~by: Ng E-Jay~
No, you did not read the headline wrongly. When WP MP Chen Show Mao proposed in Parliament that the 2012 Budget should do more for vulnerable groups, PAP MP Vikram Nair attacked Mr Chen’s proposals as being akin to a Nigerian money scam.
Let’s review Mr Chen’s Budget speech, and see if this attack is justified, if indeed Mr Chen had proposed ripping off the nation like a Nigerian scam artiste. My information comes from WP’s website: MP Chen Show Mao’s Budget 2012 Speech.
Firstly, Mr Chen said that WP was glad that the government had heeded the call of many Singaporeans for more inclusive growth, but noted that the elderly, the disabled and the poor in need of social security should not be seen as social problems as the Budget puts it.
Secondly, Mr Chen said that investing in our elderly, the disabled, the poor and other needy Singaporeans will reward society with the economic, social and cultural contributions they are able to make with assistance.
Thirdly, Mr Chen said that the government should also seek out such investment opportunities to realize social returns not just in the area of social security, but also in the areas of public housing, healthcare, education, and infrastructure and the environment.
Fourthly, Mr Chen said that this argues for investing in social safety nets that keep up with the costs of living, because when some Singaporeans trip and fall behind, we should help them get back up and stay in the game.
So let me summarize the basic idea behind Mr Chen Show Mao’s message: the government should invest in providing for the needy so that the needy can in turn make greater contributions to society than would have been possible had they received no help.
Apparently, according to Mr Vikram Nair, this is akin to scamming the whole country.
In Parliament, Mr Nair accused Chen and other opposition MPs of not acknowledging the government’s efforts in helping vulnerable groups. This is dishonest, to say the least, because both Chen as well as Aljunied MP Low Thia Khiang had both explicitly praised the government for devising a more inclusive Budget, and none had ever suggested that the government was neglecting the needy.
In fact, Mr Low Thia Khiang had described this year’s Budget as “special”, saying that the government had taken a big step towards a “first world social safety net”. Mr Low had also praised the Budget for its greater focus on helping the less well-off, such as low-wage workers and the elderly, even if it meant slower growth.
Mr Nair accused Mr Chen of not having a plan as to how to pay for the extra spending he desired. He also decried the vagueness in Chen’s assertion that investing in human capital would yield returns, saying that Chen should explain with more details “as to how this self-funding investment works”.
He then likening Chen’s proposals to a Nigerian scam e-mail where recipients are urged to transfer funds in return for a pay-off later. Mr Nair even went so far as to say that Chen had promised something “even better, because you don’t have to put in any money at all, and you get more than money in return”.
It is truly a sad day for Singapore when an MP can claim in Parliament that increased social spending is like scamming the nation, simply because the proposer had not explicitly mentioned from where the funds would be drawn, and exactly what returns could be expected.
My message to the ruling PAP is that when you invest in the needy and the under-privileged, you don’t quantify potential returns the same way as you grade students on a bell curve or rank civil servants using KPIs. You should know from the start that it is morally the right thing to do, regardless of what the potential returns are.
Human capital and the worth of each human being cannot be quantified. When we invest in our young, in continued education for the working population, in upgrading skills of blue collar workers, and in the poor and needy, we do not calculate what ROI we are getting. We expect our investment to first make moral sense, before they make political or economic sense.
The nation is scammed not when investments in the needy are increased. The nation is instead scammed when budget surpluses are channeled into some black box known as “external reserves” and invested in opaque instruments without accounting to the electorate, and where billion-dollar losses are not only poorly disclosed by also casually dismissed as market volatility.
Our human resource is the only natural resource we have. Investing in them is not a scam. It is in fact one of the highest moral callings of any government in power.
This article first appeared on Sgpolitics.net. We thank E-Jay for allowing us to reproduce it here.
Update: MP Vikram Nair responded to this article on his Facebook page on 2 March 2012. You may find it here.
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Vikram Nair, BARK YOU!!!!!!!
