If there is anything that this Govt is to be remembered for
it must be the string of policies that have gone too far and no longer able to
pull back to avoid further damages to people and country. My apologies, this is
just my view. The Govt definitely disagree and believe all the policies are
well thought out and calibrated. There cannot be any policy that is not
carefully conceived and allowed to go too far. And all the policies are good
for the people and country. These are the two extreme views of where Govt
policies are heading and the consequences or benefits that came along.
I would just name a few that I think have gone too far with
disastrous impact on the people and country. Some in the Govt, especially the
ministers, still think that high ministerial pay is a matter of a few plates of
char kway teow. The truth is that it filters down to the top few levels of
political leaders and the top civil servants that ended with a huge payroll
that the people will have to pay. This spreads to affect practically every
aspect of the country’s social and economic activities leading to extremely
high cost of living that is going to destroy the fabric and lifestyle of the
average citizens. High ministerial salary is not a simple and isolated matter.
It is felt in every corner of the country from the industries, the high
compensation expected by all the top management and professionals to high
property and car prices and high prices of everything.
High prices of properties and cars were allowed to carry on
for too long with the Govt believing they are good things. Must be. They
quietly and happily sanctioned the trend, and for those with many properties,
seeing their net worth ballooning without having to work. It must be very good.
Such selfish and short sighted views are expected from leaders without 20/20
vision, quite natural. By the time they realised that the policies have gone
too far, there is no returning back. The various excuses that Boon Wan shared
in Parliament are the hard truths that the people must live with. There is no
turning back and those that cannot keep up, the only way is to sell them half a
flat or a quarter of a flat.
As for high car prices, the fat bank account ministers would
be saying cannot afford there is the efficient public transport as an option.
And the higher the prices of car, of taxis, the better it is as it is only
natural that luxury and convenience come with a price. They can afford all the
luxuries with their extremely high income and there is no need to spare a
thought for the losers who cannot make it.
The most serious policy that has gone too far is population
growth and the influx of foreigners. Singaporeans are now virtually a minority
in their home country. The call for foreigners to integrate with Singaporeans
is a farce. The time has come for Singaporeans to integrate with foreigners and
learn and to accept the foreigners’ way of life and idiosyncrasies. What is
dire is that the Singaporeans have been battered and cowed all the years by the
Govt that they have lost their fighting spirit of a can do people. They have
resigned to their fate that the only way forward is to migrate or accept a
lower existence here, playing second fiddle to foreigners taking over their
jobs and a better life.
The revelation of the great numbers of foreigners here is
simply frightening and beyond belief. And the numbers, and the Govt’s constant
reminder of how great the foreigners are and how grateful the citizens must
show to their saviours have bred a legion of foreigners who have no qualms in
rubbishing the citizens, discriminate and victimise them at place of work and
employment opportunities. And no one cares, no one bothers, no one in the Govt
really cares two hoots of such a vicious development in the country of
Singaporeans.
The recent show of disapproval in Parliament is a sickening
farce. How could the parliamentarians raise the issues now as if they just woke
up from their sleep, or were their minds went on holiday all this while? And funny, they took the cue from the
netizens. They heard it from the netizens. They did not know, really, they did
not know. Or was it again another policy that they knew and approved and went
along and allowed it to go too far?
Immediate and tough measures must be taken immediately by
the MOM to mean business and return the country to Singaporeans. The country
has been invaded and the foreigners have taken over many parts of the island,
including businesses and high paying jobs. Talk cock and sing songs in
Parliament are just that.
These are just a couple of examples of policies allowed to
go too far. There are many many more that have resulted in higher and higher
cost of living, the medical fees, education and allowing the tertiary
institutions to be swarmed with foreigners to replace the local academics. How
silly can it be? And the replaced academics too behave like daft and helpless
average Sinkies, accepting their fate and cannot do anything about it.
Is there still time to recover the country from these wild
policies that take on a life of their own to the detriment of people and
country? Is it too late for anything to
be done and Singaporeans should just raise their hands and the white flag, give
up their country and move their butts somewhere else. Let the better talented
foreigners to keep the Singapore
flag flying, if they did not change it sometimes in the future? Should the
country exist for the people or people for the country?
