6/20/2020

Pleading for the PAP to understand the high cost of living

'"The PAP government has to understand that as living costs have increased, the burden on ordinary Singaporeans has become crushing."

People’s Voice Party (PVP) chief Lim Tean took to his Facebook on Monday (15 June) sharing a video of a pre-school teacher voicing out against Singapore’s high cost of living and low wages that are crushing the young families in the country.

Vig Ramachandran, a pre-school teacher for 12 years, said in the video that many young Singaporean families are struggling with the high cost of living as they need to support their while coping to the high financial commitment of household expenses, childcare and education fees, HDB mortgage, as well as the rising GST and elderly parents’ hospital bills.'

The above is from TOC in an article by S Ling on the high cost of living and how the low wage families are struggling to keep up with.

To me and to many Singaporeans, this is understandable as the average Singaporeans are all affected by the high cost of living, not just about school fees. Many Singaporeans are living from pay check to pay check and with 60 per cent having enough just to tie over 6 months if they lose their income.  Any time longer they will be in deep trouble.

Is this so difficult to understand? It is very difficult to understand if you are a millionaire or earning millions annually. With such income, what is a few thousand dollars or a few hundred dollars? People living in this ethereal level of existence enjoy a very different kind of lifestyle.  Pardon me, you mean got poor people in Singapore? Don't ever bother them with a few dollar type of problems. It is very irritating to think that people can call it a problem over a few dollars, a few hundred dollars or a few thousand dollars when a meal could be a few hundred or a few thousand dollars.

Excuse me, what was the question again? Oh, 'The PAP government has to understand that as living costs have increased, the burden on ordinary Singaporeans has become crushing'. What living cost? Heard of Swiss standard of living? Peasants and their problems are their problems.  A cooking class in Paris cost how much? $70,000 only mah. I got so much money dunno what to do so go Paris look see look see. can or not?

Hey hoi polloi, buck up and work harder if you want to live better, and don't bother me with such minuscule problems. We have bigger problems to understand, problems that involved millions and millions of dollars, not mundane a few dollar type of problems.

Understand? You want multi millionaires to understand your cost of living problem? They are more concern about getting less than a million and affecting their lifestyle.

21 comments:

Anonymous said...

There is a yawning gap between interests of million-dollar-earning politicians and ordinary Singaporeans.

Anonymous said...

You mean got poor people in Singapore?

Get out of my elite uncaring face!

If I don't get my millions, the lifestyle of my family will suffer.

Anonymous said...

Actually the problem is Ah Long said in one NDP rally that the low income had poor financial priority such as they can owned a mobile phone with high data usage & can live in air condition house but unable to put food on the table, he warned the poor or low income to get their priorities right & to go for house brands & be aware of their own budgeting expenses, take up more jobs or work overtime if they could as Ah Long believe there is no such thing as poverty on Sinkieland - some r juz asset rich cash poor, so he suggested downgrade, rent the flat, lease the flat to encase but he didn't understand the challenges of old old wud need to cope in a new environment after tat.

Anonymous said...

Unlike some other countries, in Singapore you do not see beggars. But no beggars does not mean no poor! Poverty has always been hidden from sight.

In fact, some beggars are basically beggars, to call a spade a spade, but have been given cool names like 'buskers' or 'tissue sellers' etc. They are officially sanctioned as reputable jobs, sanitized to please tourist and elites who cannot tolerate them in front of their uncaring faces.

The cost of living in Singapore is spiraling upwards and noticeable, if you are a price conscious regular shopper. The fact is that life is so good for some earning good salaries that they are not even aware of price increases, and they just pay without batting an eyelid.

Singapore is going the way of the USA where the rich owns all the properties and the poor just become renters that got evicted when they cannot pay the rent. HDB flat owners are just lessees of the highly expensive pigeon holes they live in. And HDB is the biggest landlord!

In Singapore, running a business often goes belly up because of the high rentals, whether at coffeeshops, malls or HDB shops. But that most important reason is often spun out of the equation, the blame focusing instead on manpower cost and globalization.

The real evil culprit is the bidding system for coffeeshops and shops, with the highest bidder securing the site. But the high cost is eventually passed on to vendors, who will in turn pass on the final burden to customers.