' Further increases would mean greater tax burden for middle income taxpayers.' – Nigerian Scam
What nonsense. Same mental warp as VN. Chen has rightfully call for a re-allocation of the national budget. The burden of the middle income taxpayers can weigh on the sports, arts, etc and not the poor. The latter is bread and butter while the former is for recreation and pleasure. Sorry, but who cares for enriching the arts or sports, etc when there is no bread for the poor. Survival is the only law of life.
The similar analogy when MBT said raiding the reserve. Who is raidng the SIngapore reserve? SIngaporean!! Who benefits in this Nigeria scam, the needy Singaporeans.!! The funding obviously would come from re-allocating the budget after the debate. The same funding questions can also be presented to other PAP MPs who called for other issues to be prioritised.
Look deep into the eyes of this person – what do you see ?
Fmn my experience -such eyes usually says "cunning" ,"deceptive", "back stabber", " do anything to survve".
Very scared & scary indeed !
Every year, our government say will do balance budget or slight deficit, but come next year when we tabulate the actual spending, our garmen again make huge budget surpluses. In fact last year budget surplus was $2 billion isn't it? Say want to help people, end up collecting so much taxes and keep in pocket. Last time got NMP ask them, how come the forecasting so wrong? Always say want to help people and end up huge susplus keep in pocket?
So Vikram Nair, what happen to past years of surpluses when the govt never return to the taxpayers? Can't use the surpluses to fund the poor or help the poor more? Govt no surplus from prior years and need to collect more? What talking you?
All these nonsenses to help the poor. Most of the time criteria so strict that even the down and out cannot meet the criterias. And people also dunno how to apply for the assistance. That's why every year say budget balance, sure end up huge surpluses because the allocated monies to help the poor was not spent.
So Why can't use past years of surpluses to help to poor? Got humanity or not?
He's a star court jester, earning a salary to match. PAP has turned Parliament into a circus complete with performing monkeys, elephants, clowns, acrobats, contortionists, etc etc.
Allo big time lawyer and MP! You don't tell jokes in parliament sittings! What's worse is it was a lousy joke and now everyone is appalled! Please come up with a better excuse, we don't buy your crap! It's a disgrace to have an MP of this calibre, or rather the lack of it! Sheesh…
E-jay, Vikram actually makes very good points. You're the one making baseless and biased accusations.
Vikram never brought up the "returns" of social help. It was CSM who brought it up first to justify social help. Why accuse Vikram when the topic is broached by someone else?
What Nair was saying is that it is very easy for the Opposition to resort to pork-barrel demagoguery,and another very different matter to find the means to deliver all the sweet promises………..
Welfarism is not a bad word until LKY and his cohorts come on the scene.The PAP has hijacked the State to serve themselves big salaries and big jobs for their relatives and cronies. Financing the poor and those fallen thru the cracks is the function of any modern state in the modern world. It is only the contorted distorted worldview of greedy ruling elites who view financing the lesser able in the State as a scam. They want to keep the money for themselves. The greatest standing scam in Singapore today is the eye poping, heart shaking size of the salaries paid to the Ruling elites for normal municipal services of a nation. This is a continued and permanent scam protected by Singapore Law and the secret state Police. Even on the World stage, this is the mother of all scams exceeding the ingenuity of even the Nigerians.
Here is an email from a Nigerian Prince asking me to be his co-owner in a British Bank Account. I can do this once and I lose once. But the ministerial salaries are a perpetual tax on our naivety and cowardice.
and the gahmen complain that the essence of family spirit of Singapore is falling apart…dun blame the Singaporeans…blame the system that YOU TH GAHMEN SETUP IN THE FIRST PLACE…
Vickram Nair is a person that has social problem mixing with people. He doesnt seem to have much friends or is seen to be too cocky with his adopted accent.
He seems to desperate for media/public attention after years of solitude. Chen Show Mao should teach this kid a lesson if an oppurtunity arise.
Maybe drinking dead people water affected him?
He can fault CSM for not being specific and over-simplifying things but to call the whole thing a scam?
Disappointed with the calibre of our young leaders.
I am apalled by the tenor and tone of both VN's original speech and his subsequent defence of what he said. Can we have a little bit of background about this MP please?