They are going to bring in more foreigners to increase the
population to 6.9m in 2030. So, has the population and immigration policies
gone too far or still have many miles to go? They why the spectacle of protest
and speaking up for Singaporeans and why not revisit the Population White Paper
to stop the flow of more immigrants? As long as the White Paper is not stop,
all the talks are meaningless, simply wayang. There is a big connect between
the White Paper and the fate of Singaporeans facing the influx of more
immigrants.
32 comments:
RB it is very sad. But I will be there on May 1 with a few friends instead of going there alone last time.
Many of your grouses are what economists call market driven conditions. Unless you are in a socialist country you cant really blame the government.
The root cause of all issues - education, social, health care, high property prices...etc, is the influx of migrants. Decision makers are trying to deny it, and the damage has been done...
/// Many of your grouses are what economists call market driven conditions. Unless you are in a socialist country you cant really blame the government.///
March 16, 2013 10:52 am
Another idiot from PAP.
In a free market, there will be no such thing as COE.
In a free market, no government will own 90% of the land in Singapore.
There is no such thing as "market driven" conditions in Singapore. This is a "managed" economy.
A govt. policy driven market.
IF HDB market is a free market, then how come the Minister (govt.) keeps coming up with so many new HDB policies?
10.52 again lucky u posted anonymously otherwise your balls would have been sliced off by net citizens hor
Sorry to correct all you fuckers.
anon 1052 is partially correct.
The conditions are MARKET driven. Only in the case of Singapore artificial markets like COE are created by government. But the price fluctuations of COE are still "market driven"...e.g. more people want cars, prices are bid up. No one wants cars, COE $50.
HDB prices are also market driven. But the govt controls by regulations -- like you have to lock one room to rent out the flat.
"Markets" are physical reality expressed by people exercising their preferences. Even if the market is not free, you will still see the supply-demand-price relationship in action.
Government policies do have an effect on the market. Instead of being an incessant complainer, all you have to do is to get on the "right side" of the trade and realise "profit".
Complaining is nonsense. The govt rarely reverses its decisions. Evey government policy comes with the resultant moral hazards and externalities, and the all-to-prevalent unintended consequences.
When a government policy bites you in the ass, chances are it is an unintended consequence.
Oh yeah, market forces determines that the ministers we have deserve the million $ salaries n bonuses which are not declared to the taxpayers ??? How come market forces doesn't give ministers in countries which are bigger n more complex to govern salaries that are out of this world ? Kick them out n pay others who truly want to serve their country less than half of this humongous salary n we will still sail along ... no worse off !
@anon 208.
Yes. That has bee told to you time and again. Minister's salaries are "pegged" to top private corporate remunerations, which is market-based.
Like I said, the government creates their own markets. But whatever is created still "behaves" like a market -- because human nature is human nature!!
"The recent show of disapproval in Parliament is a sickening farce. How could the parliamentarians raise the issues now as if they just woke up from their sleep, or were their minds went on holiday all this while?"
Redbean,
you must be kidding us if you think that they have awakened. For the past years, they have been doing more of the same, by pretending to wake up and repent, but yet continue to do more of the same, with help from ShittyMedia to give the illusion that thing has been done, where nothing drastic has been done. They are there for the truman show. Pinky is still the same and still think he is mandate from heaven. SinCity is still governed by monarchy system (party whip, anyone ?) disguised as democratic system (see how those assholes-in-white keep saying that SinCity is democratic during election ?). As long as pinky and old fart holding power and his bunch of cronies running the show, don't expect anything to change.
"And funny, they took the cue from the netizens. They heard it from the netizens. They did not know, really, they did not know."
Redbean,
you are confusing yourself. Forging ignorance, living-in-denial and deliberately still screwing the citizens is not the same as "I don't know". If you are paid millions to AYE whatever shit, nothing will change.
Don't believe ? then how do you explain the party whip to vote for the toilet paper ?
Hope you are not growing senile by trying to explain the shittyparty's mistake in the wrong way.
