9/25/2013

Significant progress on hot button issues

In yesterday’s programme on Asking the PM, Hsien Loong was to a certain extent congratulating the govt for making significant progress on hot button issues like housing, public transport and foreigners/employment. I could not hold my eyeballs steady as they kept rolling while he was saying these things.
 

Should the people be jubilant, praise the govt for reacting to these painful issues that have hurt the people real bad for so long? How in the world could a proactive govt with its fingers on the pulse of the people allowed these problems to escalate to a point of losing control is amazing. And who the hell created all these problems in the first place?
 

My eyeballs rolled faster when he talked about the sense of identity, strengthening the Singaporean core, about individual citizens sacrificing for the national goals and blaming this generation for being different and less sacrificing than the early generations.
Somehow I got this feeling that citizens and the interests of citizens were cast aside in the mercenary pursuit for economic growth at all cost over the last decade or so when foreigners were brought in to replace citizens in nearly every aspect of life in the island. 


The housing problem is a big shit that could not be unwound with the people all deep in debt. The employment scene when foreigners are happily employed by the millions and poor Sinkies ended jobless or underemployed or even being discriminated to favour employment of foreigners did not happen yesterday. How come the govt allowed it to happen, or the govt did not know?
 

Should the people pat the govt for doing a good job or whack it with a big stick? The FCF that is being rolled out is greeted with a lot of mixed feelings, sneers and suspicion that it is going to be another wayang. This tells a lot about the trust the people have on the govt. No need to say more. How did the govt reach just a state of distrust if it has been doing all the good things for the people? The people are daft and ungrateful?
 

Solving problems together, the govt thinking ahead and the people not thinking ahead? What was the govt thinking and saying when the people were crying out loud about the housing problems? No housing problem, no need to build more, housing was affordable, where got problem? If the people have not screamed their heads off in cyberspace about the employment shit when citizens were booted out of their jobs to be replaced by the foreigners, would the govt look up and listen, and take note?
 

Actually all the problems in a way were faked, over blown in cyberspace. If there is no internet and social media, there will be no problem at all. Nothing would be heard. The netizens are a nuisance, creating false and imaginary problems and giving the govt a hard time for no good reasons.
 

Now that the govt has acknowledge some of the problems raised, now that the MOM has started to do something about it, let’s hope the cynicism of the people does not turn out to be true, that it was all a wayang. The govt needs to rebuild its trust by the people if it is to stay relevant and believeable and be re elected. The people are watching with a very critical and cynical mindset. They are not going to take the words of the govt for granted. They want to see actions and real results that favour citizens, not locals.
 

So? Where do we go from here? Does the govt know that a medical appointment with the specialist in govt privatised hospitals can take more than a year? Is this an acceptable state of affair?

21 comments:

oldhorse42 said...

I guess RB in his anger might have missed out an important message our PM had for us!

He tell us to solve our own problems and do not wait for Govt hand outs?

Well I have never stuck out my hands for Govt hand outs. In fact I keep my hands in my pockets to keep out Govt's hands.

Anonymous said...

"The govt needs to rebuild its trust by the people if it is to stay relevant and believeable and be re elected."
RB

It's not so much a matter to rebuild trust but whether PAP is still the best available party to be trusted to be govt.

And should be lah, if the strongest opposition in uniquely Sinkieland is still not ready to be govt.

Hence, if I were PM Lee, I not only love the 60% but also WP Low Thia Khiang. WP is a right opposition party. Right for PAP lah, of course.

Anonymous said...

Actually hor, if I were PM Lee, I would also have said what he said on TV lah. It's only natural.

As natural as a young lady wanting to look pretty, and a young man being attracted to a pretty young lady.

So I, unlike RB, did not really roll my eye balls when PM Lee spoke on TV.

Anonymous said...

"The govt needs to rebuild its trust by the people if it is to stay relevant and believeable and be re elected."

redbean
Can we please be more linguistically correct and say "The PAP govt" instead of "The govt".

It's the PAP govt that created all this shit.
A WP govt will be different.
An SDP govt will be different.

Thank you.

Anonymous said...

So? Where do we go from here?
ANSWER:
Keep voting Opposition. Keep making noise in cyberspace. Keep complaining to all your friends and relatives.

Does the govt know that a medical appointment with the specialist in govt privatised hospitals can take more than a year? Is this an acceptable state of affair?
ANSWER:
Keep voting Opposition. Keep making noise in cyberspace. Keep complaining to all your friends and relatives.

Anonymous said...

