12/16/2013

How the rich get richer and the poor get poorer

The infamous photograph posted in Baey Yam Keng’s facebook is going on its second round of circulation. A plate of nasi padang with fish, chicken and cuttlefish I think, and probably with vegetables, cost $2.50. And there is the even more infamous $8 open heart by pass, and free serving of quality grade tooth picks in boxes, are privileges of the rich and famous. They seemed to know how to get things cheaper than the common folks.
 

Most ordinary people would be charged at least $6 or $7 for a plate of similar nasi padang. Most people would be broke or have their Medisave savings emptied and probably not enough if they have gone for a heart by pass. And if they need some tooth picks, probably will get the ordinary ones and comes in a few pieces.
 

While the poor have smaller incomes got to pay more for what they need, the rich with million dollar incomes could get things so much cheaply. Now you understand why the rich get richer and the poor get poorer.
 

And this is just a natural thing in life, one of those hard truths. Some are born more equal than others. And some don’t even know what $2.50 can get for a nasi padang lunch. And some don’t even know there are poor people in this rich city. This is uniquely Singapore. And you can’t blame them. They don’t eat in hawker centre like the poor do. They don’t walk in the company of the poor or when they did their walkaround the poor might have been shooed away, not to be seen.
 

Heard of the story that there are only 3 seasons and not four?

38 comments:

  1. redbean
    The rich in Singapore gets richer because they are subsidized by the poor.
    This Singapore hypocrisy is nothing new.
    Why is it like this?
    The system is designed to keep all the poor in their place.
    How else to stay in power forever?
    You tell me lah!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Give him the benefit of the doubt that he thought his money very big. $2.50 could buy so many things.

    And recommend the hawker for a national day award for keeping the cost of food down.

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  3. The rich get richer and the poor get babies...or else...!

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  4. No use complaining. It is the natural order of things. As LKY once said: I get two eggs and you get one.

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  5. For MPs and Ministers to post such articles, it is either they are innocent or dumb. This is a clear cut case of people in power detached from the real world. They have no feel for the people any more. Personally, I believe they did not know these figures are untrue and are not attainable to the ordinary folks like you and me. They better show cause why people should continue to support them!!

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  6. One show off an $8 by pass, one taking half box of toothpicks and now one so delirious that a sumptuous plate of nasi padang cost him only $2.50.

    Is this idiocy or simply numb?

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  7. But maybe also depend on what type of MP, from which party that is.

    Will the stall also charge WP MP Faisal Manap $2.50 nasi padang if he buy what PAP MP Baey had bought?

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  8. WP? Where got power one?

    Charge WP MP $2.50 for what use, you tell me lah?

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  9. "For MPs and Ministers to post such articles, it is either they are innocent or dumb."
    Anon 2:37 pm

    Not really, if they are still confident of winning next election despite posting such articles.

    I believe MP Baey will still win again. He is a full time PAP MP, you know, so he must have helped a lot of Sinkies, who knows, maybe including the nasi padang seller.

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  10. MP Baey full time MP meh?

    No wonder lah, so he has a lot of time to make friends and help people, especially hawkers.

    Now I understand $2.50 nasi padang better.

    No big deal lah, aiya.

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  11. I think Baey Yam Keng is plain innocent. He posted the $2.50 meal sincerely thinking that it was a good buy. When the social media showed him that he had too good a deal he went back to double confirm.

    Now he paid $3.70. And I think he also believed that this is a fair price. If he thinks something is not right he won't have put it up in his facebook.

    I am convinced that he is purely innocent and did not see anything wrong with the prices he paid for his nasi padang. And he found the deal so good that he is recommending his facebook followers to visit the stall.

    His intention is good. Go to this stall and get a good buy, value for money.

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  12. quid pro quo. middle-men.

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  13. This is happenning all over the world. What can the common man do? The rich call the shots, reap the rewards, control the policy makers, all at the expense of those lower down the food chain.

