Howard Lee
In a sure sign of desperate times, the People Action Party has stooped to a new low.
Fielding none other than the holding (yes, Parliament has dissolved) Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, if for no other reason than to be assured of front page coverage in every daily, the PAP has finally attempted to address the group that they have neglected for so long, loosely termed “the middle income”. Read it here.
Clearly, PAP is aware that they are losing the front on what was purportedly the hot-button issues for the election, since the opposition has taken every opportunity to demonstrate, with real numbers at times, to show how they have not delivered on reducing cost of living and clarified policies on foreign talent. As such, it would seem that they have decided to change tack and start a belated appeal to the middle income.
But why the middle income? Because say what you like about influence of first time voters, it is middle income earners, most well into their working lives, who make up a large percentage of the voting population. Statistics show that we have roughly 1.5 million aged between 30 and 55 – think supporting children and elderly parents, and the term “sandwiched class” pops to mind.
It is a broad generalisation, as middle income and sandwiched class might not be synonymous, but let’s take it that they do form a significant part of the population, and by all counts, this group has been mostly left out of all the goodie bags thrown at the nation all these years. Now, the holding PM would like to take time “to assure (them) that they have not been forgotten, even if they may have felt “a little bit left out from the discussions””.
Lee can say anything he likes now, but the truth is that the middle income has been out of the care equation for a long time. But let’s take it with a pinch of salt, and see what he has to say.
Today reported that, “In particular, he paid attention to this “sandwiched” group’s anxieties over the affordability of public housing – hinting that the income ceiling for a wider range of HDB flats could be tweaked in time to come.”
Only a hint? So much for the PAP chastising the opposition for their lack of concrete plans.
Need I also remind that we are now being served this after holding Minister for National Development, Mr Mah Bow Tan, secured a multi-part series in Today, replicated in his so-called blog and eventually compiled into a book, and subsequently had a six-minute long video produced to the same effect. In this series, Mah took pains to convince us that HDB prices remain affordable for most Singapore families. With 1.5 million middle income earners, I would assume that he was referring to this group.
Yet here we have his boss contradicting him in saying that more can be done. Who are we supposed to take seriously now? More importantly, what concrete steps can we expect to follow from this “hint”?
But there is more to come. Lee claims that education options such as School of the Arts and the ITE colleges have been introduced so that our future generation can “develop their abilities and aptitudes and not everybody has to squeeze everyone though the same narrow funnel”.
Hang on, that sounded like what Reform Party candidate, Ms Vigneswari d/o V Ramachandran, is proposing to do more of at a recent rally. Only difference is, she also brought up the inequalities created by the school streaming system. In a very real sense, the streaming system is the very first narrow funnel that all students go through before they are 12-years old. While ITE has done a great job in training our students for vocations, and I for one am very proud of our ITE graduates, it does not account for the inadequacies of our streaming system.
It ends with an attempt to brush aside all the points that the opposition has brought up in their rally calls – “While there are still other issues which have caused Singaporeans “anxiety or unease”, such as foreign labour, Mr Lee stressed that the Government appreciates and empathises with these concerns and is taking measures to “try to ease the difficulties for Singaporeans”.”
So, after an over-watched television debate has been persistent in telling us that the increasing migrant population will be a hot-button topic, it has now been relegated to “other issues”?
At the end of the article, I felt vaguely insulted, not least because I am one of the “sandwiched class”.
Insulted for being told that the PAP has the most concrete plans for the nation, but now to be given this vague hint of things to come that would not likely bear fruit, unless Mah gets voted out on grounds of incompetence.
Insulted that, to this point, the holding administration has not proposed anything really new to allay the concerns of voters about rising costs of living and immigration policies, preferring instead to fall back on current achievements and Grow-and-Share packages.
Insulted that I am expected to believe that the solution to help the middle class is to grow the middle class – in effect, actually adding more competition and pressure without anything more imaginative to resolve existing issues.
Ok, maybe I wasn’t just vaguely insulted, but if you are one of the “sandwiched class” folks, do let me know what you think. But from my sandwiched perspective, the PAP needs to review its position for this election and stop contradicting itself, or they will start to sound wishy-washy amid the hurly-burly.
The writer is a sandwiched classer. Some people are not. Those are the facts, yes.
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MM is MM. So what? JBJ is JBJ. CSJ is CSJ. Why did he have to inflict such suffering onto them and their families?
Seems like no matter what PAP says, they are wrong -.-
I’m from the sandwich class and I did benefit from some of the housing policies that the govt has introduced. Increasing the income ceiling from 8 to 10k for DBSS for example, was great news.
But now due to populist pressure, the PAP is considering raising the ceiling for BTO as well. I think this will result in more problems as the wait and queue will be longer. And I think that the BTOs are actually affordable. If sandwich-class Sporeans spend less on cars and save more maybe they can save up to pay the downpayment earlier? 5% downpayment of 300k is only 15k, way cheaper than a car right. If you want to be picky and choose from the resale market then that’s a very different matter already.
It seems like most people have echo-ed that they want housing price to be reduced…I’m worried because now I’m already a home owner and the last thing I want is for my house price to go down. I don’t want to be in negative equity … and this will result in a lot of economic distress for home owners with high mortgage debt.
@teo,
House owner! Really? If it is a HDB u are merely paying rent and footing the bill for the building costs/upgrading costs and at the end of it all HDB owns it.
U will make some money, but u will never own it.
Muse over this – would u rent a room and pay the owner propert tax/costs of that unit?
Singaporeans are deluding themselves that they own flats.
