We are the third richest country in the world according to Forbes on a per capita income basis. This means real money on the head of every Singaporean. And it could be more if we have not imported and bloated up our population with foreigners. But never mind, we are still very rich and should make full use of our money to create a utopian Singapore. How and what is a Utopian Singapore?
My idea of a Utopian Singapore is one that Singaporeans do not need to work any more, or at least no need to work till they die. The third richest country in the world working its citizens to death! Can you believe it? Singaporeans only need to enjoy life, go to school to study anything they want. Go to learn arts and sports and study the sciences for fun. Why not, with the kind of money we have?
We have plenty of money and we can use the money to hire really talented people to create and make more money for us. We can pay for the lower skill people to do manual jobs and the higher skill people to make money. We pay them to do everything for us, but most important thing is to make us richer. Why aren’t we doing this? Aren’t we spending millions and millions to the most talented to make money for us? Or are we spending millions and millions on the most talented to make us work for them? If this is the case, then something is very wrong somewhere. The formula is wrong. The outcome is wrong. There is no need for Singaporeans, the third richest people in the world, to work and to work to death.
What is all the wealth for when we cannot enjoy them, and worst, to scrimp and pinch and to work and work. It is just not right. Our super talents must think smart and do the right things, and think of better ways to make Singaporeans live a richer life with all the wealth we got in our country.
Look, this is nothing new and nothing difficult. Many of the rich here and everywhere are doing just that, living off their wealth, managing their wealth, without the need to work. We can transform our wealth at the national level and make all Singaporeans as wealthy owners of our national wealth, and live a life of plenty, and no need to work. Any Singaporean who wants to work is to work for his own enjoyment, personal satisfaction, like the rich and super rich. That is the goal.
The present situation is not that of a rich country but a country with so much wealth and benefiting a small elite and so called super talented foreigners. There are still too many people not living well and many are just making ends meet. Is our wealth fictitious or not properly directed to benefit the people? Giving the extremely poor a few hundred bucks monthly is not sharing of the country’s wealth.
Think of a new formula, a nation of wealthy Singaporeans, no work, all play. And making the talented people work for us. For paying them so well, they better give us good returns for what they are worth. We pay them to work for us. Why are we paying so much and not getting the return to make everyone live better and still got to work to death?
The third richest country must be a happy country with the people really feeling rich, not poor. We must be able to fund our people in education, the unfortunate and the aged. The only thing that we are funding is the hoards of foreign students. And we are running charity shows after charity shows to raise funds for the less fortunate. How can that be?
The rich in our midst don’t live a life begging for charity. Neither do they need to work to death. Maybe it is all a dream and so is my utopia. Some thing is just not right.
For a tiny little resource-poor insignificant dot in the middle of formerly one of the poorest regions on earth - i.e. SE Asia - one should not disparage or lightly brush off the good fortune and the good choices Singapore has made (so far) to achieve it's level of wealthy individuals.
ReplyDeleteIncreased wealth means increased ability to choose, and also an exposure to more available choices.
The challenge is to become wealthy first, to eradicate poverty and privation. What you choose to do after that is entirely up to you, and your ego. ;-)
5 minute speech on values from the movie "The Great Dictator"
ReplyDeleteIf only our Minister of Education is able to inspire us with such a speech when he talks about values.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5IvPIWzQcUY
Sasha Baron Cohen's new movie:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.republicofwadiya.com/
It'll probably be banned in Singapore
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ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cYplvwBvGA4&sns=em
ReplyDeleteKani nah nearly 7 million views.
And this is a fake politician, in a fake cuntree, making fun of the whole game.
Awesome!
The Great Dictator by anon 2:47 is good.
ReplyDeleteThird richest country? Is that for real?
ReplyDeleteThen why my folk has to hold two jobs to make ends meet, think more than thrice about buying a new pair of shoes when the old one has worn out?
If we are indeed third richest in the world, my folk is definitely not feeling it.
@anon 1256
ReplyDeleteYou are one data point and your account is anecdotal, not hard evidence. Thus your case is weak when stacked against the might of an entity like Forbes -- with all its resources, global clout, and generally a much bigger dick than most of us will ever have.
The way to challenge this is to challenge the evidence -- which apparently Forbes has, and the methods/ processes used in reaching their conclusion.
I would say there are flaws and holes.
I never...make that never never ever ... accept ANY CLAIM made by ANYONE or any organisation until I see the facts for myself and agree with how those facts were obtained, verified and interpreted.
We are fed so much info these days, and most of it is PURE BULLSHIT. We believe alot of it because we think the sources are authoritative (like the media), or "gorgeous" like celebrity endorsements for products.
Link: On Bullshit, by Harry Frankfurt, Princeton University. PDF, 100kB