“It is essential to rear a generation at the very top of society that has all the qualities needed to lead and give the people the inspiration and the drive to make it succeed. In short, the elite.. Every society tries to produce this type. The British have special schools for them: the gifted and talented are sent to Eton and Harrow.”
- Lee Kuan Yew
That's why there's a highly paid elite class. So what you complaining about? He said this in 1966. Here you are nearly 50 years later, and NO ONE has done jack-shit in all this time to say otherwise. So essentially Singaporeans have accepted and embraced this --- they need authority, they need elites.
Complain what? Really....what? Complain to yourself lah for making the wrong choices!!
Many of your grouses are what economists call market driven conditions. Unless you are in a socialist country you cant really blame the government.
You really believe there are something call "free market"? We only have feudalism. To implement free market I would suggest
1) Allow people to buy drug like heroin, LSD...etc. If someone wanted to "steam" until death, let him have free will. Since we already think about euthansia, why not drug. (I anti drug, just use it as example)
2) PAP stop pegging our SGD. This is market rigging. We should use gold standards.
3) abolish NS. Why are Singaporeans providing free security for FT.
....etc
Matilar, nonsense coming out from your mouth again, net citizens would cut your balls and feed them to the pigs for desert. Small desert I mean since its only two small and old balls
@ 318:
yeah yeah yeah, blah blah blah....please excuse me...I'm ltae for my appointment to...
他妈的你的妈妈!
Matilar, late appointment? To get your balls reattached?
Enjoyed your piece. Thanx.
The criticisms we hear of policies are really just noises. At the end, everyone will fall in line.
We will have 6.9 million for sure. I expect the target to be missed - and so we will have about 8, 9million come 2030. This will not include the at-least 2.5million tourists a month by then. So all in, about 10.5, 11 million by 2030.
10% of land for greenery? Hahaha
The kind of leadership we have is a result of LKY's beliefs, stated in 1966, which Matilah points out.
Sporeans buy into this. That's why people keep going on abt: Bring in real foreign talent. Actually, we need people with ''talent'' that does not require a degree.
People still talk of having oppn members with high degrees. This even though the scholars in govt have performed very badly. And pple still want the PAP in power though it has performed so BADLY.
Few realise that ''elite'' means more than just pple with lots of A's and lots of money. Just as being ''educated'' means much more than having a degree. No matter how much education and money we have, we have become, in many ways, a crass, small-minded people. And we're filled with fear.
Janis Joplin has a line in a song:
Freedom's just another word for nothing left to lose.
Things will have to get to that stage before anything changes. Even then, nothing may change, because we are such cowards.
Marilah's ugly logo makes it really easy FOR ME to hide his comments.
But I am still very surprised there are people who read that offensive lowlife Matilah's comments.
People, please ignore that porn addict, lonely attention whore!
Hopefully... he would follow his handle and MATI for real... really soon!
Hey, Matilah, if you're reading this, FUCK YOU, YOU SICK MOTHERFUCKER!!!
@anon 457:
>> Sporeans buy into this.
"Confucianism" whether you like it or not, or accept it or not, IS the broad umbrella of principles which guide the leadership of modern Singapore.
The "elite ruling class" is (supposedly) made up of persons of the highest integrity and ability. Confucianism is an ETHICAL SYSTEM of governance. The "elites" are those who have excelled in the context of "Confucian meritocracy" -- where in the past persons aspiring to govern had to pass Imperial Exams and demonstrate their personal rectitude, ability and sound judgement.
Personally, I find nothing wrong with that. It sure beats "demo-crazy" where you get the average folk voting by their emotions and whims. When democracy "works" it's great. But most of the time it delivers arseholes into office. Democracy: The God That Failed"
Despite its imperfections, IMO Confucianism is THE BEST political philosophy to govern Singapore. It's a CULTURAL thing.
“With few exceptions, democracy has not brought good government to new developing countries…What Asians value may not necessarily be what Americans or Europeans value. Westerners value the freedoms and liberties of the individual. As an Asian of Chinese cultural backround, my values are for a government which is honest, effective and efficient.”
- Lee Kuan Yew
“I’m not intellectually convinced that one-man-one-vote is the best. We practise it because that’s what the British bequeathed us.”