It has no mortgage value with a bank/financial institution. it is a misconception and simply deception!
First order of business is to get the Ministerial salaries scaled down several orders of magnitude to levels like any other country..Otherwise we would have to account to future generations of Singaporeans as to how we have been fooled so badly: to believe that the Singapore Cabinet is so special that they have to be paid several fold more than their counterparts in other countries.Because they wont be offered lucrative speaking appointments or book royalties, said the PM. Should we compensate them for their mediocrity on the World stage? The other oft repeated argument by the Ruling Party’s spokesperson for paying them over the moon is that it would prevent them from corruption. I think this must be the real reason, an innate greedy predisposition. .
First order of business is to get the Ministerial salaries scaled down several orders of magnitude to levels like any other country..Otherwise we would have to account to future generations of Singaporeans as to how we have been fooled so badly: to believe that the Singapore Cabinet is so special that they have to be paid several fold more than their counterparts in other countries.Because they wont be offered lucrative speaking appointments or book royalties, said the PM. Should we compensate them for their mediocrity on the World stage? The other oft repeated argument by the Ruling Party’s spokesperson for paying them over the moon is that it would prevent them from corruption. I think this must be the real reason, an innate greedy predisposition.
If a man or woman is paid a fair wage, even at the Ministerial level, s/he will be normal. If overpaid, and overpaid so grossly, madness will overtake her/him. The things that happened to us especially the last five years is a phantasmagoria of a mad screwing of the populace to get more and more money, at all costs, by any means.If we miss this window of opportunity at this election to dismiss them, we will have to fight them like in Egypt, Tunisia and Libya five years down the road.
Don’t ever belief what the PAP says. They are now desperate to buy votes after LHL admitting the mistakes the PAP had been neglecting for the past 5 years! They have been exposed by the opposition candidates and having no where to hide or pretend they have confessed. The PAP has been lying to the Singaporeans for at least the past 5 years. So do you think they have changed to be angels?
Whatever they have to say over the next 2 days before Polling Day, including all their promises, turn a deaf ear to them!
Don’t be tricked over and over again!
Teo,
Property prices will go up because of selling lands at market prices. Neither will they necessarily crash because as MNT says of pegging HDB selling prices at more reasonable cost-plus prices. After all people are not wrong in asking lands acquired for public housing or public use at nominal cost of S$0.70 psf when in the first place such lands are acquired with mandate for public use.
Housing prices will only go go up because of proper economic growth. Land costs and rentals are crucial to our economic competitiveness.
If government is to charge for land costs on public housing and essential services on cost-plus basis like in the construction of MRT, it does not mean we will cause property prices to crash.
The opposite may be true if we look at the whole issue in greater perspective.
Should we sell the HDB flats to the first-timer, more and more younger families will get married earlier and enjoy better disposable incomes which will raise our economic competitiveness.
The wholesale pushing up of housing, transportation and rental is in fact a big mistake in our economic management now.
The Asian Financial Crisis has exposed our vulnerability of such a market-price policy on essential services. People should not have forgotten that many MNCs were moving out of Singapore to lower-cost countries largely because of high rentals and transportation and utility costs, the labor cost being only a minor component.
This major mistake can be corrected now if we will allow Singapore to enjoy greater disposable income, raise families which will truly grow its economy.
Property prices will surely go up in future because of real economic competitiveness.
On the other hand, by pushing up costs of housing and doing businesses in the present trend, we will only shoot ourselves in the feet. Even all the land sales program will flop on its face and property prices will drop like tons of brick.
Please stop supporting opposition.. we need PAP only and if opposition win… we’ll SUFFER FOR NEXT FEW YEARS… if u love singapore.. vote for PAP.. yay!
Yes I fully agree that we have to think of our long term priorities in this election. Much more than just value of our properties, much more than just rising cost, much more than just making sure a terrorist doesnt escape. I am thinking of the future of this nation. My children’s Singapore. I believe we need good leadership and governance to keep us afloat. But from what I see the PAP has to offer this round, the new candidates that the ruling party has scouted from the so-called cream, I am worried. PAP is running out of steam. Is Ms Tin the kind of new generation leader we can count on? What about Mr. Steve Tan, though he jumped ship last minute, he was picked up by the selection process too. Do we really need MM to stand in for Tj Pagar? Without being disrespect to MM, can the constituents of Tj Pagar receive the service and representation expected of their MP for the next 5 years other than a brand name and reputation and track record? Have they been short changed? Are we really so short of capable men and women? Will the PAP come back to tell us that what the ministers are paid now is no longer enough to attract the talents needed, we must up the stake again? If we do not want to fall into this pit we must correct it before it’s too late. Oppositions must get a breakthrough of the GRC system that has limited them for years. Capable and willing men and women who do not fit the PAP mould or do not want to join the PAP camp must see a hope and future in serving the nation in opposition camp. The fear factors that has bounded us must be eradicated and these people must be encouraged to take that step. We are seeing many of them in this election, men and women who fight courageously for a cause they passionately believe in and for their vision of a better Singapore. But if they can’t make that breakthrough this time, i am afraid some of the older fighters will take a step back because of age or health, and some younger ones will be discouraged to fight on. It may be a long time, another generation perhaps, before the number of oppositions can be built up again if they are not given the chance this round. Until then we will be wondering again why no one is there to challenge the PAP, to check and balance, to bring in different perspectives and fresh ideas. Worse, we will be wondering why candidates who don’t meet our expectations cruise into parliament without having to put up a fight at all.
