Excuse me, take your hands off my money! It is a bad habit to dip your
hand into other people’s piggy banks or savings to help yourself. Even
if you are the govt, you have no damn right to do so. Tio boh? Even if
you go to Parliament and vote to use my money, it is still ‘illegal’ and
immoral. The Constitution, without even looking into it, must have
provisions to protect the people from any one thinking he can help
himself with the people’s private property, including money. And the
savings of the people in the CPF, in the Medisave, belong to the people,
the individuals who put them there as their savings for their
retirement. Is there anyone with the audacity to decide how the money
should be spent for the rightful owners?
Who is arrogant enough to think he can do what he likes with the
people’s money without asking for their consent? This bad habit is now
second nature, it seems. The Govt is now so bold as to think that it can
suka suka take liberties of the people’s savings as if it is the owner
of the money. How outrageous can it be?
Any constitutional lawyer or human rights lawyer could care to explain
why this is so? Or does the whole legal profession believes or agrees
that the Govt has all the right to do so and that is why no one is
willing to stand up to be counted, to say otherwise? If that is the
case, then I will take my words back and can understand why the Govt is
doing so.
The Govt must know that it has the legal right to take the people’s
savings to buy life insurance, medical insurance and even to keep it for
the good of the people for as long as it deems fit. It must have been
rightly advised that it can do so by the best legal minds in this
island. Short of something similar to the Land Acquisition Act, the
Govt’s action to use the people’s CPF savings is kinda like a de facto
Savings Acquisition Act.
So silly of me. I shouldn’t have wasted my time writing this. If the
legal profession does not think it as a wrong, no one in this city
thinks it is wrong, then it must be right. I rest my case.
Excuse me, please do whatever you like with my savings, and feel free to
do so anytime you feel convenient and the need to do so. You have the
right to decide what to do with my savings and how to spend my savings
for my own good.
Thank you very much. We are so bless with such a caring Govt.
RB, actually hor that any government can Suka Suka takes any money or property within the country by passing any Act or law and singapore is no exception. Look at Greece I remember the government just take x% of everyone deposit kept with the banks.
ReplyDeleteSome more cpf is a tax not really your money. It's current function is to help you to pay for a leasehold and your medical expenses. If you wanted to plan for retirement, pls do so outside of cpf. Taxes in singapore is very high and if u combine the income tax rate, the cpf rate and the gst, the taxes are over 50%.
So knn, we live in a over tax jurisdiction but Bo bian mah as 60% of the people like it Tio Bo?
When you live in this bubble red dot, every thing you have or own is given by govt. As out leaders often proclaim proudly that their efforts and brain power have created the system and society that afford you opportunity to earn a living and make money. You eat off their hands. So it is perfectly alright for them to take your money and every thing you have. Bo tio?
ReplyDelete"Any constitutional lawyer or human rights lawyer could care to explain why this is so?"
ReplyDeleteRB
No need lawyer to explain lah, any Tom, Dick and Harry can tell you it is constitutional for PAP Govt to hold back Sinkies CPF money.
Hence you should rest your case.
Unless you can lead a party that can contest 100% of seats in GE 2016 lah. Then when you become PM (Prime Minister, not Personnel Manager hor) you can release all CPF money back to Sinkies at 55.
That's the only way Sinkies can get back their CPF money.
Bravo. Tio.
ReplyDeleteShame to all the tio bo's.
For the umpteenth times it's tio boh, tio boh, tio bo, tio boh...NOT tio bo. You silly bo boers.
Ya as pap has 2/3 majority, constitution also can be changed what so no point to seek lawyer opinion to waste money lar, Tio Bo?
ReplyDeleteYou tell me lar some more 60% don't mind mah
Plundering social security is now a fad with all government in the world.
ReplyDeleteOur government may be in some financial trouble. Right now not only CPF, all junk fee are increasing like crazy and government forever dish out service and force us to subscribe.
For example, the last time passport renewal cost few dollars and last 10 years. Today, our passport cost $70 and must be renewed every 5 years.
PAP manage to give an impression that Taxi price have not rise for some time. But we are now slap with all sorts of surcharge, and there is only very few hours in a day, without surcharge.
Protect our savings.
ReplyDeleteVote Opposition in GE 2016!
Today, our passport cost $70 and must be renewed every 5 years.
ReplyDeleteVeritas August 22, 2013 9:47 am
Even if it is $100 and must renew every year also bo pian (no choice) mah, tio bo?
What can Sinkies do, besides kpkb?
RB, as a follower of your blog. I worry for you. You are working yourself into a frenzy. Not good for your health. Remember Fish? In your excitement you forget what you said not long ago - stand up and be discounted.
ReplyDeleteAt my age, there is nothing to worry about. Given the choice, I would not want a comprehensive medical coverage. I will not want to pay for any major ops. If the time comes, let it be. Just ash to ash.
ReplyDeleteI do not crave to live to 90 year old or more. Every day is a bonus.
Thank god my health is near to perfect at this moment.
If people keep having designs on your savings, no amount will be enough for them to take. You are just savings for other people to spend on your behalf.
ReplyDeleteredbean:
ReplyDelete>> The Constitution, without even looking into it, must have provisions to protect the people from any one thinking he can help himself with the people’s private property, including money.
The spirit of the REPUBLICAN constitution of Singapore is to form limited government.
However since that spirit is long gone by the wayside, Singapore now has UNLIMITED government.
