8/19/2013

Hsien Loong’s National Day Rally – Not enough

Heard Hsien Loong’s Rally speech and what came across were some cosmetic changes that were less than expected after the hype by Heng Swee Kiat. There were great expectations for sure but now the great disappointments. With the strong ground shift and the negative sentiments, many were thinking that this would be a good opportunity for Hsien Loong to make some dramatic changes as preparation to the GE in 2016 or a possible surprise snap election. If these were all that the govt was willing to change to redeem itself and its falling popularity, it was obvious that many would see it as plain inadequate.

First the changes on high cost of healthcare. There will be some savings for the senior citizens at the polyclinics and those using CHAS. The changes to the Medishield scheme to Medishield Life is not as good as it first appeared. This new scheme will cover all the seniors that lived past 90 and at first glance sounded very attractive. But with this sweeping coverage that most seniors would not need, many would have died, many would not need a heart by pass or major ops, the failure to fine tune the needs of the very senior citizens would mean a huge paper cost to be shared by the rest. Everyone is going to pay for it.

Is this the best shot the govt could come up with and the need to raise the premiums for Medisave? What else is new? What was sorely missing is the silence on bringing down healthcare cost. Hsien Loong touched more on how to help the seniors pay and the need to increase the premiums for Medishield. What is so good about it when the cost is passed down to everyone?

In the case of housing, those earning up to $4k monthly household income would benefit from more subsidies and a lower net purchase price for 2 to 4rm HDB flats. The prices of these flats would still be maintained at the existing levels but the net sales price would be brought down to the levels of the 2005/6. The ignoramuses were clapping in glee like it was a big savings. They could only see how high were the current prices and thought it was a big discount and were very grateful. They forgot that the prices have been inflated so high and the supposedly lower prices were still very much higher than the prices in early 2000. There is nothing surprising that these people could be so easily deceived into thinking that it was a good deal. They could only see as far as the tip of their noses.

There was nothing mentioned about removing the upper income ceilings and many high income earners would still be disqualified from buying direct from HDB. How does this fit in to Hsien Loong’s statement that every Singaporean family would be able to afford a HDB flat? How many Singaporeans would still not be able to buy from HDB? I have received comments from a young couple that they were still excluded from HDB, and there were many highly qualified young Singaporeans that would prefer to remain overseas than to return to be robbed of a million to buy private properties because of the income ceiling.

This stupid policy means that many highly qualified Singaporeans would not return and their skills would be lost, a policy that literally kept highly skilled Singaporeans away from home. Is this policy meant to be this way so that the Govt can find the excuse to bring in more Third World fake talents to replace the sons and daughters of Singapore that they have driven away?
There were the usual big plans into the future, bigger Changi Airport and two huge puzzles of land in Paya Lebar and Tanjong Pagar for more concrete buildings to house more people. Do not be happy too early if these two big complexes are meant to house the 7m or 10m population. The existing infrastructure with the upgrades would still be inadequate, particularly the roads and public transportation. There will be rooms and housing for 7m or 8m, but could there be room for them to move around? It would be good if the new spaces created were meant for the same population size, allowing more breathing space for all, better facilities and bigger leg room. Fear not, it will be for more people, for more compact living.

The changes in some of the policies were to rein in the excesses of flawed policies but not enough to bring things back to an easier way of life. And the future developments would mean the squeeze and crams and jams would be worse. The cost of living will be up and up with more people cramming up in this island when the sky is the limit for building more Towers of Babel.


Would these changes be enough to win back more confidence and more votes in 2016? I doubt so.

36 comments:

Chua Chin Leng aka redbean said...

Let me add a bit on the Medishield Life premiums. The insurers would be laughing themselves crazy for the chance to raise premiums for a coverage that is unnecessary, irrelevant and superflous. But they will add a big chunk into it claiming the high cost and high probability for the oldies to be hospitalised and needing a major overhaul and changes of parts.

