1/08/2012

Who should public institutions serve?

This is a non issue for commercial enterprises selling hamburgers, shirts, mobile phones or chicken rice. Their primary preoccupation is to serve their customers, make them happy with their services and products to boost their bottom lines. And they can only boost their bottom lines if the customers are satisfied with their services.

None of these enterprises can hope to compete and exist in the market if their only interest is profit to please the shareholders. And the shareholders know too, that without the customers, they can forget about profits and the business.

In a monopoly, things get a little hazy. They can dump the customers, cut corners, provide substandard services and products and still get away with it. The customers have no choice. And they can blatantly carry the shareholder’s interest around to spank the customers. ‘We are answerable to the shareholders you know!’

If they are selling IPad or IPhone that are in demand, and the customers die die must have, no issue. Willing buyer willing seller, even if it is a monopoly, they can still have their cake and eat it. What if it is a public service like transportation? I can see eyes popping out now.

A public transport company has to serve the customers and the shareholders and also the national interest. Let me take the first two first. Between the shareholder’s interest and the interest of the customers, which is more important? Silly me to ask. If it is a monopoly, they can screw the customers and tell them they need to make profits for the shareholders first. Customers come second or third. What can the customers do? This is the reality of life, just lump it.

What if the money to build the facilities and the business first came from the customers, indirectly through the public coffer? Now this will make the customers angry for sure. Using public money to start a monopoly business and tell the public that the first priority is to serve the shareholders.

Do they care if the customers are transported to their destinations fast, comfortable and safe? Can any of these be compromised? You tell me.

The more important role of public transportation is to provide an efficient transport system to lubricate the economy and social activities. The economy depends on the efficient and safe transportation of people and workers all over the island, for economic and non economic activities. Failing to do this is undermining the economy and the social fabric of the society. A country can be crippled by a major breakdown of public transportation. Can a transport company carry the shareholder’s interest on its head and say, my shareholder’s interest comes first, the train can be slow, uncomfortable, unsafe, these are secondary? Can a transport company price the fares so high that people find it too expensive even to travel, or to go to work?

The top priorities of a public transport company, started with public money, must be national interest, the moving of people safely and efficiently, at a reasonable cost, and also the comfort and interest of the commuters. The shareholder’s profit must come last, and incidental to providing a good and efficient service. The shareholder’s interest cannot be the first and top most priority of a public monopoly. But this is just my opinion. I may be wrong or I am wrong. The shareholder’s interest is all that is.

And don’t forget the uniquely Singapore logic that it can only be efficient if it is privatised. No wonder non privatised institutions are so inefficient.

14 comments:

Ⓜatilah $ingapura⚠️ said...

Public institutions are usually monopolies.

Therefore most of them end up self serving bureaucratic fiefdoms. Don't believe me? You don't have to. Just go and randomly sample as many stat boards as you can and judge for yourself.

As long as you have a state and a government, there is going to be power imbalances and unaccountability.

My 2 rupiah of worthless advice: live with it and enjoy yourself regardless. Nothing you say or do will make any differnce.

I notice from the last threads that tbere are so many angry motherfuckers in Singapore. I don't feel the least bit sorry for them. They take an issue and blow it up WAY OUT OF PROPORTION.

Seriously, have more sex, folks. You're going to die anyway, so be happy. And, no, the government is not responsible for neither your frustration nor your elation. So wake the fuck up or drown in your sorrow. Your choice, yousad cunts! ;-)

Anonymous said...

That's the story of Jizzus, born of a virgin mother who became the the star for gays.

Anonymous said...

haaaaa haaaaaa

Anonymous said...

http://m.youtube.com/index?desktop_uri=%2F&gl=SG#/watch?v=5CmlHU514cE


Now that guy is the star.You need to be born again to be a born star.

Ⓜatilah $ingapura⚠️ said...

Well you have one thing absolutely right...I do really enjoy eating beaver.

Ask yer mums, they scream! ;-)

Anonymous said...

they say eating a lot of beavers will cause your mouth to grow beaver's hair

Anonymous said...

He doesn't call it beaver's hair... he calls it moustache.

Anonymous said...

The porn star wannabe better not bring out his dick or he ends up a comedick star instead

Anonymous said...

what's in your curry recipe? banana hair?