Fight against opposition.. PAP reigns.. they have won all the elections..and they will only win AGAIN this time.. dun be emotional.. give them the 100% mandate…they already say sorry wat more u wan.. vote for pap and ur future will be BRIGHT… only pap can give u sunshine.. only pap can rule singapore.. singapore is only meant for top caibre ministers like mah bow tan, wong kan seng etc… VOTE FOR PAP to sleep at peace…. only pap can give u happiness… only pap can give u those bright future leaders like Tin Peiling.. vote PAP in … no oppositions allowed…YAY
The fundamental problem with the incumbent is they want to make money on everything. Even public housing which is contrary to spirit of public housing else where in the world. The purpose of public housing is to provide cheap affordable decent no frill shelter. That is public housing but today it is big business for the government. The proponents of asset appreciation say rise in price is good but they forgot in order to cash in they must sell the house and definitely downgrade in order to see some money. Not exactly alot but some money. Public property only appreciate for a certain number of years before it starts depreciating due to a few things house after 30 years old with only 66 year on the lease banks are reluctant to finance flats and after 40 years or so the price dips significantly.
For those who do not wish to lose your investment I can understand your apprehension but have you thought about your children. Why? In order to safeguard your CPF nest egg your children would have to pay higher prices for their future flats in order to protect your CPF investment. Creating a bigger debt burden for the next generation and I fear beyond that. I do not know if the income of our children will become like 10k a month in future but it look bleak
@Fugazi
Leasehold property rules apply and this is common in many countries including HK (50 years lease), China (70 years lease). That cannot be taken as an argument that when asset value goes up for homw owners in Singapre, it means nothing.
What Teo says is a true reflection of a least a million households in Singapore who currently have home equity with HDB. Crashing the HDB prices will do them no good as it might cause negative home equity and trigger loans top up with banks.
The key is to adopt a measured approach and stabilize the HDB prices and increase subsidy if needed to help the bottom half of our countrymen.
So obvious so insincere an “apology”. “If” he had made a mistake, he “apologises”.
Up to this stage still so proud? Anyway, the day after the elections it will be back to square one, and WORSE!
Do we want PAP to admit mistakes everytime they made it? Or once every 5 years? Have losts of opposition members in parliment will ensure they are aware and admit and reverse their mistakes everyday during ther 5 years. Simple decision!
PAP members are all enjoying their lives at Disneyland and Swiss resorts when we needed them.
Now, 2 days before GE, they bothered to leave Disneyland and Swiss resorts and realized that there’s some “noise” and their million dollar paychecks sponsoring the Disneyland and Swiss resort stay are in jeopardy. Hence, they need to put up an act and pretended they understand.
But since they just woke up from their 5 year holiday trips just 2 days before the GE, I’m certain (double confirm) that they don’t have any action plans to resolve those mistakes which they have created for us and blamed it all on us.
So, time to focus on our longer-term priorities to vote for Opposition (any Opposition) to make sure the PAPs will stay awake for the next 5 years.
Hey, thank you for this article! Really describes what my heart feels..
I feel that progress in Singapore zoomed so fast that they forgot about the fundamental management of procedures and whether these procedures are sound.
@ teo
I am sympathetic to your fear of negative equity expressed below I quote.
Asset bubble in public housing is a major policy failure in Government’s really CYNICAL “asset enhancement policy”. For those in public housing, I personally like to see the Government giving assistance to these trapped buyer with a lump sum one-off grant as a gesture of capital return for inequitable pricing in of land into HDB leasing contract.
“I’m worried because now I’m already a home owner and the last thing I want is for my house price to go down. I don’t want to be in negative equity … and this will result in a lot of economic distress for home owners with high mortgage debt.”
By pegging public housing nearer to construction costs and zero for land pricing, there will relief a lot of cost of living pressures for young family and allow them to support the economy via consumption instead of importing cheap foreigners on low wages to stimulate consumption. With lesser foreigners, wages could go higher too – the effect will be some shifting of balance of income to wage earners instead of businesses. The positive is that it will forced bigger GLCs to venture out abroad and grow instead of exploiting competitive advantage of CAPTIVE high rental and capital values income as the means of boosting its earning base. In any case, if there is a small negative equity, banks are unlikely to force sale because this will depress valuation and hurting them as well. Local banks depends on housing and construction loan for 60% of their business. So it is self-defeating to strike at their own customers decimating their business base as well. I believe the economic outlook forward is negative ( just look at oil price and oil shares which suggest demand destruction forward of slower global economies), so property will come down regardless.
Our economy needs to restructure.
@teo
look at some economic data coming out from US – it is turning towards negative of indications indicating that GROWTH is slowing. First qtr US GDP came in at only 1.8% growth March qtr compared to preceding December qtr closer to 2.9%. And tonight, service sector employment gain in March was much lower than expected causing US stock market to open sharply lower.
http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Stocks-fall-sharply-after-apf-1896629565.html?x=0&sec=topStories&pos=main&asset=&ccode=
With higher gasoline prices ( though falling this week) consumer has less money to spend on the shopping mall after putting fuel into their cars. That means lower consumption spending and slower economy forward. The economic statistic coming out of Japan will be bad for the rest of this year and China’s economy needs a close watch if you are heavily invested – in case its property bubble finally burst after sugnificant drop in March.
The much hoped for stronger US recovery trajectory DO NOT seem to sustain beyond one qtr (March) and the delayed negative impact of Fukushima has not yet been felt in global economic numbers as well. This will come in June, taking stock markets globally lower along with property prices.
I suspect a long of fancy big dreams of estate upgrading promises by politicians now will be conveniently forgotten after this election. No money in the next recession looming to fund candy promises.