Sure you can have "private property", and you can tell any interloper to "fuck off" your property and leave you alone. However it is The State and the government who runs The State which defines "private property" and when it is "legitimate" (?! WTF?!) for The State to become your-invisible-unwelcome "partner" to your private property.
Relax, just like you have an invisible friend in Jeezuz, you have an invisible partner in your life, money and property -- the PAP government.
Tens of thousands of posts on the internet have screamed: "It is the duty of the government to look after the people!!"
Well, they're doing EXACTLY what has been requested. They are "looking after" the people. And sooner or later, The Sheeple have to pay their babysitter!
How do you think it's gonna work out?
Don't cry baby, suck the government's tetek lah! Feel better?
I will take your advice on the tetek. Can find them.
ReplyDeleteEssential viewing for scholars of our glorious mother tongue Singlish:
ReplyDeletehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m4I84bkoUKU
If you think your money belongs to you;
ReplyDeleteVote Opposition to protect it.
If you think PAPigs can manage and protect your money better than you can;
Vote PAPig.
Since whence are lawyers responsible for social justice.
ReplyDeleteJustice has to come from the Rulers to be enforced by the Judiciary.
But if Rulers are without conscience, what justice is there to talk about?
Me begs to differ with Redbean and others who tend to feel that we are under Rule Of Law. Hopefully, in future all Sinkies will acknowledge that they are Rule By Law.
patriot
@patriot 209:
ReplyDelete"Social justice" is one of those "nonsense" terms which sound good in a speech, usually made by a "reformer" to get the audience on side.
Actually there is no such "thing".
There is justice, as we know it: the rule of law, and in the Singapore context, as you say, rule by law. This is the only justice which matters because it is BLIND and treats everyone the same. And yes, it is imperfect, but "good enough" for normal day to day life.
Social justice OTOH does not treat people the same: it seeks to take from some who have "more" to give to those who have "less"...and then you have -- according to them -- "equality". For them the goal is to "Occupy" what they cannot get by legitimate means.
I take the rule of/ by law anyday over "social justice". At least you know what you're going to get when it comes to The State.
Come to think of it; social justice should come from the Citizenry, the Majority in any land.
ReplyDeleteBut, if the People are incapable of getting themselves the Justice, then they have to depend on their money or their almighty.
patriot
If you look at those recent risky investments (China, India etc) made by GIC/TH, you will know that they are all under water and they have to come out with plans to screw the people ever more unless they declare the state bankrupt.
ReplyDeleteAccountability? THey are for the non-elites.
Justice, like freedom, is a commodity. It has a price and ordinary people such as the non-elites usually can not afford it.
ReplyDeleteThe ruling party is very addicted to the gambling mentality. Every time they made losses, they will go to the atms (the naive people) for money and think they can win back the losses. Still vote for them?
@patriot 303:
ReplyDelete>> Come to think of it; social justice should come from the Citizenry, the Majority in any land
Exactly right. What I've been advocating all these years.
"Helping out one's fellow man" is, and always must remain, the province of free-willed individuals. The government has no business in this realm.
Why?
Because when the government gets involved, it uses FORCE (rule by law) and artificially demarcates "giver" and "recipient", according to what the government wants, NOT what the people want. By its actions and very nature, the government creates "ill-will" between giver and recipient.
It then proceeds to enforce this, by law, changing the culture, and cultivating an undercurrent of mistrust, hostility, self-centeredness. This is a terrible state to live in -- constantly focused on negative things denies opportunity to look at possibilities and the nice things in life.
Contrast the government intervention to voluntary individual interaction. It could be quiet, or it could be loud and boisterous -- who knows? Humans communicate and negotiate on many levels and in many styles. Everyone is different, because they have different world-views.
Even if you are a half-wit, you will soon realise, after living a few decades on this interesting planet, as part of an entertaining species, that EVERYONE needs help. In older, simpler times, village (kampung) folk helped each other out when there was a need -- e.g. death, childbirth, weddings, funerals, illness etc. If someone was in trouble, the community rallied to help. Even the headman (and it was always a man) never interfered by FORCING someone to help their neighbour -- that would be unthinkable, as too many incidences like that would fracture the social bonds in that small village; and that means poverty, homelessness and death for most villagers.
The Sheeple of Singapore have a long, long way to go. They don't even understand what BASIC HUMANITY is. Of course there are many exceptions. You have some awesome Singaporeans too. However, I'm using a huge generalisation here and just sticking a bloody label: THE SHEEPLE. The Sheeple create their own culture. Thankfully, this is the age of YouTube, and many Singaporeans have demonstrated their creativity by satirising aspects of Singapore culture. And, boy oh boy, it is a strange culture indeed, with it's own unique language. Singlish is an established creole language. Contrast it to SSE or Standard Singapore English.
So you have language, culture and a few million human brains -- brains making choices to act in the environment populated by millions of other brains, each thinking processed through cultural filters and communicating in language, which is received then interpreted through cultural filters. Of course there are many other filters -- varying with each individual. Millions of them. Collectively, this makes the zeitgeist very interesting.
Do an investigation yourself -- everyone should do this, and see what they come up with:
1. Singapore culture is good because....
2. Singapore culture is weird because....
3. The Singapore government reflects Singapore culture because...
4. The Singapore government does not reflect Singapore culture because....
5. Singapore culture is strengthening the society because....
6. Singapore culture is weakening the society because....
Matilar, knn recent posts from u at least do not waste people time. It does not mean I agree with everything u posted though
ReplyDelete@615:
ReplyDeletePlease lah, I don't write shit for people to "agree" with me. I'm not here to make friends ;-)
Knn to you too!