Anonymous said...

Obviously, public institutions serve the MIWs on this rock. See this from a netizen which tells you all:


The logic of politicians’ remuneration:

You propose a formula for your own salary and present the proposal to the parliament for approval. You and your cronies have total control of the parliament. You know your proposal is definitely passed without meaningful debate.

You propose salary formula for you and your cronies to base on a group of top earners who are mostly from GLCs and your cronies' companies. You also know that your controlled parliament will pass your proposed formula. Next thing you do is to get GLCs and your cronies' companies to pay the chief very very well. As such, your and your cronies' salary will be increased accordingly.

After the people object to your proposal, you appoint one of your cronies to review the proposal and he recommend a revised proposal that you and your cronies (not the people) are happy about it. Then you present the revised proposal to the parliament again for approval. You know that all your cronies in the parliament will support the revised proposal because the revised proposal is for their own good. The parliament is still dominant by your cronies and the revised proposal will be approved without any question. 


After the revised salary proposal is done, one of your cronies can say she suffer pay cut by joining politics. She claimed she could earn much more in 'private' sector. Look at what 'private' sector she has worked before joining politics. She has worked for few GLCs before invited to join politics. Are GLCs really 'private' sector? If she is right, those GLCs must have paid her very very high salary. This proves that if you have raised the GLCs chief salary this will actually effect higher salary for you and your cronies. 



By controlling the corruption at lower levels, foreigners who do not know the details of this system will believe that a pro-business governance system is free of corruption. Is the system really corruption-free?

Based on the logic, it proves that the current system is very very clever to ‘legalize’ corruption at the highest level. If not, what is it?

You may look at the logics of GRC, NCMP and NMP. It is not difficult to understand the ultimate motive behind a fake democratic ‘feudal dynasty’ politics in action in a modern world.

Ⓜatilah $ingapura⚠️ said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Ⓜatilah $ingapura⚠️ said...

Greetings Bloggers!

At the end of the day, there is strong evidence that Singapore is a feudal society, with strict government-to-people hierarchy and order -- although I hate to admit it, it seems to WORK -- despitethe obvious penalties on individual liberties taken for granted in most other developed cuntries..

It works because the people just can't get their shit together. Singapore is in a constant state of not-quite "civil war"; I call it "social war" -- citizens fighting each other in bloodless but merciless battler. It therefore takes a bunch of self-appointed/ self-important elites to do what is needed to get things moving and objectives achieved.

I'm sure I'll piss many of you off. So I may as well start the ball rolling in the realm of ad hominem attacks and tell you to fuck yourselves, and I also sincerely hope hope your children get fisted -- by religious icons. ;-)

I support the ideas and reasons behind high ministerial salaries. I know of people who argue about this, until they get so emotional and red in the face, I'm thinking that one of them might shit her/ his pants or have a stroke...or maybe do both! :-0

So much anger. Dear oh dear, that cannot be good.

If only these soon-to-be losers would channel their resignation, negativity and hopeless victim mentality.

Will they continue their Blame Game, relying on their gimme gimme entitlement mentality and living in hope that a "messiah from the opposition" will "save them".

2 points the cunt-brained fuck-heads missed:

1. To solve the problem of bad politicians, use politics aka demo-crazy to vote in another politician. HUH?!?

2. Idiots will remain idiots. Regardless of changing the government. Or your underwear.

And one day, because too many people take small issues and blow them all out of proportion, Singapore will be a full blown welfare state. And for awhile the people will be happy. Until the money runs out. Or the productive people get fed up of financing the freeloaders.

...and then when it collapses, instead of "doing something postive about it" the mooching bums will protest about their "rights".

Before you forget: public institutions are run and staffed by public servants.

Chua Chin Leng aka redbean said...

Finally I must agree with Matilah about freeloaders and entitlement mentality. The average sinkies are doing well prividing for their own social welfare and medical needs in the minimum sum schemes hijacked from the CPF. They don't need charity.

Now who are the free loaders and suffering from entitlement mentality? Some already starting to cry that their lifestyle will be aversely affected.

Anonymous said...

Oh, that's a religious icon - Jizzus dicking spider.