- Lee Kuan Yew
There you have it. Confucianism "works" because it is relevant to the culture. Whilst being fraught with dangers and imperfections, emocracy/ mobracy/ majority rule is much better than any of the "evil" alternatives like totalitarianism or a Caligula-style dictatorship.
But there are downsides: you probably won't get the stunning innovation and invention under a Confucianist system. Wild creativity is usually the by-product of near-anarchic individual freedom and expression -- the sort of political economies you find in western nations.
When Singapore accepts that "mess" and "chaos" are not necessarily "bad" things, when society embraces crazy high achieving individuals, when everyone with a pink NRIC lightens the fuck up and is able to "let fly" their own expressions (without feeling the need to "save face"), whilst encouraging others to do the same...then you might start to have a good time ;-)
Fear of "losing face" ===> very bad, limiting cultural trait. Prevalent in ALL of Asia.
@anon 748:
Hey man, take a chill pill. It's Saturday, yo. Go out and hit on some bitchez...eat some pussy, you'll feel much better ;-)
Why should greedy ministers salary be ' pegged to top private corporate remunerations , which is market based '? Cannot peg to lowest 20% ' private corporate remunerations which is market based ' meh ?
'Confucianism "works" because it is relevant to the culture.' - if it really works, China will not be communistic today, europe will not be socialistic. At the peak of any elite system, a revolution or war will happen. Many people will be captured, killed, executed. There will be many sufferings.
I agreed. The high costs of living today is the result of over paying the pm and hence all those reporting to him. They can easily fine those companies that pay their directors higher than PM and keep costs down, thus not having to import foreigners to replace locals.
If his pay is pegged to market, then he should not get more than president obama because his skill is not rare and he is dispensable and easily replaceable by cheaper alternatives.
Wonder whether we can claw back all the taxed paid to this gov since they are so incompetent. The housing, transport, education, healthcare, jobs are all in a big mess.
@anon 930:
Have you been paying attention? That Lee Kuan Yew's logic, not mine. The ministers are paid to "compensate" them for the money they could earn in the private sector, because they are ELITES groomed by The Man himself.
@anon1222:
"Confucianism" isn't necessarily EXCLUSIVELY Chinese any more, and hasn't been for centuries. Ideas are ideas, and most ideas "escape" the original culture where they were bred, and spread then incorporate themselves into other cultures.
For e.g. Ideas of The Renaissance in the west come from many sources: Adam Smith, David Hume (Scots), John Locke (English), Frederic Bastiat, (France), Martin Luther (German), The Scholastics (Spain) etc etc.
Confucianism has more to do with "central governance and planning by a Chosen Elite" more than it does to be any particular point on the political compass. The political climate could be socialism, communism or even state capitalism (aka fascism)…it doesn't matter. What is important to keep in mind is that under the umbrella of "Confucianism" there is a Chosen Elite at the top deciding "what is best" for the Cuntree and its Sheeple.
So China can be communist, which it was, then under successive leaders (premiers and presidents) they reformed their economy to be more market-based. China's leaders are CHOSEN by the party, not by her people -- this is directly in-line with Confucian ideas.
P.S. Governing by Confusion philosophy produces strict order in the society -- whatever the leadership says, goes.
In the western democracies, anything and everything is "allowed" until the government tells you it is not. In Confucian governance, you don't get to make that decision: what is allowed will be TOLD TO YOU by the leaders.
As you might imagine, to expect a culture explosive, no-limits individual innovation, where wild ideas which turn the wheels of human history are unlikely (but not impossible) to occur in such STRICT and RIGIDLY governed societies, where INDIVIDUAL FREEDOM is curtailed and everyone has to comply with the Central Government.
Even Lee Kuan Yew agrees with this:
"America's creativity, resilience and innovative spirit will allow it to confront its core problems, overcome them, and regain competitiveness". [...]
"China will inevitably catch up to the US in absolute gross domestic product. But its creativity may never match America's because its culture does not permit a free exchange and contest of ideas".