    We can talk until we turn blue and nothing will change.
    Just wait for the economic tsunami to happen and everything is over, rich or poor. The way things are happenning, it won't be long to wait.

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  14. Tell me: who voted that party that makes the rich richer and the poor poorer? Since all politicians are evil, keep voting the same politicians is promoting evil.

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  15. "His intention is good"

    - for whatever sake, what kind of intention from a papig is good?

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  16. All I can say is this chinese minister is ridiculously stupid and totally out of touch. No wonder that middle man (ahneh minister) importing all the ahnehs workers and trashs to replace locals are laughing all the way to the bank by exploiting the innocence of the locals and the absurd stupidity of those chinese ministers.

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  17. There is someone who is gaming the system and one no need to be a genius to know which minister.

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  18. It is insensitive at a time when people are crying loud over the burden of high cost of living. Prices for food, car, medical care are moving up at a break-neck speed and yet our MPs are stupid enough to tell lies. $2.50 Nasi Padang with eggs, fried checken and veg, is not only impossible to find, it has no benefit to citizen reading his blog. What is the message? Just like our Zoro Lim, telling people he took extra tooth picks from the restaurant. What is he trying to tell? My ghosh, I am now not quite sure about the quality of our ministers and MPs!

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  19. PAP chicken joke
    -----------------
    Q:Why did the chicken cross the road?
    A: Baey Yam Keng:
    To buy cheap nasi padang rice at only $2.50

    Q:Why did the chicken cross the road again the next day?
    A: The nasi padang rice is still very cheap. Even at the new price of $3.70

    ReplyDelete
  20. Nero fiddles while Rome burned.

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  21. I never have a chance to enjoy a nasi padang at a price of below S$4.50 since many years back.

    Looks like they like to kotok me .

    I will try to visit that Tampines stall to see whether they are so kind to charge me S$3.70,not to mention S2.50.

    Netizen Chintai ever mention in blog that he loves to go there for meal.Ask him to eat Nasi Padang this time and see how much will he be charge.He will have a good time blogging.

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  22. Never know price of nasi padang is like the stock market, one day is $2.50, next day is $3.70. Anyone can predict what will be the next price?

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  23. RB

    Agreed that it was his innocence that made him put that in his Facebook, but what does that tell you, being a politician and a MP holding office to serve the people, surely that person would have seen the world, tasted the salt and should have swam with sharks. A greenhorn without IQ or EQ, what would the future then hold for sin city, lets be crude and say it as it is...you just have to have it these days to lead, putting aside the qualification, anyone would know better to put stuff in their Facebook.

    Its worrying because world affairs and what have you will be discuss and decision made by these young politicians on sin city future....would you be worried?

    Kaki
    with kopi to you.

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  24. dun worlee for baey ...

    so mani reasons to use soon ..

    - my administers type wrongly

    - stomp him authority liken general n get arselickers in msm to suppork him

    if all else fail get tin tin to coach him ..


    knnccb ... can some kind soul spare me some rope to suppork my pants ...

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  25. Honestly, the CPI m measurement is a sick joke. It does not reflect the real cost of living on the ground. The way prices are moving up, this looks like a country without any Government in control. Or should I say they control the wrong things.

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  26. Wa sai,

    1st tampon picker, then soil diaper and now this!!!!!, nothing better to put in their Facebook???

    Go, old folks home, go, special needs children school, the ones that finds are like mouse, No, not Path Light, the rest of the bellow.

    There are 40,000 over families that need help, but instead of helping them they go makan, recent article said give these families $8.99 million. 42,000 was given $3.4 million which works out to be $80 over dollars per family??, $5 million was share with 5,000 people, again which is $200 or so, buy text book also not enough!!!!.

    Such generous sharing, sucks only in sin city!!!!!

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  27. He just wants to share with us how to get more bang for our bucks. Like that also must cow peh cow bu. Everything now is so expensive here for the ordinary folks.