CSM argued for the case to do more for the vulnerable in our society if we are to be an inclusive society. When when we agree to do and by this I mean the PAP, then finding the resources to do so will be a matter of reprioritising the budget and funding additional revenues.
By unleashing a mad dog vickram, PAP is slamming the door to do more with a second thought. Vickram is mischievous when he question CSM how long he has been an MP to question the PAP policy of helping the vulnerable. CSM is 51 years old and had a sterling career at the world stage. Yet, he keep in touch with the happenings of the local scene and took the challenge to come back and serve. How many people will do that? Vickram is only 33 and is not even married so is a small potato. I wonder why he is made MP by the PAP?
Logical.
I wonder why he is made MP by the PAP?
…………………………………………………..
the pap party complaint serangoon road is too dark..only white teeth who can only communicate in tamil hindhi……. so leekingyou suggest they need a tamil firewalker to breath fire in serangoon road..guess who become the firewalker?
Let VN tell us where did the people's monies invested in various overseas projects like Shin Corps, Barclay and UBS go to before he started questioning Chen Show Mao on where to find monies to implement pro-people policies.
Vikram Nair you sounded more like a Chinese Kidnapping Scam to me…. Maybe you learn a skil or two while in it..Maybe…Because the funny thing is that you don't need a crying girl over the phone line to make your kidnapping look more real….You only wear white with a thunder logo give you licence to talk cock….
Oi, PM, what do you say? You going to say like you say about disgraced Fu, that Vikram is right? What Vikram said is so serious it warrants a public statement from the PM pls. I am curious to know if the PM supports Vikram's statement.
If we need to discuss where to find the money, then the conclusion is Singapore is NOT as wealthy as what the PAP tell you. Then they have been lying through their teeth that they done well in the economy.
Would the billionaire father of a disabled child not help the child because it is cleverer to invest every cent for big returns so that he can pay himself handsomely?
The behavior of VN is so unusual for a PAP cadre who is known to be carefully reading from a prepared scripte, fearful of saying the wrong thing. Let this buffoon entertain us while he can, for the whole of Parliament in Singapore is like a debating school where nothing is said have real life significance because the decisions are aready made.
He actually admitted that he told a joke in parliament! What a joker! Do you think the parliament is for you to tell jokes that no one is laughing about? Do you think the parliament is your playground? You have just discredited yourself and exonerated CSM.
=========
VN, YOU MUST BE THE TALENT LKY SOUGHT ALL THESE YEARS, FINALLY,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
FINALLY,,,,,,,,,,,,,
WHAT A GREAT SONG
VN seems to be the only PAP cadre shooting his mouth out. The rest carefully hide behind the skirts of the two top men and say only things that the top guys have said before. This idea that putting money for the welfare of the poor is a scam is a stroke of genius. Genius both for VN and for the citzenry. because VN now has to open his mouth wider and we shall be able to hear juicy tales from the horse's mouth. The cadre is strictly SILENT for any issue, unless they get a sign from their Masters what to speak. This man VN act the buffoon and will reveal what we the citzenry will never know through the tightly shut mouths of the other 79 PAP parliamentarians. What a gift to the citizenry!
It is not the first time this guy shock me with his wayward thinking and illogical twist. His comments in P65.sg were horribly irritating and senseless. I have a feeling he is the 'Jousterr' in ST forum too.
Actually who is scamming the hole cuntry?
The poor? or….the miserichfilths?
Looks like a cowboy is shooting himself and perhaps his badmastersons.
xian… in short, N’o A’lcohol I’ll R’esign.
The only and real scam affecting this Nation is that the Ruling Party shifts political boundaries to remain in power, its cohorts suckle at the honeypots of the country and extort mind blowing salaries for municipal services,y and commandeer state instutions to make war on the citizenry destroying and imprisoning anyone who identifies this scam as a SCAM..
if potential MPs , start to ask the same " nigerian scam " question thats is show me the money before an election we would have no MPs in future
Kick Vikram out!
Then we can use the money to pay his salary for funding the needy.
One less PAP idiot == more money for the needy singaporeans.
This guy just don't understand what WP is talking. Go and do some soul searching before you answer.