Source
Cuture takes a long time to change. You essentially have to wait until the generations DIE OUT, and new young people slowly change or discard the ideas they "inherit". If you look at Singapore, and Catherine Lim knows this very well, the young people do not have the same "obedient streak" as their forebares. They want something else. They want more freedom, more space to express themselves. They don't look to become engineers and lawyers, they want to create electronic games, web portals, be DJ's and VJ's, become rock stars, or fashion models, or quants/ financial engineers…or whatever jobs which don't yet exist.
Similarly, China's culture will change -- correction -- is changing, rapidly. But The Elites will hang onto their power and their Confucian philosophy for a long time yet. I agree with Lee Kuan Yew: there is no way China can remain united as one nation under liberal democracy. The moment it goes democratic, it will fracture into multiple nation states -- like Russia did when the centrally governed and planned Soviet system collapsed.
"my values are for a government which is honest, effective and efficient.” - Lee Kuan Yew
Just look at the sky high housing, cars are only for the rich, jobs created for foreigners, better to die than sick, schools are to kill creativity, ultra high pay of civil servants. Which part is honest, effective or efficient? This guy is suffering from God complex. He thinks he created sinky and we have to listen to all his bullshit and he determine when to screw us and how to screw us.
Sinkies are not against elite rule. SInkies are not happy with a rule that is not honest, effective and efficient.
Sinkies are not against foreigners.
Sinkies are against tooooo many of them taking away jobs, making things tooooo unaffordable, taking up tooooo much space.
/// Matilah_Singapura said...
Sorry to correct all you fuckers.
anon 1052 is partially correct. ///
Sorry, more wrong than correct. There are many distortions to the free market in Singapore.
Who is the largest land owner in Singapore? Who decides when to put out land for tender? You call this market mechanism?
What nonsense is this foreign workers' levies? It interferes with the free market.
And COE? Paying 3/4 times the value of
the OMV just to get a piece of paper to buy a car. How can it be a free market if the open market value of a car is only a tiny portion of the total cost of a car? There you have it - open market - and yet what we have in Singapore's car market is anything but open.
And is there any other free market in the world where only the ministers and top civil servants have minimum wages of millions of dollars a year?
The list go on...........
If I thrive with PAP Rule.
Do You expect me to say the PAP System sucks?
@The:
You've missed my point. I'm not defending the free market, nor am I concerned about how skewed the free market is in Singapore, courtesy of the government -- you have to be a motherfucking drooling, shit-smearing retard not to know that.
What I'm saying is even though there are distortions, bubbles, scarcities, over-production...whatever, you still get a market, which is individuals exchanging goods and services using a medium of exchange -- in this case, currency which is being debased.
Currency debasement alone will distort the market by pushing up nominal prices, and creating supply pressures -- BUT you still have a market. A sick one, but a market nonetheless.
Matilah - do read what you wrote. What's the use of the market if it is so bastardized? Yes, we are not quite into barter mode. Seriously, you think the supply and demand is working? When the supply is in the control of the government. When the demand is made meaningless by the govt suka-suka imposing additional buyers' tax, hiking levy here and there. Supply of land is control. Supply of COE is at the whims and fancy of LTA.
Sure, we have a market. So has Cuba and North Korea. Monopolies also function in a market.
The:
Please don;t complain to me lah. Not my fault.
Most markets are bastardised. But people still need to trade otherwise they will die, but not before getting dirt poor first.
In Singapore, the government controls supply of land. That's it. Do what? Get on the "right side" of the trade that's what.
You cannot fight a controlled, distorted market. But you can "change sides" :-) or withdraw. I do a combination of both. I don't like losing money. I am kiau-kiasi Singaporean. I look for "lobangs". Even if it is small time, I must win ;-)
Nevermind Cuba et al. Install TOR and I2P software. Then have a look at "Silk Road" and "Black Market Reloaded", and the Bitcoin currency used for trades. Those "illegal" markets are as near free as you are going to get.
In the first time in human history, any individual can make a shit load of untaxed anonymous money in GLOBAL business, with reasonable safety.
In a world where commerce and supply is regulated, "free markets" go outlaw and are referred to as "blackmarkets".
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