Dear ALL WISE, BRAVE AND BELOVED Citizens,
The Voice of Righteousness(for OUR NATION LONG TERM BENEFITS)
Reason why I am posting in the internet at this early hour of final day before cooling day(I am not a good writer) :
I just love my country Singapore which I was born. I want to contribute to our people. And I really want our country to grow healthily and with morals and ethics and compassion, as much as our citizens want.
The following state of mind of mine many of us may not want to see through this article.
But Please let me do an analysis why most GRCs and SMCs contests ARE ALL LOST to Ruling Party INCLUDING ALJUNIED except maybe Hougang. Real Democracy is LOST. AND SEE THE LONG TERMS PROS AND CONS BELOW……
See Below Notes
1) ONE MAIN REASON of Failure of this election is because Traditional Media, for example Newspaper Like Straits Times, New Paper, Today. TV like channel 8, Indian channel and Malaysia channels Suria, Channel News Asia and also radio channels. And who listens to these channels?
It is the less internet savvy common people who outnumbers internet users by 20-30% at least(that is lots of votes, we need 5 to 10 years before we can catch up with to at least match the traditional media population, although now our internet take up rate is 70-75%
BUT how many common folks even internet savvy or abled are politically that upright and concerned? Which is much lesser even when they are internet savvy), which is especially more senior, elderly folks, people who are handicap and cant walk and cant walk well due to old age and also those too busily working fighting for these survival…
Thats why the ruling party is controlling us with very smart IRON FISTSSS for 50 over years, THROUGH THE TRADITIONAL MEDIA.
They are also using traditional medias to drive traffic to their various websites like facebooks and also http://WWW.GE.SG which is quite biased favourably towards ruling party. How SMART.
THEY ENSLAVE the people to work hard and fast till we cant work still cant receive our CPF and retire well, how sad and disappointing and they are brilliant money makers WITHOUT EVEN USING WHIPS, and occasional giving us very very small carrots year after year.
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WE should promote to people to listen to all media to all sides of stories or at least 2 sides of the story. We need to let them know Media is biased and untrue about some stories, at least let the public take traditional media with a pinch of salt.
Other important but not as major REASONS as above :
2) Ruling party apologized, toned down to mellow to gain sympathy, empathy and swing votes and more neutral votes or rather their usual old supporters who fear changes and also fear of anarchy which will not happen as during 1959 our ruling party were having issues and with the resilent of our people and not just government we pulled through, also during 1965 our national building thanks to the old guards of Goh Keng Swee and many old MPs and ministers, and they are now focused on policies, which they would win back 5-10% of the votes, enough to break the opposition by GREAT numbers!!
3) Cooling day magic may see lots of surprise reports / accusation about opposition parties or their members. AlsoThey are actually depriving all voters of chances to last minute evaluate the situation by talking to opposition parties also.
4) PAP average speakers are better speakers and given more airtime and radio time from traditional medias(maybe selected from ruling party tea parties, not using our public money?)
5) Digging out opposition parties and opposition candidates old issues which might not be valid like privatization of hougang HUDC when the hougang accounts are intact and ruling parties are not giving full details, both parties need to clarify but not at this point of time.
6) From what I understand, the ruling party got a team of advisers to teach the ruling party candidates about how to write, speak, dress, public speak, address issues, make newsletters and magazine, and put them into newspaper.
7) GRC created and also democracy dead from that day, and also our feedback system of election is distort until few years later till next election it is too late.
8) electorate is biased towards the ruling party and the rally rules bias including cooling day.
9) Using Anchor ministers like George Yeo, Wong Keng Seng to be a shield to gain political compassion, how smart.
10) Using HDB upgrading and MRT and estate and facilities upgrading to lure voters.
11) The ruling trying to control using websites like http://www.GE.SG
12) Also Take for instance after seeing yesterday night tampines rally by NSP(my hometown), I think MBT can still win Tampines by a HUGE margin(at least 10 more percent).
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So Sorry to say that… (MBT is good businessman really and I really don’t like him as he is draining our money.)
a)Because the NSP team new members are mostly not public speakers(although they might speak from their hearts glad to say that).
b) Also some of them did not capture the hearts of people from the beginning to the end.
c) The opposition parties did not cover enough the blocks of HDB and condos when elderly people, senior folks and people who wants alternative voice or rather representative voice of opposite MPs from Tampines will be heard. I suggest those not so good in public speaking(example speaking too emotionally, some are too soft, some are too monotonous tone, some dont catch rhythm well, eye contact if media is catch no enough) will go to visit in buddies system to reach out to as many residents as possible as tomorrow is the final day.
d) Luckily guest speaker Tan Kin Lian-ex nutc income CEO(spoke many good points like our hdb cost and transport cost too high, but abit too soft but can be better voice projection) lift up some spirits to gather swing and rational votes, followed by Goh Meng Seng(can be better) and also Nicole Seah(rational yet to the point and simple).
e) Speak of pros and cons and give example for end of chapter of speech and also try to back it up with substantial information and quotes.
f) Talk more about plans, dont be too radical do it progressively as it may scare voters.
g) I agree with Mr Goh Meng Seng on high housing price and also compassion of gov is lost which renting house to foreigner for more profit than to rent to Singaporean and left alone to sleep openly in void decks, streets and also parks like east coast. Luckily he mentioned they are not anti-foreigners but must take care of citizen housing and other rights first which saved abit of vote, if not some good number of votes. Also opposition parties please please say about good to have PR and new citizen but seriously the balance of managing these foreign people were lost and they need to
i) Also Miss Nicole Seah cost of livings points which she spoke sincerely and close to our hearts. She present well with very well tone(not emotional but sincere and not pushy)
j) Good points of candidate to say give discount to hdb flats, but seriously for example I would rather want to let ruling party every year give us back 20k of rebate since we got that much reserves for the next 5 years(but ruling party will say it is saved for rainy days, if it is unaccounted for and unaudited but we cant even use to pay our internal debts of housing and cost of livings to save fire what is the
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use of having some much reserves and CPF when there is minimum sum policy which is more than 110k-120k for each person), instead of the petty handouts(or sweets) or rebate(which sends shivers to my spine and mind.