In reality how many would live to that age and how many would want to be cut up just to live like a half dead person?

It would definitely be more meaningful and real for the govt to announce that all the seniors above 65 or 70 would be covered by the govt for free for C wards in govt hospitals.

Anonymous said...

I also can offer better healthcare as long as you pay for it.

Anonymous said...

This NDR could be a swan song for the PAP comes the Next General Election.

Anonymous said...

They gave him a standing ovation. I can only remember the believers in City Harvest giving Kong Hee a standing ovation when God apologised to him.

Chua Chin Leng aka redbean said...

I think Hsien Loong is sincere. His emotion was genuine unlike the crocodile tears type.

His problem is that he is not surrounded by wise men and women that can give him good advices. The sick mindset has never change and they are telling him to do the same thing over and over again with a little cosmetic changes.

All mercenaries think like mercenaries. They have forgotten that they are running a country and the country does not belong to them but to the people, not to the citizens.

patriot said...

Lee Hsien Loong claimed that he is a housing agent not charging fee or getting any commission.
But,
he intentionally forgets to tell us he is the Biggest Realtor in Sin.

patriot

Anonymous said...

This looks like a scam for the insurers. Oldies risk very high, want to insure, can. Oldies most have serious medical conditions, want to insure, can. can you imagine how high will the premiums be? Anyone try buying just a life insurance after 60 or 70 and what kind of premiums would have to pay?

The best part, spread the risk to the young. Make the young pay for the oldies. The poor young got to pay high housing mortgages, now to pay medical premiums for the oldies.

Chua Chin Leng aka redbean said...

Looks like Gilbert has another reason to organise a rally in Hong Lim against the Medishield Life. The old folks picking cardboards and tin cans and many average Sinkies will find living past 80 or 90 a tragedy. Many would want to RIP as early as possible.

Only the rich would want to live on and on. Now they can pass their medical cost to the average Sinkies that do not want to live forever. It is sickening to know that the average folks that have little reason to want to live forever will now have to pay for those rich folks who want to live forever.

Anonymous said...

It's definitely a big let down. I an glad that I did not listen to the speech as I was having dinner with wife and kids at a restaurant but I use my smart phone to check the headline news occasionally and I can not believe that, that was all he talk about on changes. It's the usual tweak here and there and even the medishield, he was very generous to provide coverage for all at everyone expense and not paying them from income of reserve. Anyone can be generous if one uses others money.

I was hoping for some major changes but none was offered even property would be maintain at current out of the world prices. I own my property but I do not mind property prices correct so that the next generation does not get push out of singapore as my three kids wanted out so me and my wife would have to retire in loneliness. But I cannot blame my kids, everyone lives life only once, they do not want to slave for 30 years for a pigeon hole. There are many other countries that can offer them a better lifestyle

Anonymous said...


Anon 9.58 >>>>>>>

I also have my own property. I also do not mind property corrections so that my kids need to struggle less next time.

I think the record high property prices will definitely correct after our PM speech in coming months.

In fact many experts expect 20% to 30% corrections in coming 2 to 3 years with rise in interest rates and very slow world growth.

Anonymous said...

"Would these changes be enough to win back more confidence and more votes in 2016? I doubt so."
RB

RB, I think you doubt the wrong thing lah.

Because if I were Hsien Loong, there is no doubt that WP will still remain the strongest opposition but not ready to be govt even by 2016.

Therefore the changes are meant to cater for the increased population to 6.9 million and also getting more foreigners to become citizens for obvious reasons lah.

So take care of poor or jobless PMET Sinkies for what? Do they really matter in my big scheme of things?



Anonymous said...

You are absolutely right to complain that nothing is being done to bring down the costs of healthcare. Just read in today's ST the doctors'annual salary in the US is $236,000;in the UK it is $161,000; and in Australia it is $221,000. Their insurance premiums are far higher than ours. Our local GPs earn at least $1million a year. They even boasted that Dr. Balakrishnan earned $3-4million a year. No wonder the cost of healthcare is so high.