"WP is a right opposition party.""
Anon September 25, 2013 9:25 am

Right by itself or some other party make it right?

If it is some other party, then credit must be given to this party lah, especially its leader or supreme leader, tio bo?

Anonymous said...

RB, it really break my heart for sinkie land to ended up where it is today. As a past strong pap supporter to start voting for opposition 10 years ago is not my preferred choice but a necessary action. While I know that the pap government is not ideal, at least from a macro sense, it has transformed sinkie land for majority of the people back then. But it starts to slip into the slippery road so what else can I say, it's history now. I will continue to vote for opposition to have a more balanced democracy to check excesses that cause today problems

patriot said...

The Programme was made for PROPAGANDA AS USUAL.

IT WAS PURE PROPAGANDA and

NOTHING ELSE.

patriot

Anonymous said...

Is there is another latest classification of singaporeans....

Do you belong to the 'WORKING POOR".........

Defined as earning below $1,500.....

I was shock to note that a local study estimated that we have 70,000to 90,000 households earned below $1500 and can be called the "WORKING POOR" (see ST 25/9/13 pg B2)......

As reported the "WORKING POOR" struggle to make ends meet......

Oh dear oh dear .....why do we end up like that ........

I always thought we are ok .......I was wrong ........

Ⓜatilah $ingapura⚠️ said...

redbean:

>> So? Where do we go from here?
Same-o same-o. Life will continue regardless. Nothing will change significantly.

>>Does the govt know that a medical appointment with the specialist in govt privatised hospitals can take more than a year?

They not only know, but probably planned it that way due to scarcity of specialists. Specialists in private practice can earn tens of thousands a day, several million dollars a year. They attract very high premiums because their expertise is much sort after and could mean the difference between life and death.

>> Is this an acceptable state of affair?

Absolutely acceptable. The world is not equal. People are not equal, and they'll never be. In life, you get what you pay for -- and that applies to healthcare.

It is ludicrous to expect people who cannot or will not pay up to receive the SAME TREATMENT as those who can and are willing to pay, or have been prudent enough to start paying into insurance the moment they started their working lives.

Whatever you sow, so shall you reap. If you didn't sow, what gives you the right to reap other peoples' harvest? Fact is, there is no such right. However, people have difficulty in accepting that.

Living Well IS The Best Revenge

Chua Chin Leng aka redbean said...

Matilah, you are at your usual cockiness. The day will come when you want to live well also cannot. Then you will know what it is like on the receiving end.

Oops, it would not happen to you. You have it all worked out: )

Anonymous said...

Mati lah can fantasize that he is invincible. However, he does not have to wait long to feel vulnerable.
Do let him have his feel and fill of ego.
May Mati lah Singapura have a long life.

Ⓜatilah $ingapura⚠️ said...

redbean,

Don't teach your father how to fuck.

I know everything is temporary -- I ain't scared of "hardship" having been through it many times already. You cannot win every race, but I will enjoy those moments of "winning" any time I get them.

What is displayed by both govt and people is LACK OF CHARACTER. Life is very very uncertain. So man the fuck up and face the motherfucking facts lah.

As to my alleged "cockiness": I paid for it in spades lah, and occasionally still pay.

Living well is the best revenge

Got character?

Anonymous said...

Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong is never tired of rhetorics.
The people must have found them stale and sickening.
Just look and listen to the reactions to the program everywhere.

What do you think?

Anonymous said...

Matilah speaks much liked Lee Kuan Yew in his younger days.

Anonymous said...

Matilar don't talk nonsense lar. U said don't teach your father how to fuck, then what teach your mother is it? U motherfucker

b said...

'Somehow I got this feeling that citizens and the interests of citizens were cast aside'

- unfortunately, we belong to the 40% (aka minority) and thus not enough to change anything. the 60% are enjoying lives under papaya ruling so they continue to vote papaya again and again. Until, we have more people falling into the cracks, we can then expect some changes. just sit around and wait. do not beat the grass and alert the snake. their bad policies will get to them one day.

Anonymous said...

@ 1.28 pm

Someone talking to himself again!

Anonymous said...

Many are doing it.
And Anon 3:41 pm
did the most.
Lolx.

b said...

I think sinkies are better off without LKY. We may have a weaker exchange rate but we will live in nice landed houses with gardens, drive cars to work, more time with family, less hectic lifestyle, better health etc just like many people in malaysia.

Anonymous said...

Red Bean, since when did Matilah the small dickie became your pops, not only is his mouth all screw up i think his mind is too. mannnn, he really needs to find his kangaroo quick.