Sorry, Even Hougang may not be safe to opposition, the rest of opposition party are in very jeopardy state. I dont put the ruling party up to bring down opposition morale at this point. But I have to wake loved fellow Singaporeans up.
Hopefully Singaporean have done enough positive deeds and generous mindsets previously to be appreciative of opposition parties so that they can really win, but I doubt Singaporeans have such a good fortune as most of us are self centred about short terms gains about upgrade of hdb, environments, cpf and monetary handouts before election.
And after that struggling to pay for housing debts and bills and payments to counter cost of living for next 5 years, which the people have been doing actually since again I mentioned GRC, because GRC was first CREATED 25 years ago(if we forgot when the GRC Matrix(the movie) was created to kill democracy from day 1).
Many non-ruling parties candidates may be sued for defamation, one of them is Nicole Seah maybe, hope by writing this I am protecting them through public eyes……
Hopefully, opposition becomes stronger, but I doubt so as ruling parties will try ways and means to tear them down and most people like the past elections with capabilities will not want to come into election again, maybe until the day when the cancer of democracy got too serious like we become HK or Japan asset bubbles and higher cost of living. but it would be too late to help.
I vote THE VOTE of no confidence for ruling party on the high housing prices(my children will not be able to afford hdb due to higher price definitely due to inflation, pegging to market prices, overprinting of money, greed of authorities, high cost of building which by right is not so high), ERP(200 over ERP Gantries standby with some 3-5 Singapore dollars, transport cost including CRAZY TAXI prices which the authorities should allow car pool and waive ERP for Central Business District Area, which would drive up cost of living and even housing prices, mark my words here also),
no accountability(no independent groups of auditors with members of the public to witness, tally and sign off) and transparency of Reserves, GICs and temasek reserves, Ministers and Super Scale Civil Servant Pays, bonuses and increment and promotion and increase of headcounts each year(plus retrenchments/retirements of older and more senior staffs). Their cost structure have far become too much higher than what they can give Singaporean back year after year. that’s why they tax more and more in various form year after year and this is a form of price inflation of cost of living. Town councils accounts should be audited also.
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The ruling parties have been good for first national building, but they have already lost the balance between national building of well being for people and money making.
And I intend to leave Singapore as much i don’t want to.
AGAIN MARK MY WORDS HERE, Singapore WILL soon become Hong Kong and also even Japan, China and India where housing price and cost of living are too high!! It WILL GET OUT OF HAND.
It is getting harder each day. Pay and pay without knowing why we need to pay more and more, and we piss and piss. Work and work and work for long hours and when we retire still cant take our CPF(maybe cant even fork out any CPF to pay for housing) and think when my retirement age is 80 to 100 years old by then. And I have to pay 30 years for our house.
I guess Singapore Pte Ltd(not Ltd) has just really becoming a Very Very Very Big MNC(s), even bigger after THIS election….
Singaporeans will continue to be unwilling boiling frogs, and will continue in a way that they wont even know how, where and when to voice out publicly although deep inside their heart they are very tired working and paying debts and bills.
I personally guess and believe all these are due to the reserves and loss of GICs and temasek holding that they want to cover up the losses(including in CHINA Suzhou and India and Thailand) that lead to the recent years mania increase of the prices of everything including housing and ERP, non-withdrawal of CPF, retirement age increase.
No ones want to be left, no ones want to be left at home, no ones want to be forced to leave their homes, but I guess we will.
The education system is THE SOURCE of why our policies of meritocracy and elite, but all along it is emphasizing in second place morals, ethics and compassion. That’s why now our ruling parties leaders or rather followers are yes men and also more close to the party than the nation. The quality and non monetary motivation of candidates for this election from non-ruling parties are far better than ruling parties despite all odds and doubts of people fear change for the better of democracy and monopolies, but ruling parties are dividing them and conquering them one by one… The balance of conscience is lost.
Also, the healthcare is too high and also not enough time to take care of health due to cost of living, for example the lower income like contract workers and more than 30000 taxi drivers and many other private bus drivers…
Upgrading of HDB estate comes with a price, which we have to address the false glory behind it as we are driven so hard so fast to work harder and harder, longer and longer each day. Not sure when we can retire is a scary thing.
The government only spend 1.6% of GDP to healthcare, that’s why we have to work hard for our hefty and long medical bills. Plus lack of hospitals and healthcare scheme where we are reminded that we are not welfare state, but remember the word we can die, but we cant be sick or ill.
The lists goes on and on.. I am neither a statistic guy nor a pro-hdb upgrading man(as it is promoting false glory while we work and struggle for livelihood) but I sense as a concerned resident of Singapore and resident of Tampines,
I urge that Mah Bow Tan(MBT) be removed from election so that he can move on to the private sectors to help ruling parties make more money. George Yeo can retire since they are millionaire, we definitely have talents from non ruling parties.
