking the scent all the way to the woods nearby. We combed the forest for hours and hours but in vain. Thankfully the burglar was caught by the Malaysian police sometime later. It was found out that instead of the forest, he escaped and hid himself in his relative’s house! We were bewildered how Pap led us to the forest instead. We did not blame her, since we chose her to guard the house door instead of engaging another party and it was our mistake for not securing the window properly.
After we have decommissioned her role as our faithful guard, Pap has been digging holes all over my yard for no good reason. If there is one reason, I think she must be really bored. All her constant nonsensical destruction and construction caused huge pools of rain water to form all over the places when it rains. Worse still, the rain washes the loosen soil into the drain and clogged them up. It was so bad that whenever it rains, our house get flooded. Bad things do not come alone; on 23 Jul 2010 the coconut tree in my yard fell and smashed my car into pieces due to soil erosion. What is the odd of having a car crashed by a tree? I read in the news that it is the same probability that a country gets flooded in multiple places consecutively for over a few months; this equates to once in 50 years. We must have been very unlucky then. After wearing the cone of shame, only recently that Pap started not to create any more such water catchment or retention areas. Again, we did not blame her, since we should have engaged an external party to make over the yard earlier, clear the drain more regularly and check the coconut tree for defects.
Despite our tender loving care, she has become insensitive to our feelings and less intellectual. We call for her but she does not respond to us anymore! She only responds to the Neighbour’s Shar-Pei from China. It seems like she enjoyed his company so much so that she let him through our doors and into her kennel! During times of his occupancy, she would guard the kennel and not let us go near. We would always have to wait for him to vacant the kennel before we can go clean up his waste. We would always complain to Pap about letting a stranger into her own kennel and she has to sleep without a roof over her head instead, but she would just stomped her foot and gave us a blank look as if expressing “I don’t know what to say”. She even let him eat her share of food and she only took whatever is left. We cannot blame her for doing so as she must be in heat and love is blind, and perhaps this may help us create an increasing population of new breeds! Regardless of origin, it has been recommended that the dogs cross breed and have multiple mates so as to increase the numbers of new breeds. We are also hopeful that we might even be rewarded and get sponsored for this breeding program, even though we might not be able buy a golden tap in my toilet, Herman Miller chair in my study room and CDPRO2 in the living room; at least we can get unlimited supply of peanuts to go with porridge. However, as the hard truth mentioned, not all breeds can integrate.
My home finance minister has been asking me to make a few major changes to my life so that we can keep Pap as long as she lives. She said that I have to forsake my plan of getting a Herman Miller chair in my study room as long Pap is sick. Not just that, she has also forbidden me to see my friends who are said to have visited the Integrated Resort and had most of their money disintegrated. She has been asking me to take the train to work instead of buying a car that comes with the paper that cost 5 figures and pay countless ERPs then still get stuck in jams, on top of that, also have to pay road tax and insurance. I am so sad, my spirit is strong but flesh is weak. I argued that the MRT line does not have wifi or 3G coverage for me to surf my iPad continuously but she countered that it will be installed in a few years’ time as someone complain about it in the papers already! She even asked me to reduce Ah Boy’s compulsory tuition from twice a week to once a week so that we can save some money. Her bet is that his school teachers would probably save him when he is at the verge of dropping out from the education system. She added that her only worry for Ah Boy is that his teachers better be sponsored scholars and not pedophiles. She also commanded me to surrender my growth dividends of few hundred bucks and reminded me to beg my boss for more bonuses. On what basis for more bonuses I asked her when my fellow colleagues from India and China are only drawing half of my salary and they cannot wait to take over my position even at a lower pay! She smiled and quoted that if our ministers are getting a total of 36.5 months of pay out mainly from bonuses plus their basic salary, you should too! Moreover, as inflation comes into effect repeatedly, salary should be adjusted upwards constantly! “We were lucky that the new ruling did not affect us! Maybe we can even sell our flat in Bishan for a half a million and make instant profit instead of collecting monthly rental. If there is a chance that Aljunied property price will fall if the opposition takes over, the same might happen to Bishan if what MM said is true! I was correct that the HDB flat prices will bubble and double when we bought ours in Bishan! I might be correct again to sell now…” she exclaimed. I was totally dumbfounded, do we really need to go to that extend for Pap? I cannot blame her, Pap has been her close companion for too long a time to let go so easily. The hard truth is that we cannot leave this to luck, even if we wish to win some fortune from 4D or TOTO, we still have to go to Singapore Pools to place a bet, just like how operators found their way to the heartland areas to ferry people to the Integrated Resorts to gamble. No matter what, we have to take a gamble to see the change.