    Hey Baey, some more tips on how to stretch our dollars leh. But don't bluff us ok, not one price for an MP and another for the folks. Pork soup (not from tap), char kuay teow, mee rebus, mee siam (mai hum please), hor fun, anything lah. But not $10 XO chai tow kuay ok, only Kee Chiu can afford. I hear Little India food is cheap, can go or not?

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  28. At participating businesses, if you show them your NTUC membership card, you can get a discount.

    Maybe it's the same with a PAP membership card?
    Maybe you flash your card and you get a discount?
    If true, I think more Sinkies should join PAP tiok boh?

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  29. I am trying to gracious and generous. You people don't be so harsh to these young talented men and women. They are still learning on the job and one day will be great leaders.

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  30. /// They are still learning on the job and one day will be great leaders. ///

    Yah!
    One day they will be great Leeders.
    By that time, Singapore will be 4th World country.

    We paid millions to the Great Mentor to train a team that will replace him. For the last 20 years.
    And this is the shit we get?

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  31. Singapore -- where meritocracy and materialism rule anchor the culture -- is the best place in the world to be poor -- to begin with.

    In Singapore, a person with nothing, can start from nothing and make something of themselves, alot more easily than anywhere else in the world.

    Still wanna stay poor? No problem. Just choose a rich cuntry, and your "poverty" will be the envy of many others living in really poor cuntrees -- where there is constant threat of death, disease, violence, murder-by-government, total obliteration by natural disaster.

    If you come from a poor background as a woman or a child or a marginalised ethnic minority, being in Singapore will definitely increase not only your chances of basic survival, but also the "holy grail" of self-actualisation.

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  32. Baey Yam Keng has posted an explanation of his $2.50 nasi padang and it is being reported in the media. It is all a misunderstanding. He only ordered a chicken and two veggies. The photo posted of a drumstick, fish, cuttlefish and veggie must be faked or not the right one.

    It is all a misuderstanding. Baey Yam Keng also said that he would be naive to think that $2.50 was the right price. Let's accept his sincere explanation and move on.

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    Replies
    1. Knnbccb.... inflation spiralling thru the roof?

      $1.20 cents increased in a few days?

      Different dishes ordered?

      what the official CPI rate?

      knnccb.... cunt take this... I better go masturbate to release the pent up anger

      Knnccb... hsien loong

      Delete
  33. Another good place to have cheap and good lunch is the Parliament House.
    Lesser mortal cannot eat there unless you are signed in by MPs

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  34. This Baey Yam Keng must go back and reflect on his $2.50 nasi padang meal.

    ReplyDelete
  35. Why not also mentioned that the 6.9m white paper is all a misunderstanding/ miscalculations/ misappropriations?

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  36. spontaneous ...

    wah liao eh ... so many spontaneous criticisms by netizens to a spontaneous nasi padang meal by a spontaneous baey who had a spontaneous desire for a nasi padang meal that day

    he spontaneously saw a nasi padang and spontaneously ordered rice, chicken and two veggies dishes and bandung drink. is the nasi padang stall also selling drink?

    the helper spontaneously decide to charge a spontaneously discounted ... okay lah, friendship price $2.50. helper machiam boss giving spontaneous discount, wonder if give spontaneously to his kawan kawan anot.

    after his spontaneous lunch, happily satisfied the stomach, spontaneously blog on his mouth watering meal to share his spontaneosly rewarding experiences.

    a fan on facebook asked for the price paid, spantoneous baey happily quote $2.50

    thereupon a spontaneous fan decided to share his joy ... cannot give such an offer a miss

    ordering the same dishes but was spontaneously charged $6.00, wrote on his experience

    spontaneously this became a talking point, with many spontaneous reactions and comments

    knnccb .... i also becUm spontaneous kaypoh ... after all they say; laughter is the best medicine, AND CHEAPER THAN EVEN THE $8.00 (luckily not $7.99) heart bypass, only internet charges and electricity charges

    ReplyDelete