If we vote ruling party WITH LANDSLIDE VICTORY USING GRC SYSTEM and they don’t control the situation well, Singaporean might be swarmed with 1000000 to 1500000(1million to 1.5 million) more Foreigners soon that our next generations are squeezed out of Singaporean even they work very very very hard and fast, till the day they die. Filial Piety may be lost from children to their parents and before that parents can afford to have any child and don’t even want to get married like many of my friends above mid 35s, due to cost of living to even support themselves…
Remember the cooling day tricks… It is not about voting opposition, it is voting for votes of no confidence of ruling party and voting for ourselves and our children not be enslaved by ruling party, be brave and be farsighted..
To the well-off, powerful and richer people, you might want to rock the boat by allowing GRCs to be biased favourably towards ruling parties, but once the cancer of democracy due to GRC formations are uncurable, the vicious cycle might impact you in vicious cycle manner and even your children in future.
The MAIN, MAIN reason why ruling party don’t want opposition parties is so that they wont check their billions of dollars lost and cannot account for, since the early day Suzhou Industrial Park losses…
Be cautioned in advance my beloved Fellow Countrymen.
Have a GOOD VOTE(there is no best vote, don’t waste your vote to void as opposition need your vote to voice out your real long TERM concerns and NEEDS) using LONG TERM VIEW of balanced multi-parties yet ensure that parties and their candidates are morally, ethically and compassionately and passionately about the people, not just meritocracy and elite system!!
page 5 of 6
Bless ourselves and Bless Singaporeans :)..
Guardians and Forefathers of Singapore help US!!
Hope the positive and pure balanced energies finally flows in Singapore
Let there be no over greed, morally, ethically and compassionate government and people through education from young to nurture with patience!!!
page 6 of 6(final page)
read http://www.goldclubasia.com/forum to see why ruling party are crappy also
to ss
your mail is very long, i wonder how many people read it. There is information overload in the last few days, so many articles and comment in so short time.
i would just comment on a small portion of what i think you said, that the aljunied etc. all will lose to pap.
i am more optimistic.
Take the example of Aljunied. The number of voters in 2006 and 2011 are almost the same around 140,000.
In 2006, there exists all the die-hard papists, which to my mind are
1. uneducated old folk whose mind can only see a vibrant charming LKY face of the 60′s,
2. folk whose livelihood is linked to papists
3. relatives of papists and civil servants who naively think their pension will be confiscated if they vote oppositon.
in 2006, the groups outlined above only caused 56% win for pap
For as long as the groups above, remain static, the percent win for pap will still remain 56%, yes?
In 2011, people are much more educated, and there are voters who just reached voting age. There is internet. Some say that only 30% of people read internet. It does not matter. The 70% blind faith people who don;t, are ALREADY COUNTED into the above 3 categories, which i postulate is fairly static.
Therefore, there is a good chance that the 56% majority in Aljunied in 2006 will drop to 49% or less.
If i am wrong, then the only possible reason is that somehow, Aljunied got injected with 90,000 new citizens in the last few years and about the same moved out of aljunied.
Be optimistic, it is not end of the world. Low Thia Khiang/SylviaLim/CSM etc Yes!!!
zero
Before I begin, this is not a comment to stir up anti gay or lesbian individuals. I just want everyone to bear in mind the issue that still sits in everyone’s minds.
On the subject matter of gay agenda and Dr Vincent Wijey being scrutinised for his Youtibe video and Gay association.
I agree that we need to be clear about every candidates profile, can all parties (including PAP) categorically claim that all their candidates are non gay or lesbian?
I think this is an important issue so that we do not get surprised later.
Anyway last day to set the record straight.
The PAP appears insincere and may be saying all this to limit the damage.
To many, the PAP is indeed arrogant and out of touch. Relying heavily on statistics to justify policies with little regard to citizens’ daily challenges that cannot be quantitatively measured.
I have come acrss many people who are very angry with the PAP. But many of them may still vote for the PAP due to the perceived slate of weak opposition candidates in their wards. The PAP needs to be very mindful of what they say and do. A stronger slate of opposition candidates could change the PAP’s fortunes very quickly.
zero 5 May 2011
to ss
your mail is very long, i wonder how many people read it. There is information overload in the last few days, so many articles and comment in so short time.
………….
ss is indeed a Stupid Spammer
he got no bloomin idea what he is doin
all i know is he a pap mole who ere to spam to fill up a long write up and to prevent real contributor from postin..
TOC crew must worked hard…
please removed SS multi repeated spams
thank you
Yes, they would vote neutral or pap. Cos traditional media is biased nicely to pap that’s why these people always say opposition got weaker slate of opposition which is untrue. To the minimum, these opposition candidates don’t jusf oppose. They got drive and ideals and are really sincere. That’s why ss saying Singapore will soon have higher housing prices and higher cost of living, which will be inevitable. We Singaporean should wear glasses since we are short sighted. Thanks to mbt and the rest of pap
Pap is the leopard, never change it’s spots. Trust this. From pm lee apologize and not his ministers at all previously proves that. Now in election then he acknowledge housing issues the issue of high house pricing
still don’t go away cos the prices will continue to rise. Income ceiling wont help. We will see the problems Even now and worsen many years later. But by then Singaporen will be minorities due to new citizen swaming in overwhelmingly.
Ss from what I see is a spammer. He did it probably to alert people about traditional media bias. But I think he saw somethings in advance that we don’t like only housing will be won or don’t even won. Singaporeans are actually not smart to always let pap dictate. His email is helping and will be helping oppositions for this election if you see properly although lengthy and many points makes sense especially why they are raising prices of everything and why the election is from our failed education system which don’t focus on moral ethics and compassion. He posted very early morning I saw.