well, mbt and the rest unfortunately tmr at least win 85-86 seats like the past 50 years, cos the traditional media which they control the elders still outnumber greatly the online community as it is biased favourably towards pappies… so if oppo wins is a great miracle. I salute them for the commitments and great effort through. cos there are great disadvantages that they are facing..
from grc advantages, short polling days, electorate and voting counting biase, cooling day magic..
be prepared for foreigners to flood in at least 900k to dilute our populations, it is good to have foreigners, but the control and balance was lost.
also, be prepared more oppo members are sued like the previous, and also many more oppo members dont come out to serve again… what a day tomorrow
sorry… singaporeans dont have the good fortune cos they are too greedy, too short sighted.
i vote for my nieces and newphews who will carry more debts and bills and next generations, not just for the sake of opposition.
All those opposition rally supporters have done too little too late. If each of them reach out to 1 non-supporter, result may be different.
Lets brace ourselves for tomorrow.
To all Singaporean, pls vote for opoistions tomorrow to secure your future.
Every vote count – Let’s be united in talk and action !!!
IMO , The ruling elite will change most likely in a positive way because the opposition candidates and the voices of alternative media and the crowds that throng the rallies have brought out those long suppressed feelings out in the open in a huge way.
So no matter what , i think things cannot get more worse than they already are coz if it did , next elections in another 5 years time will no longer be a choice of more opposition voices but a vote for an alternative government instead .
Many posting here talking to opposition supporters. Wasting time because our minds have been made up.
Its too late now.
In today’s Singapore courage is hard to come by….
Beyond voters leaving perceived fear…
Bravery is reported to be expressed by the Health Minister.
Courage to press for change in PAP was attributed by the press to the Foreign Minister. Soul searching even within practical limits need a lot of courage to face the ugly painted pictures of seeming arrogance, unjustified high salaries vis a vis overall citizens needing assistance, millionaire foreigners raising housing cost, etc, & cheap foreign professionals crowding out citizens, perceived heartless policy makers dealing with poor & needy,and ” you die your own business” analogy…
Courage is needed to stop the ugly pictures & avoid the slippery road
It had been said that a leader must take account of accountablity.
There is hope with this watershed election for all Singapore to move forward & be stronger as aunited nation.
alamak
hope to see the vote results leh;
maybe something more interesting than last time vote results la
very tired liao…
Go Go Go!
Time to change,
It’s too late.
Time to change,
It’s over bake.
Time to change,
I’m really HATE.
It’s a BEAUTIFUL day, folks!! Heaven is smiling on us!
TODAY is OUR day!
TODAY is the REAL once-in-50-years happening!
TODAY, WE decide if the PAP’s performance for the last 5 years was good or bad!
TODAY, WE hold the key to OUR future!
TODAY, WE hold the power of OUR govt!
TODAY, WE stand up proudly as Singaporeans!
TODAY, it is WE who count!
Best wishes to my fellow-Singaporeans! May God guide you in your choice!
i have been courageous from the day i can vote , but my balls are getting smaller after each election , i guess others are much bigger
@traveller
You seem to be pro Singapore and wanting change but do not want to change the status quo
Have you heard of the famous phrase you cannot make an omlette with breaking some eggs. Change cannot take place without us pushing them on. With a leadership system similar to the Vatican (the pope choses the bishops and bishops chooses the pope) there is no way change will take place because everyone is trying to protect their own position
So tell me do you still think change will come the PAP? Do you seriously think they have learnt their lesson even after 50 years in power? Will the people’s legitimate concerns ever be address without some sort of intervention from the people? Think about it, I can understand you want stability but you must break mountains to bulid a road there is no 2 ways about it.
I voted today. I vote against fear and vote for change. OnWard WP!
Separately I noticed the order in the ballot paper has changed!
Was pap then wp then but today is wp then pap! Is the white uniform playing tricks to confused older voters ;(
A very Hot Morning . Crowds streaming in and out at my Voting Centre . Brisk Business at nearby coffeeshop & never ending hands waving for taxis .