Don't just answer to wayang wayang in the parliament to let your boss see that you are speaking. Are you hoping for a promotion? You look silly, not understanding what Mr Chen is talking.
We always say, think three times before you talk.
hero lah, drank woodland water tank death corpse water, lah lah still have to change tank, bow bain. now SWAY seven years. bitter about it and it still taste bitter too…
Such a man is not fit to be a representative of the people as any MP should be. He has no notion of what goes on in the lives of the poor who collect cardboards, who sell tissue, who man the Kentucky Fried Chicken Counter.
However great his ability and intellect as every PAP is supposed to have, he does not have the compassion and ability to empathise. What is certain is he does not even have the ability to make a good analogy. A Nigerian scam has criminality at its core. Proposals to assist the poor in the context of a parliamentary debate may be ill conceived, hare brained etc, but the element of criminality is absent. The man VN has the mind of a narrow minded policeman who lacks the vocabulary and the imagination of making appropriate metaphors. But he may be better than the rest of the 79 of his PAP colleagues, who are dumbstruck and afraid to speak to tread in places where their Masters have not gone before..
I agreed with "son of s" that
"Such a man is not fit to be a representative of the people as any MP should be."
I myself am deeply shocked that Mr Nair should describe Chen Show Mao's honest proposal to increase government help for the poorer people as equivalent to a Nigerian scam (which is a scheme to lure your money to be deposited in a Nigerian bank with the false promise that you would reap impossibly bigger money from it).
MPs can put forward the merits and demerits of another's idea or proposal, but to dismiss CSM's proposal as a Nigerian scam is to openly say that CSM is as dishonest as the Nigerian culprits.
I challenge Mr Nair to repeat his accusations outside of Parliament and see if CSM would sue him. I hope Mr Nair will not himself chicken out if he truly believes that CSM is really dishonest.
Regardless of whether he takes up the challenge or not, Mr Nair has just about cause the loss of my usual support and vote for the PAP unless he himself is out of the next GE.
We cannot change the skin of a pig but we can skin it.
Mr Nair is typical PAP; whom can only think of material profits from investing into business entities.
PAP government prefers to invest in others rather than its own people; like UBS and Citigroup.
Therefore this "talented" lawyer cannot comprehend Mr Chen humane suggestion (lawyer cannot be human, right).
We just cannot throw pearls to swines.
I would have thought that discussions about allocating adequate funds to the welfare of the poor is normal in a normal society and a normal Parliament. But our Parliament has been primed by the great leader himself to eschew welfare to the poor. I can't recall his exact words but I can recall his message which has been imprinted into my psyche and I bet the psyche of most Singaporeans and of course VN himself.. This is the reason for his strange outburst, likening such proposals to better the lot of the needy as a Nigerian scam. I have long held the view that although most of our political leaders have advanced degrees , they lack independent , inquiring, creative and courageous minds. They only say things first laid down by their masters and never can go beyond that locus.. All eighty odd minds pulsating with energy in Parliament are wasted because only one or two are permitted to pulsate productively thinking anew about old problems, raising new issues, reacting to national threats quickly and son..
Vikram Nair, just one screwup in parliament and you see the amount of negative comments you attracted ? To make matters worse, you even try to give the excuse that this is a joke ? Sure you can joke in parliament ? Come on. Some people are even asking for you to be sacked. Next time, think before you talk. Dont just go in fighting like a mad dog. Know who your opponent is. CSM is no small fry in the legal fraternity. Even an SC pales in comparison.
VN "Nigerian Scam" beats VB "3 meals in restaurant", hands down.
VB's nightmare is over.
Sometimes, Singaporeans have to give enough rope to the PAP to hang themselves in-between General Elections. Our Gini co-efficient (gap between high and low income) is not far from Nigeria's – if that helps Vikram Nair to support his point.
Today's The New Paper I'm no PAP attack dog (sic)
Telling jokes and unable to manage the emotions is bad for the parliament and hope that we dont end up like other country throwing punches. VN says I'm no PAP attack dog. If I ,as a menber of the party, do not speak up for it, who will? (sic). You judge for yourself.