That’s even the pap apologize I am even more scared as they will revert to old ways soon once they got absolute power. Trust this will happen. Poor us
i have been to most rallies including the PAP. truth be told, PAP Rally not impressive nor really well attended.
LHL said that MM being MM is expressing his opinion and views. Does it mean that MM is above everyone else? I for one would like to see MM and SM and Cabinet Minister in the PMO be a thing of the past.
Just carrying deadweight. Such a small country with such a big Cabinet. Can’t reconcile this anomaly.
For me, the only and sole important reason to have a STRONG opposition in Parliament is to preserve and protect the ONE MAN ONE VOTE SYSTEM.
Can you TRUST the PAP if they have overwhelming majority to NOT tinker or change the ONE MAN ONE VOTE SYSTEM?
I for one am not convinced by anyone this would not happen. I do not wish for my family and I to be in a system of Government like China. This is a very very real threat to our system. The PEOPLE would no longer decide who governs them.
My fellow Singaporeans, be on your guard for the PAP to abolish the ONE MAN ONE VOTE System. It would ensure they stay in POWER for ever.
The other issues like Municipal and the like are also important BUT ONE MAN ONE VOTE has to be preserved at all cost.
I will NEVER TRUST THE PAP to not even think about doing this. Do you not think LKY and the Gang has not thought about it and finding the right time to do it.
The justification would like most other things be that Singapore’s circumstances are unique and different than others.
How many times have we heard this BS. reflect back on their track record, it will show this to be a very well used excuse to implement and change things.
I have seen the light. NEVER TRUST THEM AT ALL>
@teo 4 May 2011
Seems like no matter what PAP says, they are wrong -.-
I’m from the sandwich class and I did benefit from some of the housing policies that the govt has introduced. Increasing the income ceiling from 8 to 10k for DBSS for example, was great news.
But now due to populist pressure, the PAP is considering raising the ceiling for BTO as well. I think this will result in more problems as the wait and queue will be longer. And I think that the BTOs are actually affordable. If sandwich-class Sporeans spend less on cars and save more maybe they can save up to pay the downpayment earlier? 5% downpayment of 300k is only 15k, way cheaper than a car right. If you want to be picky and choose from the resale market then that’s a very different matter already.
It seems like most people have echo-ed that they want housing price to be reduced…I’m worried because now I’m already a home owner and the last thing I want is for my house price to go down. I don’t want to be in negative equity … and this will result in a lot of economic distress for home owners with high mortgage debt.
: Trust me housing price will never go down that much… in fact it will rise..
one of the important factor, go down too low mbt die, go up too fast mbt also die…
so it is might fluctuate awhile, but it will go up like hk, china and even japan soon.
We need more voices in Parliament to make a difference..
The PAP MPs can speak a lot, but ultimately have to follow the party whip.. see the casino issue
http://iamsg.blogspot.com/2011/05/based-on-parliament-debate-on-casino-in.html
IN YESTERDAY’S SHITTY TIME,
someone from harbour board wrote, “thank you PAP for the $3000 i get, it shows the gov is good”, = hello, its your stupid CPF money taken from your acct, which you cannot touch, to BUY YOUR VOTE, dumb.
do you want the statement smelling of ROSES or LILIES, every month, but you CANNOT GET YOUR MONEY.
you stupid or what ???? they said you cannot handle money, so its for them to KEEP YOUR CPF, forever, even your medisave, isn’t it GREAT,
“YOUR CPF MONEY AND TAX MONEY TO BUY YOUR VOTE”
another said, its better to have a track record and high gdp, its good for me = hey, don’t worry, your sons and daughters will ask you later,
“dad, what have you done, SOLD my future and my children’s future, for VOTE dollars and high gdp and good track record when all things were SCREWED up on housing, jobs and inflation”
don’t worry, the day will come when you THE older gen will see and FEEL, yes, FEEL the pain…..OF YOUR FUTURE GEN !!
“YOUR CPF, TAX MONEY GIVEN BACK TO YOU WHEN ELECTION COMES, TO BUY YOUR VOTE”
ANY OTHER TIME, NOTHING ???
i am sick to death of this. any of the opp party shud win
A lot of people do not understand why we need opposition parties.
If being a innocent child, both your parents, your blood sisters and brothers all agree to cane you for being ‘naughty’, then you have to get standby your backside for caning.
But, if there happens to be auntie or uncle, grandpa or grandma, or friends around, you will not be wrongly caned.
understand?
hai.. i doubt so.
non-oppo aka gong-gong supporters.. start cleaning your backsides now!
And don’t scream for help!
Actually it seems to me that there are many ignorant people that think they are just too smart.
I am not voting for the PAP in fear, I am not voting for the PAP cos I am blind and think I have to.
I am cos I want to, and I feel that they have done an excellent job these past few years. This is despite all the over blown hyperbole that exist in websites like this, and ridiculously over-simplistic expectations of some Singaporeans, that try and convince you that they are “bad”.
There is a bigger picture to things and yes there are many of us who are “myopic’.
And by the way, I am in the sandwich class too.
YES, ALL MANUFACTURING COMPANIES ARE GIVEN SUBSIDIES FROM DAY ONE TO COME HERE, TAX FREE HOLIDYAS TOO, WHO IS PAYING, TAX PAYERS OF COURSE, IT CANNOT BE FROM LKY’S POCKET OR LSS’S POCKET,
BUT DOES THE TAX PAYERS BENEFIT, THINK……
DID YOU THE TAX PAYER GET THE GOOD JOBS ?