Very smooth process , you don’t even feel the wait . Everything was orderly and quick . Some even wave at the police manning the stations as they leave .
lolx
lolx
Many of my friends and I will be joining Opposition as Members to CONTINUE the fight with Self-Preservation Self-Interest-over-people-interest.
We disapprove many of their policies especially on ACCOUNTABILITY and TRANSPARENCY.
Continueing to vote PAP, we are convinced , will not bring us there.
There are many smart people who knows what are wrong BUT purposely continue to support, for their own interest, not the interest of the people.
People like me will continue to Fight these people.
These have proven UnChangeable.
They benefit from the system the most and will not dare to change it even if they know better than many what is wrong.
The Fight will last my lifetime. i have dedicated myself to fight these people.
this nation has been DIVIDED.
Dear Voters of Singapore,
Whenever my constituency have election, I voted for the opposition every time because I saw the government misused its powers ON the opposition wards causing them to suffer and trying to force all the voters of Singapore to vote for the PAP thru giving carrots and threats.
I can ensured you that your vote is secret as no one came and tell me that I have voted for the opposition.
So rest assured that you are safe from anyone knowing who you voted for. I am a living example.
This GE is not about the PAP vs The Opposition. It is about who do you want to represent you (average Singaporeans).
Do you want to vote the previous 82 PAP+4 MPs to represent your views in the Parliament?
For the last five years did your 82 PAP MPs voiced your concerns and issues and still voted yes to every prosposed Bills that were passed in Parliament.
The PAP MPs do not have a choice unless the Political Whip was lifted for them to do so.
So from here, you can see the PAP MPs can voiced out all your concerns and issues but unable to vote according to their beliefs and conviction.
So all those who voted for the PAP, they have to live with their “yes”.
In our small country, I understand why there are those “diehard PAP supporters”. These may be oldman Lee, LHL, GCT, ministers and the PAP party members some of which immediate members of the family, next of kin and employees of the PAP.
Everyone of the above have their own self interests to protect which is part of our human nature (ie. self preservation).
Similarly, the average Singaporeans and the middle income group also have their self interests to protect. They are: the present situation we are in (FT taking our jobs), our future and children’s future.
90% of the average Singaporeans must take the stand and have the courage and conviction to vote for all opposition parties in just like the residents of Hougang and Potong Pasir who decided to reject the PAP candidates during the last election.
A lot of PAP diehards feared Singapore will be gone if this should happen. I believe there is no such thing as indispensable people in Singapore even if we do not have oldman, his son, PAP ministers and the PAP party, Singapore will still be around. No one is indispensable. Remember, NO ONE LIVES FOREVER.
Everything will evolved. There are many more capable people who take charge of Singapore.
The residents of Potong Pasir and Hougang are living examples of having the courage and will to stand against the double standard of the PAP who constantly abused their powers over the opposition wards as well as the voters of Singapore.
Singaporeans must not let these politicians plant fears into their lives forever and be their slaves instead we must be the bosses who will decide who we want to become our next government.
Your vote will determine our country’s future as well as our own future.
The people who feared the most are oldman Lee, his son, PAP ministers and the PAP party members which make up less than 10% of the population.
Remember, his son promised “to take care of us” during the last election. Oldman Lee threatened all the voters of Singapore during every election.
If the PAP should win, Singaporeans are saying that do not mind the double standard that PAP government imposed all the average Singaporeans and the way they treat the opposition wards.
If this happened, all Singaporeans will suffer for the next five years of misery and lose their voting powers due to foreigners displacing us thru the PAP giving citizenship easily.
This election is watershed election for us to decide our future, our children and our grandchildren’s future.
The greatest gift that God has given us is the free will to choose. Let no one threaten and make you lost the ability to choose who you want to be the next government.
Together we stand, divided we fall.
Well the hustle and bustle of GE2011 has ended. It has taken me a few months of soul searching to cast my vote. I had been a PAP supporter since I was eliglible to vote, arguing passionately that PM Lee Kuan Yew and PM Goh Chok Tong are the best things that can happen to us.
As I reflect on the past 5 years, I realized that those leadership days are over. A one-party rule is no longer feasible, practical or desirable. Thus today I value maturity in the political system, a level of maturity where policies proposed by the ruling party are debated by parties outside of the PAP.