A slot in a coffeeshop near my block cost about $5K on average, and with washing of utensils and cleaning of tables thrown in, it could come easily to about $7K a month. What about hired help and cost of ingredients? The consequence is that customers pay the final price of the bidding system. People have to eat and home cooking is not cheap either. The rich got richer, the poor cannot make ends meet.

Anonymous said...

Beggars given cool names like 'buskers' or 'tissue sellers' - just like "lessees" of HDB flats given cool names like "owners".

KT said...

I honestly like what you have said: "......It is very difficult to understand if you are a millionaire or earning millions annually. With such income, what is a few thousand dollars or a few hundred dollars?.........". Those who are millionaires in commercial sectors, we are unable to comment, but just think of our Leeders paying themselves millions$$$ every years. Do they not have enough for themselves and their families, and live a high lifestyle ? Have they thought of the majority of the peoples in the middle and lower income groups who are struggling each living day ? We are called the First World country(what for ?), but do you know that peoples in countries far away from Red Dot, have a notion or impression that Sinkies are so rich and happy living a Swiss standard of life. In that year(a long time ago), Sinkies of that generation were very impressed and looking forward to it, but many are older now. They felt "cheated" and disappointed that they are still struggling in life ! They said this will happen in their "next life. But the "ONE" who promised Sinkies this Swiss-standard continue to enjoy it and keeps silence till today.

Anonymous said...

I don't understand why Singaporeans need to plead or beg the PAP.

Just vote Opposition.

Voting Opposition is how we tell the PAP that we do not like them or their policies.

Anonymous said...


Hi 1239pm

Good afternoon.

Are you saying that under opposition parties government, the cost of living will be lower?

You really think so?????

Hahaha.......

Anonymous said...

How can a country claim that there are no poor there when there are frail elderly everywhere toiling at hard manual work - cleaning, clearing tables, retrieving trolleys, collecting cardboard, manning food and drinks stalls, etc etc. You see them even in our posh award winning airport, upscale malls, office buildings and luxury condos. They are silent and unobtrusive but not invisible. Even multi millionaires who live in the stratosphere can see them if they have the heart to open their eyes.

Anonymous said...

Hi 1.08pm

I don't care if cost of living will be lower with Opposition Parties

PAP is destroying me with their anti Singaporean policies.
- I will take revenge by voting Opposition

Anyhow just vote Opposition.

Anonymous said...

Anyhow just vote Opposition.

Majulah Singaporeans !!!

Anonymous said...

I don't like PAP.
Actually, I really hate the PAP bastards.

Vote Opposition if you do not like PAP.

Anonymous said...



YES sir! YES sir! YES sir!

Anonymous said...

Don't vote for PAY And PAY else u may kena Poke And Poke until kena Pokai liow ( taxes & taxes until u pants drop wallet kosong after that).

Anonymous said...

PAP is going to raise GST, other forms of taxes like hell after the General Election to cover the $100 billion dished out for CORVID. Hope the stupid 69.9% knows.

Anonymous said...

I better vote Opposition.
Otherwise, PAP will raise GST and taxes after the elections.

Anonymous said...

Anon 1.08

Whether voting opposition will result in lower cost of living is not a sure thing. But one thing for sure is that voting PAP will result in higher cost of living.

On top of that, what is important is the 'shiok sendiri' feeling.



Anonymous said...



Hello 759pm

Hahaha Hahahahahaha.....

All the best-EST!

Anonymous said...

I just wonder how the S$100 billion taken from the reserves is going to be replenished. There is one big hole to be patched up. One thing for sure is that replenishment is as certain as the sun rising from the East.

And it will certainly be a bigger burden that will befall on the shoulders of our children.

Virgo 49 said...

Just like today's report.

Sinkies even those earning high incomes ones worse off than those who earned less.

Live off when they are on a roll..never know that now they be rolling into debts.

Bite MORE than.they can chew and choke.

KT said...

The 2 i/c of the Papayas supreme leeder claimed that Singapore is NOT ready for a non-Chinese PM. He never realised that polls conducted shown Singaporeans are ready for a minority PM. And the supreme leeder could out of the blue in last PE, claimed that Papayas (not Sinkies'claim)are ready for a Malay PAPsident. This PAPsident turned out to be an Indian instead of a Malay because I think qualified Malays did not suit them. So,to them: "no fish, prawn also can"(Chinese saying). To them, it makes no difference. But their sudden move for a Malay Papsident was due to a wild card, i.e. Dr Tan.