WHY ARE THESE COMPANIES IN ALL KINDS, CALLED FDI, NEEDING SO MUCH OF SUBSIDIES OF ALL KINDS AND TAX FREE STATUS FOR 10 YEARS, WHY,
THE CEO’S ARE DOING THEIR JOB, HELL NO, THEY ARE MILKING THE ISLAND NATION, AND THEY CLAIM THEY DON’T HAVE A LEVEL PLAYING FIELD, HOW CAN THEY SAY THAT WHEN SO MUCH OF SUBSIDIES ARE GIVEN, IT JUST SHOWS THEY ARE NOT “UP TO IT” AND THEY WANT HIGH CEO PAYOUT, CHEAPEST OF LABOR, NOT SINGAPOREANS BUT CHEAPEST.
TRY SLAVES !!!
IT JUST SHOW, THAT THESE COMPANIES WILL NOT BE ABLE TO MAKE IT ANYWHERE IN S.E.A, WITH STRICT LABOR LAWS IN INDONESIA, THAILAND, WHY NOT TRY CHINA, INDIA, CEO’S…
IT JUST SHOWS OUR MINSTERS ARE DUDS, PLAYING ALONG THIS LINE, USING TAX PAYERS MONEY AND CPF FUNDS TO FUND MNC’S AND GET GET HIGH WAGES FOR THEMSELVES, VIA HIGH GDP !
SLAVE TRADING IS THE NORM HERE, AS LEVIES ARE COLLECTED AND COMING IN BY THE MILLIONS AND BILLIONS, FOREIGN LEVY OF ALL KINDS, INCLUDING MAIDS….
AFTER THE ELECTION, 900K MORE SLAVES WILL BE COMING, SLAVES TRADING IS GOOD.
AND YOU BLAME PARENTS FOR NO BABIES, YOU MEAN YOU WANT YOUR BABIES TO BE SLAVES..?
DID YOU VOTE FOR THESE DUDS ???
I SURE DID NOT SINCE 1986………..
AND I SURE WILL NOT ……….!!!!!!!!!!!
DUDS=DAFTS
DAFTS=DUDS
Space 5 May 2011
Actually it seems to me that there are many ignorant people that think they are just too smart.
I am not voting for the PAP in fear, I am not voting for the PAP cos I am blind and think I have to.
………..
noped you are votin the pap party because you want to brin more of your foreign friends from abroad to live with you? what so difficult to read your frickin peabrain mind?
@ iPUSHleekingyouwheelchair
Didn’t I warn you about jumping to conclusions?
My foreign friends are Singaporeans working abroad. Singapore hires foreign workers, other countries hire Singaporeans for their expertise too.
It is no longer easy to govern Singapore unlike during the times of the first two generation leaders.
Many MNC have left Singapore and relocate their business in other parts of Asia like countries in Asean, China, and India.
Our GLC have also expanded their business overseas as well, by either buying or merging with companies overseas.Temesak and GIC have been investing in companies overseas but they have suffered losses during the gobal financial crises.GLC have also caused many SMEs to become insolvent as they can’t compete with the GLCs.
Singapore is a very tiny island and we are competing with neighbouring countries who have built new airports and seaports. They also have casinos in Asian countries.
The problem the government faces now is how to have a budget surplus like the old days. The only way help raise the GDP is through indirect taxes like the GST,COE,ERP,$100 per entry to Casino, and increase prices in utilities, foreign levies, increase in cost of HDB flats,transport, healthcare ,selling land to developers who the built condominiums which are then being bought by foreigners; and cash rich Singaporeans some of whom could be foreigners who have become PRs and citizens have contributed to the increase in prices in housing be it HDB or condiminums.
All our infrastructures have already been built and now undergoing upgrading. Our airports have increased to three terminals would be one example.
Tourists no longer come here except as a stopover on their way to other countries in the region. At best the number of days they spent here would be 1-3 days. Singapore is no longer a shopping paradise that it used to be. Many tourists have refrain from shopping here as they consider the prices of goods are just as expensive as those in their homeland
In time to come the two IR resorts will experience a dramatic fall in their profits, once the novelty wears off as more new casinos are being built in neighbouring countries in Asia. At the moment, there are already casinos in some Asian countries.
Medical tourism here are now facing competition in Thailand, China, Korea and Malaysia where the medical costs are far cheaper than Singapore.
Hence it would be difficult to foresee that the government will be able to reduce the cost of living. There are many push factors which caused young Singaporeans to emigrate. To make matters worse, Singaporeans are not producing more babies due to the push factors. Consequently, to replace them the government has to turn to immigrants from China and India.
The push factors to cause Singaporeans are the high costs of living, the education system which only benefits those who are academically inclined, but are unable to obtain a pass in their mother tongue, the NS which are truly irrelevant these days as Singapore is incapable of defending itself no matter how good the hardware is. Lastly but not least is the political system that many has found to be oppressive, lack of human rights, the right to free speech, the fear factor that still exists, even though it is irrational and the failure of having a viable opposition party that is capable of governing the country.
Another big problem is Singapore cannot tolerate having a six million population without causing socio-economic problems.The population now is already causing a strain on housing and transport
In a survey one in three Singaporeans have said that they would emigrate given the chance.
The fourth generation leaders are untested and they will face the uphill task of the running the country due to the factors stated above.Academic excellence does not necessary mean that these scholars can become good politicians.
Some of the third generation leaders that are no longer in the cabinet have illustrated the point that they are incapable of managing their ministries to the peopel’s liking and have caused the PAP to loose a GRC even though it has 2 ministers and one of whom is well liked by the people for the first time.