Anonymous said...

"Our local GPs earn at least $1million a year. They even boasted that Dr. Balakrishnan earned $3-4million a year."
Anon August 19, 2013 10:16 am

These doctors are a minority lah.

Just like those Sinkie PMETs who lost their jobs to foreigners are a minority lah.

Anonymous said...

In any society, rich people or bad people are a minority lah.

Majority of people are not rich and also good people, tio bo?

Anonymous said...

...bad people are a minority lah.
Anon August 19, 2013 10:23 am

Ya lor. And it is true whether it is Sinkies or foreigners. Or else where got enough prisons to house all of them?

Anonymous said...

The problems of high healthcare costs, not because of incomes of doctors, nurses, therapists, medications and equipment.

The problem is that we are turning hospitals into HOTELS! What people really need is affordable basic medical and nursing care NOT HOTELS ....

Other FATS such as too many unrelated staff and administrative staff running around doing nothing also need to be consolidate to cut costs.......

Anonymous said...

In 2001 a 4 rm flat was priced at $115k before subsidies. Now a 3 rm flat is $170k and 4 rm $285k.

What is wrong? Is the new price after subsidies a good buy?

The said...

/// Hsien Loong’s National Day Rally – Not enough ///

In the words of Jack Neo:

Money no enough

I not stupid.

Not As Stupid As They Think! said...

Those who attended the rally and who can still think, clapped out of courtesy cynically and skeptically.

Those sycophants who can only lick boots and think with their asses, clapped enthusiastically and mindlessly.

This is the NDR folks. Trying to score brownie points on a jaded native population now wiser and sadder by the day.o

AhKong65 said...

Nothing much new to celebrate about this National Day Rally speach . I agreed with Mr Chua .... not enough and a great disappointment .
@ What about the high cost of living ?
@ What about the high medical cost ?
@ What about the high cost of HDBs ?
@ What about the high cost of educations ?
@ What about the high cost in public transports ?
@ What about the job lost of citizens to FTs ?

There is no mention on ways to bring down these real cost , only some grants and subsidies .
Not another of those 说就天下無敵 ; 做就有心無力 , I hope .
Having said that , the government must make sure that all ministers and their ministries are moving towards the same direction with our PM so as the achieve the desire result . If not it will be another of these NATO ; talk only , no action .

Anonymous said...

Unless i'm mistaken, the 40 places was not a indictive that it is purely for singaporeans, so FT's is still on his mind?, the changes in MediShield to MediShield Life is just pluging a to b, the whole agenda of high cost means its affordability, in simple words, "i cannot afford", expanding special grants, does not mean u dun have to pay back, a grant is still a grant, and again the, "i cannot afford" is miss off in the hearing, the removal of Paya Lebar Airbase and the Waterfront ports are a conviction of more ppl coming in, "dun worry, sin still has lots of space"!.
However i do cheer the introduction of bands to primary school and students in secondary able to take a higher level for that subject they did well in. The Housing grants for big families to upgrade is also good, but a reduction would be even better.
Overall with no concrete plans in education, housing, and health the speech is more cosmetics than any thing else.

denk said...

lhl
*前人种树,后人纳凉*

the way it is, its gonna to be
*sg种树,ft纳凉*

Anonymous said...

The pap cec under pressure to improve its election showing by 2016 General Election, percentage of votes must not decrease after sliding twice in a row.

If not leadership change is inevitable

The State media hype about impending change raised people expectation only to be let down yet AGAIN.

Anonymous said...

Guess who are getting money?
- Insurance companies (NTUC, and what not)

Guess who are paying money?
- you and I. Not the government.

Anonymous said...

Hi rb,

This Medishield Life announcement is a massive disappointment and it shows the many ideological roadblocks in their policies and implementation.

The only thing universal about this is that every Singaporeans would have to take up the cover and pay for it. Banish the thought on universal free healthcare, funded by tax/levies.