I do not know the outcome of the GE2011. Like many, I await the results with much anticipation.
All I know is that unlike the pro-PAP, pro-WP, pro-SDP, pro-RP supporters, I value the results because I am pro-life – a life where unhealthy policies are balanced by healthy debates, all made in Parliament. Where it really matters.
@augustine
I find your post funny. However at the rate your balls are changing, you may end up with no balls a few erections down.
Treasure your balls. It gave birth to your descendants and its strength will smoothen the road for them.
Whoever you vote, it is a good vote when you vote in clear conscience. It is a bad vote only when the brain tells you to go one direction and your balls shrink as a result.
Sporean NEVER LEARN.
ELECTION IS OVER
POOR FELLOWER CITZEN.
PARTIES MEMBER DONT GIVE UP
I am replying to AFriendInNeed. Now that we have a small opposition in Parliament in Aljunied GRC, although merely a foothold, I would like to suggest that we ask for people who have become victims of elites teaming up with State Institutions to hound them to tell their stories of how they have been harassed. This kind of symbiosis is common in the failed States of the Middle East where the Elites routinely get the secret police on the trail of their enemies to crush them. In these states the tyranny is open, where people are pulled out of their cars and smacked. Here in Singapore it is more covert.Here a prominent personality close to the Govt, frequently a ‘top’lawyer, calls his friends in the ISD to do the job on his enemy. Nowadays because of the bad press on Muslims, MUIS is also a great player. Together, in one case, MUIS and the ISD weave a web of lies into the personal identity electronic records of of their targets in the ICA. So the hapless citizen is victimized by checks and threats each time he makes an appearance at an Immigration Checkpoint. His complaints to the Authorities typically will not elicit any response or at best negative response. Even the AG will scorn him and refuse the State’s Courts to investigate why he is tormented. The victim is forced into a desperate state of being assailed by unknown forces for undeclared crimes. This will continue until the end of his litigation where he will be soundly trounced by a judge who is also a part of this symbiotic arrangement.
There is an evil symbiotic arrangement between elites and State Institutions which can readily be commandeered to go after the enemies of the elites’ friends. No longer are these premier policing institutions focussed on enemies of the State ( Mas Selamat escaped because the security police are running all over the place in errands for their political masters).
I hope that people will read this posting of mine and yours and add to the narrative, so that we can get a groundswell of evidence of this sort of corruption. You must know that being in control of the electronic identity records is a strategic tool to cow anyone because every aspect of his life can then be monitored and assasinated. This kind of ambush is the sharp edge of States that are consolidating power beyond normal politics. We have got to stop it before it becomes widespread. I have a feeling that it is already widespread but our genteel population do not want to tell of how they have been violated by a string of thuggish State Institutions at the behest of elite lawyers on instructions of clients
Aljunied should lead the way into all the issues. Top of the list is thuggish mafia rogue police state, high Ministerial salaries, foreign workers and other things foreign, a comprehensive economic plan, not just earnings of casinos and prostitutes…
These are the worst performing PAP GRCs in the 2011 GE:
East Coast: 54.83% from 63.86% (2006)
Marine Parade: 56.65% from 72.94% (1992)
Bishan/Toa Payoh: 56.94% (previously walkovers)
Tampines: 57.22% from 68.51% (2006)
No prizes for guessing who or what caused the swing of votes in these 4 GRCs.
Mr Prime Minister/Secretary General, please be brave and do the necessary to improve your party’s standing.
The time has come to bring to books the prime movers of the ISA to destroy political opponents. We should compile a complete list of all those citizens who have been incarcerated without trial for decades by the PAP. We should also list all those who were charged under phony defamation and bankrupted by corrupt judges bending over backwards for their political masters. We have to bring our complaints to the UN Human Rights Council, now when the majority of the prime movers of the ISA are still alive. It does not seem fine when some of these prime movers of the ISD have written biographies of themselves which make no reference at all to their use of the ISA to suppress dissent and opposition political persons. Give another 10 years and you will find that the ISD episodes will be classed as myths because of the great propaganda machines the PAP have put in place and in their full control. And those PAP members who wielded the ISD on their hapless victims so as to remain in power and suckle at the honeypots of the country will laugh their way to their graves. Singaporeans of this generation are in place and in time to seek redress for the shameful acts of the PAP.