Premiums are very regressive, hence the call that medisave is going up. Progressive tax funding of the healthcare is out of the question for now. And maybe up the regressive GST.

The word "subsidy" is used time and again. And to be "income-tested". One has to be close to being a destitute to get a real subsidy.

I cannot understand how a government can talk about rationing "subsidy' on one hand, but openly declare increasing premiums and medisave contributions on the other. As you highlighted correctly, the people in the middle of this scheme are all for it. It is more of the same privatizing of public sector services - in this case healthcare services.

Why is this government which is so abhorrent to social welfare so generous with "subsidies"? It is a contradiction only if the "subsidies" are real, funded progressively.

After dangling the HDB upgrading and the GST rebates carrots for years, it is now developing another carrot of sorts to entice voters in the next election. Talk about pork-barrel politics.

My view is that this is just a tweaking of a system that is fast breaking down. Such adjustments are done with ulterior motives and with continuing of the existing ideological system. How many more tweaks do they want to make?

Someone, please tell me what ground-breaking policy shift was announced?

faber

Chua Chin Leng aka redbean said...

Hi faber, in my view this is a very cruel scheme and shows a lack of wisdom. I will be writing another article on this. And to think that those who came out with this silly scheme are thinking that it is so brilliant and that the people will flip over for it, show the level of retards we have at the policy making level.

It is in the similar vein as asset enhancement, or more foreigners good, or higher housing price is good, or the more expensive education fee is, the better the quality of education, or the higher we pay the better quality we get, or long life is good life, etc etc.

Anonymous said...

...show the level of retards we have at the policy making level."
RB August 19, 2013 2:05 pm

How can you say that? Do you know it takes a bigger retard to vote for a retard?

Anonymous said...

Ground breaking shift is your compulsory Medishield premium going to double.

b said...

Now even middle class has to depend on gov for handouts (aka subsidies) to buy a roof above their heads. When will naive voters wake up?

All singaporeans (including those living overseas) have to pay for medisave life? What about PRs and those on EPs? can they opt out? Those insurance providers must be laughing all the way to the bank.

By just tuning here and there, is this the best solutions the highly paid ministers are capable of?

Anonymous said...

It is the best way to squeeze money from the people. Watch your Medisave savings, flying away.

Anonymous said...

"It is the best way to squeeze money from the people. Watch your Medisave savings, flying away."

Once you let them have the money, you find they devised a lot of way to take the money from you without you knowing it.

We know it from AIMGATE, didn't we ? Imagine for the last 50 years, how many of AIMGATE cases are not reported.

patriot said...

Wow!

Seems to me the PM is also an insurance agent too.

patriot

Anonymous said...

The increasing high costs of health care is due to the influx of foreigners. Before the influx of foreigners, the heath care issue is not so serious.

Anonymous said...

Just think about this, to get in one foreign PMET, the mom also have to give out 4-6 dependants passes to this one foreign PMET. They are all consuming the health care service without actually contributing to the society. THat is the main reason why health care costs is so high today and increasing getting more and more unaffordable when more foreign PMETs are allowed in this island.

Anonymous said...

The message I got was:
- There's no free lunch, you want longer health coverage, you pay for it
- We are headed for 6.9mil with the space freed up by Tanjong Pagar port and Payar Lebar Airbase
- Sinkies will have to live with FTs, coz FTs will continue to increase in SG
- Sinkies should be contented with BTOs in ulu Sengkang/Punggol, and be enslaved to it for 25years

Any similar views?

Anonymous said...

The elite think that by amassing a fortune for a few generations, their children and grandchildren will live well and will not live the pathetic lives of the average Sinkies and will not feel the negative impact of foreigners.

Don't bet on that. The wheel of fortune is turning all the time and the fortune built up can turn to dust and the descendents could end up poorer than the average Sinkies and live through the karma their forbears have created for them.